the various methods used by the Nazi regime to exercise control, including laws, censorship, repression, terror, propaganda, cult of personality Flashcards
outline the laws
Enabling Act 1933 → allowed Nazis to make laws without having to go through the Reichstag
Reichstag Fire Decree → allowed consolidation of Nazi power
Law against establishment of Parties in 1933 → legalised Nazi ban on political parties
Law Against Malicious Acts on State and Party in 1934 → ended freedom of expression and to criticise Nazis in anyway
Law for the Prevention of Disease Progeny in 1933 → sterilisation of people with disabilities an aspect of Nazi racial purity ideology
Reich Citizenship Law → defined a German citizen which excluded Jews and other no Aryan groups
Nuremberg Laws - anti semitic laws 1935
The people’s court - established in 1934 to try cases of high treason (betraying one’s country) with Nazi judges and a jury composed specifically of Nazi Party members.
How was the cult of personality used
“A ‘Hitler myth’ was cultivated which built on people’s desire for strong leadership, and presented Hitler as an almost God-like figure. Hitler’s image was laboured over in a manner not dissimilar to that of pop stars today. What he wore, what he said, what postures he adopted during speeches were all worked out carefully… Many people began to separate Hitler from the Nazi Party, enabling Hitler’s popularity to remain high whilst the popularity of the Nazi Party fell.”
how was Propaganda used
Radios were locally controlled, particularly in Bavaria and Prussia.
All Hitler’s speeches were broadcast in full, loudspeakers were placed in public places and radio sets were sold at a low price to increase the number of listeners.
Goebbels ensure a blend of music, drama and comedy mixed with the propaganda messages.
Music was strictly controlled to ensure that it reflected German values.
Germany had no national newspapers, political parties had their own - Editors were summoned each day to receive their instructions on what to write for main news stories, the line to take in their editorials and even what pictures to use.
Marches, rallies and festivals were a key feature of gaining power, but now Goebbels had to adapt this to make people remain loyal.- The Nazis perfected the power of the ‘Spectacle’.
Party rallies were planned in detail, aiming to enthuse the nation. They were used to reflect power, strength, unity, purpose, the hope of the nation and the essence of being German.
Famous examples included the Parteitag (or Party Days) held in Nuremberg
German films were of high quality and entertaining. Would there be an audience for political films following this boom in the German film industry?- Many propaganda works were produced such as Riefenstahl’s ‘Triumph of the Will’ or the anti-Semitic ‘The Eternal Jew’. Censorship was used to exclude culturally undesirable things. As with radio, the masses were also given access to comedy and light entertainment.
Key features of NAZI Propaganda
Keep it simple
Use slogans and repetition
Never allow for alternative beliefs
Establish scapegoats, create fear
Use stereotypes to demonstrate enemies
Include lies and exaggeration
Organise mass meetings
Make people feel, play on emotions
How was censorship used
Role of censorship
Goebbels’ propaganda machine aimed to:
Glorify the regime
Spread Nazi ideology and values (and to censor the unacceptable)
To win over the people and to integrate the nation’s diverse elements into the idea of Volksgemeinschaft
All means of public communication were brought under state control
Censorship and the press
Germany had over 4700 daily newspapers in 1933, a result of the strong regional identities that still existed throughout the state. All papers were owned privately and had no loyalty to central government.
Nazi publishing house, Eher Verlag, bought up numerous newspapers, so by 1939 it controlled ⅔ of the German printed press.
The state controlled Deutsches Nachrichten Buro vetted news material before it got to journalists.
Goebbels introduced a daily press conference at the Propaganda Ministry to provide guidance on editorial policy.
The Editors’ Law of October 1933 made newspaper content the sole responsibility of the editor, who had to satisfy the requirements of the Propaganda Ministry or face consequences.
Cultural life was another area to achieve censorship and indoctrination. Culture was coordinated through the Reich Chamber of Culture which included fine arts, music, theatre, press, radio, literature and films. In this way, anyone in the media had to toe the party line.
How was terror used?
The SA (Brown Shirts)
The paramilitary force which fought Nazi street battles in the Nazi rise to power. They ran the concentration camps from 1933-1934, but their power was limited after 30 June 1934 following the Night of the Long Knives.
the SS
Created in 1925 as Hitler’s personal bodyguard and was originally part of the SA. Under Himmler, the SS became an elite force; disciplined, loyal, and totally devoted to Hitler and the philosophy of National Socialism. Unlike the SA, admission to the SS was highly controlled; they had to meet strict education and physical standards, as well as meeting requirements of ‘racial purity’. (Members of the SS saw themselves as an elite racial community, expressed through SS mythology that linked them to mediaeval Teutonic Knights of the Middle Ages)
Role of the SS (Black Shirts)
Ran the concentration camps being created throughout Germany
Would later be involved in Nazi racial policy across Europe
The SS were responsible for the elimination of the SA
Deportation of people from conquered territory
Police functions, dealt with internal opponents
Implementation of racial policies in conquered territory
The SD (Secret Service)
Set up by Himmler in 1931, the SD was the internal security service for the SS. It was increasingly given the job of intelligence. The SD collected information on the popularity of the Party or the situation of the Church etc.The SD was run by Himmler’s deputy, Reinhard Heydrich.
Gestapo (secret state police)
The Gestapo was set up by a decree on 30 November 1933. Himmler took over leadership in November 1934. The Gestapo was responsible for the internal security of the Reich, made up of political police forces who were charged to ‘investigate and suppress all anti-state activities’.
Role of the gestapo
Had a role in the running of initial concentration camps
Had the power to imprison people without the need for judicial proceedings
Would summon persons of interest to police headquarters, conducted interrogations and sent people to concentration camps
Carried out surveillance and sought to identify enemies of the state
Gained a reputation for ruthlessness and efficiency
NB: research now suggests that the Gestapo was not as large or widespread as first believed.
Concentration camps
A concentration camp was a place where people who were seen as opponents of the regime were confined, usually under harsh conditions and without recourse to the law.
The first concentration camp came into being within days of Hitler coming to power in 1933.
To administer the camps, a new unit in the SS was established, the Order of the Death’s Head.
