FP How effectively did the Nazis deal with their political opponents?

The fact that there were no significant revolts or rebellions against Nazi
rule suggests that the methods of law enforcement and control must have
been extremely effective. There was certainly no repeat of the putsches and
uprisings that plagued the early years of the Weimar Republic. There were
occasional conspiracies and plots, but only Reinhard Heydrich among the senior
Nazis was assassinated and this act took place outside Germany. To ensure
absolute obedience to Nazi rule the favoured methods were persuasion and
indoctrination, but there were always those who remained unresponsive. For
such persistent opponents the Nazis relied upon force and terror. Figure 9.13
outlines the main features of the Nazi police state which enforced the laws of
the Nazi regime and dispensed Nazi justice.

Informers

Local Nazi officials reported on the reliability of local residents,

while everyone was encouraged to be vigilant and report anti-Nazi
talk and activities. In some cases husbands reported on wives,
children on their parents, and ordinary people on their neigh-
bours. This system created enormous fear as well as enabling
private scores to be settled.

The SS The Gestapo

Led by Heinrich Himmler, in pursuit of enemies of the state they
had extensive powers to arrest, detain without charge,
interrogate, and search and confiscate property.
They were responsible for running the concentration camps and
implementing Nazi racial policies including the Final Solution.
This was the secret state police brought under the general control
of Himmler and the SS in 1936. Probably the most feared arm of
the law by ordinary citizens. Had sweeping powers to spy on
Germans by tapping telephones, intercepting mail, and using
information from a network of informers. Arrests could result in
being sent to a concentration camp without trial.

Concentration camps Nazi courts and Judges

These were large-scale prisons for critics and opponents of the
Nazi regime, though other groups were sent there such as
gypsies, beggars, tramps, and the work-shy. Conditions were basic
and the discipline harsh with many deaths from beatings, torture,
or other forms of ill-treatment. Prisoners were used as slave labour
working in quarries, agriculture, and forestry. During the Final
Solution, these camps were used for the extermination of the
Jewish population.
The Nazis took over control of the existing court system, requiring
magistrates and judges to take an oath of loyalty to Hitler. Jewish
judges and lawyers were sacked. Special courts were set up for
dealing with political crimes.
Capital offences were increased from 3 to 43 between 1933 and
1943, and the minimum age for the death penalty was reduced to
16. Telling anti-Nazi jokes and listening to a foreign radio station
both carried the death sentence.

▲ Fig. 9.14 The Nazi police state

Chapter 9 207