Control, Opposition and Propaganda in Nazi Germany

• Hitler's opposition groups were:
  • The Media
  • Church
  • Trade Unions
  • Police and courts
  • Politicians
• He introduced censorship, and banned many things
• He had already banned trade unions so workers had little rights or freedom
• This allowed him to control them and they were all part of the DAF
• In July 1933 Hitler banned new political parties forming so that no-one could stop his rule and political opponents were sent to concentration camps

The Catholic Church was very powerful, as it had many followers, and it could bring the Nazis down if it wanted to. It had a lot of influence in politics.

Hitler signed a condordat with the Catholics, meaning Hitler would let them keep their schools if they agreed to stay out of politics.

To deal with the protestant church, Hitler made them all come together in a reich church which people didn't like.

Hitler set up his own religion (the German faith movement), and the Church couldn't overthrow him. He could now pass laws without consulting the church. However, some people did speak out.

Catholic Bishop Galen spoke out against persecution of disabled people, forcing the Nazis to stop, and the Nazis couldnt stop him as he had many followers. Protestants Pastor Martin Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer formed an alternative church but they were sent to concentration camps and eventually hanged respectively.

• Judges had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler
  • Nazi opponents rarely got a fair trial

• Job police jobs were given to high-ranking Nazis
  • Nazis could get away with committing any crime
  • Political snooping was added to their list of jobs

• They were set up as soon as the Nazis were in power
• In July 1933 the 1st concentration camps were makeshift prisons in warehouses
• The were then in isolated rural areas and run by ** death head units
• The had little food, harsh discipline and hard labour
• Jews, socialists, communists, churchmen and anyone who criticised the Nazis went there
• They were used because they were cheap to run, easily avalible, effective and a good way of killing masses of opposition

• The ** destroyed Nazi opposition, and they were effective as everyone feared them
• They were formed in 1925 and were fanatically loyal to Hitler
• There were many sub-divisions
• The Gestapo were extremely feared by ordinary people
• This allowed them to do as they wished
• The would arrested people without trial, only on suspicion
• People thought the Gestapo were more powerful than they actually were
• As a result, people informed on each other because they thought the Gestapo would find ot anyway

• Cinema, music, literature and art
  • Anything by foreigners, blacks and jews was banned, & art had to depict traditional values
• Nuremburg Rallies
  • Huge annual meetings, speeches, processions and displays of stregth
• The Ministry of Propaganda
  • Run by Goebbels to coordinate propaganda and censorship
• Radio
  • Striclly controlled, loudspeakers in public with German broadcasts
• Education
  • Nazis decided what children and students had to study
• Press
  • Only german papers were allowed, they had the Nazi message printed on them

• These annual events brought colour to people's lives

• They showed the strength and gradeur of the Nazis

• Hitler made impressive speeches, which brainwashed people even further

• Goebbels cleverly ordered the rallies to show organisation which was welcome after years of choas

• The purpose of Berlin olympics was to show everyone how good Germany was
• There was some controversy, and the Nazis had to include a jew on the team
• Black american athlete Jesse Owens won a race, which undermined Aryan superiority
• The Nazis won and the olympics were a sucess
• But they showed efficiency, power and strength 
• People worldwide were shocked by the blatant propaganda
• This backfired on the Nazis

• Control of the media was absolute, Goebbels lent heavily on newspapers, radio and books and he had to approve of everything
• There was a mass book burning in 1933 , and artists were under pressure
• Newspapers were the most heavily controlled, there were no jewish editors and you couldn't write anything anti-nazi
• Cinema and posters were controlled, jazz music was banned
• Cheap Radios were made avalible for people to listen to broadcasts, and listening to the BBC was punishable by death
• Goebbels was supported in his work by the ** and Gestapo