ABSTRACT
The Nazis had come to power in Oldenburg before Hitler took over the national government. In the state election of 16 June 1932 they had won an overall majority and had formed an all-Nazi government with their Gauleiter, Carl Rover, as Minister-President. With the reorganisation of the nazi government following the appointment of Carl Rover as Reichsstatthalter of Oldenburg-Bremen in April 1933, the Ministry of Churches and Schools passed into the hands of Julius Pauly. Pauly had joined the Party in 1931 and was a typical Nazi recruit of the early 1930s, a 30-year-old lawyer on the make who endeavoured to compensate for his relatively late adherence to the movement by proving his commitment with tough speeches. During the spring and summer of 1933, Pauly made it clear to the Oldenburg teachers in a number of decrees that they were expected to demonstrate their loyalty to the new state by becoming members of Nazi organisations.
