“The whole treatment of the Jewish problem in the years prior to our seizure of power is to be regarded essentially from the point of view of the political education of the German people.” (To disregard this angle of the use made of anti-Semitism means) “to disregard the success and aim of the work toward racial education.” (2427-PS)
D. After the acquisition of power the Nazi conspirators initiated a state policy of persecution of the Jews.
(1) The first organized act was the boycott of Jewish enterprises on 1 April 1933. The boycott action was approved by all the defendants who were members of the Reichsregierung (Reich Cabinet), and Streicher was charged with its execution. Presented as an alleged act of “self defense”, the boycott action was intended to frighten Jewish public opinion abroad and force it, by the threat of collective responsibility to all Jews in Germany, to desist from warning against the Nazi danger. (2409-PS; 2410-PS)
The boycott was devised as a demonstration of the extent to which the Nazi Party controlled its members and the German masses; consequently, spontaneous action and physical violence were discouraged. Goebbels stated:
“The national socialist leadership had declared: ‘The boycott is legal’, and the government demands that the people permit that the boycott be carried out legally. We expect iron discipline. This must be for the whole world a wonderful show of unity and manly training. To those abroad who believe that we could not manage it, we want to show that we have the people in our hand.” (2431-PS)
(2) Laws eliminating Jews from various offices and functions. The Nazi conspirators legislative program was gradual and, in the beginning, relatively “moderate.” In the first period, which dates from 7 April 1933 until September 1935, the laws eliminated Jews from public office and limited their participation in schools, certain professions, and cultural establishments. The following are the major laws issued in this period:
| Document No. | Date | Reichsgesetzblatt page | Title and gist of law | Signed by |
| 1397-PS | 7.4.33 | I.175 | Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums (Law for the reestablishment of the professional civil service), removing Jews from Civil Service. | Hitler Frick Schwerin V. Krosigk |
| 7.4.33 | I.188 | Gesetz uber die Zulassung zur Rechtsanwaltschaft (Law relating to admission to the Bar) removing Jews from the Bar. | Guertner | |
| 2868-PS | 22.4.33 | I.217 | Gesetz betreffend die Zulassung zur Patentanwaltschaft (Law relating to the admission to the profession of patent agent and lawyer) excluding Jews from acting as patent attorneys. | Hitler Guertner |
| 2869-PS | 6.5.33 | I.257 | Gesetz uber die Zulassung von Steuerberatern (Law relating to the admission of Tax Advisors) eliminating “non-Aryans” from the profession of tax consultants. | Hitler Schwerin V. Krosigk |
| 2084-PS | 22.4.33 | I.215 | Gesetz uber die uberfullung deutscher Schullen (Law against the overcrowding of German schools and higher institutions) limiting drastically the number of Jewish students. | Hitler Frick |
| 2870-PS | 26.7.33 | I.538 | Verordnung zur Durchfuehrung des Gesetzes uber den Widerruf von Einbuergerungen (Executing decree for the law about the Repeal of Naturalizations and the adjudication of German citizenship) defining Jews from Eastern Europe as “undesirable” and subject to denationalization. | Pfundtner (Asst. to Frick) |
| 2083-PS | 4.10.33 | I.713 | Schriftleitergesetz (Editorial Law) barring “non-Aryans” and persons married to“"non-Aryans” from the newspaper profession. | Hitler Goebbels |
| 2984-PS | 21.5.35 | I.608 | Wehrgesetz (Law concerning Armed Forces) barring “non-Aryans” from military service. | V. Blomberg |
On 10 September 1935, Minister of Education Rust issued a circular ordering the complete elimination of Jewish pupils from “Aryan” schools (2894-PS). This legislative activity, in addition to being the first step towards the elimination of the Jews, served an “educational” purpose and was a further test of the extent of control exerted by the Nazi Party and regime over the German masses.
Dr. Achim Gercke, racial expert of the Ministry of the Interior, stated:
“The laws are mainly educational and give direction. The aspect of the laws should not be underestimated. The entire nation is enlightened on the Jewish problem; it learns to understand that the national community is a blood community; it understands for the first time the racial idea, and is diverted from a too theoretical treatment of the Jewish problem and faced with the actual solution.” (2904-PS)