QUIZ : The police state, propaganda and censorship

1. Who was in charge of propaganda in Nazi Germany? 2. Name 5 examples of propaganda used by the Nazis to

keep power after 1933. 3. Name 3 examples of propaganda used by the Nazis to

win support before 1933. 4. Name all 4 parts of the police state. 5. Who was in charge of the police state? 6. Name two famous films made during

the Third Reich. 7. What was the name of the

cheap radio mass produced by the Nazis?

Himmler

Head of the SS and all internal security

within Germany

Goebbels

Reich minister for Propaganda

The Nazi police state

The Nazi police state was a structure of organisations

and their leaders. The task of the police state was to

expose and eliminate all forms of opposition and

‘undesirables’.

The Nazi Police State

SS

•Originally, a private bodyguard for Hitler and other Nazi leaders. It started off as only 500 men.

•Himmler built the SS into an elite force of 50,000 tall, blond, blue-eyed Aryan ‘supermen’. Physical standards were strict – until 1936, even a filling in a tooth was enough to keep a man out of the SS.

•The main means of terrorising/intimidating Germans into obedience. Had almost unlimited power to arrest people without trial, search houses and confiscate property. Ran the concentration camps.

Camps

•These were special camps to which opponents would be taken for questioning, torture, hard labour and ‘re-education’.

•Later, concentration camps became the scenes of mass genocide (Holocaust). However, in the early days of the Nazi regime, people were not sent to CCs for the purpose of being killed.

Gestapo

•The secret police, under the command of Himmler.

•Tapped telephones, intercepted mail and spied on people.

•Could strike anywhere at any time against ordinary Germans. It was probably the Gestapo that the opponents of Nazism most feared. But, at its peak, there were only 300,000 Gestapo officers for the whole country.

Informers

•Every town was divided into units called blocks, which included only a handful of homes. Each block had a block warden;

•Block Wardens wrote reports on the ‘political reliability’ of their block residents. These reports could determine whether or not someone got a job;

•Anyone who showed signs of ‘independent thinking’ – eg. telling anti-Nazi jokes, hosting illegal political meetings or not flying the Nazi flag on Nazi celebration days – could be reported to the Gestapo.

ACTIVITY Plan your answers to these two questions by completing the tables on the handout. Describe the key features of the Nazi police state. (6 marks) Describe the propaganda methods used by the Nazis in the years 1933-39. (6 marks)

One key feature of X was…./One method was….

For example….. (develop with factual knowledge)

A second key feature of X was…./A second method was….

For example….(develop with factual

knowledge)

Propaganda and

censorship Hitler wanted to create a state which believed in and supported Nazi ideals. This was achieved partly through the police state, and partly through skilful use of propaganda and censorship. All 3 worked together and reinforced each other…. • The police state would root out and

deal with those who had not been persuaded by propaganda and censorship;

• Propaganda and censorship would cover up/’justify’ the atrocities of the police state

A photo of Goebbels, taken 1931. It was banned after 1933. Why?

Propaganda was a means of control. It could take many forms….

propaganda

sport

parades + rallies

youth movements painting

sculptures

newspapers

celebration days

books

theatre

cinema

music

radio

school subjects

Cinema: audiences had to watch 45 minute newsreels carrying the Nazi message/glorifying Nazi achievements.

Over 1000 films made during the Third Reich. All film plots had to be approved by Goebbels.

Love stories and thrillers were given pro-Nazi slants– Goebbels knew that propaganda had to be entertaining!

Hitlerjunge Quex – a Hitler Youth boy murdered by Communists. The Eternal Jew– the story of an ‘evil’ Jew

Newspapers: Non-Nazi newspapers and magazines were closed down.

Goebbels set up a press agency to tell editors what the news should be.

Radio: All radio stations were placed under the control of the Reich Radio Company.

Cheap, mass produced radios called The People’s Receiver were produced. They couldn’t pick up foreign broadcasts. By 1939 70% of German households had a radio.

Loudspeaker pillars were erected in public places to broadcast Hitler’s speeches/propaganda.

You should know 3 examples of how Goebbels used propaganda & censorship to control the thoughts, beliefs and opinions of the German people…..

