The Nazi Police State

Authors Avatar by abdelratman (student)

The Nazi Police State

The Police State was central to the whole Nazi project. It was a major part of their machinery to achieve their goals of making the German society racially pure and totally loyal to the Fuhrer. It did this with an aim of controlling every aspect of people's lives. This was achieved through the creation of an environment of fear and terror. This is the way that Hitler put it himself “Terror is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death.” The German people learned that they will be safe if they did what they were told. 'Speak through a flower' was simply the best advice at the time. The impact of the Nazi Police State on German people was beyond what had ever been seen. In fact people continued to be willing to denounce relatives, friends or neighbours several years after the Nazi regime had fallen.

The Nazi Police State was comprised of four pillars: the SS, the Courts, the Gestapo and the Concentration camps. The SS was formed in 1925 from fanatics loyal to Hitler. It was made up of "Aryan" people and led by Heinrich Himmler. SS’ primary responsibility for destroying Nazi opposition and carried out racial policies. It had 2 units; Death’s Head Units which were responsible for concentration camps and the "Jewish Question" and Waffen-SS working alongside the army.

The Court system supported the Nazi dictatorship.  Police were under strict instructions to ignore crimes committed by Nazi agents. Opponents of Nazism didn’t get a fair trial.

Join now!

 Gestapo was the most feared part of the police state machinery. Its agents were given sweeping forces meaning they could arrest citizens on suspicion and send them to concentration camps without trial or explanation. Through terror and fear, the large official network was augmented by a many amateur helpers on which it could rely on for information. Inside Nazi Germany there seemed to be a perception that eyes and ears are everywhere. Hardly anyone felt entirely safe, whether at work, play, during leisure activities, at school or even in the privacy of the home. This made Gestapo much larger ...

This is a preview of the whole essay