The ' Terror state' - Police system Flashcards
1
Q
who had overall control of the police system in Nazi Germany ?
A
Heinrich Himmler
2
Q
how did the police system work ?
A
there was the SS, SD and the Gestapo
3
Q
What was the SD established as ?
A
- as the internal insecurity service of the Nazi Party
4
Q
aim/role of the SD ?
A
- set unto investigate claims that the party had been infiltrated by its political enemies
5
Q
how did the SD’s role change after 1933 ?
A
- SD’s role was intelligence gathering.
one of its roles was to monitor public opinion, identify those who said ‘no’ in plebiscites and tp report on these to Hitler.
6
Q
who led the SD ?
A
- Reinhard Heydrich
7
Q
difference between the SD and the gestapo ?
A
The SD was a Nazi Party organisation whereas the Gestapo was a state organisation.SD was staffed not by professional police officers but by amateurs committed to the Nazis
8
Q
What were the Gestapo
A
- secret state police
9
Q
how big was the Gestapo ?
A
- relatively small organisation with only 20,000 officers in 1939 to cover the whole country.
10
Q
how successful were the Gestapo/ what impact did they make
A
- successful in instilling an atmosphere of fear and suspicion to the German population.Political debate and criticism was stifled.
11
Q
who and what did the Gestapo depend on ?
A
- Gestapo depended on information supplied on informers who were asked to spy on neighbours and report suspicious activity
12
Q
reputation of the Gestapo ?
A
- reputation for being all knowing. Many Germans believed they had agents everywhere
13
Q
What was the SS involved in ?
A
- involved in the identification and arrest of political prisoners
14
Q
What did the SS control ?
A
- The SS controlled the entire Third Reich police and there concentration camps
15
Q
Under SS control what did the police system become ?
A
- police system in Germany was an instrument of the Fuhrer and the Nazi Party
