Opposition and Repression in Nazi Germany Flashcards
(28 cards)
Who set up the Gestapo, when, and for what purpose?
- 1933 by Göring
- It was originally the Prussian secret police, but eventually covered all of the states
When was the SS set up, and why?
- The Schutzstaffel was a body set up in 1925 by the party to act as Hitler’s personal bodyguard
- It was also a political police
Who was in charge of the SS and the Gestapo, and from when?
- The SS was controlled by Himmler since 1929
- In 1936, he also took over the Gestapo
List 2 roles of the Gestapo.
- Arrested ‘enemies of the state’ (even those telling jokes about Nazis could be perceived as a threat) outside of the law
- Ran concentration camps
How did the Gestapo operate?
- They did not wear uniform
How many SS members were there by 1936?
- 240,000
How did the role of the SS and the Gestapo change?
- From 1933 to 1936 they mostly dealt with political opposition to the Nazis
- From 1936 to 1939 they persecuted people who did not fit in with the Nazi ideal of society, such as gay men, Jews or people who continued to have personal relationships with Jews
- From 1939 to 1945 they were part of the Final Solution and targeted people who they believed were undermining the war effort
How did the SS and Gestapo get most of their information? Give 2 figures.
- Mostly from tip-offs from German citizens
- 90% of Gestapo work came from public denunciations
- 64% of Gestapo action against ‘Aryans’ suspected of having sexual relationships with Jews came from tip-offs
How else did the Nazis monitor the population?
- There were 400,000 block leaders in Germany
- Each of these block leaders were responsible for reporting any suspicious behaviour from the 30 to 40 houses/ flats to their party leader
How can opposition to the Nazis be classified? What decides this?
- Active resistance: wanting to overthrow the regime
- Protest: wanting to change certain aspects of the regime
- Non-conformity: not fitting the standard set by the Nazis
Give 4 examples of acts of non-conformity.
- Telling anti-Nazi jokes
- Listening to American jazz
- Not giving the Nazi salute
- Complaining about Nazi rule
What did the Nazis think of acts of non-conformity, and why?
- They saw them as political opposition as they tried to control all aspects of life
What were 2 groups that did not conform?
- The Edelweiss Pirates
- Swing Youth
Who were the Edelweiss Pirates, and what did they do?
- They were groups of young, working-class men and women that wore their own uniform as a way of stating that they were not part of the Hitler Youth
- Some ran their own sport activities, but some even tried to resist the regime through spreading anti-Nazi leaflets
Who were the Swing Youth, what did they do, and what were 2 reasons why it was dangerous?
- Group of middle-class young people
- They listened to jazz music
- In 1935 jazz was banned from German radio, and in 1939 listening to foreign broadcasts was banned
- The SS would take action against people for listening to jazz
Give 3 examples of protest that happened in Nazi Germany.
- The KPD printed anti-Nazi leaflets until 1935, when it became clear that the Gestapo could easily find and arrest them
- The Catholic Church spoke out against some Nazi policies
- Sabotage
In what 2 ways did the Catholic Church oppose the Nazis, and what outcomes did these instances have?
- They protested against the T4 programme, which made the government publicly back down (although it continued in secret)
- They kept the right for Catholic schools to have crucifixes in classrooms in 1935, although the Nazis had originally banned them
Describe 4 ways in which workers sabotaged the Nazis.
- They held lightning strikes that lasted a few hours
- They worked slowly
- They damaged machinery
- During the war they helped the Allies in ways such as blowing up bridges or railway lines
How did the Nazis respond to sabotage, and why?
- Workers were in high demand, especially when the war broke out so they ignored small actions
- However, if groups became too organised or successful, they dealt with them
How did the Nazis respond to protests? Give an example.
- If there were spontaneous protests over an issue, they did pay attention to them
- In 1934 they imprisoned 2 bishops for speaking against them, but when this led to a public outcry and protests, they released them
How did active resistance to the Nazis usually manifest?
- It usually led to attempts to assassinate Hitler
How many attempts were there on Hitler’s life between 1921 and 1944, and how many of these were the army responsible for, and when?
- 15 known attempts
- They were responsible for the 7 after 1939
When were the army first concerned about the Nazis, and why?
- In 1933 and 1934
- Due to the influence of the SA and radical Nazis
What had the army been planning to do, and what changed their mind?
- They were discussing having a new government with von Papen in charge
- The Night of the Long Knives
