Hitler's Followers: Intimidation Tactics Without Legal Repercussions

The rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany was marked by intimidation and fear-mongering, which were used as tools to suppress opposition and consolidate power. Hitler's followers employed various tactics to intimidate others, including the use of propaganda, violence, and legislative means, all while operating within the confines of the law. This paragraph sets the stage for exploring the methods through which Hitler's supporters created an atmosphere of fear and compliance, contributing to the establishment of a dictatorship in Germany.

Hitler's followers used the people's existing distrust of communists to intimidate them

Hitler's followers intimidated people by leveraging the existing distrust of communists. Shortly after Hitler was appointed chancellor, a fire broke out in the Reichstag, the German parliament building, on February 27, 1933. Hitler and his followers were quick to blame the communists for the fire. An eyewitness reported that upon seeing the fire, one of Hitler's top followers, Hermann Göring, called out:

> This is the beginning of the Communist revolt, they will start their attack now! Not a moment must be lost!

Hitler himself then shouted:

> There will be no mercy now. Anyone who stands in our way will be cut down.

Hitler used the people's existing distrust of communists to his advantage and convinced them that the communists were responsible for the fire. To combat this perceived threat, Hitler was granted emergency powers. He used these powers to arrest and imprison thousands of political opponents, most of whom were communists.

Hitler's followers also intimidated people by leveraging the existing antisemitism in Germany. They posted anti-Jewish boycott signs on Jewish-owned businesses and distributed boycott pamphlets to the German public. The signs and pamphlets spread anti-Semitic messages, such as claiming that Jewish business owners were "parasites" and "gravediggers of German craftsmen."

In addition to leveraging existing prejudices, Hitler's followers also created an atmosphere of intimidation through the use of violence and the threat of violence. They initiated attacks on people who opposed their policies and those who belonged to groups deemed inferior, such as Jewish people and homosexual men. They also established a secret police force known as the Gestapo to spy on, interrogate, and imprison people in the name of "protecting public safety and order."

The intimidation tactics used by Hitler's followers were effective in silencing dissent and consolidating power. By mid-July 1933, Germany had become a single-party state, with the Nazi Party as the only political party allowed in the country.

They also exploited Germans' fear of losing their jobs during the Great Depression

The global economic crisis of 1930 hit Germany hard. The country could no longer pay its war debts, and millions of Germans lost their jobs. Hitler and the Nazi Party seized this opportunity to rise to power. They focused on putting Germans back to work during the Great Depression, while also exploiting Germans' fear of losing their jobs to intimidate political opponents.

Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933. Just one month later, on February 27, the Reichstag was set ablaze. Hitler quickly blamed the fire on the Communists, declaring: "This is a God-given signal! If this fire, as I believe, turns out to be the handiwork of Communists, then there is nothing that shall stop us now from crushing out this murderous pest with an iron fist." The Nazis immediately began arresting Communist Party members and their leaders, throwing them into hastily created prisons and concentration camps. By the end of March, 20,000 Communists had been arrested, and by the end of the summer, more than 100,000 Communists, Social Democrats, union officials, and other "radicals" were imprisoned.

Hitler also used the fire as an excuse to suspend the constitution and eliminate civil liberties. The day after the fire, President Hindenburg issued two emergency decrees at Hitler's urging: "For the Defense of Nation and State" and "To Combat Treason against the German Nation and Treasonable Activities." These decrees suspended constitutional protections for personal freedoms and made it easier for the Nazis to arrest and intimidate their opponents.

The Nazis also passed new laws to intimidate and silence dissenters. The Malicious Practices Act made it a crime to speak out against the government or criticise its leaders, with even minor expressions of dissent punishable by imprisonment or a sentence in a concentration camp. The Enabling Act, passed on March 23, 1933, allowed Hitler to enact laws without the consent of Germany's parliament, further solidifying his power.

The Nazis also used propaganda and fear to intimidate Germans. They posted anti-Jewish boycott signs on Jewish-owned businesses, urging Germans not to buy from Jewish stores. They also distributed pamphlets claiming that Jewish business owners were "parasites" and "gravediggers of German craftsmen." These tactics isolated Jews from their communities and fostered an environment of fear and intimidation.

