Episode 639: Heinrich Himmler Part III - The Dachau Spirit | Last Podcast On The Left Brief

Key Takeaways

Following the Reichstag Fire, the Nazi regime systematically dismantled opposition and established an authoritarian state through propaganda and mass arrests.
Heinrich Himmler was instrumental in building and managing the Nazi police state, orchestrating the concentration camp system with Dachau as its prototype.
The Nazis skillfully exploited public fear of communism and economic hardship to gain popular support for their escalating repressive measures.
The "Night of the Long Knives" saw Himmler and Heydrich orchestrate a purge of the SA, eliminating rivals and consolidating Himmler's power over the SS and Gestapo.

Nazi propaganda, including flag symbolism, was highly effective in 1933.
The swastika was adopted as the official Nazi flag in 1935 after 'testing better' as a symbol.
Initial anti-Jewish measures in 1933 included boycotts of businesses and restrictions on public service, but Jews were not the sole targets.
Following the Reichstag Fire, German left-wing politicians and labor leaders were arrested or stepped down, with right-wing factions largely supporting the crackdown.

Heinrich Himmler's administrative role orchestrated torture and destruction, with extermination becoming an explicit, state-sanctioned Nazi goal.
The Nazis created an unparalleled record of destruction with cold, deliberate precision under Himmler's administration, making extermination an official state function.
Internal Nazi regime negotiations focused extensively on resource allocation for genocidal goals, reflecting an ideology prioritizing collective 'race' over individual worth.
Hitler and Himmler exhibited relentless, manic energy, which propelled the Third Reich, contributing to an estimated 30 million deaths, unlike Stalin's occasional pauses.

Heinrich Himmler established Dachau near Munich as the first concentration camp solely run by the SS, challenging revisionist claims of German unawareness.
Newspapers reported Dachau's existence by May 1933, mentioning the imprisonment of leftists and Jewish leaders under 'protective custody'.
A cautionary verse, 'Please, oh Lord, make me dumb so I won't to Dachau come,' reflected public awareness and fear of the camp.
Dachau, established in 1933, was one of 27 main camps and 1,100 satellite camps by 1945, and the only one continuously open throughout the Third Reich.

Himmler organized the Third Reich's concentration camp system (KLs) for deterrence, reform, slave labor, and torture in the 1930s, evolving later to include human experimentation and genocide.
Dachau was primarily staffed by SS volunteers, with an average age of 23, radicalized by propaganda and motivated by fear of communists and anger towards Jews.
Younger Nazis were described as 'angry children' who romanticized World War I, unlike older veterans in other European countries who preferred to forget the conflict.
New SS recruits underwent rigorous brainwashing and ideological indoctrination, including weekly exams.

The Nazi regime shifted scapegoated groups based on current events and fears, with Dachau's prisoner population reflecting these changes, including Jews, homosexuals, and communists.
While most Dachau prisoners weren't held indefinitely or killed before World War II, the war's necessity for slave labor led to fewer releases and increased deaths from starvation.
As Dachau filled, SS guards initiated brutal torture, including beatings and forced ingestion of castor oil.
Sexual abuse was prevalent in early concentration camps, with specific tortures targeting male prisoners, preceding later SS-established brothels.

Joseph Hartinger, a Munich prosecutor, investigated the first Dachau killings, challenging official narratives and indicting the camp commandant.
Hartinger's risky actions temporarily halted killings and led to the commandant's replacement, demonstrating the impact of resistance.
Himmler replaced the indicted commandant with Theodore Eicke, a dedicated Nazi and SS member, to ensure continuation of his agenda.
Eicke had a turbulent past, including a bomb attempt, and was committed to a mental asylum before Himmler intervened to reinstate and promote him.

Younger SS guards, often bored and seeking status, engaged in cruelty that escalated to maintain social currency, creating a "frat-like atmosphere" at Dachau.
Older guards in Dachau, due to closer contact with prisoners, were more susceptible to developing sympathy compared to their younger counterparts.
The SS offered a form of conditional love and support, which encouraged extreme behavior in young men and fostered a sense of belonging.
The appeal of SS uniforms provided "instant character" to young men, especially given the German army's size limitation of 100,000 by the Treaty of Versailles.

Reinhard Heydrich, Himmler's "top man," known as "the hangman" and "the butcher of Prague," coordinated the police under centralized authority by fabricating a widespread communist plot.
Himmler secured complete control over the state police, including the Gestapo, by April 1934, presenting his demands to Adolf Hitler on his birthday.
This consolidation allowed Himmler to gather extensive intelligence on opponents through meticulously organized personal and familial dossiers.
Following his acquisition of the Gestapo, Himmler abandoned his farm and estranged wife, Marga, relocating to Berlin.

Himmler, with Reinhard Heydrich's help, gathered intelligence on SA leaders and spread rumors of a coup, leading to the "Night of the Long Knives."
Vice Chancellor Franz von Popen expressed regret over supporting Hitler, calling for an end to SA terrorism and restoration of freedoms, angering Hitler.
Hitler needed decisive action to maintain power after von Hindenburg threatened martial law if the SA wasn't controlled.
Himmler presented a plan that was crucial in keeping Hitler in power during this critical juncture.

During the purge, 150 SA leaders were executed by firing squad, including General Kurt von Schleicher and Gregor Strasser.
The "Night of the Long Knives" resulted in brutal deaths, with victims found hacked to death or with broken necks and bullet wounds.
A Munich music critic was mistakenly killed by SS men and returned to his family in a coffin, attributed to a clerical error and a negative review he had written.
Hitler addressed the Reichstag, taking full responsibility for ordering the murders, framing it as a favor to Germany by removing a disruptive element.