Key Issue 6 - Terror and Persuasion Flashcards
What was a crucial element in maintaining the Nazi dictatorship?
Creating a climate of fear to make people too frightened to oppose actively the Nazi state.
How was fear created?
- the establishment of a police state
- the Gestapo (secret police)
- the SS
- Nazi control of the legal system
- propaganda
- concentration camps
Who controlled the SS and Gestapo in 1936?
Heinrich Himmler
What was the role of the SS?
The SS was formed in 1925 to act as a bodyguard unit for Hitler.
How many members did the SS have in:
a) 1934
b) 1939
a) more than 50,000
b) 250,000
Who were the Gestapo?
The Gestapo were a secret state police supervised by Heydrich. They could arrest and imprison those suspected of opposing the state.
Who was sent to the concentration camps?
- religious groups
- political prisoners
- foreign forced labour groups
- the “work shy”
- sexual offenders
- professional criminals
- Jews
What did prisoners do in the camps?
Hard and pointless work at first, but then they were forced to work in quarries, building, coal mines and armament factories.
How were prisoners at concentration camps treated?
They were underfed and treated with great brutality. Mortality rates were high.
What was established in 1933 to make sure the Nazis has control of the legal system?
The German Lawyers Front
How did Goebbels use propaganda once Hitler was in power?
- set up the Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda
- played Nazi messages on all radios regularly
- all radios were shortwave making it difficult for Germans to listen to foreign broadcasts
- rallies which attracted almost 1 million people
- all film plots were shown to Goebbels and given pro-Nazi slants
- all films were accompanied by a 45 minute official newsreel which glorified Hitler
- posters were everywhere
- all books were censored and controlled to put across the Nazi message
What was censorship?
When all aspects of the media were monitored by Goebbels to portray the Nazi message.
