2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945 – The impact of War, 1939–1945 (A-level only) — AQA A-Level History
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2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945 – The impact of War, 1939–1945 (A-level only) explained
The war profoundly altered German society, with the regime using rationing, propaganda, and indoctrination to maintain morale.
Read the full explanation
Rationing began in 1939, causing resentment as shortages worsened. Goebbels' propaganda shifted from early triumphalism to calls for 'Total War' after Stalingrad, attempting to sustain morale despite casualties. The war's impact varied across social groups. Traditional elites faced a loss of influence, prompting some to resist. Workers endured longer hours and frozen wages. Women were increasingly conscripted into the workforce, contradicting Nazi ideology. Youth faced intensified indoctrination and military conscription through the Hitler Youth, though some formed opposition groups like the Edelweiss Pirates.
The wartime economy and the work of Speer; the impact of bombing; the mobilisation of the labour force and prisoners of war
Germany's wartime economy initially struggled with inefficiency. In 1942, Albert Speer became Minister of Armaments, centralising control and implementing 'Total War' policies. Speer rationalised production by standardising parts, which dramatically boosted munitions output despite Allied strategic bombing. This bombing devastated cities like Hamburg, aiming to break morale and disrupt industry, though production only collapsed in late 1944. To meet severe labour shortages, the regime mobilised the domestic labour force, but relied heavily on forced labour. Millions of prisoners of war and foreign workers were conscripted into brutal conditions in factories and agriculture, becoming essential to sustaining the German war machine.
Policies towards the Jews and the ‘untermenschen’ during wartime; the Wannsee Conference and the 'Final Solution'
Wartime radicalised Nazi racial policies, escalating persecution into systematic extermination. Conquering Eastern Europe brought millions of Jews and 'untermenschen' (subhumans), including Roma and Soviet prisoners, under Nazi control. Initial wartime policies featured ghettoisation and mass shootings by Einsatzgruppen after the 1941 invasion of the USSR. The January 1942 Wannsee Conference, chaired by Heydrich, did not initiate the Holocaust but coordinated the logistical implementation of the 'Final Solution' across state departments. This facilitated the industrialised mass murder of Jews in extermination camps like Treblinka, representing the horrific culmination of Nazi racial ideology amidst the chaos of global conflict.
Opposition and resistance in wartime including students, churchmen, the army and civilian critics; assassination attempts and the July Bomb Plot; overview of the Nazi state by 1945
Wartime opposition to Nazism was fragmented but significant, encompassing diverse groups. Student resistance, notably the White Rose, distributed anti-Nazi leaflets before their execution. Churchmen like Bishop Galen publicly condemned the T4 euthanasia programme, while civilian critics engaged in low-level non-conformity. The most serious threat came from the army; military defeats spurred conservative officers to act. This culminated in assassination attempts, most famously Stauffenberg's July Bomb Plot in 1944, which failed to kill Hitler and led to brutal purges. By 1945, the Nazi state was characterised by administrative chaos, total war mobilisation, and the dominance of the SS, ending in total collapse as the Allies advanced.
Your focus
- Analyse the methods used by the Nazi regime to maintain civilian morale through rationing and propaganda.
- Evaluate the impact of the war on the traditional elites and the working classes.
- Assess the contradiction between Nazi ideology and the wartime experiences of women and youth.
Show all 12 objectives
- Evaluate the impact of Albert Speer's reforms on the efficiency and output of the German wartime economy.
- Analyse the effects of Allied strategic bombing on German industrial production and civilian life.
- Assess the role and treatment of prisoners of war and foreign workers in sustaining the German labour force.
- Trace the escalation of Nazi racial policies from the outbreak of war to the implementation of the 'Final Solution'.
- Analyse the specific policies directed at both the Jewish population and other groups deemed 'untermenschen'.
- Evaluate the purpose and historical significance of the Wannsee Conference in the context of the Holocaust.
- Identify and differentiate the various groups involved in wartime opposition and resistance to the Nazi regime.
- Evaluate the causes, execution, and consequences of the July Bomb Plot and other assassination attempts.
- Assess the structural and administrative condition of the Nazi state as it faced defeat in 1945.
2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945 – The impact of War, 1939–1945 (A-level only) exam tips
Marking Points
- Assess the effectiveness of rationing in maintaining civilian health and morale during the early versus late stages of the war.
- Evaluate how propaganda and indoctrination adapted to military defeats, such as the shift to 'Total War' rhetoric following Stalingrad.
- Analyse the changing role of women, contrasting the ideological ideal of the 'Kinder, Küche, Kirche' with the practical necessity of female conscription into war industries.
- Examine the varied experiences of youth, contrasting the intensified indoctrination of the Hitler Youth with the emergence of non-conformist groups.
