terror state

Question 1

how effective was the terror state?

Answer 1

• The Nazi police state, while small was largely effective. In some towns having civilians report 57% of crimes, while the gestapo observed only 0.5%. this meant that while the threat of the police state was relatively minor, the psychological threat was vastly exaggerated in many people’s minds leading them to self-survey and conform.

Question 2

police force centralised

Answer 2

Until 1933, each state had its own police force, but by 1936 they are centralised under Himmler as chief of police
- The law was applied in an arbitrary and inconsistent fashion.

Question 3

new courts

Answer 3

• At the same time, they introduced new courts, and new police institutions to ensure that political principles were dealt with
• The result was that the legal principles of the Weimar period no longer applied. No longer were citizens treated as equal before the law.

Question 4

leadership principle and adapting the legal system

Answer 4

The Nazi concept of authority and law was based upon the leadership principle. Hitlers word was law.
- They did not introduce a new constitution or legal system after 1933, instead they introduced some new laws to deal with political offences and forces the existing justice system to adapt and bend to their will

Question 5

judges

Answer 5

• The judges were not permitted to operate independently of the government. Individuals could be arrested and imprisoned without trial and without the police having to produce any evidence against them.
• 1939- 140 death penalties
• 3 nazi judges alongside 2 professional judges, no juries and defendants had no rights of appeal

Question 6

what did Himmler control

Answer 6

Orpo- municipal police

• SS
• Sipo- security police
• SD- security service- Heydrich controlled the foreign and domestic intelligence aspects

Question 7

what did heydrich control

Answer 7

• Kripo- criminal police

- Gestapo- secret state police

Question 8

How powerful was the Nazi terror state?

Answer 8

There is evidence to suggest that most Germans supported the regime.
Number of people voting in the elections. Hitler youth and SA membership.

Question 9

How powerful was the Nazi terror state?

Answer 9

Many Germans did not encounter repression and believed that which did occur was justified.
For example of night of long knives- it was legalised maybe leading people to justify it

Question 10

How powerful was the Nazi terror state?

- assisting the gestapo

Answer 10

Thousands of Germans assisted the gestapo and other repressive agents in their work. e.g., Maria Kraus- 67% information gestapo had was from civilians

Question 11

How powerful was the Nazi terror state?

Answer 11

League of National Socialist Lawyers, creating the Front of German Law in April 1933
People’s Court in April 1934

Question 12

How powerful was the Nazi terror state?

counter

Answer 12

Repression was somewhat random; some people were actually moved out of Auschwitz, some were acquitted in courts

Question 13

How powerful was the Nazi terror state?

counter

Answer 13

Some people did protest and escaped punishment.

Eidelviess pirates. They were encouraging emigration with Jews or ‘untermenchen’

Question 14

How effective was non-conformity in Nazi Germany?

Answer 14

• Through propaganda and gleichschaltung, the regime was able to gain acceptance from the majority
• The SS were presented as an instrument to protect the majority from the corrupting minority. The terms ‘people’s court’ and ‘popular justice’ portrayed repression and persecution as something that reflected the will of the people

Question 15

How effective was opposition in Nazi Germany?

Answer 15

On the whole, there was very limited active opposition and there was evidence of Hitlers increasing popularity. Life in Nazi Germany became depoliticised. There was no open free debates about the regime or its policies. Historians generally agree that there was widespread acceptance and most Germans subscribed to the view that the third Reich was preferable to the disorder of the Weimar.
• Nevertheless some groups did try to resist Nazi attempts to coordinate them into the ‘volksgemeinschaft’

Question 16

Political Resistance?

Answer 16

The SPD and KPD were expected to mount resistance to Hitler. Hitler feared that the unions which were linked the SPD would stage general strike to stop the NAZI takeover. However, due to divisions within the parties and between the parties, they posed no serious threat. The SPD were unprepared for a Nazi takeover, and although they campaigned against the Nazis, they faced the most action and violence from the SA. The KPD was better prepared, but the Gestapo worked hard to ensure that there was little threat from the Communists. Secret Communist activity was not entirely eradicated by the Gestapo – there were still underground meetings and plots, but there was in effect, little that could be done.

Question 17

Workers opposition

Answer 17

Before 1933 Germany was the most unionised country, and the unions held great power over the government. Hitler was worried about strikes getting in the way of his power. Some unions attempted to strike, which did cause problems for the Nazis, but they arrested leaders and put them in prison, meaning people were put off carrying out the same offence again.

• 250 strikes were reported in 1935
• absenteeism was a large concern, in 1938 laws were created to enforce severe penalties for ‘slackers’
• some deliberately damaged machinery- sabotage became a leading criminal prosecution

Question 18

church opposition

Answer 18

The Christian churches were the only organisation in NAZI Germany the retained their own ideology. They were aware that they would lose out if they tried to fight the Nazis, but the Nazis were aware that they could not get rid of the churches. The Nazis failed to silence the confessional church, but it did not form full opposition. Although many individual priests and members opposed the regime’s religious policies, the church itself did not move beyond a narrow defence of its independence meaning that resistance was futile.

Question 19

protestant opposition

Answer 19

The protestant church was split when the NAZI regime attempted to coordinate them in into the Volksgemeinschaft. Many pastors would not accept being a part of this, and spoke out about the new regime.

• establishment of the pastors emergency league in 1933
• refused to be part of the reich church, refused the aryan paragraph
• wanted to protect the independence of the church from the nazi regime
• Many churches refused to display the swastika flag, and when two priests were arrested there were mass demonstrations.

Question 20

catholic opposition

Answer 20

The catholic church was more united, and retained more independence, however the catholic church attempted to come to terms with the new regime. When the concordat of 1933 was signed and the privileges granted to the catholic church were under attack, the catholic church condemned the NAZI regime.
- 1937- pope wrote ‘with burning grief’ letter was smuggled into Germany and distributed

Question 21

Young People

Answer 21

In the early years of the NAZI regime the Hitler youth was able to channel youthful energy and rebelliousness into officially approved activities. However, there were growing signs of disillusionment, for reasons such as membership was compulsory, it made great demands on their free time, and endless military trails. The response of many young people was to opting out, either by letting their membership lapse or just not attending. Some young people hummed tunes that had been banned at meetings, this was a threatening assertion of independence.

Question 22

formation of gangs in opposition to nazis

Answer 22

formed gangs to show the independents, such as the Meuten gang, that but they were little more than criminal gangs.
- Edelweiss Pirates, fights and protests, singing songs

Question 23

Elites opposition

Answer 23

Many members of the German elites had serious misgivings about the NAZI party, in particular Hitler. Army generals and senior civil servants regarded Hitler as a threat to the old Germany. However, there is not much they could do to oppose, once Hitler had consolidated his power in an alliance (pact of 1933 Kershaw) with the army, big business and conservative politicians.They did not agree with his foreign policy. Hitler’s response was to purge those that opposed from the army.

Question 24

conservative opposition

Answer 24

kreisau circle- members from aristocratic army backgrounds, conservatives, monarchists, christians
wanted a christian Germany
little attempt to overthrow hitler, more of a debating society (non-conformity)