The Nazi police state Cambridge IGCSE History revision
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In plain words
The Gestapo had fewer officers than most people imagine. It did not need more. Germans did its work for it, reporting neighbours, workmates and sometimes their own parents. Fear did the rest.
7 things to know
- A police state is one in which the government uses the police, especially secret police, to control what people do and say.
- The SS, led by Heinrich Himmler, began as Hitler's bodyguard. After 1934 it became the most powerful organisation in Germany. It ran the concentration camps and carried out Nazi racial policies.
- The Gestapo was the secret state police. It could arrest anyone and hold them without trial. It tapped telephones and opened letters, and it depended on ordinary people informing on each other.
- Concentration camps were set up from 1933. The first was at Dachau. At first they held political opponents, such as communists and trade unionists. Later they held Jews and other groups that the Nazis persecuted. Prisoners faced hard labour and brutal treatment.
- The police and the courts were under Nazi control. Judges had to swear loyalty to Hitler. A special People's Court tried those accused of opposing the state, and there was no fair trial.
- In every block of flats and every street, a local Nazi official kept watch on the residents and reported on them.
- Effectiveness: the terror worked largely through fear. Most people never met the Gestapo. Knowing that anyone might be an informer was enough to make them keep quiet.
Worked example
Explain why the Gestapo was so effective in controlling the German people. This is a 6-mark question.
- Its powers: it could arrest without trial and send people to concentration camps, so there was no protection in law.
- Its informers: it relied on reports from ordinary people, so nobody could be sure whom to trust.
- Its reputation: people believed that it was everywhere, and that belief made them watch what they said.
Tips and tricks
- Keep the organisations apart. The SS was the large organisation under Himmler that ran the camps. The Gestapo was the secret police. The SA was the stormtroopers, and lost its power in 1934.
- The key point for evaluation: control depended on fear and on informers more than on numbers of police.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
The Nazi police state: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
Who led the SS?
Under him it became the most powerful organisation in Germany.
What was the first concentration camp?
It was opened in 1933.
How did the Gestapo get most of its information?
Denunciations did much of its work.
Who were the first prisoners in the concentration camps?
The camps were first used to remove opposition.
Why did fear control people even when the Gestapo was not present?Stretch
The threat was enough.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 14 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
The Nazi police state
Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 14 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
What was the Gestapo?[4]
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It was the secret state police of Nazi Germany. It could arrest people and hold them without trial. It used informers, tapped telephones and opened mail to find opponents of the Nazis. Those it arrested could be sent to concentration camps.
Describe the role of the SS.[4]
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It was led by Heinrich Himmler. It began as Hitler's personal bodyguard. After 1934 it became the main organisation of terror in Germany. It ran the concentration camps, and was responsible for carrying out Nazi racial policy.
Why were concentration camps set up?[6]
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The Nazis wanted to remove their opponents quickly without the need for trials. From 1933 communists, socialists and trade unionists were held in camps such as Dachau. The camps frightened other people into silence, because everyone knew that they existed. Later they were used to hold groups that the Nazis persecuted on racial and social grounds.
Answers: The Nazi police state
- 1. It was the secret state police of Nazi Germany. It could arrest people and hold them without trial. It used informers, tapped telephones and opened mail to find opponents of the Nazis. Those it arrested could be sent to concentration camps.
- 2. It was led by Heinrich Himmler. It began as Hitler's personal bodyguard. After 1934 it became the main organisation of terror in Germany. It ran the concentration camps, and was responsible for carrying out Nazi racial policy.
- 3. The Nazis wanted to remove their opponents quickly without the need for trials. From 1933 communists, socialists and trade unionists were held in camps such as Dachau. The camps frightened other people into silence, because everyone knew that they existed. Later they were used to hold groups that the Nazis persecuted on racial and social grounds.