There are two aspects to Nazi propaganda – 1 The propaganda which the Nazis used before 1933, to GAIN power 2 The propaganda that the Nazis used to keep power/gain support in Germany after 1933 Make sure you check the dates in the question carefully!

Was the use of propaganda the

main reason why support for the

Nazi Party grew in the year 1929-

1932?

The use of propaganda

The effects of the Wall Street

Crash

Was rearmament the most

important reason why people

supported the Nazi Party in the

years 1933–39?

Rearmament Censorship and propaganda

What kind of propaganda was used by the Nazis before 1933 to gain power?

QUESTION 2 TYPE B: Explain how……. (8 marks) METHOD/IMPACT

One way in which x used y was… For example…….. (explain how the

method won support). This won support because..... (sum

up the impact of the method of propaganda).

To reach an A*, link your two methods

Another way of reaching an A* on this Q is to write a short conclusion explaining

the link between the 2 methods. You only need a conclusion if you’re

aiming for an A*

A second way in which x used y

was… For example…….. (explain how the

method won support). This won support because..... (sum

up the impact of the method of propaganda).

10 mins

Explain how the Nazis used propaganda to win support in Germany in the years 1933-39.

Method 1: RADIO • Reich Radio Company • The People’s Receiver (no foreign broadcasts) • By 1939 70% of German households had a

radio • Loudspeaker pillars were erected in public

places.

Method 2: CINEMA • 45 minute newsreels • 1000 films made, all plots approved by

Goebbels • Films given pro-Nazi slants • Examples – Hitlerjunge Quex & The Eternal Jew.

For more than a C, highlight that both involved indoctrination, glorification of Nazis/Hitler, censorship, and all-pervasive propaganda (impossible to escape!)

Was the creation of a police state the most important effect of Nazi rule on the German people in the years 1933–39? (16 marks) • The creation of a police state • The use of propaganda

ACTIVITY Complete the planning table for this question.

QUESTION 3 The comparative question (16 marks)

QUESTION 3 The comparative question (16 marks)

In some ways, the police state was the most important effect of Nazi rule.

For example…..(how did have an impact on the people?) Therefore, the police state had an important effect

because… (sum up its impact).

• For a D-C grade answer, repeat for the second bullet point.

• For a C-B grade answer, you’ll also need to write about a third relevant factor of your own choice.

• For an A or A*, you will also need a conclusion (in addition to both of the above).

Start and finish each para with the wording of the Q

CONCLUSION

A Compare 2 factors – which factor had the biggest/most important effect, and why, AND why the effect of other factor was less important

A* Compare 3 factors - which factor had the biggest/most important effect, and why, AND why the effect of each of the other factors was less important OR Connect – explain how all 3 factors worked together to have an important effect on the people.

25 mins

In the exam, check out how much time you have left for this question. As a minimum, aim to write about the 2 bullet points. You can then build up your answer to improve your grade.

Here’s a successful A* conclusion….. In conclusion, no single factor was the most important effect, the three factors worked together to give Hitler what he wanted. A pure Aryan Germany of anti-Semitic, Nazi soldiers and wives who would have lots of children. Propaganda manipulated the change in the role of women, they were told from a young age what their roles were, whist the police state methods were there to deal with those who did not succumb to Goebbels’ clever thought control, or did not fit Hitler’s ideal.

EXAMINER: Before this conclusion, the answer had 3 well supported paragraphs about the effect the police state,

propaganda and the changing role of women had on the German people. This conclusion successfully explains how all 3 worked

together to have an impact on the German people.

An attempt at an A* conclusion that didn’t measure up…… In conclusion, none of these effects are more important than the others, but instead all three worked together to create the Nazis’ ideal race. They were designed for a country that knew it would be going to war so these effects of Nazi rule prepared Germany for this while keeping any opposition quiet. This made the German people ready for the upcoming years of war.

EXAMINER: This is a good connection but it doesn’t work because the conclusion doesn’t name the 3 bullet points which have been written about, spelling out the connection between them. The connection needs to be clear to see. If you are going

for the A* conclusion, make sure you have named the three points you have written about when you are explaining the

connection between them.