Opposition to thhe Nazis - Using your own knowledge and the evidence of Sources 2, 3 and 4, assess the value to historians of the concept of Resistenz put forward in Source 1?

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OPPOSITION TO THE NAZIS

Using your own knowledge and the evidence of Sources 2, 3 and 4, assess the value to historians of the concept of Resistenz put forward in Source 1? (10)

Since historians began analysing resistance a new concept of resistance has emerged. Resistance can now be broken down into two categories, firstly Resistance itself, blatant defiance towards the regime. There were very few examples of blatant resistance; the term resistance includes the extremes of assassination attempts to simple meetings. Secondly is the concept of Resistenz, this modern concept is heavily promoted by Kershaw. The concept of Resistenz has many problems of interpretation; however it is basically a much less obvious form of resistance. It is resisting the regime by doing nothing, e.g. working in the system but hating it. The extremes may go from telling jokes about the regime to not voting. This form of resistance is underground and is dubious due to several factors.

The first factor that creates unreliability is the lack of evidence. The form of Resistenz was not a formal organisation therefore there is no idea how many people resisted through Resistenz. It is impossible to attempt to account for those who conducted Resistenz nowadays because due to the atrocities committed under the regime, no one wants to be known as one of the people who sat back and watched events unfold. Most of those who possibly resisted through resistenz or even supported the regime will at the present time claim to have openly resisted! It is this lack of evidence that suggests that the concept of Resistenz is of little use to historians.

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The second problem was that of fear rather than indoctrination. As Kershaw in Source 3 states “In view of the terrorist potential of the modern police state mass resistance is almost impossible from the start, as the KPD was soon forced to experience in Germany.” This argument put forward by Kershaw is that Resistenz was the only form of resistance possible due to the strict regulations. Due to this fear Kershaw asks “Was it resistance without the people?” In other words, is everyone unhappy but only a “small minority of the population who are willing, if necessary to risk their ...

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