How Nazis kept control (CH3) Flashcards
What does Gleichshaltung mean?
It is the process of Nazification - where the Nazi Party sought coordination over all aspects of German Society, aiming to establish a system of totalitarian control.
What were the 4 main opposition groups to Hitler?
- SDP and KDP (Leftist parties)
- Church
- Youth (Edelweiss pirates and Swing movement)
- Army/Upper class
Why did the SDP/KDP oppose Hitler?
- Hitler banned all trade Unions on 2nd May 1933
- Their offices were closed down and their money was confiscated
- Their leaders were put in Prison
- Communists were put into concentration camps or killed
Why did the Church oppose Hitler?
- Catholic priests opposed Hitler
- A pope issued a message called ‘With Burning Concern’ which described Hitler as a ‘mad prophet with repulsive arrogance’
- A protestant Pastor, Dietrich Bonhoffer, was linked to an assassination attempt against hitler, and was executed in 1945.
Why was there opposition from the Youth?
- They were told they had to join the Hitler Youth but they disliked the segregation of sexes, desired the freedom of expression or disagreed with the policies towards the Jews.
- Many of them challenged the Hitler youth by listening to Jazz music and growing out their hair.
What opposition came from the Upper class/Army?
- A group of military officials believed that Hitler’s violent death should signal a general anti-Nazi revolt
- Military officials attempted to assassinate Hitler on July 20th 1944 but he survived the blast
Name 4 ways how the Nazi kept control
- The Gestapo
- The SS
- Concentration Camps
- Police and Courts
What was the role of the Gestapo?
- It was the secret state police
- They could arrest citizens and send them to concentration camps without trial
- They had a network of informers that listened to peoples conversations
- They removed any opposition to the Nazis
What was the role of the SS?
They replaced the SA and was led by Heinrich Himmler - it was a huge organisation with different responsibilities.
- They needed to crush any opposition
- Carry out Nazi Racial Policies
- They ensured there was a strong security
There were 3 main subdivisions
- The SD: investigate potential disloyalty within the armed forces or politically sensitive cases.
- The Death Head Units: responsible for concentration camps and the transportation of Jews.
- The Waffen SS: armoured regiments that fought alongside the regular army
What was the role of concentration camps?
- Nazi’s sanction against their own people
- Jews, communists and anyone who criticised the Nazis ended up in these camps
- Prisoners were forced to do hard labour and they suffered from harsh beating and random execution.
- Their aim was to correct opponents of the Nazi regime
What was the role of the Police and the Courts?
- The police added political ‘snooping’ to their normal law.
- They were under strict instructions to ignore crimes committed by Nazi agents.
What does totalitarianism mean?
A political system where the state holds complete authority over the society, and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life
What were the two ways in which Nazi Germany tried to control society? And what is the difference?
Censorship - the act of restricting or banning information
Propaganda - the act of publicising information
What was Joseph Goebbells responsible for?
- He was the Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
- Centralise Nazi control over all aspects of cultural and intellectual life
- Masterminding the Nazi election campaigns (Sep 1930, Nov 1932, March 1933)
- Pioneered the use of radio and cinema for electoral campaigning
- Used torchlight parades, brass bands and massed choirs
Name 5 forms of propaganda
- Radio
- Cinema
- The Press (Newspaper)
- Photographs
- Posters
- Meetings and rallies
- Sports
- Festivals
- Autobahns
