Pearson Edexcel · GCSE · History
Course version: 1HI0 · Version from Sept 2016
Key topic 3: Nazi control and dictatorship, 1933–39 - 2 The police state:…
Full specification wording
Option 31: Key topic 3: Nazi control and dictatorship, 1933–39 - 2 The police state: Nazi control of the legal system.
To consolidate their dictatorship, the Nazis systematically dismantled the independence of the legal system, ensuring courts served the regime's interests.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 1HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 2
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
To consolidate their dictatorship, the Nazis systematically dismantled the independence of the legal system, ensuring courts served the regime's interests. In 1933, the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law was established; all judges were compelled to join, and those with conflicting political views were dismissed. Judges were instructed that the interests of the Nazi Party superseded the law. In 1934, Hitler established the People's Court to try cases of treason and political offences. This court operated outside the standard judicial system, featuring Nazi judges who routinely handed down harsh sentences, including the death penalty, effectively weaponising the legal system against any opposition.
What earns the marks
- Explain the creation and purpose of the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law.
- Describe the loss of judicial independence as judges were forced to align with Nazi ideology.
- Identify the People's Court and its role in trying political offences outside the standard legal framework.
- Analyse how the legal system was transformed from an impartial body into an instrument of state terror.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Stating that the Nazis completely abolished the legal system.
Put it right: They retained it but subverted it to serve their own ideological purposes.
Confusing the People's Court with regular criminal courts.
Put it right: The People's Court was specifically created for political crimes like treason.
Assuming judges actively resisted the changes.
Put it right: Most judges complied to keep their jobs, and those who did not were swiftly removed.
Exam tips
- Mention the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law to demonstrate specific knowledge of how judges were controlled.
- Explain the concept of 'Gleichschaltung' (co-ordination) when discussing how the legal system was brought under Nazi control.
- Contrast the role of a judge in a democracy with their role in Nazi Germany to highlight the loss of judicial independence.
Try the lesson
The start of the Option 31: Key topic 3: Nazi control and dictatorship, 1933–39 - 2 The police state: Nazi control of the legal system. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Why did the Nazi government establish the People's Court (Volksgerichtshof) in 1934?
Listen
To consolidate their dictatorship, the Nazis systematically dismantled the independence of the legal system, ensuring courts served the regime's interests. In 1933, the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law was established; all judges were compelled to join, and those with conflicting political views were dismissed. Judges were instructed that the interests of the Nazi Party superseded the law. In 1934, Hitler established the People's Court to try cases of treason and political offences. This court operated outside the standard judicial system, featuring Nazi judges who routinely handed down harsh sentences, including the death penalty, effectively weaponising the legal system against any opposition. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explain the creation and purpose of the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law. Describe the loss of judicial independence as judges were forced to align with Nazi ideology. Identify the People's Court and its role in trying political offences outside the standard legal framework. Analyse how the legal system was transformed from an impartial body into an instrument of state terror. Exam tip: Mention the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law to demonstrate specific knowledge of how judges were controlled.
Key words
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Subversion of justice
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Dictatorship and authoritarianism
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Institutional control
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Political repression
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See every definition
- Subversion of justice
- The Nazis retained the legal system but subverted it to serve their own ideological purposes rather than abolishing it.
- Dictatorship and authoritarianism
- The Nazis consolidated their dictatorship by systematically dismantling the independence of the legal system so that courts served the regime's interests.
- Institutional control
- All judges were compelled to join the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law, and those with conflicting political views were dismissed.
- Political repression
- The People's Court tried cases of treason and political offences outside the standard judicial system, weaponising the legal system against any opposition.
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