Some people supported the Nazis; others wanted benefits, feared punishment or resisted. What someone did in public does not always show what they believed.
Joseph Goebbels led the propaganda ministry. It used newspapers, radio, films and culture to spread Nazi messages. Censorship meant restricting what could be published or heard, reducing access to criticism. Schools and youth organisations taught loyalty to Hitler and Nazi racial beliefs. Boys were prepared for military service, while girls were directed towards motherhood and service to the regime's idea of a racial community. Activities and a sense of belonging could also attract young people.
Fear worked alongside persuasion. The Gestapo was the secret state police. The SS was a powerful Nazi organisation involved in policing, persecution and running the concentration camp system. People could be watched, reported to the authorities, arrested or imprisoned. In concentration camps, prisoners were held without normal legal protections and subjected to brutality. Even the fear that a neighbour or colleague might report criticism could encourage silence.
Responses were varied. Some people believed in Nazi aims. Others cooperated to protect a job or improve a career. A worker might welcome employment while disliking lost rights, or keep quiet because protest seemed dangerous. Acceptance of one policy was not the same as agreement with every policy.
Some people opposed or resisted the regime. Otto Wels, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), spoke against the Enabling Act in March 1933. After being forced into exile, the party's leadership, known as Sopade, collected reports about life in Germany. One 1938 report describes workers who valued jobs but feared speaking openly. Religious critics, underground political activists and some young people also challenged aspects of Nazi control; they did not all oppose the same things or share the same aims.
When using this evidence, separate what you can observe from what you can infer. A public salute might reflect belief, pressure or fear; it cannot establish the person's motive by itself. A report of criticism shows that criticism existed, but does not prove most Germans resisted. These distinctions help explain behaviour without excusing participation in persecution.
Worked example: What can silence tell you?
A worker values having a job but avoids criticising the regime in public.
- The value of a job could help explain why the worker accepts some aspects of Nazi rule.
- Fear of punishment could explain the silence. Silence alone does not show enthusiastic support.
- The worker may have mixed views. Look for further evidence, such as private comments and the conditions at work, before making a wider claim about belief.
Watch out for this
Every German either fully supported Hitler or openly resisted.
People could support some policies, dislike others, cooperate for advantage or remain silent from fear. Their responses could also change. Use evidence to explain a particular response instead of forcing everyone into two groups.
Check your understanding
What is the safest inference from a report that workers feared speaking openly?
- Every worker secretly opposed every Nazi policy.
- Silence cannot automatically be counted as enthusiastic support.
- No German supported the regime.