Opposition to Hitler (Edexcel IGCSE History: Paper 1: Depth Studies): Revision Note
Exam code: 4HI1
Summary
By 1939, Nazi terror and propaganda had crushed almost all organised opposition
The majority of resistance during the war took the form of low-level opposition, such as:
everyday grumbling
jokes
small acts of non-compliance
Youth groups, such as the Swing Youth and the Edelweiss Pirates, rejected the activities of the Nazi youth movement
Some Edelweiss Pirates carried out increasingly serious acts of sabotage as the war progressed
University students in the White Rose Group used leaflets and graffiti to call for Germans to resist Hitler and end the war
Its leaders were caught and executed in 1943
In July 1944, senior army officers attempted to assassinate Hitler with a bomb at his military headquarters
Hitler survived, and the plotters were hunted down and killed
Low level opposition in Nazi Germany
The majority of the opposition to the Nazi government was low-level or in private
Why was most opposition private?
Despite these reasons, there are many examples of low-level opposition to the Nazi government
Examples of low-level opposition
Having anti-Nazi conversations in the home
Complaining to family or friends about Nazi policies
Telling anti-Nazi jokes
Refusing to do the Nazi salute
The Edelweiss Pirates and Swing Youth
The Edelweiss Pirates
Used the symbol of the edelweiss flower
Had different names depending on where they came from:
members in Essen were called ‘Travelling Dudes’
members in Cologne were called ‘Navajos’
Resented the military discipline of the Hitler Youth
Wanted a sense of freedom similar to the youth in Britain and the USA
By 1939, there were only 2,000 Edelweiss Pirates compared to eight million Hitler Youth
Their activities became more serious as the war went on
They gave shelter to army deserters and escaped concentration camp prisoners
Members stole food and supplies from stores and freight trains
They supplied explosives to adult resistance groups
In 1944, Barthel Schink, a member of the Cologne Pirates, was executed for planning to blow up a Gestapo building
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The Edelweiss Pirates are the clearest example of opposition growing more serious as the war went on. Contrast their early activities with their later activities to show change over time.
The Swing Youth
They admired American culture, especially music:
played jazz music from their record players
gathered together to smoke and drink alcohol
Organised illegal dances attended by up to 6,000 young people:
the 'jitterbug' was a favourite dance
The Nazis disliked the Swing Youth’s focus on jazz music
The Nazis racially stereotyped jazz as 'Black' music
They were a cultural challenge rather than a genuine threat to the Nazi regime
A comparison of the Swing Youth and the Edelweiss Pirates
The White Rose Group
Formed at Munich University in 1942
The group criticised:
the treatment of Jewish people and Slavic peoples
Germany continuing the Second World War
They publicly opposed the Nazi government through leaflets and graffiti
Between 1942 and 1943, the group published six leaflets criticising the Nazis
They also painted anti-Nazi messages on buildings in Munich
Its leaders, Hans and Sophie Scholl, were arrested and executed by guillotine in 1943
Hans Scholl's last words before his execution were "Long live freedom!"
The July Bomb Plot, 1944
The plotters planned to use Operation Valkyrie, an army emergency plan, to take control of Germany once Hitler was dead
By the summer of 1944, many senior army officers had lost trust in Hitler’s leadership
They believed that killing Hitler would give Germany a better negotiating position with the Allies
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Remember that soldiers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler personally, not the country.
That is exactly why this plot came from a small group of senior officers acting in secret, rather than from the army as a whole, which stayed loyal to Hitler even as he led Germany to disaster.
On 20th July, army officer Claus von Stauffenberg brought a briefcase containing a bomb into the key military headquarters of Wolf’s Lair, Rastenburg
Hitler survived the assassination attempt
Stauffenberg left the briefcase under the table near Hitler, but another officer, Colonel Heinz Brandt, moved it behind a thick wooden table leg
The wooden table leg absorbed the majority of the blast
Four men were still killed in the explosion
After the incident, Hitler ordered the execution of 4,900 Germans
Stauffenberg was executed in 1944
How serious a threat to Hitler was wartime opposition?
Evidence that opposition was a serious threat
Historians believe that there were 11 attempts on Hitler's life during his time in power
The July Bomb Plot came from the army leadership itself, which had the organisation and access needed to come close to killing him
Opposition grew more serious as the war worsened
In autumn 1944, a group including Edelweiss Pirates in Cologne fought gun battles with the Gestapo
The Edelweiss Pirates carried out sabotage, sheltering deserters and supplied explosives to resistance groups
Evidence that opposition was not a serious threat
Every significant plot or resistance group was eventually uncovered and crushed
The Communist underground organisation was infiltrated by the Gestapo
The White Rose Group's leaders were caught and executed within days
The Kreisau Circle of nobles, lawyers and politicians was broken up once the Gestapo discovered it in 1944
The July plotters were hunted down and killed
Unlike at the end of the First World War, there was no popular uprising against the government
Most Germans remained loyal, or at least compliant, right up until Germany's defeat in 1945
The majority of opposition was low-level and had little impact on the government
Conclusions
Wartime opposition was real and, in the case of the July Bomb Plot, came dangerously close to succeeding
Opposition was rarely coordinated or widespread enough to seriously threaten Nazi rule
The Nazis continued to govern effectively until Germany's military defeat
Worked Example
Study Extract C.
Extract C: From a history of Hitler, published in 2000
"The actual outcome was that resistance from below — from Communists, Socialists, youth-rebels, foreign workers, deserted soldiers and others — was, whatever the continued courage of those involved, robbed of any prospect of success. The regime had been challenged internally. But the blow to its heart had not proved lethal. It now reacted with all the ferocity at its disposal. At least for the time being, it was able to regroup and reconsolidate, delaying the end for several more months."
What impression does the author give about the threat that wartime opposition posed to Hitler's regime?
You must use Extract C to explain your answer.
(6)
Partial answer:
The author gives the impression that wartime opposition to Hitler was never actually going to succeed. They list several different groups who took part in what they call "resistance from below", including Communists, Socialists, "youth-rebels", foreign workers and deserted soldiers, which makes the opposition sound like it is coming from almost every part of German society. However, they immediately undercut this by saying that, whatever their courage, this resistance was "robbed of any prospect of success". The word "robbed" is a strong, almost violent word to use about an opportunity being taken away. This makes the opposition sound doomed from the very beginning rather than simply unlucky or badly organised. It was never allowed the opportunity to succeed.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Keep your answer focused on the extract, because this question is only about the interpretation in front of you.
You should avoid stating if you agree or disagree with the extract as this is not what the question requires. You simply need to show the author's opinion through the words that they use and the evidence they select.
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