|
- Hitler had said in Mein Kampf that people would believe anything, provided they were told it often enough and emphatically enough, and that contradictors were silenced. The second part of this statement tells us that Hitler was going to use intimidation and elimination, or at least repression, of the enemy.
- Hitler had promised the voters that he would solve their problems. This is important, remembering that Germany was in dire straits and the people suffering by 1933. But how was he going to silence the opposition? He used terror tactics for this.
- Hermann Goring was put in charge of Prussia, the largest German state, and of its police force. As a result, Goring controlled two-thirds of the administration of Germany.
- Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to issue an emergency decree stating that the police might break up any political meeting which they thought was not in the best interest of Germany.
- In order to make use of this decree successfully, Hitler needed to have his supporters in the police force.
- In a purge of the State department, Goring replaced top officials in the police force who were anti-Hitler with Nazis.
- Goring drafted an extra 50 000 SA members into the Prussian police force alone.
- In Prussia he established a secret police or Gestapo to further intimidate people with violent actions against anyone who spoke up against the state - which they interpreted to be the Nazi Party.
- These policemen launched their own 'reign of terror' in February 1933, disrupting and breaking up meetings of political parties; making arrests and interrogating suspects. All this was aimed at anyone seen to be a threat to Hitler's aim of winning a majority.
- These police forces were ordered by Goring to use their firearms on anyone they suspected of being an enemy of the state - or face punishment themselves.
- More than 50 political murders took place in the month before the elections.
- The storm troopers openly attacked Nazi Party opponents in the streets. The police turned a blind eye if they did not actually participate in the attacks.
- Opposition party speakers were beaten up, their election posters were torn down and their supporters were dispersed.
- In this way, many people were intimidated into voting for the Nazi Party.
- Once again, Hitler targeted the Communists more than other groups. He used the emergency decree issued by Hindenburg and banned all Communist Party meetings and propaganda.
|
| |
