Totalitarian State

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Totalitarian State
Nazis in PowerPart 2 Terror and Force
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Enabling Act - Background

• Introduced by Hitler on 24th March 1933.
• Gave Hitler the power to rule Germany on his own
  for four years, but ruled as Fuhrer for 12 years.
  
• Hitler was now able to begin the destruction of
  the Democratic ideals established by the Weimar
  Republic.

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Totalitarian State Government control of
EVERYTHING

• Every aspect of life e.g. employment,
  education, youth and leisure was controlled and
  regulated by the State.
• It was said that the only time when a
  totalitarian state is not in control of an
  individual is when that person is asleep

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We will look at

• Trade Unions
• Political parties
• Censorship
• Gestapo, SS and Camps
• 5. Nazification

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1. Trade Unions

• 2nd May 1933 all trade unions dissolved.
• Workers and employers groups were absorbed into
  the Nazi Labour Front easily controlled by
  government

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1. Trade Unions - Analysis

• Workers no longer had any rights in Germany,
  allowing the government far more control of the
  workforce
• This removed any opposition from TU groups,
  allowing the Nazis to maintain power

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2. Political Parties

• 14th July 1933 Hitler banned all political
  parties apart from the National Socialist German
  Workers (Nazi) Party.
• This signified creation of a one party state so
  no free elections, free protest or political
  meetings allowed

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2. Political Parties - Analysis

• With no more elections or political parties,
  people had no real alternative to the Nazi
  government
• Without freedom of speech, the right to meet in
  groups etc it was very hard for any effective
  opposition to be organised, allowing the Nazis to
  maintain power

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3. Censorship

• Newspapers critical of the Nazis were closed
  down.
• Nazis supplied Germans with cheap radios so
  everyone could hear the Fuhrer.
• Nazi propaganda shown in cinemas
• Speakers were put up on street corners so no one
  could avoid Nazi propaganda.
• State radio messages from the Fuhrer were
  compulsory work stopped to listen to them

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3. Censorship - Analysis

• Due to censorship people heard only good things
  about the Nazi government so many believed the
  Nazi propaganda messages
• It was almost impossible for negative information
  about the Nazis to make its way into the public
  domain
• Many people were brainwashed by radio broadcasts,
  newspapers etc and this allowed the Nazis to
  maintain power

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4. SS, Gestapo Camps

• Originally formed as a personal bodyguard for the
  Fuhrer, the SS became the most important police
  agency in the Reich.
• The leader of the SS was Heinrich Himmler.
• Main function was to track down and eliminate all
  opponents of the Reich, used torture and terror,
  had its own courts.
• Had its own secret police to spy on Germans
  called the Gestapo.
• Had a wide range of informants, most Germans
  afraid to be openly critical of Hitler.
• Particularly effective in persecuting the Jews
  and Communists.
• They ensured that few people dared to oppose the
  Nazi government

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Re-education Camps

• Became the symbol of terror of the Third Reich.
• The first camps were established in 1933 at
  Dachau and Belsen, with the intention of
  reforming opponents of the regime so that they
  could be rehabilitated into the new Reich.
• At first, the camps housed mainly criminals and
  Communists.
• Later filled with political, religious and social
  groups who displeased Hitler Socialists,
  Democrats, Jehovahs Witnesses, clergy,
  academics, homosexuals, gypsies, trade union
  officials etc.

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4. SS, Gestapo Camps - Analysis

• German people were petrified of the Gestapo and
  SS and therefore didnt dare to criticise the
  Fuhrer or the Nazi government
• Many people went a step further and tried to win
  favour of the government by informing on
  friends, neighbours and colleagues
• This effectively meant the Government completely
  controlled what was said/ done in Germany
• Peoples fear of camps was so great that most
  felt it was easier to keep quiet rather than risk
  being re-educated therefore they did not speak
  out against the Nazis, allowing them to stay in
  power

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5. Nazification

• Opponents of the Nazi regime sacked from jobs
  (police, courts, civil service)
• Teachers who would not support the Nazis sacked
  teachers had to sign up to National Socialist
  Teachers League
• Teachers were expected to teach only Nazi views
  and new topics such as eugenics (race studies)
• Meant that all government run institutions were
  now pro-Nazi and posed no threat

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5. Nazification - Analysis

• All opponents of the Nazi regime were sacked from
  jobs, arrested or sent to camps meaning that
  organisations like the courts were now pro-Nazi
• Teachers now had to teach the Nazi curriculum and
  therefore young people only heard positive
  messages about the government
• Many people kept quiet rather than risk losing
  their job, and their cooperation allowed the
  Nazis to maintain their power

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Nazis in Power Essay Planwe will now add todays
information on to the plan for this essay
Terror/ Force

• TOTALITARIANISM
• KU Nazis established a totalitarian government
  that was hard to resist (banned political
  parties, TUs, censored press, radio, cinema)
• Gestapo/SS took over police used informers,
  arrested undesirables Nazi judges always
  found them guilty, camps such as Belsen used
• A No way to legally protest in Germany no
  elections,meetings, strikes etc people had no
  voice
• KU Nazification non-Nazis sacked from police,
  courts, civil service teachers had to join Nazi
  League of Teachers
• KU Nazis controlled news/ radio TRUE PICTURE
  of terror was hidden
• A Many Germans kept quiet because opinions were
  punished and obedience was necessary to keep your
  job