How successful was the Nazi Party in exerting control over Germany? Flashcards
Name 5 methods the Nazis used to Control people in Germany:
-propaganda (posters, radios, newspapers etc)
-fear
-targeting the youth and vulnerable (through Hitler Youth, schools/textbooks, unemployed)
-force (SS and Gestapo)
-media
Define propaganda
-the spread of often political information that is misleading or biased through the media which slowly makes people believe it or become impacted by it
-designed to play on peoples fears and tell people what they wanted to hear
What were Hitler’s aims?
-to glorify the regime
-to spread Nazi ideology and values (also censor the unacceptable)
-to win over people
-integrate the nation’s diverse elements into the Volksgemeinschaft (peoples community
Why did the Nazi Party do rallies?
to try and gain support and put down other opposition
what does Es Lebe Deutschland mean?
-long live Germany
-Hitler’s plan for a 100 year Reich
What was denunciation?
Spying on people->Nazis/Hitler encouraged this
How did Nazis use fear to keep control over Germany?
-The Gestapo spies inform on you and then you are woken up by the Gestapo in the middle of the night/early morning and are arrested
-then days or maybe weeks later you are interviewed and asked to sign for D11
-by signing this you are giving your consent to be put into a concentration camp
-you are handed over to the SS who run the concentration camps
-you are imprisoned for up to 6 month doing hard physical labour
-when you are released you tell everybody what has happened to you
-this causes a never ending cycle of fear being spread around Germany forcing people to conform
How did Courts help the Nazis maintain control?
-The Judiciary was biased towards the Nazis
-judges and lawyers were obliged to join the Nazi lawyer association and take the oath
-the judiciary was not protected from Nazi interference
Who was targeted by the courts?
-oppositions were targeted in cases of high treason where the jury specifically included Nazi members->this resulted in 7,000/16,000 cases resulting in death sentences
What were the limits of the courts impact?
-the regime could’ve been seen as corrupt
-judiciary state continues to function
-was severely subverted
How effective were the courts in controlling Germany?
-extremely effective as they were able to control the court system full
-however it was barely needed as the SS often took matters into their own hands and could arrest anyone at any time
-it meant that the death penalty was more common which caused more widespread fear of not following Hitler
How did the SS help Nazis maintain control?
-formed in 1925 as an elite bodyguard service for Hitler
-By 1933 it had 52,000 members
-this meant that Nazis had widespread control as the SS had a lot of control over things like arrests and they were feared which increased control
Who were targeted by the SS?
-people who opposed Hitler as the service was to protect him
-Jews and anyone who was denunciated
What were the limits of the SS’ impact?
-Himmler became its leader in 1929 which diverted Hitler’s control of the SS
-Himmler had also enough power to create the SD->which detected potential or actual enemies of the Nazis->more control to Himmler
How effective was the SS in controlling Germany?
-effectively the ultimate source in terms of providing fear to the public
-the power and control Hitler established for them allowed them to have full control over every corner and aspect of Germany
How did the Gestapo help the Nazis maintain control?
-helped by ordinary people informing on their neighbours
-20,000 to 40,000 members
->widespread control
-it presented itself as all-seeing
->caused fear among Germans
Who did the Gestapo target?
-mainly focused on certain groups such as: political opponents, Jews, disabled, religious opponents, homosexuals, socialists etc
What were the limits of the Gestapo’s impact?
most members were office workers ->relied on informers
-unable to ‘impose a regime of terror’ due to limited power (only 40,000 agents
-a lot of what informers reported was just gossip or biased
How effective was the Gestapo in controlling Germany?
-it was very effective because they could overhear people’s conversations without being caught as ordinary people were members
-Hitler therefore knew if someone was plotting against him->he would be able to take action to stop it harming his reputation
-it enforced control over the rest of the public due to not everyone died after being sent away->persuade people to not go against Hitler’s regime
-ineffective because there may not have been enough gestapo agents to be everywhere->couldn’t catch all opposition and it could be lies/gossip
How did Concentration Camps help the Nazis maintain control over Germany?
-opposition and threats could be removed by sending people to Concentration Camps
-it would also cause fear
Who was targeted by Concentration Camps?
-opposition and marginalised people such as: disabled, homosexuals, Jews and anyone who opposed Hitler
What were the limits of Concentration Camps impact?
-it could have been seen as corrupt which cause threats to Hitler’s support
How effective was Concentration Camps in controlling Germany?
-it was effective as it silenced opposition and created fear
Which was more effective in controlling Germans propaganda or terror?
Terror
-people would do anything Nazis/Hitler wanted due to fear
-denunciation was caused by fear
-if Germans didn’t fear the consequences of not following Nazis/Hitler then they wouldn’t have such widespread control
-terror is pervasive, its everywhere and targets everyone at once compare to propaganda targeting smaller groups of people
How did the radio help the Nazi Party exert control?
-they had more influence and control as even when people were at home they were hearing Nazi messages and propaganda
-the fact that radios were made cheaper meant that the majority of Germans had a radio
What had Goebbels and Hitler always recognised the effectiveness of?
-the effectiveness of the spoken word rather than written
-they had already begun using technology during the election campaigns of 1932-1933
What did Goebbels create to bring all broadcasting under Nazi control?
-the Reich Radio Company
