the creation of a police state

• What was a key part of Adolf Hitler's total control over Germany from 1933 to 1945?

  The Nazi police state
• How did the Nazi police state maintain power?

  By using fear, surveillance, and violence
• What were the main organizations that helped run the Nazi police state?

  The SS, SD, Gestapo, legal system, informers, and concentration camps
• What does SS stand for?

  Schutzstaffel
• Who led the SS as it grew into a powerful organization?

  Heinrich Himmler
• What were the main functions of the SS?

  To control the police, run concentration camps, and enforce Nazi racial policies
• What was the role of the SD?

  It was the intelligence service of the SS
• Who led the SD?

  Reinhard Heydrich
• What was the primary job of the SD?

  To spy on anyone seen as a threat to the Nazis
• What does Gestapo stand for?

  Geheime Staatspolizei
• What was the Gestapo known for?

  Its power to arrest and torture anyone suspected of opposing the regime
• How did the Gestapo operate regarding court approval?


  They operated without needing court approval
• Who were the main targets of the Gestapo?

  Political opponents, Jews, and other minorities
• How was the Nazi legal system controlled?

  It was controlled by the regime and followed Nazi ideology
• What changes were made to laws under the Nazi regime?

  Laws were changed to support Hitler's goals
• What special courts were established by the Nazis?

  The People's Court
• What was the purpose of the People's Court?

  To punish political crimes
• What was required of all judges in the Nazi legal system?

  All judges had to belong to the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law
• What did Hitler abolish regarding trials?

  Trial by jury
• Who decided whether someone was innocent or guilty in Nazi courts?

  Only judges
• Who were the informers in Nazi Germany?

  Ordinary people who reported anyone against the regime
• What effect did the use of informers have on society?

  It created a culture of fear
• What were concentration camps used for?

  To imprison and punish opponents of the regime
• What happened to the conditions in concentration camps over time?

  They became places of extreme cruelty
• Who were the main victims in concentration camps during the Holocaust?

  Jews, Roma, and other groups
• How many people were murdered during the Holocaust?

  Millions