Heinrich Himmler Flashcards
How did Himmler keep control of Nazi Germany?
Terror
What happened in 1929?
Himmler was made head of SS (Schutz Staffel - Protection)
When was Himmler made head of all police, including Gestapo?
1936
How did Himmler keep control of Germany?
SS
Protection squad.
Black uniform and originally Hitler’s personal bodyguard.
240,000 members.
All members had to be blonde, blue-eyed and physically fit.
Could arrest people without trial and search houses.
Himmler trained the SS to be ruthless and fiercely loyal to Hitler.
How did Himmler keep control of Germany?
Concentration Camps
First concentration camp (Dachau) set up in March 1933.
Camps held Jews, Communists, Socialists, trade unionists, church leaders and anyone who opposed the Nazis.
At first, the camps were used for short periods of questioning, torture, hard labour and forced instruction in Nazi ideas.
People went missing and others assumed they had been arrested; they did not know about the concentration camps.
How did Himmler keep control of Germany?
Gestapo
The Gestapo were the State Secret police.
They could tap telephones, open mail and collect information from a huge network of informers.
Informers reported local people who they believed the be ‘anti-Nazi’.
The Gestapo arrested people without trial, tortured them and sent them to concentration camps.
How did Himmler keep control of Germany?
The Police
Police continued normal work but were led by the Nazis. This meant that the police became part of the network of informers; collecting information on everyone.
They ignored all crimes committed by the Nazis.
How did Himmler keep control of Germany?
Local Wardens
Every town was divided into blocks. The block warden visited every home in the block each week, checking up on everyone and collecting donations.
The block warden wrote a report on everyone in the block.
The report affected whether the people could get a job or not.
The Nazis noted any sign of independent thinking, such as not flying the Nazi flag on celebration days.
