How did the Nazis persecute minorities, and who opposed the regime?
Nazi persecution and opposition: the persecution of Jewish people and other minorities, and the opposition to the regime from the churches, socialists and communists, and young people.
How the Nazis persecuted Jewish people and other minorities up to 1939, including the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht, and the opposition the regime faced from the churches, socialists and communists, and some young people, and why opposition was so difficult.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers two linked themes: how the Nazis persecuted Jewish people and other minorities up to 1939, and what opposition the regime faced. The SQA topic requires you to know the steps of persecution, including the boycotts, the bans on jobs, the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht, and to know about opposition from the churches, socialists and communists, and some young people, as well as why opposition was so difficult. This is sensitive content that should be handled factually and with care.
The dot point matters because it shows the human cost of the Nazi regime and the limits of resistance within a totalitarian state. It is examined as a Describe question on persecution and as an Explain question on why there was little effective opposition. Note that this topic covers persecution up to 1939; the mass murder of the Holocaust during the Second World War lies beyond this period.
The answer
From 1933 the Nazis persecuted those they regarded as enemies or as outside their idea of the German "race". Jewish people were the main target. The persecution grew in stages: boycotts of Jewish shops and businesses, bans on Jewish people working in the civil service, professions and universities, the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 that stripped Jews of citizenship and banned marriage between Jews and non-Jews, and, in 1938, Kristallnacht, when Jewish shops, homes and synagogues were attacked and many Jews arrested. Other minorities were also persecuted. Opposition to the regime did exist, from some churches, from socialists and communists, and from some young people, but it was limited and dangerous. The SS and Gestapo terrorised opponents, opposition organisations had been banned, propaganda built support, and the regime's success in reducing unemployment led many Germans to accept it.
The persecution of Jewish people
The Nazis' persecution of Jewish people intensified over the 1930s. From 1933 they organised boycotts of Jewish-owned shops and businesses and barred Jewish people from many jobs in the civil service, the professions and universities. Nazi propaganda relentlessly portrayed Jews as enemies of Germany. In 1935 the Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of German citizenship and banned marriage and relationships between Jews and non-Jews. In November 1938, during Kristallnacht (the "night of broken glass"), Jewish shops, homes and synagogues were attacked and destroyed and many Jewish people were arrested. Persecution steadily excluded Jewish people from public life and drove many to emigrate.
Other minorities
Jewish people were the main but not the only target. The Nazis also persecuted other groups they regarded as outside the German "racial community" or as undesirable, including Roma and Sinti people, disabled people, and political opponents and certain religious minorities. The regime's racial ideology and drive for conformity meant anyone seen as different or opposed could face discrimination, exclusion or imprisonment.
Opposition and why it was difficult
Opposition to the Nazis did exist but was limited. Some church leaders spoke out against aspects of Nazi policy, and socialists and communists tried to resist, though they had been banned and were divided and heavily persecuted. Some young people rejected the regime's youth movements. But effective opposition was extremely difficult. The SS and Gestapo terrorised and imprisoned opponents; opposition parties and unions had been banned, removing the organisations that could lead resistance; propaganda built support and made opposition seem hopeless; and the regime's success in reducing unemployment led many Germans to accept it in return for work and order.
Examples in context
An Explain question on why opposition was limited links causes to effects: "the SS and Gestapo terrorised opponents, so people feared to resist"; "parties and unions were banned, which removed the organisations to lead resistance"; "propaganda built support, so opposition seemed hopeless"; "unemployment fell, so some accepted the regime"; "opponents were divided and persecuted, which weakened them".
Try this
Q1. What did the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 do? [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. They stripped Jewish people of German citizenship and banned marriage and relationships between Jews and non-Jews, a key step in their legal persecution.
Q2. What happened during Kristallnacht in 1938? [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. Jewish shops, homes and synagogues were attacked and destroyed and many Jewish people were arrested, in an organised wave of violence.
