In April of 1945 the Red Army began to make it’s final advances towards Berlin. The shelling from the Battle of Berlin had left the city in shambles and the spirit of the people almost wholly broken. They had shifted into survival mode, no longer could they (or their government) deny the fact that the war was knocking at their door.
Hitler received this news on his 56th Birthday and reacted nonchalantly when given the news of leadership insubordination and executions. Refusing to take advice from his own advisors, Hitler continued his course of action which eventually led to the shelling and invasion of Berlin and Hitler’s suicide.
The Nazi party was in a heavy hemorrhage at this point and Hitler was unable to stop the bleeding of his wounded party. The war was practically lost, the people under constant threat, and promises made by the party had been broken. It became evident that Hitler would be unable to pull the nation out of this steep nosedive.
According to Moorhouse the mood in Berlin was somber. The city lay in absolute ruins as the Soviets made their advances towards the capital. It was reported that over 4,000 people were reported to commit suicide in Berlin, April of 1945 — thousands more went unreported.
After visiting the Nuremberg Rally Site today and witnessing the successful propaganda of Hitler, it’s understandable that when people truly lost faith in Hitler they lost their will to live. Many of these people had invested their time, talent and treasure into the Nazi ideal and now saw not only their investment tank, but their country destroyed. Many did not have homes to go back to due to the shelling — many lost everything.