5. The Nazi Dictatorship Flashcards
(26 cards)
In what ways did Hitler’s leadership prove to be faulty and limited?
- there was no official constitution; the government and law emerged in an unorderly fashion
- in practice, no individual could control all areas of government
- Hitler relied on subordinates to put his wishes into practice
- Hitler had long sleeping hours & was often absent from Berlin
- he avoided decision making outside of foreign policy
- he rarely met up with ministers who would determine his wishes for the country
> they had to try and do so themselves by ‘working towards the Führer’* - he didn’t co-ordinate government
How was Hitler’s leadership faulty and limited during WW2?
He was always at the front, yet didnt allow Cabinets, nor extra power for committees, in fear of being challenged
What was the basis of Nazi ideology?
- maintenance of racial purity
- a hierarchy of races (Aryan at top; Jewish & Slavic at the bottom)
- using Jews as the scapegoat for Germany’s problems
- anti-democratic / pro-dictatorship
- a socially united, racially pure people’s community, which overcame class differences
- nationalism; Treaty of Versailles should be reversed, and Germany given ‘living space’ in the east
Who was responsible for propaganda in Nazi Germany?
Goebbels
(minister of public enlightenment & propaganda)
How did the Nazi regime impact the courts?
- Judges were instructed to issue harder sentences
- From 1939, judges had to study Nazi beliefs (judges who didnt obey the government were removed)
- Nazis replaced senior officials
- the SS group leader was appointed minister of justice
Who became the head of the SS in 1929?
SS leader: Heinrich Himmler
What did Himmler create in 1931 within the SS?
the SD - the secret intelligence wing of the SS
In 1935, who were the only people who could join the SS?
Aryans
What powers were placed underHimmler’s control in what year?
1936 - all police and Gestapo powers were placed under Himmler’s control.
What was the SS made up of?
- the SD
- the Gestapo
- the Kripo (criminal police)
- the Waffen SS (racially pure units involved in Eastern Europe’s advancement)
What was the SS responsible for?
What did this term mean?
the creation of the ’New Order’
New Order - the integration of Europe under Nazi rule
Himmler became ’commissioner for consolidating German nationhood’. What did this give him the responsibility to do?
the resettling of ethnic Germans from conquered territories + elimination of groups such as Jews/Roma/Gypsies
What was the Gestapo and what was their role?
Gestapo - the secret state police
role of the Gestapo - find opponents of the Nazis and arrest them
What would be the consequence of those arrested by the Gestapo?
They would be sent to concentration camps without trial.
How many agents were in the Gestapo?
20,000 - 40,000 agents
Where were the Gestapo unpopular in Germany and why?
unpopular in working class areas - due to their sympathy for communists and socialists
How did communists resist the Nazi regime?
What was their impact?
RESISTANCE:
- produced pamphlets attacking the Nazis
- the Red Orchestra, a spy network sending info to Moscow
IMPACT:
minimal. many had been arrested after the Reichstag fire, so the remaining were concerned more with self-preservation
How did Social Democrats resist the Nazi regime?
What was their impact?
RESISTANCE:
- retained underground activity (due to having been banned as a party)
- produced anti-Nazi propaganda, keeping socialist message alive
IMPACT:
minimal; priority was self-preservation
How did trade unions resist the Nazi regime?
What was their impact?
RESISTANCE:
carried out strikes in 1935-36 and 1945.
IMPACT:
industrial action proved ineffective.
How did churches resist the Nazi regime?
What was their impact?
RESISTANCE:
- protested against policy of euthanasia
- preserved religious practices
IMPACT:
mostly ineffective, BUT temporarily stopped euthanasia
How did youth resist the Nazi regime?
What was their impact?
RESISTANCE:
- behaving in anti-Nazi ways, e.g. playing dance & jazz music
- disliked military aspect of Hitler Youth
IMPACT:
some assassinated Gestapo officers or attacked military targets - but overall minimal impact
How did students resist the Nazi regime?
What was their impact?
RESISTANCE:
- student group in Munich (White Rose) handed out anti-Nazi pamphlets
IMPACT:
minimal; leaders of the White Rose were arrested & tortured
What were the conservatives’ actions during the Nazi regime?
What was their impact?
ACTIONS:
drew up plans for post-Nazi Germany
IMPACT:
some of their pacifists opposed the idea of a coup. resistance developed later on in an inorderly fashion due to fear of arrest.
