Study this source. Source B 'The Gestapo's real power lies not in its numbers but in the willingness of ordinary Germans to inform on each other. In my dist...

Understanding the question type: 'What is the message of this source?' asks you to go beyond describing what the source says and identify the overall point or argument it conveys. You must support your interpretation with specific details from the source and your own knowledge.

Identifying the message: The source is an internal Gestapo report from Dusseldorf in 1938. Its message is that Nazi control over the German population depended less on the Gestapo's own manpower and more on ordinary Germans' willingness to inform on each other, creating a system of self-censorship driven by fear.

Using source details to support the message:

• The source reveals that only 28 Gestapo officers were responsible for a population of over 500,000 in the Dusseldorf district. This ratio (roughly 1 officer per 18,000 people) shows that the Gestapo could not have monitored the population through its own resources.
• 'Thousands of denunciations' arrive each week, meaning ordinary citizens were doing the surveillance work for the Gestapo.
• The examples escalate in intimacy: neighbours report neighbours, workers report colleagues, and 'parents have been denounced by their own children.' This progression shows how fear penetrated every level of personal life, even the family.
• The types of offences reported (listening to foreign radio, telling jokes about the Fuhrer) show that the system policed not just political opposition but everyday speech and private behaviour.
• The final statement, 'People censor themselves. That is the system's greatest achievement,' reveals the source's central message: the most effective form of control is when people internalise fear and police their own behaviour without needing to be directly watched.

Using your own knowledge: The source's picture is confirmed by historical research. Historian Robert Gellately's work showed that the Gestapo relied heavily on voluntary denunciations rather than systematic surveillance. Many denunciations were motivated by personal grudges, jealousy, or disputes between neighbours rather than genuine political commitment to the regime. The Gestapo was far smaller than its reputation suggested. In addition to the Gestapo, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD, the Nazi Party's intelligence service) and the system of Blockleiter (block wardens), who monitored neighbourhoods and reported suspicious behaviour, supplemented the surveillance network. Concentration camps such as Dachau (opened March 1933) served as visible warnings of what happened to those who were denounced. By 1939, an estimated 162,000 people were held in 'protective custody.' The combination of a small but feared secret police force, a network of informers, and the ever-present threat of the camps created a system far more effective than its size would suggest.

Mark scheme breakdown:

• Level 1 [1-2 marks]: Simple statements such as 'The message is that the Gestapo was powerful.'
• Level 2 [3-5 marks]: Identifies the message with some support. Explains that Nazi control depended on citizen denunciations rather than just the Gestapo, using the 28 officers/500,000 people ratio and examples of informing. May lack own knowledge.
• Level 3 [6-7 marks]: Full explanation of the message using source details and own knowledge. Identifies the core message about self-censorship and the internalisation of fear. Uses the specific ratio, examples of denunciation, and the concluding statement about self-censorship. Supports with own knowledge about Gellately's research, the role of block wardens, the SD, and the function of concentration camps as visible deterrents.

Exam tip: For 'message' questions, look for the source's concluding or most emphatic statement, as this often encapsulates the overall message. In this case, 'People censor themselves. That is the system's greatest achievement' is the key line. Build your answer around it, using the preceding details as evidence for why it is the message.