Terror and Persuasion

Tools of Terror

The Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei) was Nazi Germany’s secret police, feared by the populace.
Concentration camps first set up in 1933 providing forced labour, intimidation and death for enemies of the state.
The SS (Schutzstaffel) originally Hitler’s personal bodyguards, developed into a major paramilitary organization directly accountable to Hitler.
The SA (Sturmabteilung or ‘Storm Troopers’) were used to intimidate rivals and break up opposition political meetings.

Propaganda and Persuasion

Joseph Goebbels was appointed Minister of Propaganda in 1933 and utilised newspapers, radio, film, books, arts and culture to promote Nazi ideology.
The Reich Chamber of Culture was established to control all aspects of Germany’s cultural life and ensure it promoted Nazi messages.
Introduction of regular mass rallies such as Nuremberg and Hitler’s Birthday enhanced Hitler’s ‘cult of personality’.

Control and Conformity

The Nuremberg Laws established in 1935 stripped Jewish citizens of their civil rights, isolating them socially and economically.
Policies of Gleichschaltung (‘synchronisation’) brought all sectors of German life under Nazi control.
The Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls was made compulsory in 1936, providing indoctrination and promoting loyalty to Hitler and Nazism from a young age.

Impact and Consequences of Nazi Policies

Nazi policies resulted in a climate of fear. Opposition to Nazi rule was suppressed and individuals were scared into conforming.
Many Germans did not oppose the Nazis due to the perceived economic improvement under Nazi rule. Unemployment dropped while living standards and infrastructure improved.
Despite outward unity, there were still groups who resisted Nazi rule, including the Swing Youth, White Rose, and Edelweiss Pirates.
Nazi policies had severely detrimental and devastating effects on the Jewish community and other minority groups deemed ‘undesirable’ by the Nazi regime.
Nazi policies led to the loss of democratic freedoms and the consolidation of a totalitarian state under Hitler’s rule.

Influence of Nazi Ideology

Nazi propaganda contained messages of German racial superiority. This excluded many groups such as Jews, Romani people, disabled individuals, and others deemed racially or biologically inferior.
The Aryan race concept was promoted as Nordic peoples’ superiority, which influenced policies ranging from eugenics to foreign policy.
The doctrine of Lebensraum (‘living space’) legitimised German aggression and territorial expansion. This policy was later used to justify the invasions of Poland and the Soviet Union.