Socio-economic Conditions Amongst Civiliansin Nazi Germany

Bones of Anti-Nazi German Women in the crematorium in a German Concentration Camp

Socio-economic Conditions Amongst Civiliansin Nazi-Soviet Occupied Poland

A Way of Execution: Dead Poles hang while the Nazi

soldiers smile for a picture.

♥ 1940: Life in Germany was unchanged German victories in France (1940) and Russia (1941) ensured a steady supply of goods from conquered

territories to Germany Rationing was carried out but there was still a plentiful supply of food and clothes Schools, work and annual holidays were not affected and businesses carried on as usual

Youths indoctrinated with Nazi ideas in schools

German women with husbands at war lived comfortably off state allowances Rounding up and annihilation of Jews, communists, homosexuals etc.

1941: The turning point Women made to work for 10-12 hours in factories manufacturing war equipment Children from the Hitler youth operated anti-aircraft guns and searchlight batteries Winter: Distribution of potatoes disrupted as there was a shortage of farmworkers

Berlin-based American journalist, Howard K. Smith: “People’s

faces are pale, unhealthily white as flour, except for the red rings

around their eyes.”

Wounded German soldiers from Moscow brought into Berlin Civilian supply of new clothing and footwear went to armed forces

1942 to 1944: Bombs over Berlin 22 November 1943: 700 bombers dropped 2 500 tonnes of bombs on the city

2 000 people were killed and another 20 000 bombed out of their homes 20 April to 2 May 1945: Battle of Berlin by the Soviet Union

Over 30 000 tonnes of bombs dropped on the city Nearly 1 million women and children evacuated; schoolboys helped operate anti-aircraft guns

and searchlight batteries; women who remained recruited into fire-fighting service Men between 16 and 60 had to defend Berlin Gas, electricity, sanitation and public transport collapsed, street hydrants were the only source

of water Berliners hid in cellars in fear Many Germans committed suicide so as not to be captured by the Russians Vengeful Soviet troops looted, raped an estimated 100 000 women and murdered civilians Food shortages led to widespread famine Buildings destroyed, streets shattered However, people still went to work, 12 000 law officers remained on duty, mail still delivered,

daily newspapers were published, telephones still worked, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra carried on concerts, part of the Berlin Zoo still opened

An estimated 200 000 Soviet and German soldiers and civilians perished

When WW2 first broke out, Germany’s economy was not greatly affected Germany’s early preparations for the war and a large portion of the German economy already

directed to military production No direct increase in taxes to fund war Economy sustained by the exploitation of conquered territories and peoples

conquered territories forced to accept arbitrary low exchange rates on their currency and sell raw materials and agricultural products at low prices

1942: German economy began to suffer Military spending grew rapidly Economic resources more dedicated to fund a losing war Civilian factories converted to military use

1944 Entire German economy driven to military production Allied bombing destroyed many factories and buildings, disrupting production

1945: Collapse of German economy With the loss of war, the country entered the period known as Stunde Null (Zero Hour) and the

German economy was left in ruins Inflation raged

1939 Damaged buildings left un-repaired to remind Poles of their defeat Public buildings draped with flags displaying the Nazi symbol Polish street names were replaced by German street names Polish-language newspapers banned Poles of German descent forced to accept German nationality or face death penalty Polish institutions ordered to shut down Poles could only work up to the level of factory foreman and the others were forced to become slaves,

providing cheap labour Pole leaders executed or sent to concentration camps Food supply controlled by the Germans and the Poles were left to starve

Ration allowances provided very little food and disease was rife To survive, Poles grew vegetable gardens

Lack of fuel, overcrowded housing, shortages of soap, clean linen, drugs and proper medical facilities

There was widespread poverty and many Poles depended on public relief measures while wealthier Poles bought from the flourishing black market

1940: Poor living conditions Warsaw ghetto built to confine Jews and sealed off from the rest of the city with a 3m high, 18km long wall

surrounding it Access by 22 gates, which were heavily guarded by the Nazis

Mass deportations of Jews, gypsies and Poles to the General Government area of Poland begins As death camps were not built yet, they were sent to overcrowded ghettos