Q3. Give two reasons there was little effective opposition to the Nazis. [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. Any two of: the SS and Gestapo terrorised opponents; opposition parties and unions were banned; propaganda made opposition seem hopeless; falling unemployment led many to accept the regime; opponents were divided and persecuted.
A note on sources
This guide is AI-written and not individually human-reviewed and presents this history factually. The events and dates follow the standard account taught for the SQA National 5 History European and World context on Hitler and Nazi Germany; verify content against the SQA National 5 History course specification and SQA past papers at sqa.org.uk.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style6 marksDescribe how the Nazis persecuted Jewish people in Germany up to 1939. (6 marks)Show worked answer →
A Describe question, so make six separate, developed points of fact from recall. Treat this serious subject factually and with care.
Possible points: from 1933 the Nazis organised boycotts of Jewish-owned shops and businesses; Jewish people were banned from many jobs in the civil service, professions and universities; the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 stripped Jews of German citizenship and banned marriage between Jews and non-Jews; Jewish people faced constant propaganda portraying them as enemies; in 1938, during Kristallnacht, Jewish shops, homes and synagogues were attacked and destroyed and many Jews were arrested; and Jewish people were increasingly excluded from public life and forced to emigrate.
Any six accurate, developed points reach full marks. Keep each one factual.
SQA N5 style6 marksExplain the reasons why there was little effective opposition to the Nazis. (6 marks)Show worked answer →
An Explain question, so give developed reasons linking cause to effect, around six.
Developed reasons: the SS and Gestapo terrorised opponents and could imprison them without trial, so people were afraid to resist; opposition parties and trade unions had been banned, which removed the organisations that could have led resistance; propaganda built support for the regime and made opposition seem hopeless, so many did not try; the regime reduced unemployment, so some Germans accepted it in return for work and order; opponents such as socialists and communists were divided and persecuted, which weakened them; and the churches were cautious because open opposition risked their survival, so resistance was limited.
Each reason must carry the factor through to its consequence.
Related dot points
- Nazi methods of control: the police state of the SS and Gestapo, censorship and propaganda, and the control of education and youth movements to spread Nazi ideas.
How the Nazis controlled Germany: the police state of the SS, Gestapo and concentration camps; censorship and propaganda through Goebbels using rallies, radio, film and press; and the control of schools and youth movements such as the Hitler Youth to shape young Germans.
- The consolidation of power 1933-1934: the Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act, the banning of opposition, the Night of the Long Knives, and Hitler becoming Fuhrer on Hindenburg's death.
How Hitler turned the office of Chancellor into a dictatorship between 1933 and 1934: the Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act that gave him law-making power, the banning of other parties and trade unions, the Night of the Long Knives, and his becoming Fuhrer on Hindenburg's death.
- The Nazi rise to power 1929-1933: the impact of the Great Depression, the appeal of Hitler and the Nazis, the weakness of the Weimar government, and how Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933.
Why support for the Nazis grew and how Hitler became Chancellor: the impact of the Great Depression and mass unemployment, the appeal of Nazi promises and propaganda, the weakness and divisions of Weimar, and the political deals that made Hitler Chancellor in January 1933.
- Early threats to Weimar 1919-1923: political revolts from left and right (the Spartacist Revolt and the Beer Hall Putsch) and the economic crisis of hyperinflation in 1923.
The threats the Weimar Republic faced between 1919 and 1923: the Spartacist Revolt from the left, the Beer Hall Putsch from the right, and the economic crisis of 1923 when the occupation of the Ruhr and hyperinflation destroyed savings and confidence.
- Weimar Germany and the Treaty of Versailles: the impact of defeat in the First World War, the creation of the Weimar Republic, and the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and German opposition to it.
How defeat in the First World War led to the Weimar Republic and why Germans resented the Treaty of Versailles: the new democracy, the terms of the treaty (territory, army, reparations and war guilt), and how opposition to it weakened the republic from the start.
Sources & how we know this
- National 5 History Course Specification — SQA (2024)
- National 5 History past papers and marking instructions — SQA (2025)