‘by the End of the 1930s, Hitler Controlled Germany More by Oppression Than Popular Support, ’
‘By the end of the 1930s, Hitler controlled Germany more by oppression than popular support,’
Although many admired Hitler and were truly loyal to the Nazis, others did not like the Nazis and the strict rules they imposed on German people, but were too scared to retaliate for fear of punishment. The SS for example, formed in 1925, were fanatically loyal bodyguards to Hitler and after the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, the SS became Hitler’s private killing squad. They carried out racial policies by the Nazis, crushed opposition to Nazism and leading Nazis could order the SS to arrest or execution any opponent to the Nazis. This oppressive control meant many Germans feared the Nazis and would therefore not resist their policies. As well as the SS run by Heinrich Himmler, there were also concentration camps all over Germany and the countries it later took control of, such as Poland. Anyone who attempted to resist Nazi control or criticise Hitler and the Nazis would end up in these camps, which were later purpose built by the Nazis, and people such as socialists, communist and trade unionists among others who oppose Nazi rule in Germany, for example religious people such as Joseph Gath became imprisoned. The SS and concentration camps caused resistance to the Nazis to be minimal, as keeping your head down was preferred by many to being punished in such severe circumstances, which meant Hitler and the Nazis has overwhelmingly tight and oppressive control over the Nazis. However, possibly the most oppressive and feared method of control in Nazi Germany was the Gestapo, who were originally the Prussian secret police, and who were led by Goering. Such a force functioned because it was secret, which meant ordinary German people were frightened of opposing Nazi rule for fear of being unknowingly heard by or reported to the Gestapo. The Gestapo tapped telephones, intercepted mail and spied on people and with a network of informers throughout Germany, their relatively
Although many admired Hitler and were truly loyal to the Nazis, others did not like the Nazis and the strict rules they imposed on German people, but were too scared to retaliate for fear of punishment. The SS for example, formed in 1925, were fanatically loyal bodyguards to Hitler and after the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, the SS became Hitler’s private killing squad. They carried out racial policies by the Nazis, crushed opposition to Nazism and leading Nazis could order the SS to arrest or execution any opponent to the Nazis. This oppressive control meant many Germans feared the Nazis and would therefore not resist their policies. As well as the SS run by Heinrich Himmler, there were also concentration camps all over Germany and the countries it later took control of, such as Poland. Anyone who attempted to resist Nazi control or criticise Hitler and the Nazis would end up in these camps, which were later purpose built by the Nazis, and people such as socialists, communist and trade unionists among others who oppose Nazi rule in Germany, for example religious people such as Joseph Gath became imprisoned. The SS and concentration camps caused resistance to the Nazis to be minimal, as keeping your head down was preferred by many to being punished in such severe circumstances, which meant Hitler and the Nazis has overwhelmingly tight and oppressive control over the Nazis. However, possibly the most oppressive and feared method of control in Nazi Germany was the Gestapo, who were originally the Prussian secret police, and who were led by Goering. Such a force functioned because it was secret, which meant ordinary German people were frightened of opposing Nazi rule for fear of being unknowingly heard by or reported to the Gestapo. The Gestapo tapped telephones, intercepted mail and spied on people and with a network of informers throughout Germany, their relatively