More than 430 000 people were packed in the ghetto and this resulted in starvation and disease Over 200 000 people had no food or shelter and they sold their clothes and wore rags People lived and died on the streets; corpses lay in the open,

covered with only sheets of newspaper High mortality rate

1941: Measures enforced with policy of terror Street round-ups and mass public executions, by hanging

or shooting were common Daily executions claimed the lives of up to 300 people a month

Death camps set up: Auschwitz, Belzec, Kulmhof, Majdanek, Sobibór, Treblinka, Warschau

“Two little boys are begging in the street next to our gate. I see them every time I go out. . .Their heads are shaven, clothes in rags, their frightfully emaciated, tiny faces bring into minds birds rather than human beings. Their huge black eyes, though, are human; so full of sadness. . .The little one just sits on the

pavement, the bigger one just stands there with his claw of a hand stretched out. ”

Heinrich Himmler oversaw the death and concentration

camps and Einsatzgruppen. He coordinated millions of

killings of Jews, Poles communists etc.

1942: Deportation About 265 000 men, women and children were deported to the Treblinka death camp Abduction of children who might be ‘racially valuable’ sent to Germany for ‘Germanisation’

1943: Jewish Fighting Organisation formed Resistance groups to fight Germans and underground resistance movement formed

Published 100 secret newspapers in Warsaw 1944: Soviet domination of Poland

‘Sovietisation’ State-owned Polish property confiscated and nationalised Forced collectivisation implemented Schools reopened but restarted as Soviet institutions Media controlled by Moscow Attempt to remove traces of Polish History

Soviet radio stations made Polish-language broadcasts calling for an uprising against Germans

Children fought, young girls served as messengers Germans took revenge and shot all Poles in sight,

poured petrol over them and set them ablaze Rule of terror--massacres by NKVD Death toll of Poles at 215 000; cities left in ruins

Polish currency Currency withdrawn from circulation without exchange to newly-introduced rouble Life savings lost overnight Money exchange limited per individual, according to status

‘Germanisation’ and ‘Sovietisation’ of Polish economy Assimilate the economy into the German Reich and Soviet Union

Industrial production hard-hit Major cities destroyed

Destruction of important infrastructure Trade disrupted Economically isolated

Treasury exhausted

50 złotych note in 1940

Nazi Germany Germans initially spared from hardships of

war Women and children played a huge part in

the war People lived off state allowance Rationing, but still had plenty of food No ghettos

• relatively comfortable standards of living

Major cities were damaged but continued to function

• some sense of normality

War crimes rife during Battle of Berlin Extermination campaigns of some groups of

people Food shortages Little disruption of trade but disruption of

production Very high government spending to fund war No impact on currency

Nazi-Soviet Occupied Poland Poles immediately suffered hardships of war Children, but little women, involved in war People depended on public relief measures Rationing, but food was too little

• People starved

Ghettos constructed• poor living conditions and life became a matter

of day-to-day survival

Cities stopped functioning immediately War crimes, disease and poverty rife People constantly lived in fear Resistance groups established Extermination campaigns of some groups of

people but anyone could be a target Food and housing shortages and lack of

proper services and sanitation Trade and production greatly affected Relatively lower government spending than

Nazi Germany Large impact on currency

• Polish currency had little value

http://econc10.bu.edu/economic_systems/Economics/Economic_History/Poland/ecohist_pol_postwar_lg.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Nazi_Germany

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_Poland_(1939-1945)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Polish_Republic#World_War_II

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin#Aftermath

Pictures courtesy of www.google.com

Thank you for your attention!

DONE BY:

Adeline Seah

Elizabeth Low

Goh LiTing

Comments

Good stuff girls! Definitely very informative. What you could have done would be to provide an essential

understanding/theme/statement that will help to frame all these info.

What is the key take away that you want your classmates to remember?

E.g. Although civilians do bear some of the physical brunt of war, the ones who bear the most are the ones whose country have been occupied by enemy forces; Because they not only have to put up with physical deprivation, but also emotional trauma and psychological suffering inflicted on them by the atrocities of the invaders.

Biblio: Use the correct format. (Title of page, URL, date of access.)