The Police State Flashcards
Describe the Features of the Police State
-The German State which Hitler create after 1933 was a police state.
-This was a state in which the Nazi government used the police, often the secret police, to control what people did and what they said.
-People who did or said anything to harm the state or the Nazi party were punished. The police state was a means of keeping control.
Describe the Development of the Police State
-When Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, Germany already had a police force. It was controlled by the central government, but run by local authorities in German states and towns.
-In January 1933, Hitler’s control of government was still weak, so he realised that his control of the police state was also weak. Hitler therefore set up his own police and security forces.
-These were not run by the government. They were run by the Nazi Party and accountable to Hitler. Their role was to protect and support the Nazi Party.
Describe the Structure of the Police State
-The SS (Protection Squad) was led by Heinrich Himmler. They wore black uniforms. By 1936, the SS controlled all of Germany’s police and security forces.
-The SD (Security Service) was led by Reinhard Heydrich. They were uniformed. They spied on all known opponents and critics of the Nazi Party and the government.
-The Gestapo (Secret State Police) was led by Reinhard Heydrich. They had no uniforms. They prosecuted anyone who said or did anything critical of the Nazis.
-The Gestapo relied mainly on informants and were feared by the general public.
Describe the Role of the SS (Schutzstaffel or Protection Squad)
-The SS was originally a military group of 240 men, set up in 1925 as a personal bodyguard for Hitler. From 1929, it was run by Heinrich Himmler.
-In 1932, it was given its famous black uniforms, to distinguish it from the ‘brownshirts’- the stormtroopers of the SA.
-In the early 1930s, the main role of the SS was as the Nazi Party’s own private police force. They were totally loyal to Hitler and Himmler.
-It was the SS who warned Hitler about Rohm in 1934 and Hitler used SS officers to murder SA leaders during the Night of the Long Knives.
Describe the Membership of the SS
-During the 1930s, the SS was expanded to 240,000 men and put in charge of all other police and security services.
-Himmler did not believe that the SS were obliged to act within the law.
-Himmler was very particular about recruitment to the SS.
-He wanted examples of perfect German manhood; they were expected to marry ‘racially pure’ wives to create ‘racially pure’ Germans for the future.
Describe the Role of the SD (Security Force)
-The SD was originally formed in 1931 by Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, as a security force for the Nazi Party to monitor its opponents. He made Reinhard Heinrich its leader.
-The SD kept a card index with details of everyone it suspected of opposing the Nazi Party or the German government at home or abroad.
-These were not kept at any government building, but at Brown House, the headquarters of the Nazi Party in Munich.
Describe the Role of the Gestapo (Secret State Police)
-The Gestapo was Hitler’s non-uniformed secret police force. They were set up in 1933 by Hermann Goering. However, in 1934, it was placed under SS control and in 1936, Heydrich became its leader.
-The main aim of the Gestapo was to identify anyone who criticised or opposed the Nazi government. They spied on people, tapped their phones and used networks of informants to identify suspects.
-In 1939 alone, 160,000 people were arrested for political offences. The Gestapo were officially given permission to use torture when questioning suspects or gaining confessions.
