>>54They had to be in order to counter the juggernaut that was the Soviet Union. They would have went into a more libertarian direction after winning the war, but they weren't all that restrictive to begin with. Compare the Gestapo with the NKVD or Stasi. The modern BfV, while a smaller operation, isn't all that un-intrusive either. Individuals flourished in Natsoc Germany, people like Konrad Zuse, for example.