The police state Flashcards
who controlled the police force
was controlled by the central government and local authorities
Hitler realized his control was weak
What is the SS?
- Protection squad
- black uniform
- controlled by Germanys police force
- Heinrich Himmler in charge
Who were the gustapo?
- Secret police force
- No uniforms
- Prosecuted anyone who said or did anything critical of the nazisor government
- relied on informants
- feared by public.
When was the gustapo created?
There were initially created in 1933 by Herman Goering. Goering’s rule over the Gestapo was short when it was given to the SS to control. Himmler placed Heydrich in charge of the Gestapo in 1936.
What was the role of SD?
*secret force
The SD was feared through their ability to involve themselves in any part of the life of ordinary Germans. Even suspicion of illegal and subversive activities could bring the wrath of the SD down upon citizens. Most intelligence was carried out by local field offices, and if it was deemed to be important it would be sent to the offices in Berlin.
Ordinary Germans would have struggled to fight off the SD if they were accused as the SD believed that they were guilty until they could be proved innocent. However, as many of those suspected were sent to prison and the evidence was kept by the SD, this made it very difficult to fight off.
What was the intial role of the ss?
SS stands for Schutzstaffel which means Protection Squad. Their original focus was the protection of Hitler and were formed in 1925. Hitler placed colleague Heinrich Himmler in charge of the group and its recruitment.
- From 1929 they were given the infamous black uniforms which helped to separate them from the Nazi stormtroopers of the SA.
- All recruits were to be racially pure, and they were expected to live the life of Nazi ideals. Therefore, they were expected to be physically fit, and marry racially pure wives and have many children who would also be racially pure.
What were concentration camps?
Concentration Camps were makeshift prisons set up to hold opponents and prisoners of the Nazi Regime. Many of those who were imprisoned were classed as being in protective custody rather than being tried and convicted of crimes. This meant that none of those placed in concentration camps had had any form of court proceedings or had had a chance to fight their cases.
What happened to concentration camps when the Nazi party came to power?
When the Nazis came to power there were huge numbers of people who were arrested or placed into protective custody and as such the Nazis needed new makeshift prisons called Concentration Camps. The camps were staffed by members of the SS rather than the conventional police forces.
Where did the Nazi build the concentration camps?
The Nazis built a huge network of camps, often located away from urban areas to keep secret the goings on in the camps. As the number of prisoners increased there were several changes to the concentration camp programme. The Wannsee Conference created the Final solution whereby Jews were to be exterminated. This led to the creation of Death Camps which sole purpose was to eliminate enemies of the Nazi State.
What happens if the Nazi could control the legal system?
if the Nazis controlled the legal system, they realised they could fake charges against opponents and have them tried in a court of law. This would bring some legitimacy to their cause
What did Hitler do to control the judges?
Hitler and the Nazis made all judges join the group and removed any they found undesirable. Judges in Nazi Germany were then told that if there was a conflict between the Nazi Party and Law, the Nazi Party should always win as their needs and reasons for something were more important than any others.
What did Hitler do to control the law courts?
the Nazis also sort to control the law courts. The first step was to remove the trial by jury. Trial by jury may have returned verdicts which displeased the Nazis so they left the decisions about innocence up to the Judges who were all members of the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law.
What did Hitler add to the legal system?
Hitler also created a new ‘People’s Court’ which would decide cases about Treason. The court had hand picked judges and met in secret. Hitler sometimes overrode sentences given by judges if he felt like it. This method of trial had no appeal, meaning once the sentence was handed down, there was no way back.
Why did Hitler oppose the catholic church?
Catholics placed their first loyalty to the Pope in Rome rather than Hitler, which the Nazis could not tolerate.
In addition to this, the Catholic Church ran schools and hospitals across the country which were based on the teachings of the Catholic Church and not Nazism.
What did the Nazis do about catholic churches?
The Nazis reached an agreement with the Catholic Church in Germany known as the Concordat. This was signed with the agreement of the Pope in Rome in July 1933. It separated the Catholic Church from the Nazi Party and provided freedoms to the Catholic Church. The conditions would be that the priests and bishops would not interfere in German politics or be critical of the Nazi regime.
