How successful was the Nazi Party in exerting control over Germany? (propaganda)

Question 1

Name 5 methods the Nazis used to Control people in Germany:

Answer 1

-propaganda (posters, radios, newspapers etc)
-fear
-targeting the youth and vulnerable (through Hitler Youth, schools/textbooks, unemployed)
-force (SS and Gestapo)
-media

Question 2

Define propaganda

Answer 2

-the spread of often political information that is misleading or biased through the media which slowly makes people believe it or become impacted by it
-designed to play on peoples fears and tell people what they wanted to hear

Question 3

What were Hitler’s aims?

Answer 3

-to glorify the regime
-to spread Nazi ideology and values (also censor the unacceptable)
-to win over people
-integrate the nation’s diverse elements into the Volksgemeinschaft (peoples community

Question 4

Why did the Nazi Party do rallies?

Answer 4

to try and gain support and put down other opposition

Question 5

what does Es Lebe Deutschland mean?

Answer 5

-long live Germany
-Hitler’s plan for a 100 year Reich

Question 6

What was denunciation?

Answer 6

Spying on people->Nazis/Hitler encouraged this

Question 7

How did Nazis use fear to keep control over Germany?

Answer 7

-The Gestapo spies inform on you and then you are woken up by the Gestapo in the middle of the night/early morning and are arrested
-then days or maybe weeks later you are interviewed and asked to sign for D11
-by signing this you are giving your consent to be put into a concentration camp
-you are handed over to the SS who run the concentration camps
-you are imprisoned for up to 6 month doing hard physical labour
-when you are released you tell everybody what has happened to you
-this causes a never ending cycle of fear being spread around Germany forcing people to conform

Question 8

How did Courts help the Nazis maintain control?

Answer 8

-The Judiciary was biased towards the Nazis
-judges and lawyers were obliged to join the Nazi lawyer association and take the oath
-the judiciary was not protected from Nazi interference

Question 9

Who was targeted by the courts?

Answer 9

-oppositions were targeted in cases of high treason where the jury specifically included Nazi members->this resulted in 7,000/16,000 cases resulting in death sentences

Question 10

What were the limits of the courts impact?

Answer 10

-the regime could’ve been seen as corrupt
-judiciary state continues to function
-was severely subverted

Question 11

How effective were the courts in controlling Germany?

Answer 11

-extremely effective as they were able to control the court system full
-however it was barely needed as the SS often took matters into their own hands and could arrest anyone at any time
-it meant that the death penalty was more common which caused more widespread fear of not following Hitler

Question 12

How did the SS help Nazis maintain control?

Answer 12

-formed in 1925 as an elite bodyguard service for Hitler
-By 1933 it had 52,000 members
-this meant that Nazis had widespread control as the SS had a lot of control over things like arrests and they were feared which increased control

Question 13

Who were targeted by the SS?

Answer 13

-people who opposed Hitler as the service was to protect him
-Jews and anyone who was denunciated

Question 14

What were the limits of the SS’ impact?

Answer 14

-Himmler became its leader in 1929 which diverted Hitler’s control of the SS
-Himmler had also enough power to create the SD->which detected potential or actual enemies of the Nazis->more control to Himmler

Question 15

How effective was the SS in controlling Germany?

Answer 15

-effectively the ultimate source in terms of providing fear to the public
-the power and control Hitler established for them allowed them to have full control over every corner and aspect of Germany

Question 16

How did the Gestapo help the Nazis maintain control?

Answer 16

-helped by ordinary people informing on their neighbours
-20,000 to 40,000 members
->widespread control
-it presented itself as all-seeing
->caused fear among Germans

Question 17

Who did the Gestapo target?

Answer 17

-mainly focused on certain groups such as: political opponents, Jews, disabled, religious opponents, homosexuals, socialists etc

Question 18

What were the limits of the Gestapo’s impact?

Answer 18

most members were office workers ->relied on informers
-unable to ‘impose a regime of terror’ due to limited power (only 40,000 agents
-a lot of what informers reported was just gossip or biased

Question 19

How effective was the Gestapo in controlling Germany?

