The "UnRecht & Ordnung" exhibition set up in Selm in 2019 traces the path of the German police in the 20th century. The attempt to form a democratic police force loyal to the republic to protect the Weimar Republic ultimately failed - as did the first German democracy as a whole. The National Socialists' first target was the still federally organized police force. Whoever controls the streets controls the state, they reasoned. There was no great resistance to the new employer from the ranks of the police. Many upwardly mobile police officers in particular had never renounced their military rank in favor of a citizen police force.
From then on, there was no straightforward and logical path to police involvement in the Second World War. Nevertheless, the role assigned to the police during this period was clear to the Nazi rulers from the outset. Not only did they become an instrument of repression against disagreeable sections of the population, their remilitarization prepared them for the war effort.
In addition to this fundamental, historical presentation, the 10 exemplary biographies and career paths of police officers during the Third Reich form the core of the exhibition. These include those of proven war criminals as well as careerists and opportunists, resisters and the persecuted. Their stories are told along the lines of the question of "police power and personal responsibility".
In fact, the common thread of police power and personal responsibility raises questions that are so relevant today and which the exhibition provides an opportunity to address: What causes democracies to be endangered?, What role do the police play in different systems?, What are ways of dealing with changes of power in officialdom? Such questions are easier to ask than to answer. This makes it all the more important to discuss them.
If you are interested in a guided tour and/or a subsequent seminar unit, the TD 34.4 of the LAFP NRW (Center for Ethical Education and Pastoral Care) will be happy to assist you. The contact details can be found at the top right.
For more information on the topic, please visit our themed page "Police history".