THE BEGINNING OF THE TERROR
IN NAZI GERMANY
On 30 January 1933, the National Socialists assumed power in Germany. They established a terrorist dictatorship, deprived rights, and persecuted and murdered millions. The story of the early concentration camps in Nazi Germany is told in an exhibition at the Dachau Memorial, among others.
Dachau Memorial
The concentration camps played a central role in enforcing and maintaining National Socialist rule in Germany and occupied Europe. Today, many people know the names of large concentration or extermination camps such as Buchenwald or Auschwitz; however, few have heard of the early concentration camps such as Ahrensbök or Breitenau.
The initial concentration camps were established during the first months of the National Socialist regime and frequently terminated operations within a few weeks or months. The National Socialist regime tested the tools of violence in these camps. The path to the mass murder of millions had not yet been charted but had been prepared. The early concentration camps were the beginning of terror.
The exhibition “The Beginning of the Terror” presents, in eleven chapters, the role and function played by the early concentration camps under National Socialism. Based on numerous biographies of persecuted individuals, it shows how these camps contributed to the establishment and consolidation of National Socialist power. The 15 camps commemorated in the participating memorials formed the foundation of the exhibition. They provide a historical context for the over 90 early concentration camps within the Third Reich.
The exhibition is presented simultaneously in various locations throughout Germany. It was held under the auspices of the Minister of Culture, Claudia Roth. Detailed information on the exhibition and its extensive educational programme can be found on participating institutions' websites and at www.auftakt-des-terrors.de.
The exhibition can be viewed at the Dachau Memorial until September 2023.
Table of contents:
The road to dictatorship
Mass arrests in 1933
Prison sites and their competences
Commanders and guard crews
Prisoners
Prison conditions
Violence and murders
Neighbourhood and public opinion
Dissolution and reorganisation
Commemoration after 1945