The Nazi Police State Flashcards
What was the Nazi police state?
The Nazi police state was when the SS had absolute power to arrest, imprison and execute anyone without trial. It was created in January 1933.
What were the 5 main organisations of the Nazi police state?
1) The SS
2) The Gestapo
3) The SD
4) The concentration camps
5) The legal system
Who was the SS?
The SS were hired to be Hitler’s personal bodyguard in 1925, they were later made a key part of the police state. They were also known as the ‘Blackshirts’ due to their uniform. Their leader was Himmler and they had 1 million members by 1944.
What were the roles of the SS?
1) The SS was in charge of Germany’s police force, including the Gestapo.
2) Death Heads - ran the concentration camps and later the death camps.
3) The SD looked after security.
4) The Waffen-SS aimed to protect superiors in the SS division.
5) It was in charge of racial policies.
6) It investigated disloyalty to Hitler in the Nazi Party and the army.
Who was the Gestapo?
The Gestapo was Hitler’s secret police and was established by Hermann Göring. It was used for terror and was led by Reinhard Heydrich. It was founded in April 1933, and transferred to Himmler in April 1934. There were 32,000 members, the Gestapo also relied on informants to spy on their behalf.
What were the roles of the Gestapo?
1) It spied on German citizens.
2) It prosecuted anyone who spoke out against the Nazi regime.
3) It created fear. Germans were terrified of the Gestapo because they did not know who its members were, therefore they were always careful in public.
What were concentration camps?
Concentration camps were set up in 1933 and were places were a large number of people were imprisoned and kept in terrible conditions, mostly sent there if disliked by the Nazis.
Why were the concentration camps built?
1) They were used as a method of control over the population through fear.
2) They were used for free labour for the economy.
3) They were used for the mass murder of specific groups of people after 1940 during the Second World War.
How did the Nazis control the judges in the legal system?
1) Every judge had to be a member of the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law.
2) All judges had to put the interests of the Nazis above the law and swear an oath of loyalty.
3) Any judge that did not become a member of the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law or obey their expectations, was sacked.
How did the Nazis control the courts in the legal system?
1) Trial by jury was ended so that judges alone decided whether someone was innocent or guilty and determined the punishment.
2) The People’s Court was set in 1934 to hear all cases that were ‘crimes against the state’. Anyone opposing the Nazi government could not expect to have a fair trial.
How did the Nazis control the lawyers in the legal system?
All lawyers had to join the Nazi Lawyers’ Association.
