The Nazis › The Nazi state: control, terror and propaganda
The Nazi state: control, terror and propaganda
Within months of taking power, the Nazis ended democracy and set up a one-party police state. This page explains how it worked, and why propaganda mattered so much to it.
From democracy to dictatorship
After the emergency decrees and the Enabling Act of 1933 (see how the Nazis rose to power), the regime moved fast to bring every part of society under its control. The Holocaust Encyclopedia of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum calls this process "synchronization": organisations, political parties and state governments were forced under Nazi leadership. Culture, the economy, education and law came under greater Nazi control. Trade unions were abolished. By the summer of 1933 the Nazi Party was the only legal party, and the Reichstag became a rubber stamp.
In 1934, the "Night of the Long Knives" purged leaders of the SA, the Nazi paramilitary, and other opponents, which won Hitler more support from the army. When President Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934, Hitler became sole leader. Under the "leadership principle" absolute obedience to superiors was expected at every level.
A police state
The regime relied on fear. Germany became a police state in which people faced arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. The first concentration camps, such as Dachau, opened in 1933 to hold political opponents, and the camp system later grew enormously. Laws no longer protected people from the state. The regime also encouraged informing, so neighbours, colleagues and even family could become a risk. Many ordinary people kept quiet, some collaborated and some genuinely supported the regime.
Propaganda and the control of ideas
Propaganda was central to the Nazi state. The regime controlled the press, radio, film, publishing, the arts and sport, and it organised large rallies and ceremonies designed to create a sense of belonging. It repeated simple messages that blamed Jews and other groups for Germany's problems and presented the leader as the nation's saviour. On 10 May 1933, student groups backed by Nazi Party members burned books by Jews, political opponents and liberal writers at rallies across Germany, a visible sign that independent thought was no longer tolerated.
Propaganda worked best when it fed on real grievances and fears, and when it faced no competition. It also relied on dehumanising language, which made persecution seem normal and acceptable. Historians note that propaganda alone did not cause the crimes of the regime, but it prepared the ground and helped silence doubt.
Schools and young people
Education was reshaped to teach loyalty to the regime and racial ideas that are false and discredited. Young people were pushed into Nazi youth organisations. Teachers who did not conform could be dismissed. Pupils from Jewish families were increasingly excluded from schools.
The economy and everyday life
Unemployment fell in the 1930s, largely through rearmament and public works, and the regime promoted this success. But this came with strict state control, the loss of workers' rights and the exclusion of Jews and others from the economy. For many people, daily life was a mixture of apparent normality and fear.
Who was targeted?
From the start, the regime targeted political opponents such as Communists, Socialists and trade unionists. It soon turned on Jews, with the boycott of April 1933 and later the Nuremberg Race Laws (see persecution and the Holocaust). Others persecuted included Roma and Sinti, people with disabilities, Jehovah's Witnesses, gay men and people the regime labelled "asocial". The details of each group's persecution differ, and historians study them separately.
How to read propaganda today
If you study propaganda from this period, look at who made it, who it was aimed at, what it left out and what emotions it wanted to produce. The skill of reading propaganda critically is as useful now as it was then, and it connects with spotting modern extremism.
Frequently asked questions
What was Gleichschaltung (synchronisation)?
It was the process of forcing organisations, political parties and state governments under Nazi control after 1933, extending to culture, the economy, education and law.
What was the Night of the Long Knives?
It was a 1934 purge in which SA leaders and other opponents were attacked, which gained Hitler more support from the army.
Why was propaganda so important to the Nazis?
It helped create support, spread dehumanising ideas and silence doubt, in a country where the regime controlled the press, radio and culture.