- Discuss the alienation of the traditional elites, culminating in active resistance such as the July 1944 bomb plot.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of Albert Speer's rationalisation policies in increasing armaments production between 1942 and 1944.
- Analyse the economic and psychological impact of Allied strategic bombing on German cities and industrial output.
- Assess the extent to which the German wartime economy depended on the exploitation of prisoners of war and foreign forced labour.
- Examine the limitations of the domestic mobilisation of the labour force, including the delayed conscription of women into industry.
- Compare the chaotic economic management of the early war years (1939-1941) with the centralised control under Speer.
- Explain the radicalisation of racial policies due to the outbreak and progression of the Second World War.
- Detail the treatment of 'untermenschen', including the starvation and execution of Soviet POWs and the persecution of the Roma.
- Analyse the role of the Einsatzgruppen in the transition to mass killings in the East.
- Evaluate the significance of the Wannsee Conference in coordinating the logistics of the 'Final Solution'.
- Assess the structuralist versus intentionalist historical debates regarding the decision-making process for the 'Final Solution'.
- Differentiate between non-conformity, opposition, and active resistance among the German population during the war.
- Evaluate the motivations and impact of student groups like the White Rose and civilian critics such as the Kreisau Circle.
- Analyse the role of churchmen in opposing specific Nazi policies, noting the limitations of institutional church resistance.
- Assess the significance of the July Bomb Plot and other assassination attempts by army officers in threatening the regime.
- Describe the condition of the Nazi state by 1945, focusing on polycratic chaos, SS dominance, and the impact of total war.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Use specific turning points, such as the defeat at Stalingrad in 1943, to explain shifts in propaganda and civilian morale.
- 💡Contrast the ideological goals of the Nazi regime with the pragmatic compromises forced upon them by the war, particularly regarding women.
- 💡When discussing the impact on workers, differentiate between the experiences of skilled essential workers and those in non-essential industries.
- 💡Use statistics to demonstrate the success of Speer's rationalisation, such as the tripling of ammunition production between 1942 and 1944.
- 💡When evaluating the impact of bombing, distinguish between its effect on civilian morale and its actual disruption of industrial production.
- 💡Highlight the ideological contradictions in the wartime economy, such as the reliance on 'subhuman' prisoners of war to sustain the Aryan war effort.
- 💡Use specific examples of policies, such as the Madagascar Plan or the General Government ghettos, to demonstrate the evolution of Nazi plans before the 'Final Solution'.
- 💡When discussing the Wannsee Conference, explicitly mention the coordination between the SS and various civil service departments.
- 💡Engage with historical interpretations (e.g., intentionalist vs structuralist) to evaluate how and why the 'Final Solution' emerged during the war.
- 💡Categorise opposition into distinct groups (youth, church, military, civilian) to structure your essays effectively.
- 💡Use the July Bomb Plot to discuss both the reality of the threat to Hitler and the regime's subsequent tightening of control.
- 💡When providing an overview of the state by 1945, link the administrative fragmentation to the concept of a polycratic regime.
Common Mistakes
- Claiming that rationing only began late in the war; rationing was actually introduced in August 1939, before the invasion of Poland.
- Stating that women were immediately conscripted into factories in 1939; widespread conscription of women was delayed until 1943 due to ideological reluctance.
- Assuming morale remained uniformly high until 1945; morale fluctuated significantly, declining sharply after the defeat at Stalingrad in 1943.
- Claiming that Speer was in charge of the economy from the start of the war; Speer only took over as Minister of Armaments in February 1942.
- Stating that Allied bombing immediately halted German war production; armaments production actually peaked in mid-1944 despite the bombing.
- Confusing the domestic labour force with forced labour; ensure a clear distinction is made between mobilised German civilians and enslaved prisoners of war.
- Claiming the Wannsee Conference was where the decision to exterminate the Jews was made; correct by explaining it was a meeting to coordinate the logistics of an already ongoing extermination process.
- Focusing solely on the Jewish experience; correct by ensuring the treatment of other 'untermenschen', such as Soviet POWs and Roma, is also addressed.
- Treating the 'Final Solution' as a pre-planned blueprint from 1933; correct by discussing the cumulative radicalisation and the impact of the war on escalating policies.
- Exaggerating the scale of resistance; correct by acknowledging that opposition was limited, fragmented, and lacked broad popular support.
- Confusing the motivations of the July Bomb Plotters; correct by noting that many were conservative nationalists motivated by military disaster rather than democratic ideals.
- Assuming the Nazi state was highly efficient by 1945; correct by explaining the administrative chaos, overlapping authorities, and the breakdown of infrastructure.