The Nazis' exploitation of Germans' fear of job loss during the Great Depression was a key part of their strategy to intimidate and silence opposition. By stoking fears and exploiting economic insecurities, they were able to consolidate power and pursue their destructive agenda.

The Nazis used the media to intimidate others, including newspapers and posters

The Nazis used a variety of media to intimidate others, including newspapers, posters, film, radio, and books. Propaganda was a crucial tool for the party from its earliest days, and its scope and efficacy grew as the party gained power.

Newspapers were an early foundation for Nazi propaganda. The party newspaper, the *Völkischer Beobachter*, was published from 1920 onwards, and its circulation reached 26,175 in 1929. It was joined in 1927 by Joseph Goebbels's *Der Angriff*, another crudely propagandistic paper. These publications disseminated Nazi ideology in the form of brief hyperboles directed against the weakness of parliamentarism, the evils of Jewry and Bolshevism, and the national humiliation of the Versailles Treaty.

Posters were also a key part of the Nazi propaganda machine. They were designed by staunch supporters, including graphic artist and architect Ludwig Hohlwein, and featured bold text, clear lettering, and pictorial language that appealed to people at the time. The posters were placed in busy areas such as train cars, buses, platforms, and ticket windows, ensuring high exposure. The imagery frequently drew on heroic realism, depicting Nazi youth and the SS monumentally, with lighting posed to produce grandeur.

The Nazis also used film, radio, and books to spread their message and intimidate others. Leni Riefenstahl's documentaries of the 1934 and 1936 Nuremberg Party Congresses and the 1936 Olympics were advertised beyond the borders of the Third Reich and awarded prizes, helping to maintain a positive image of the regime. Radio broadcasts were also played in public places and workplaces, and cheap radios were sold to ensure that people could hear them at home.

The Nazis' use of the media to intimidate others was part of a broader strategy to shape the beliefs and attitudes of the German public and gain acceptance of their vision for the future of Germany.

Secret police force, the Gestapo, was used to spy on, interrogate and imprison people

The Gestapo, short for Geheime Staatspolizei, meaning "Secret State Police", was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and German-occupied Europe. It was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organisation.

The Gestapo was used to spy on, interrogate, and imprison people. They used informants, surveillance, house searches, and brutal interrogation methods, including torture, to carry out their investigations. They were responsible for protecting the regime from its supposed racial and political enemies.

The Gestapo had the power to send people directly to a concentration camp. This was called "protective custody" (Schutzhaft). Protective custody allowed the Gestapo to bypass the court system. Those placed in protective custody could not consult a lawyer, appeal their sentence, or defend themselves in court.

The Gestapo was infamous for the ruthless ways it carried out interrogations. Gestapo officers regularly used intimidation, and psychological and physical torture. It was common for Gestapo officers to beat detainees in custody. Despite the Gestapo’s brutal interrogation methods, they did not often personally kill those whom they arrested. However, some people did die during interrogations or in Gestapo custody.

The Gestapo was responsible for coordinating the deportation of Jews to ghettos, concentration camps, killing sites, and killing centres. They also played a key role in the Holocaust.

Hitler's followers intimidated other political parties by sending SS troops to the makeshift Reichstag building

On 23 March 1933, the day of the vote on the Enabling Act, Hitler's followers intimidated other political parties by sending SS troops to the makeshift Reichstag building, formerly the Kroll Opera House. The act allowed Hitler to enact laws without the consent of Germany's parliament, paving the way for the complete Nazification of German society.

The Nazis needed a two-thirds majority vote in parliament to pass the Enabling Act. To ensure the outcome they desired, they used intimidation and persecution. They prevented all 81 Communists and 26 of the 120 Social Democrats from taking their seats, detaining them in so-called protective detention in Nazi-controlled camps. In addition, they stationed SA and SS members in the chamber to intimidate the remaining representatives and guarantee their compliance.

The Social Democrats were the only party to vote against the Enabling Act. The Nazis also intimidated judges, who viewed Hitler's government as legitimate and continued to regard themselves as state servants who owed him their allegiance and support.

The Enabling Act became the cornerstone of Hitler's dictatorship. It assigned all legislative power to Hitler and his ministers, thus securing their ability to control the political apparatus.

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