Opposition 2

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Army and Civilian Critics During World War Two

Over the course of the war, the Nazis began to receive criticism from military elites and civilians.

Organised military opposition

Military elites were involved in several plots against Hitler from 1939. Young Army High Commands officers formed Action Group Zossen against Hitler.

Attempted coup against Hitler

In autumn 1939 Generals Stülpnagel and Witzleben planned a coup. It came to nothing.

Examples of military opposition

Canaris, head of the Abwehr, worked against the Nazi regime and had links with the resistance.
Canaris was executed in 1945 with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oster and others.
Helmuth Graf von Moltke, was a legal expert, member of the Kreisau Circle and worked for the Abwehr. He leaked information to the resistance.
Moltke was arrested in January 1944, tried by a People’s Court in January 1945 and executed. He opposed assassinating Hitler in case it made him a martyr.

Left wing opposition

The USSR encouraged German communists to form resistance cells after Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union. The Gestapo dubbed two cells the ‘Red Orchestra’.
One was of Communist spies; the other included non-communists (e.g. Catholics and Jews), encouraged civil disobedience distributed anti-Nazi propaganda.
Both were eventually betrayed, their leaders executed in secret.

Historical assessment

Generally speaking, opposition to Hitler was very limited amongst the German elite.
Mark Roseman (2003) questions why the well-educated men who attended the Wannsee Conference were willing to go ahead with the murder of the Jews.
- Roseman concludes that Hitler had 'shaped the pace and direction of the journey his men had travelled.' Whilst many of these fairly young men were true believers of National Socialism, a lot of them were opportunists. Most of the attendees were under 40 and had risen very quickly to the top of Nazi society.

Attempts to Assassinate Hitler During World War Two

Hitler faced several attempts on his life. The most famous was the July Bomb Plot. in 1944.

Number of assassinations

During World War Two there were approximately 20 attempts to assassinate Hitler.

Course of the July Bomb Plot

The most famous assassination attempt against Hitler was called the July Bomb plot in 1944 by military leaders.
The plan was to leave a bomb in a suitcase where Hitler would be sitting at a conference in the Wolf’s Lair, his Eastern Front command centre.
However the bomb was moved. Four people were killed and two seriously injured. Although Hitler was shaken and singed he survived the attack.

Consequences of the July Bomb Plot

The ringleaders of the plot: Stauffenberg, Beck, Oster, Witzleben, Stülpnagel and others were executed after trials in a People’s Court.
- The trials and executions were filmed.
7,000 other suspects were arrested. 5,000 were executed, including Canaris, members of the Kreisau Circle and the head of the Reich Police, Helldorff.

1The Weimar Republic 1918-1933

1.1Establishment Of The Weimar Republic 1918-1924

1.1.1Post WW1

1.1.2Weimar Constitution

1.1.3Peace Settlement

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Germany Post WW1

1.1.5Economic Issues

1.1.6Economic Issues 2

1.1.7Social Issues

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Economic & Social Issues

1.1.9Extremist Threats

1.1.10Extremist Threats 2

1.1.11End of Topic Test - Extremist Threats

1.1.12Political Instability & The Invasion of the Ruhr

1.1.13Weimar Government by 1924

1.1.14End of Topic Test - Weimar Government by 1924

1.1.15A-A* (AO3/4) - Germany Post WW1

1.2The 'Golden Age' Of The Weimar Republic 1924-1928

1.2.1Economic Developments

1.2.2Industry & Agriculture

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Economic Developments

1.2.4Social Developments

1.2.5Social Developments 2

1.2.6End of Topic Test - Social Developments

1.2.7Political Parties

1.2.8Political Stability

1.2.9End of Topic Test - Weimar Politics

1.2.10Germany's International Position

1.2.11Germany's International Position 2

1.2.12End of Topic Test - International Position

1.2.13A-A* (AO3/4) - The Weimar 'Golden Age'

1.3The Collapse of Democracy 1928-1933

1.3.1The Impact Of The Depression

1.3.2Politics After The Depression

1.3.3The Appeal Of Extremism

1.3.4End of Topic Test - The Depression & Politics

1.3.5'Backstairs Intrigue'

1.3.6'Backstairs Intrigue' 2

1.3.7End of Topic Test - Backstairs Intrigue

1.3.8Political Developments

1.3.9The State by March 1933

1.3.10End of Topic Test - Political Developments

1.3.11A-A* (AO3/4) - The Collapse of Democracy

2Nazi Germany 1933-1945

2.1The Nazi Dictatorship 1933-1939

2.1.1Hitler's Consolidation Of Power

2.1.2The Terror State

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Consolidation of Power

2.1.4Opposition

2.1.5Propaganda

2.1.6A-A* (AO3/4) - Terror State & Propaganda

2.1.7End of Topic Test - Propaganda

2.1.8Economic Policies

2.1.9Economic Policies 2

2.1.10Impact Of Economic Policies

2.1.11Impact Of Economic Policies 2

2.1.12End of Topic Test - Economic Policies

2.1.13Social Policies

2.1.14Social Policies 2

2.1.15Volksgemeinschaft

2.1.16End of Topic Test - Social Policies

2.1.17A-A* (AO3/4) - Economic & Social Policies

2.2The Racial State 1933-1941

2.2.1The Radicalisation Of The State

2.2.2Anti-Semitism

2.2.3Development Of Anti-Semitic Policies

2.2.4Development Of Anti-Semitic Policies 2

2.2.5End of Topic Test - Anti-Semitism

2.2.6Treatment of the Jews in the Early Years of War

2.2.7Deportation & Anti-Semitism Evaluation

2.2.8End of Topic Test - Early Treatment of the Jews

2.2.9A-A* (AO3/4) - The Racial State

2.3The Impact Of War 1939-1945

2.3.1Home Front

2.3.2Impact On Society

2.3.3Impact On Society 2

2.3.4End of Topic Test - Impact of the War

2.3.5War Economy

2.3.6War Economy 2

2.3.7Policies Towards The Jews & Untermenschen

2.3.8A-A* (AO3/4) - Impact of the War

2.3.9End of Topic Test - War Economy

2.3.10Opposition

2.3.11Opposition 2

2.3.12Nazi State by 1945

2.3.13End of Topic Test - Opposition

2.3.14A-A* (AO3/4) - Opposition & The State in 1945

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