How significant was the war of 1939–45 in changing life in Nazi Germany?

Explain
your answer. [40]

The outbreak of the Second World War was a major catastrophic event in quick succession to
the first. Before the wounds inflicted by the first war could even be repaired, Hitler’s invasion
of Poland triggered another one. All the participants of the war suffered severely during 6
years but focusing mainly on Germany, did the Nazis let the consequences of the war affect
the condition in their totalitarian state or not, both sides of this answer can be backed up
with the help of legion of facts but I do believe that the war played a major role in turning
the mundane lifestyle of a Nazi upside down, making them step out of their comfort zone,
face the reality and fight for their motherland.

As the war was culminating, the Nazis had to act upon the increasing problems they faced at
regular intervals. Although the Germans in 1939 could still remember the pain of 1918, their
surrender, and the subsequent punishment at Versailles the vast majority of them reluctantly
supported the war and signed up to play their part in the war effort, hence their lifestyle
changed drastically.

Rationing of the food had begun on 27th August 1939 as the prices of consumer goods rose
due to their low supply and increasing autarky and rearmament. Meat shortages occurred
due to a lack of imports thereby making German diets monotonous. Food entitlements had
begun to deal with the shortages. There were categories like ‘heavy workers’, ‘very heavy
workers’, and so on, depending on an individual’s contribution to the war effort, the more
the contribution, the more food provided to that individual.

Area bombings had increased at a tremendous rate. Up until the middle of 1942 the British
had tried to target their bombing raids on industrial and military targets. In 1942 RAF
Bomber Command switched to a policy of ‘area bombing’ – targeting large industrial cities
with incendiary bombs (bombs designed to cause fires), and not distinguishing between
military and civilian targets. On 30 May 1942 the first British ‘thousand bomber raids’ was
launched against the German city of Cologne. Over the next 3 years: 61 German cities, with a
combined population of 25 million, were attacked; 3.6 million homes were destroyed; 7.5
million people were made homeless; 300,000 – 400,000 Germans were killed in the raids;
and 800,000 people were wounded. However, German industrial production continued to
increase until mid-1944. The raids had a mixed impact on the morale of the German
population as Nazi propaganda tended to downplay their impact and the number of deaths.

The employment pattern also took a drastic turn as the gender mix shifted from male to
female. 13.7 million German men served in the army during the war, and this created a huge
labor shortage on the home front. As they did during World War One, women entered the
workforce in large numbers, working in armaments factories and as medics. The Nazis also
made extensive use of forced labor, transporting hundreds of thousands of civilians and
prisoners of war from Eastern Europe and elsewhere to Germany to keep the war effort
going.
The Holocaust or “Final Solution” was to some extent devised due to the Second World War.
After the war moved Eastwards, the Nazis abandoned Madagascar Plan and replaced it with
a new one. At the Wannsee Conference, the deportation of Jews to get them out of Germany
was substituted with them being transported to organized camp systems which accelerated
the process of mass killings. When war turned against Germany in 1942, each time they lost
a war, anti-Jewish propaganda and action increased. The concentration camp system had
now been modified, it wasn’t housed by homosexuals or political opponents anymore, and
neither was the treatment any softer. The system of camps after 1941 was now on a much
larger scale with a focus on extermination. The Nazis established ghettos in Poland where
Polish and Western Europeans were deported. During the German invasion of the Soviet
Union in 1941, mobile killing squads called Einsatzgruppen carried out mass shootings, and
methods like gas vans were used. Death marches were carried out in large numbers which
were nothing more than frantic programmes of evacuations. People died from cold,
starvation, malnutrition etc…

All the extensive measures were implemented during or after the 6 years but it can be
argued that some aspects of the war were the same as before the war. Starting with the
continuation of groups such as Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens. They
remained persistent in their aims and duties towards the increasing indoctrination of young
kids, who would become the future of the Nazi regime. Along with this, the education
remained intact and there were no major changes done to the same. Nazi ideals and beliefs
were still taught to the young generation, in biology, the fact that the Aryan race is superior,
in chemistry, how to make bombs, and in history, the stab in the back myth. Sports were
largely focused on keeping the kids physically fit and able to join the army. The teachers were
regularly sent to Nazi-arranged camps where they were taught the importance of
propagating and teaching these topics. Therefore, the life of an Aryan child didn’t get
affected much.

The propaganda hadn’t suffered a setback either in such hard times. SS and Gestapo
continued to keep an eye on the public and any anti-Nazi activities were reported and the
troublemakers punished respectively. The use of concentration camps continued and
Goebbels’s method of spreading Nazi ideology using radios, newspapers, and rallies
remained constant.

To conclude, I do believe that the second world war stirred up trouble in Germany and
toppled over a regular life of a Nazi. Albeit major characteristics of the regime remained the
same the few minor changes due to the war changed the domestic lifestyle of an Aryan.