OCR Specification focus:
‘Treatment of opposition; religious policies; economic policies, Schacht’s New Plan, Goering’s Four Year Plan, public works, conscription and autarky.’
Introduction
During 1933–1939, Nazi Germany combined repression, manipulation, and ideological control to eliminate opposition, reshape religion, and implement ambitious economic programmes, transforming society into a totalitarian state.
Treatment of Opposition
Suppression of Political Opposition
From 1933, the Nazi regime systematically destroyed political pluralism.
Communists (KPD) were the first targeted following the Reichstag Fire (February 1933), blamed on a communist conspiracy. Thousands were arrested.
Social Democrats (SPD), the largest left-wing opposition, were banned in June 1933. Leaders were arrested, exiled, or forced underground.
By July 1933, the Law Against the Formation of New Parties ensured the Nazi Party was the sole legal party.
One-Party State: A political system in which only a single political party is legally permitted to exist, eliminating electoral competition.
Control of Civil Society
Beyond formal politics, the regime sought to neutralise all potential sources of dissent.
Trade unions were dissolved on 2 May 1933 and replaced with the German Labour Front (DAF).
Independent press outlets were either censored or absorbed under Joseph Goebbels’ Ministry of Propaganda.
The Gestapo (secret state police) and SS operated as instruments of terror, using surveillance, intimidation, and arrest to maintain conformity.
Terror and Concentration Camps
Opponents of the regime, including political activists, intellectuals, and later religious dissenters, were imprisoned in early concentration camps such as Dachau (opened 1933).
Arbitrary detention without trial reinforced fear and compliance across society.
Religious Policies
Relationship with Protestant Churches
Initially, the Nazis sought accommodation with Protestantism.
In 1933, the regime attempted to create a Reich Church, unifying Protestant groups under state supervision.
The German Christians movement aligned Protestantism with Nazi ideology, emphasising nationalism and anti-Semitism.
Opposition came from the Confessing Church, led by figures such as Martin Niemöller, resisting state interference in doctrine and denouncing ideological manipulation.
Relationship with the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church was more difficult to neutralise due to its international connections.
In 1933, the Concordat with the Vatican guaranteed non-interference in Catholic worship in return for withdrawal from politics.
Signing of the Reichskonkordat in Rome on 20 July 1933: Franz von Papen and Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli formalise Church–state terms. The photograph provides a contemporaneous view of policy-making that underpinned the regime’s accommodation with Catholic institutions. Source
However, the Nazis soon violated the Concordat, harassing Catholic schools, youth groups, and clergy.
Prominent priests and bishops spoke out, most notably Bishop Galen, criticising euthanasia policies later in the war period.
Concordat: A formal agreement between the Catholic Church and a government regarding the Church’s rights and position within that state.
The Aims of Nazi Religious Policy
Ultimately, the regime sought to subordinate all religious life to the Nazi worldview (Gleichschaltung). Religion was tolerated only as long as it did not conflict with ideological control.
Economic Policies
Schacht’s New Plan (1934)
Hjalmar Schacht, as Minister of Economics, devised the New Plan to stabilise the economy and reduce foreign exchange shortages.
Import controls prioritised essential raw materials.
Bilateral trade agreements were established with south-eastern Europe, securing resources through barter rather than currency.
Public works, such as the Autobahn programme, reduced unemployment while projecting modernity and efficiency.
Goering’s Four Year Plan (1936)
In 1936, Hermann Goering assumed control of the economy with the Four Year Plan, aiming to prepare Germany for war within four years.
Expansion of rearmament, including aircraft and armaments production.
Drive for autarky (economic self-sufficiency), particularly in raw materials.
Investment in synthetic substitutes for oil and rubber.
Compulsory labour schemes and expansion of state direction over industry.
Autarky: A policy of economic self-sufficiency, reducing reliance on imports by producing all necessary goods domestically.
Public Works and Employment
The Reich Labour Service (RAD) conscripted young men into infrastructure projects, instilling discipline and reducing unemployment.
Conscription (1935) both reduced unemployment further and fed into militarisation.