Answer 19

-it was very effective because they could overhear people’s conversations without being caught as ordinary people were members
-Hitler therefore knew if someone was plotting against him->he would be able to take action to stop it harming his reputation
-it enforced control over the rest of the public due to not everyone died after being sent away->persuade people to not go against Hitler’s regime
-ineffective because there may not have been enough gestapo agents to be everywhere->couldn’t catch all opposition and it could be lies/gossip

Question 20

How did Concentration Camps help the Nazis maintain control over Germany?

Answer 20

-opposition and threats could be removed by sending people to Concentration Camps
-it would also cause fear

Question 21

Who was targeted by Concentration Camps?

Answer 21

-opposition and marginalised people such as: disabled, homosexuals, Jews and anyone who opposed Hitler

Question 22

What were the limits of Concentration Camps impact?

Answer 22

-it could have been seen as corrupt which cause threats to Hitler’s support

Question 23

How effective was Concentration Camps in controlling Germany?

Answer 23

-it was effective as it silenced opposition and created fear

Question 24

Which was more effective in controlling Germans propaganda or terror?

Answer 24

Terror
-people would do anything Nazis/Hitler wanted due to fear
-denunciation was caused by fear
-if Germans didn’t fear the consequences of not following Nazis/Hitler then they wouldn’t have such widespread control
-terror is pervasive, its everywhere and targets everyone at once compare to propaganda targeting smaller groups of people

Question 25

How did the radio help the Nazi Party exert control?

Answer 25

-they had more influence and control as even when people were at home they were hearing Nazi messages and propaganda
-the fact that radios were made cheaper meant that the majority of Germans had a radio

Question 26

What had Goebbels and Hitler always recognised the effectiveness of?

Answer 26

-the effectiveness of the spoken word rather than written
-they had already begun using technology during the election campaigns of 1932-1933

Question 27

What did Goebbels create to bring all broadcasting under Nazi control?

Answer 27

-the Reich Radio Company

Question 28

How did Goebbels create the Reich Radio Company? What did he do?

Answer 28

-he arranged and dismissed 13% of the staff on political and radical grounds and replaced them with his own men

Question 29

What percentage of German households owned a radio in 1932 and what did the Nazis do to improve it?

Answer 29

-25%
-it was a high figure compared to the rest of the world
-Nazi government arranged the production of cheaper radios

Question 30

What percentage of German households owned a radio in 1939?

Answer 30

-70% (highest national figure in the world)

Question 31

What were radios by 1939?

Answer 31

-became a medium of mass communication controlled completely by the Regime

Question 32

How did the Nazis use radios to spread their ideology?

Answer 32

-broadcasting was also directed at public places->installation of loudspeakers in restaurants, cafes, factories and offices made them all into venues for collective listening

Question 33

What were radio wardens appointed to do?

Answer 33

-duty to coordinate the listening process

Question 34

How did the press help the Nazi Party exert control?

Answer 34

-they were able to spread their messages and propaganda into the newspapers with many Germans read so it influenced them
-helped spread Nazi ideology

Question 35

Why was control over the press not so easily achieved by Goebbels?

Answer 35

-Germany had over 4,700 newspapers in 1933 as a result of the strong regional identities
-all were owned privately and traditionally owned no loyalty to central government->their loyalty was to their Regional Publishing Company

Question 36

What was the Nazi Publishing house and how did it exert more control over the press?

Answer 36

-Eher Verlag bought up numerous newspapers
-by 1939 it controlled 2/3 of the German press

Question 37

What news agencies were merged into one?

Answer 37

-the State controlled DNB which vetted (critiqued) news material before if it got to journalists

Question 38

What did Goebbels introduce?

Answer 38

-The Daily Press Conference at the Propaganda Ministry to provide guidance on editorial policy

Question 39

What did Editors Law do and when was it?

Answer 39

-October 1933
-made newspaper content the sole responsibility of the editor who had to satisfy the requirements of the Propaganda Ministry or face appropriate consequences

Question 40

What was the price of the Nazis succeeding in muzzling the press?

