2.4 - the role of prominent individuals in the Nazi state Flashcards
Albert Speer
Role: Joined 1930 as Hitler’s personal architect - designed the famous stadium at Nuremberg where the NSDAP held their annual rally.
Contribution: WW2: Hitler’s Minister of Armaments and Munitions - credited to controlling the war economy and dramatically increasing munition production.
* Grossdeutschland - designed Germania, the dreamed new grandiose and impressive capital in Berlin.
Relationship with Hitler: Regarded Speer as his “personal protégé”. Richard Overy describes a “father and son” relationship due to their shared passion for art and building design.
Rudolf Hess
Role: In addition to being Hitler’s private secretary, held several ceremonial roles (Reich Minister without Portfolio in 1933, Deputy Fuhrer in 1933)
Contribution: His main role was to act as a mediator between Hitler and his competive scheming deputies.
* Early years - participated in the Beer Hall Putsch (8-9 Nov 1923), aided in wording Mein Kampf
* WW2 - involved in war preparations and the Nazis war policy → flew to Scotland 1941 to sound out possibility of peace with GB.
Relationship with Hitler: One of Hitler’s closest friends and a fanatically devoted. A mark of their close relationship is being named Deputy Fuhrer to be in charge after Goebbels.
Martin Bormann
Role: Joined 1927. He replaced Rodulf Hess as “Fuhrer’s Secretary”, was administrator of Hitler’s property and head of the Party Chancellery (from 1941). He had final approval over civil service appointments, reviewed and approved legislation, and by 1943 had de facto control over all domestic matters.
Contribution: Contributed to the fight against the churches. Shared responsibility for Nazi crimes: forced labour camps, lynching Allied airmen, enslavement and murder of occupied civilians in Eastern Europe, persecution of Jews.
Relationship with Hitler: One of the most powerful men in the Nazi regime, and part of Hitler’s inner circle. He controlled flow of information and access to Hitler. Accompanied him everywhere, providing reports, summaries and fulfilling requests.
Joseph Goebbels
Role: A brillian propagandist:
* Head of NSDAP’s Propaganda Dpt
* Ministry of Propaganda and Enlightenment
Contribution: Executed NSDAP’s campaigns for 1930-32
* Designed propaganda for the remainder of the Third Reich, disseminating Nazi ideas through German radio and press, promoting German foreign policy achievements, preventing criticism
* Prime organiser of Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass)
Relationship with Hitler: Was in the bunker with Hitler, took his life with him. Created the Fuhrer Myth, his greatest propaganda achievement.
Hermann Goering
Role: Military buildup, close
Contribution: Built up the Gestapo 1933-34
* Head of the Luftwaffe (German airforce)
* Office of the Four Year Plan (rearmament and gearing towards war economy)
* 1937: Aryanisation program - heavily discounting Jewish firms to German capitalists, banned Jew firms from receiving government contracts, confiscation of Jewish economic assets.
Relationship with Hitler: Early follower of Hitler - participated in Beer Hall Putsch
Designated Reichmarschall in 1939 (top soldier) - evidence of Hitler’s high regard.
June 1941- secret decree gave Goerring responsibility to take over if the Fuhrer was captured or killed.
Heinrich Himmler
Role: “Hitler’s bloodhound”, who built up the Nazi system of institutional terror and control. 1929: Reichsfuhrer SS
* 1934: Gestapo
* 1936: German police
* 1939: Minister of the Interior - pinnacle of power
Contribution: Joined 1923, participated in the Beer Hall Putsch.
* Expanded his network of SS, police, Gestpo (terror) and concentration camps all over Germany.
* WW2: SS → Waffen SS (large fighting units), business conglomerates, concentration camps exploited the whole continent.
* 1941: Order from Hitler to annihilate Jews. As architect of genocide, he caused 6 million deaths.
Relationship with Hitler: Increased in regard after murder of Ernst Rohm. Trusted, allowing the SS to be an indepdendent organisation beyond legal constraints of the German state, and as Reichsfuhrer SS he answered only to Hitler.
Ernst Rohm
Role: 1931: Rohm became Chief of Staff of the SA
Contribution: Built up Hitler’s private army, the SA. Improved its organisation and brought in discipline - closer to a military than a gang-like organisation that terrorised political opponents during Reichstag elections.
Relationship with Hitler: Hitler’s oldest friend.
However, he became increasingly critical of Hitler’s method of consolidating power (legal means by cooperating with the German Army, President Hindenburg). He wanted the SA to be Germany’s new army.
* 30 June 1934: Killed in the Night of the Long Knives, being determined to be a threat to Hitler’s power.
Reinhard Heydrich
Role: Himmler’s Deputy
* Head of the SD → Head of the Reich Main Security Office (SD, criminal police foces, Gestapo)
* Controlled Central Immigration Office and Central Resettlement Office
Contribution: Created the SD, creating an expansive network of informants to spy on opposition and suspicious individuals. Used this to aid Himmler to gain control of the political police in each German state.
* Expanded the Gestapo into a national organisation - detention political enemies.
* Removed non-German populations out of German occupied territory, deported Jews to the East.
* Chaired the Wannsee Conference 1942 to determine the Final Solution to the Jewish problem → responsible for the Holocaust as much as Himmler.
Relationship with Hitler: Hitler’s subordinate, but was respected for his brutality and great capability in executing Nazi Policy.
Adolf Eichmann
Role: Known as the Jewish specialist
* Esablished the Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Vienna.
* Director of Clearing Activities in the Gestapo.
* 1941 Director of Jewish Affiars in the Gestapo.
Contribution: Forced out 50, 000 Jewish citizens from Vienna in 6 months ← Esablished the Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Vienna.
* Austrian Jews were stripped of property, cash in return for a safe passage out of the country. These funds financed emigration of poorer Jews. Known as the Vienna Model that was established in Prague and Berlin.
* In the Gestapo, he was responsible for the implementation of Nazi Policy towards the Jews in Germany and all occupied territory → mastermind behind the Holocaust.
Relationship with Hitler:
