Section B: The Police state

• Who set up the Gestapo in 1933?

  Hermann Goering
• What was the main aim of the Gestapo?

  To identify opponents of the Nazi government
• How did the Gestapo compensate for its small number of officers?

  By instilling fear of informants among people
• How many people did the Gestapo arrest annually by 1939?

  160,000 people
• What percentage of arrests were made through informants?

  80%
• What does SS stand for?

  Schutzstaffel
• Who took control of the SS in 1929?

  Heinrich Himmler
• How did the SS distinguish itself from the SA?

  By adopting distinctive blackshirts and elite status
• What was the membership of the SS by the end of the 1930s?

  240,000 members
• What did Himmler require from SS recruits?

  Proof of 'Aryan ancestry'
• What issue arose as the power of the SS grew?

  Overlapping power with other police elements
• What does SD stand for?

  Sicherheitsdienst
• What was the primary function of the SD?

  To monitor opponents of the Nazi party
• Where was the SD's detailed card index kept?

  Nazi Party headquarters in Munich
• Who led the SD?

  Reinhard Heydrich
• What happened to the SD as Himmler's power grew?

  It was increasingly sidelined
• How many people were under 'protective arrest' by 1939?

  150,000 people
• What were new prison camps called?

  Concentration camps
• Where was the first concentration camp set up?

  Dachau
• Why were concentration camps built in isolated areas?

  To prevent public awareness of them
• What was the inmate population in six camps by early 1939?

  20,000 people
• Who were the primary inmates in concentration camps?

  Political opponents
• What other groups were considered 'undesirables' in camps?

  Alcoholics, homosexuals, and Jews
• What was required of all judges under the Nazi regime?

  Membership in the National Socialist League
• What happened to judges who displeased the Nazis?

  They could lose their membership
• What legal process was abolished by the Nazis?

  Trial by jury
• What was the name of the separate court system for political crimes?

  The People's Court
• How were judges for the People's Court selected?

  They were hand-picked by Hitler
• What trend occurred in punishments for political offences from 1934 to 1939?

  They became harsher and more frequent
• How many people were executed for political offences between 1934 and 1939?

  534 people
• How did the number of crimes carrying the death penalty change?

  Increased from three to 46
• Was Nazi control over the legal system absolute?

  No, some were acquitted of charges
• Why was the Catholic Church a potential threat to Hitler?

  It owed allegiance to the Pope
• What was the Concordat reached between Hitler and the Pope?

  An agreement on religious freedom
• What did Hitler fail to uphold from the Concordat?

  He closed Catholic schools and banned youth groups
• What critical statement did Pope Pius XI issue in 1937?

  'With Burning Anxiety'
• What divided the Protestant Church during the Nazi regime?

  Acceptance of Nazis vs. resistance to them
• Who set up the pro-Nazi Reich Church?

  Ludwig Muller
• What actions were taken by the Reich Church?

  Displayed swastikas and banned Jews
• What happened to Martin Niemoller by 1937?

  He was in a concentration camp