Answer 40

-the evolution of bland and sterile journalism which undoubtedly contributed to a 10% decline in newspaper circulation before 1939

Question 41

What did the Nazis do to present a positive message of the ‘new Germany’?

Answer 41

-42 million Reichsmarks were spend on the 325 acre Olympic sports complex
-a huge Olympic stadium was build of natural stone in a classical style due to the modernist plan being rejected

Question 42

How many of Germany’s writers left their homeland during the years 1933-1945 and what did this show?

Answer 42

-over 2,500
-reflected how sadly German writers and dramatists viewed the new cultural atmosphere

Question 43

Who took the 2,500 German writers who left their homelands place?

Answer 43

-a lesser literacy group who either sympathised with the Regime or accepted the limitations

Question 44

What is difficult to identify about literature in the Third Reich?

Answer 44

-books, plays or poems written during the time

Question 45

What did actors and musicians content themselves with?

Answer 45

-productions of the classics that were politically acceptable

Question 46

How did Literature help the Nazi Party exert control?

Answer 46

-it meant that the Nazis had more control over what books were written so they could spread Nazi ideology

Question 47

How did the Nazi Regime make a genuine cultural contribution to the field of film?

Answer 47

-Germany’s cinematic reputation had been established in the 1920s and a degree of continuity was maintained as many of the major film studios were in the hands of nationalist sympathisers

Question 48

Who did the Nazis remove from the film industry and what did it lead to?

Answer 48

-Jewish film actors and directors were removed and then decided to leave Germany

Question 49

What did Goebbels recognise about film?

Answer 49

-Goebbels recognised the importance of expanding the film industry not only as a means of propaganda but as an entertainment form

Question 50

How did film help the Nazi Party exert control?

Answer 50

-it meant they could spread propaganda and increase control over Germany
-the would be able to easily influence people through film as it would show Nazi ideology throughout

Question 51

How far did the Judiciary oppose the Nazis?

Answer 51

-some judges tried to keep proper standards of justice despite growing intervention of SS and special courts->judges were ‘co-ordinated’ and obliged to join the Nazi Lawyers’ Association and make oaths of loyalty to Hitler

Question 52

How did the workers oppose the Nazis and how did the Nazis control workers?

Answer 52

-1933-1935->400 workers strikes ->some workers maintained links with illegal political parties
-May 1933 DAF (German Labour Front) was announced as a new nationwide labour organisation to replace the unions
-no legal organisations that could be used for opposition

Question 53

How were oppositional parties controlled and how did they oppose the Nazis?

Answer 53

-Left wing parties continued some illegal activities
-the SDP (in exile) was based in Prague and organised underground groups who who distributed leaflets and propaganda campaigns (eg Berlin Red Patrol)
-July 1935->all political parties were banned
-KPD formed underground cells
->2/3 of their members were arrested

Question 54

When were all political parties banned?

Answer 54

-July 1935

Question 55

What was the Kreisau Circle?

Answer 55

-discussion to replace Hitler
-formed by a group of officers in 1933 to oppose Hitler
-in 1943 they drew up a plan for a new Germany called the Basic Principles for a New Order
-found out by the Gestapo

Question 56

How did the Gestapo gain the names of many plotters or supposed plotters?

Answer 56

-the mass round up of suspects after the July 1944 Bomb Plot and the subsequent torture of these suspects

Question 57

Who were arrested as a result of the July Bomb Plot in 1944?

Answer 57

-Yorch Von Wartenburg->tried and found guilty and was executed in August 1944
-Von Moltke->had already been arrested in January 1944 and tried before the People’s Court->found guilty of treason and was executed January 1945

Question 58

What did the Nazis ban that tried to stop people plotting?

Answer 58

-banned a certain number of people who were able to meet up

Question 59

How effective was opposition to the Nazis?

Answer 59

-not very effective as the regime wasn’t really changed->opposition was easily put down and none of them succeeded->poor planning of the assassination attempts