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Sippenhaft and German Society, 1933–1945

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Family Punishment in Nazi Germany

Abstract

In the earliest days of the Third Reich, the period from 1933 to 1935, the principle of Sippenhaft was used to intimidate political opponents, threaten those who had fled Germany and terrorize the general public. I say ‘principle’ of Sippenhaft as, despite discovering numerous examples of the persecution of the relatives of opponents, it cannot be linked to any definitive directives or policy. Instead, and as a portent for the future, its adoption was readily accepted without any central directives. It was arbitrary terror. Trying to discern from which direction this terror was initiated is uncertain; there is strong evidence to suggest that it originated from the Nazi leadership, particularly in targeting those who had fled Germany. If we consider the nature of terror in Nazi Germany at the time and the variety of methods and punishments that resembled Sippenhaft, it appears it was in fact utilized by a range of agencies and individual leaders across the Third Reich, of their own accord.

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Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of New South Wales, Australia

    Robert Loeffel (Visiting Fellow)

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  1. Robert Loeffel
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© 2012 Robert Loeffel

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Loeffel, R. (2012). Sippenhaft and German Society, 1933–1945. In: Family Punishment in Nazi Germany. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137021830_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137021830_2

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-34450-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-02183-0

  • eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)

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