Did the Second World War Change Life in Nazi Germany? (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)
Revision Note
Author
Zoe WadeExpertise
History
How Important was the Second World War for the Collapse of Nazi Germany
Many Germans approved of the Nazis’ actions at the outbreak of war in September 1939. Even by 1941, support for the Nazi Party remained high. Using blitzkrieg tactics, the German Army was able to defeat the French in six weeks. The Nazis had forced the British Army out of Europe. Many European countries had fallen under Nazi control. Operation Barbarossa was a significant turning point for the success of the war and for public opinion. Poor German tactics and planning led to many Germans losing faith in their government. The defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942 signified that this would not be a quick war as the Germans had hoped for. By this point, all areas of society felt the impact of war. Rationing, shortages of resources, high levels of casualties and aerial bombings angered the German public. Despite a Nazi propaganda campaign in 1943, an increased number of Germans began to oppose the regime. By 1944, Germany faced a war on two fronts that it could not win. By April 1945, Hitler and Goebbels committed suicide and Germany surrendered to the Allied forces. Many historians debate about if Nazi Germany would have collapsed without the Second World War. Some historians state that Germany’s economy was failing by 1939, causing discontent with the German public. They argue that Hitler sped up plans to invade Poland to win back public support. Other historians claim that the Nazi Party had strong support before the war. It was only the impact of total war that weakened the regime and decreased support. |
Changes to the Economy
In 1936, Hitler fired Dr Schacht and placed Hermann Goering as Minister of the Economy
Hitler wanted a more radical economic policy
Hitler had four main objectives for the economy:
To achieve autarky
Autarky would mean a blockade would not destroy Germany’s economy or food supply. This happened during the First World War
To increase farming output
To increase rearmament
To implement more government control on industry
The Four Year Plan began in 1936 and lasted until 1939. Goering:
Established the Reich Food Estate to guarantee prices for farmers
Increased ersatz goods. The Nazis used:
Coal to make rubber
Acorns to make coffee
The government set production targets for industry
The government controlled the production of iron ore, coal mining, steel and armament factories
Goering created the Hermann Goering Works which were industrial centres for heavy industry
Used enslaved labour from
People in concentration camps
People from newly-occupied German territories
The Four Year Plan faced criticism
Many Nazi members did not believe that Goering was the right man for the job
He had no experience in economics, unlike Schacht
Business leaders did not support the plan
Excessive rearmament decreased Germany’s standard of living
This is called a ‘guns, not butter’ economic approach
Worked Example
What was the Four-Year Plan?
4 marks
Answer:
Goering oversaw the plan (1). It focused industries on rearmament (1). Hitler wanted Germany to achieve autarky (1). The government set production targets for industry (1).
Exam Tip
This style of question does not require you to explain your answer. The Cambridge IGCSE gives you a point for each relevant piece of information that you write in your answer.
The Nazi War Economy
Many historians argue that the Nazi economy was a significant weakness in the Second World War. This is because
Germany had not achieved autarky
By 1939, Germany still imported one-third of its raw materials
The economy was not designed for war
Only by 1943 had Albert Speer, the new Minister of Armaments and War Production, switched Germany to a war economy
Germany’s economy could not support the war effort
Germany had shortages in fuel, coal and food. It did not have enough workers to make enough products
Germany relied on plundering from occupied countries to supply their citizens with resources
During Operation Barbarossa, Germany did not have enough supplies. This meant that they could not use blitzkrieg tactics properly against the USSR
Battles reduced their war supplies
The government relied on enslaved labour in ghettos and concentration camps
By 1944, one-quarter of Germany's workforce was enslaved
Exam Tip
Students often find it hard to understand economics. Try to remember that the Nazis focused their whole economy on rearmament. When the war began in 1939, the Nazis had underfunded key industries like food production. As a result, people experienced shortages and the economy collapsed. Albert Speer made improvements to the economy in 1943 but, by this stage of the war, it was too late to make a significant difference.
Support During the War
Stage of the Second World War | Reason for the increase in support for the Nazi Party | Reason for the decrease in support for the Nazi Party |
|---|---|---|
One |
|
|
Two |
| |
Three |
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|
Four |
|
Worked Example
Why did life in Germany change during the war years?
6 marks
Partial answer:
Life in Germany changed because of the intensive bombing by the Allies (1). In February 1945, the Allies bombed the city of Dresden causing 150,000 civilian casualties (1). This changed people’s lives because it destroyed people’s homes and made some people homeless. The loss of family members in the bombings would have an enormous effect on people’s lives (1).
Exam Tip
In Paper One, ‘explain why’ questions are worth either six or ten marks. For full marks in this question, an examiner is looking for two fully explained reasons as to why life changed for people during the Second World War. Use the PEE structure in your answer:
P - Make a point about the question
E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made
E - Explain why this evidence made life in Germany change. Avoid repeating the point again. Explain how this factor caused significant difficulties for people living in Germany
You could also approach this question by focusing on two key groups, for example, women and children. You would need to explain a factor that changed the lives of each group.
How Did the Second World War Impact Germans?
The German experience of war affected people differently depending on their gender, age and ethnicity
Group | Impacts of the Second World War |
|---|---|
Women | In 1944, the government forced women to contribute to war work. Life on the Home Front was incredibly difficult. Women died from aerial bombings and suffered poor living conditions from rationing and shortages |
Jewish people | Initially, the Nazis placed Jewish people into ghettos where thousands died of starvation or illness. Einsatzgruppen killed millions more Jewish people. By 1942, the Nazis gained over three million Jewish people from Poland. The Final Solution created extermination camps. At Auschwitz-Birkenau alone, over 1.1 million people were gassed and their bodies burnt. In some areas of Eastern Europe, the Nazis murdered all Jewish people. Other countries collaborated with the Nazis by sending their Jewish communities to the death camps. Roughly six million Jewish people died during the Holocaust |
Young people | The Second World War affected young people differently. The indoctrinated Hitler Youth enthusiastically helped with the war effort. They helped put out fires after British aerial bombings. However, youth opposition groups expanded. Some young people hid ‘enemies of the state’ to protect them from harm. The Nazis forced other young people to help the war effort. The Volkssturm enlisted children as young as 12 in 1945 |
Polish people | The Nazis treated Polish people poorly. They confiscated their property and attempted to ‘Germanise’ them. Many Polish people ended up in concentration camps as prisoners of war (POWs). The Nazis used them for forced labour and many Poles died from exhaustion or ill-health |
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