[summer] the police state

Question	Answer
define a police state	a state in which the government used the (secret) police to control what people did and what they said- it was a means of keeping control
Explain the police force before and after Hitler became Chancellor	before: there was already a police force- but his control of the government and the police was weak after: he set up his own police and security forces (and set up his own police forces- their role to protect and support the Nazi Party
Name the 3 main police organisations used by Hitler.	• the SS • the SD • the Gestapo
Explain the role of the SS	• original role was to be the Nazi Party's own private police force- it was the SS about Rohm ↓ • the SS soon expanded and grew into a huge organisation with many responsibilities • the main responsibility of the SS to destroy opposition to Nazism and carry out the racial policies of the Nazis • the SS themselves were also expected to marry 'racially pure' wives
What were the Gestapo?	• the Gestapo were a secret state police and possibly the most feared by the ordinary German citizen as they could not tell them apart from the other members of the public • they could arrest citizens and send them to concentration camps without trial or even explanation
What were the aim of the Gestapo and how did they complete it?	→ to identify anyone who criticized or opposed the Nazi government • they spied on people, tapped their phones, and used network informants to identify suspects ↓ • in 1939 alone, 160000 people were arrested for political offence
Why were people so scared of the Gestapo?	- People were that scared of the Gestapo that they would inform on each other because of the fear that they would find out anyway - Arguably, fear of Hitler's police forces was even more powerful than the police force themselves
Why were concentration camps created?	They were created to cope with the growing no. of people getting arrested, being first made as make-shift prisons in disused factories and warehouses, but they eventually became purpose built, run by the SA + SS
What were the prisoners forced to do?	• forced to do hard labor • food was limited • suffered harsh discipline, beatings and random executions
Who were the inmates of the prisons?	• 'undesirables', such as prostitutes or undesirables • minority groups, such as Jews, of whom the Nazis disapproved of • political prisoners- people whom the Nazis feared would undermine the control of Germany
How far did Hitler succeed?	→ He tried to conform everything to Nazi ideas but all areas in which Hitler tried to control Germany, there were some who opposed
Germany was becoming a totalitarian state. What does this mean?	a country where the government controlled of the sections of the state including the Reichstag, the NSDAP, the army, the police, and the legal system
Why did Hitler think he could control the country through the legal system?	He realised his opponents stood little chance of success if he brought charges against them, and then being in biased trial courts
How did Hitler control the judges?	→ they had to swear on an oath of loyalty to Hitler → Hitler insisted that all judges must be part of the Nationalist Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law- they were denied membership of they displeased the Nazis
How did Hitler control the law courts?	→ He set up a new People's court- the judges for this court were handpicked and trials were held in secret → Hitler also sometimes imposed sentences himself → there was no right to appeal against the verdict of the people's court
How did religion clash with Hitler's police state?	The Christian religion preached tolerance, peace and respect for all people, whereas the Nazis glorified strength, violence and taught racial superiority
Summarise Hitler's attempt at controlling the church.	At first, Hitler tried to control the Church by reassuring them and encouraging them to work with the Nazi government. However, this did not work for long- soon, he turned the full force of the police state against the Christians.
Explain the different views between the Catholics and the Nazis.	→ the Catholics owed their allegiance to the Pope, rather than Hitler → Catholics also had their own schools which taught differently to Nazi schools
What agreement did Hitler and the Catholics come to?	In July 1933, they reached a concordat (agreement): • he agreed to freedom of worship and promised not to infer with Catholic schools • the Church agreed that priests would not interfere in politics + German bishops would swear loyalty
What happened when Hitler did not keep his promise?	• Catholic priests were harassed and arrested, put in concentration camps • Catholic schools were changed to normal or closed • Catholic youth activities were banned
What did most Protestants feel about Hitler and give examples.	Some Protestants were grateful for Hitler- they combined their churches to form a single Reich church, and the leader was Ludwig Muller: • pastors were allowed to continue their church services • some even allowed the swastika to be in their churches • the Nazis insisted that Jews should not be part of the Church at all
What did others feel about the Nazi state?	Some did not accept the Nazi state and a few spoke out: • the most famous was Pastor Martin Niemoller • he helped set up the Pastors Emergency League (PEL) • but this was quickly banned and Niemoller was sent to a concentration camp

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[summer] the police state

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	Created by Farha Idrees over 7 years ago