3.2 The Nazi police state

Question 1

What is a police state?

Answer 1

A police state is when a government uses the police to control everyone’s lives.

Question 2

Which groups did the Nazis use to create a police state?

Answer 2

SS, SD and the Gestapo

Question 3

Why did Hitler set up his own security forces?

Answer 3

He knew not all existing German police supported him. Hitler’s security forces were run by the Nazi party and their main weapon was fear.

Question 4

Who set up the SS in what year?

Answer 4

Heinrich Himmler set up the SS in 1925.

Question 5

Who was the SS led by?

Answer 5

Heinrich Himmler

Question 6

What did the SS wear?

Answer 6

Black uniforms

Question 7

What was the role of the SS?

Answer 7

• Controlled all Germany’s police and security forces.
• Ran the concentration camps

Question 8

Who did members of the SS have to marry?

Answer 8

Racially pure wives

Question 9

What was the maximum number of SS members?

Answer 9

240,000

Question 10

What was the SS also known as?

Answer 10

The Protection Squad

Question 11

Who set up the SD in what year?

Answer 11

Heinrich Himmler set up the SD in 1931

Question 12

Who led the SD?

Answer 12

Reynhard Heydrich

Question 13

What did the SD wear?

Answer 13

Uniforms

Question 14

What was the role of the SD?

Answer 14

They spied on all opponents of the Nazi party at home and abroad.

Question 15

What were the SD also known as?

Answer 15

The Security Force

Question 16

Who was the Gestapo set up by in what year?

Answer 16

Goering set up the Gestapo in 1933

Question 17

What did the Gestapo wear?

Answer 17

Plain clothes

Question 18

What was the role of the Gestapo?

Answer 18

• Spy on people
• Prosecute people for speaking out against the Nazis
• Sent people to camps and used torture

Question 19

What were the Gestapo also known as?

Answer 19

The secret police

Question 20

When and where was the first concertation camp built?

Answer 20

Dachau 1933

Question 21

Why was the first concentration camp built?

Answer 21

To house the growing number of arrested people.

Question 22

Why were camps built in isolation?

Answer 22

So that nobody could see what was going on.

Question 23

Who did the inmates involve?

Answer 23

Political prisoners, undesirables, prostitutes and homosexuals.

Question 24

What was the treatment of inmates like?

Answer 24

Inmates were treated badly and forced to do hard labour.

Question 25

Why did Hitler want to control the legal system?

Answer 25

He realised that his opponents stood little chance of success if trumped-up charges could be brought against them, so he wanted to control the legal system.

Question 26

What were three ways the Nazis controlled the legal system?

Answer 26

• All judges had to belong to the Nationalist Socialist league for the Maintenance of the Law
• All judges had the favour the Nazi Party in any decision
• Hitler abolished trial by jury - so that only the biased judges could decide if someone was innocent

Question 27

What was the People’s Court?

Answer 27

The People’s Court was set up in 1934 to hear all treason cases. Trials were held in secret and judges were hand-picked. Punishments were harsh and hardly anyone was found innocent.

Question 28

Why did Hitler think that the Catholic Church might oppose him?

Answer 28

• Catholics were loyal to the Pope
• They usually voted for the Catholic centre party
• They sent their children to Catholic youth camps instead of Hitler Youth

Question 29

What was the Concordant that Hitler agreed with the Pope?

Answer 29

In July 1933, the Pope and Hitler signed a Concordant to stop Nazi proseution of Catholics.