What caused the disillusionment of the German population towards the end of WWII?

The German population had been avid supporters of the war and the regime for a long time, but towards the end of the war they became disenchanted with Hitler and the Nazi regime in general. The reasons for this are as follows:This was the first world war, where the German civilians also experienced the effects of war. In WWI, there had been no actual battle on German ground with most of the war being fought in France. However, due to retaliation from Allied forces, German cities were bombed continuously, mirroring the blitz, with there also being a firestorm in Hamburg. The Germans experienced the war at home, something they had not expected.Housing and food shortages were another reason for disenchantment. Hitler had run on a working-class-friendly campaign with the slogan of 'bread and work' as his main selling point. The population had believed he would also keep an eye out for them and secure these basic rights, however the end of the war came with severe hunger and hygiene problems within the city, with the destroyed infrastructure leaving many homeless and without clean food, water and shelter. The continued push for a victory even with the extremely dire situation that everyone in Germany knew, was the main cause for the neglect felt within the nation as a whole.

Answered by Katarina K. History tutor

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