CONTROL AND DICTATORSHIP

• What was the SS built up from 1925?

  Alignment between Hitler and the SA
• Why should the SS not be considered a police force?

  It was independent of the regular police
• What was the initial membership of the SS?

  About 500 members
• How did the membership of the SS change by 1934?

  It grew rapidly and became important
• Why is the SS still studied today?

  Due to its long-term success in Nazi Germany
• Who sent a cable to Minister Frick regarding a woman's speech?

  A member of the Reichstag
• What did the woman in the Reichstag speech prefer over German occupation?

  Living and dying in a concentration camp
• Who established the Gestapo?

  Goering and Himmler
• What was the main function of the Gestapo?

  Protection of the Nazi regime and Hitler
• What did Himmler refer to when discussing the Gestapo?

  A Secret Police Department
• What happened to the woman who spoke in the Reichstag?

  She was arrested by the Gestapo
• What ideology did SS members regard as supreme?

  Nazi ideology
• How did SS members view their role in society?

  As protectors of the Aryan way of life
• When did Heinrich Himmler become the leader of the SS?

  1929
• What was the purpose of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD)?

  To identify and assess potential enemies
• What was the earliest concentration camp established?

  Dachau
• How were prisoners classified in concentration camps?

  By different colored triangles
• What did a black triangle denote for prisoners?

  Vagrants and "work-shy"
• Why were prisoners separated into different categories?

  To identify their offenses and treatment
• What was the role of the People's Court?

  To try cases of treason
• What did Wilhelm Frick say about the law?

  What is lawful for the nation is lawful
• What did Hitler believe about the judge's function?

  Judges should not interpret the law
• Who checked the sentences of judges in the People's Court?

  The Minister of Justice
• What were the main security organizations in Nazi Germany?

  • SS (Schutzstaffel)
  • Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei)
  • Sicherheitsdienst (SD)
• What were the categories of prisoners in concentration camps?

  • Political prisoners
  • The 'work-shy'
  • Sexual offenders
  • Professional criminals
  • Foreign forced labor
  • Religious groups
• What were the key events in Heinrich Himmler's life?

  • 1900: Born near Munich
  • 1918: Joined the army
  • 1923: Joined the Nazi Party
  • 1929: Appointed leader of the SS
  • 1934: Organised the Night of the Long Knives
  • 1936: Head of all police agencies
  • 1945: Committed suicide
• What was the impact of the Enabling Act on political opponents?

  • Elimination of political opponents
  • Arrest of over 150,000 for political offences
  • Concentration camps managed by SS and SD