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The Nazi Police State

How the Nazis used the SS, the Gestapo, the courts, and the concentration camps to control Germany between 1933 and 1939 through terror and fear.

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What you'll cover

The Nazi police state 🛡️

From 1933 the Nazis ran a police state that used terror to crush opposition. The SS, led by Himmler, ran the whole terror system. The Gestapo, the secret police, spied on people and made arrests. Loyal Nazi judges convicted opponents, and prisoners were sent to concentration camps.

Words for the police state 🔑

Learn these four terms before you judge how the Nazis kept control.

Terror and cooperation 🆚

Historians debate how the police state kept control.

Grade 9 thinking 💡

To reach the top grades, assess how the police state kept control, and weigh the use of terror against the willing cooperation of ordinary people.

Match the body to its role 🔗

  • the SS
  • the Gestapo
  • the concentration camps
  • the Nazi courts
  • ran the whole system of terror
  • spied on people and made arrests
  • held prisoners without a fair trial
  • convicted opponents with loyal judges

Match the term to its meaning 🧩

  • police state
  • informer
  • terror
  • Himmler
  • a country controlled by force and fear
  • a person who reports others to the authorities
  • the use of fear and violence to keep control
  • the man who led the SS

What did the Gestapo do? ❓

What did the Gestapo do?

  • It spied on people and arrested opponents.
  • It ran free and fair elections.
  • It protected people from the government.

The main bodies of terror ✅

Select the TWO main organisations of Nazi terror.

  • The SS.
  • The Gestapo.
  • The Reichstag.
  • The League of Nations.

Order the steps of arrest 🪜

An interactive activity.

Summarise the police state 📝

The Nazi _____ state used fear to keep control. The _____, led by Himmler, ran the terror. The secret police, the _____, relied on _____ to report opponents, who were sent to a concentration _____.

police SS Gestapo informers camp courts army election parties Reichstag

Count the years 🔢

An interactive activity.

Spot the two terror bodies 🖍️

An interactive activity.

Which part of the police state? 🧭

An interactive activity.

Assess the police state ✍️

An interactive activity.