These measures helped present the regime as delivering prosperity and national strength, boosting legitimacy.
Conscription and Militarisation
The reintroduction of conscription in 1935 marked a turning point in Nazi policy.
Expanded the Wehrmacht, integrating military needs into economic planning.
Linked to the Four Year Plan, creating demand for armaments and heavy industry.
Cemented the shift from economic recovery to war preparation.
Interconnection of Policies
Control through Fear and Consent
The treatment of opposition, religious policy, and economic strategy were not isolated. Each reinforced the Nazi dictatorship:
Terror and repression eliminated dissent.
Religious accommodation and suppression removed moral alternatives.
Economic policy, combining employment, rearmament, and propaganda successes, won popular support while preparing for aggressive expansion.
Key Outcomes
By 1939, political opposition had been destroyed, religion marginalised, and the economy geared towards war.
The regime achieved both the suppression of dissent and mobilisation of the population behind its goals.
FAQ
The Gestapo operated as the secret state police, tasked specifically with identifying and eliminating opposition to the regime. Unlike the regular police, it was not bound by legal procedures and could arrest individuals without trial.
It relied heavily on public denunciations from ordinary citizens, showing how Nazi control extended into everyday life. This fostered an atmosphere of fear and mistrust.
The Confessing Church, led by pastors such as Martin Niemöller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, refused to allow state control over doctrine.
It rejected Nazi attempts to merge Protestantism with racist ideology, maintaining the authority of scripture over politics. While its impact was limited, it symbolised that resistance could also come from within religious institutions.
Autarky was limited by Germany’s natural resource shortages, particularly in oil and rubber.
To address this, the regime invested in synthetic alternatives, but these were expensive and technologically inefficient.
Synthetic rubber (Buna) never fully replaced imports.
Oil substitutes fell short of wartime demand.
These shortcomings made true self-sufficiency unachievable, exposing Germany’s reliance on conquest to secure resources.
Posters, radio broadcasts, and films linked economic activity to national pride and strength.
Key themes included:
Presenting employment schemes like the Autobahn as proof of recovery.
Urging citizens to save raw materials or recycle for the Four Year Plan.
Depicting rearmament as a patriotic duty.
By framing economic measures as collective effort, propaganda reinforced loyalty and masked underlying economic strains.
Conscription, reintroduced in 1935, was not just military preparation but also a socialising tool.
Young men were immersed in Nazi values of obedience, discipline, and nationalism. Families and communities were directly affected, as military service became a shared expectation.
It also linked civilian life to militarisation, ensuring that society itself was increasingly oriented towards war readiness.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
Name two measures taken by the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1939 to suppress political opposition.
Mark Scheme
1 mark for each correct measure identified, up to a maximum of 2 marks.
Acceptable answers include:
Banning of the Communist Party (KPD)
Banning of the Social Democratic Party (SPD)
Use of the Gestapo and SS to arrest opponents
Establishment of concentration camps such as Dachau for political prisoners
The Law Against the Formation of New Parties (1933)
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain how Nazi economic policies between 1933 and 1939 were designed to prepare Germany for war.
Mark Scheme
Level 1 (1–2 marks):
General statements with limited detail.
Example: “The Nazis rearmed Germany and tried to make the country self-sufficient.”
Level 2 (3–4 marks):
Some explanation with supporting examples.
Example: “Goering’s Four Year Plan focused on rearmament and producing synthetic materials such as rubber. This helped prepare Germany for war.”
Level 3 (5–6 marks):
Clear, developed explanation with multiple accurate examples and linkage to war preparation.
Points may include:
Schacht’s New Plan introduced import controls and trade agreements to stabilise the economy.
Goering’s Four Year Plan (1936) prioritised rearmament and autarky, expanding synthetic oil and rubber.
Public works and rearmament programmes reduced unemployment and created infrastructure for war.
Conscription (1935) built manpower for the Wehrmacht and linked the economy to military needs.
At the top of the level, answers explicitly connect policies to the aim of preparing Germany for war.
