Political Opponents Of The Regime example essay topic

Political Opponents to the Nazi Regime Between 1933 and 1945, a variety of groups offered resistance to the Nazis. Among the earliest opponents of Nazism in Germany were Communists, Socialists, and trade union leaders. Locating sources for such a group of opponents has been particularly difficult mainly due to the fact that they were dealt with in a very effective manner. Spreading of political ideas around this time was also mainly word of mouth and little or no sources exist to show this other than the SPADE reports shown below (referring to factory workers and small group meetings) The communists The Reichstag was burned on the 27 February. A leading Communist was arrested and beheaded for the crime.

Hitler used this as an excuse to make people belief in a communist uprising. The King then suspends civil rights, supposedly temporarily. However, it was continued until 1945. The Sturmabteilung or SA was founded, with Hitler at its head, as a private Para-military force, which allegedly was to be used for the purpose of protecting NSDAP leaders from attack by rival political parties, and preserving order at NSDAP meetings, but in reality was used for fighting political opponents on the Streets. Hitler began to remove his political opponents in their opposing political parties. The Communists had already been disbarred, as were the Social Democrats and the Catholic Centre party, as well as the conservative groups.

It became illegal to be a member of a political party and anyone caught rallying power against the Regime was imprisoned and later executed. The first concentration camps in Germany were established soon after Hitler's appointment as chancellor in January 1933. The SA (Sturmabteilung; Storm Troopers) and the police organized concentration camps beginning in February 1933. Set up by local authorities on an ad hoc basis to handle the masses of people arrested as alleged political opponents of the regime, camps existed throughout Germany. For example, camps were located in Oranienburg, north of Berlin; Ester wegen, near Hamburg; The Nazi Party banned the SDP in June 1933 and most of its leaders were arrested and sent to concentration camps.

Sources Arrival of political prisoners at the Oranienburg concentration camp. Oranienburg, Germany, 1933. He was later able to smuggle out details of his interrogation. It is nearly impossible to relate what happened for four and a half hours, from 5.00 pm to 9.30 pm in that interrogation room. Every conceivable cruel method of blackmail was used against me to obtain by force and at all costs confessions and statements both about comrades who had been arrested, and about political activities. It began initially with that friendly 'good guy' approach as I had known some of these fellows when they were still members of Severing's Political Police (during the Weimar Republic).

Thus, they reasoned with me, etc., in order to learn, during that playfully conducted talk, something about this or that comrade and other matters that interested them. But the approach proved unsuccessful. Was then brutally assaulted and in the process had four teeth But the actual high point of this drama was the final act. They ordered me to take off my pants and then two men grabbed me by the back of the neck and placed me across a footstool.

A uniformed Gestapo officer with a whip of hippopotamus hide in his hand then beat my buttocks with measured strokes, Driven wild with pain I repeatedly screamed at the top of my voice. Then they held my mouth shut for a while and hit me in the face, and with a whip across chest and back. I then collapsed, rolled on the floor, always keeping face down and no longer replied to any of their questions. I received a few kicks yet here and there, covered my face, but was already so exhausted and my heart so strained, it nearly took my breath away. David Low, In Occupied Territory (10th July, 1942) Some sources are available online, simply search for them on google such as the David Low, In Occupied Territory (10th July, 1942) sorry i couldnt put it in.