Nazi Germany 1933

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Anam Khan                6’1

Nazi Germany 1933-45

7 (a) Source D is written by a modern German historian, approximately fifty years after the events described. The source talks about the active resistance in Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945. There were various coercive powers that were loyal to Hitler and inhibited all the political resistance he could possibly face. One of these powers being the Gestapo, as mentioned in this source. The Gestapo were a secret police force, set up by Goering in the first months of Hitler’s take over. They were a small group who kept strict records and files on Nazi citizens. They closely watched the public and encouraged denunciation amongst citizens, as this was the best way to find out who was being disloyal to the Fuhrer. There was not much active resistance in Germany as people feared these ‘coercive powers’’ ability to effectively silence any opposition, public as well as private. As the source states, this use of terror against political antagonists was enough to freeze up even the most courageous resistant groups and we know it did exactly that. There were also the SA and SS troops who were used by Hitler to enforce total control by means of explicit, brute, physical force. The Gestapo on the other hand, did not get so physically involved. In the early stages they were legally allowed to take citizens who were hostile to the Nazi regime, into ‘protective custody’ and deal with them. As time went on, the protective custody myth was forgotten and the Gestapo began openly working outside the law; killing and torturing citizens who showed resistance towards the regime. They are a central piece of evidence in showing the brutality of Hitler’s rule, and the fear created throughout his regime. Germans feared the Gestapo most, as they worked discreetly and had an air of mystery about them (‘secret’ police). As the source states; the Gestapo terror was in a league of its own and their mention alone, could silence all political resistance. All though the masses were frequently silenced, many people took to active and extreme methods of expressing their views, presenting themselves as courageous and often stupid, as they were heavily outnumbered by Hitler’s supporters and their protests remained ineffective. Hitler’s popularity was increasing over the years, and Goebbel’s propaganda reinforced the terror system. We know there were many people opposed to Hitler’s regime, like the churches, military (Abwehr) and communists; but because there was no legitimate way for them to protest, discontent had to be expressed through actions such as sabotages, strikes and so on. When planning an effective sabotage you need a large group of people, and due to the Gestapo terror, it was very difficult to form this large group, as they were often infiltrated by the Gestapo police. Thus the Gestapo were responsible for the disorientation of the protestors, as their groups survival depended on secrecy of their plans; which was impossible in these inter-war years.

b) Source B is a Gestapo report on the activities and methods of two of the central, left wing opposition groups; the Communist KPD and Socialist SPD. This source is factual and is quite objectively written. As it is a report, the facts need to be clear and informative, so we can trust the content, plus as it ties in with our own knowledge of these groups. The source states that the KPD distributed pamphlets to begin with, and then spread their Anti-Nazi propaganda by word of mouth, concentrating on factories and the lower class, as these were the groups who were facing hardships due to Hitler’s rule, but they were also the ones who feared communism most. The source talks about how the communists ‘tried’ to expand their party in the first few years, but it doesn’t talk about why they did not succeed, and were left ‘trying’. This adds a biased twist to the Gestapo’s account, as they do not talk of the ban on the KPD which made it very difficult for them to openly resist. The Gestapo has a rather detailed and more incriminating account of what went on in the SPD. The source tells us that Anti-Nazi propaganda was also spread by word of mouth, and reports exposing Nazi brutality were illegally published abroad, and then circulated back to Germany. The Gestapo report says that the illegal activity of both the KPD and SPD were quite alike, and seems to be grouping them together. Although the source admits the resistance groups’ activities were not vastly illegal, there is some insinuation of other illegal activities going on. However concrete proof of these activities, would be difficult to find, making it harder to convict these resistance groups. From what we know, this was the extent of public resistance expressed by these Anti-Nazi political parties.

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Source C is a memoir written by a member of the Socialist SPD, in Düsseldorf- in 1954, after the abolition of the Third Reich. Linnert recalls his party’s effort to defy Hitler’s regime. This source is subjective and is written in emotive and engaging language, “forced…warn…aroused”, as if they were really trying to do good for the German citizens, and has an implication message of self-glorification This source is much more personal than source B, which has no mention of the groups’ motivation, or their reasons for rebellion.  Source C asserts that the SPD distributed illegal leaflets and used ...

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