A major European capital, Berlin is the center of German culture and politics. With a population of 4 million—thousands of them Jews—Berlin represents Germany to outsiders, including Ambassador William Dodd and his family. They witness Berlin’s transformation from a lively and vibrant urban center to one subdued by Nazi terror. 

Short for “Secret State Police,” the Gestapo uses terror and intimidation to monitor and control the German people. Its first director, Rudolf Diels, is ruthless but a far cry from the extreme cruelty of his successors. The Gestapo will, through political machinations, fall under the control of Heinrich Himmler, who also controls the SS and uses both for similar purposes. 

Gleichschaltung, or “coordination,” is the policy of homogenizing German society into a unified culture that espouses and practices only Nazi principles. Gleichschaltung proceeds rapidly, as Germans are anxious to renew their country’s pride and position under Hitler’s programs; its speed also is due to Nazi tactics of terror and intimidation that quickly bring doubtful Germans into line.