Why is informing under Nazi rule seen not merely as personal fear but as a tool of social control?

Correct answer: Because people began to watch one another

Informing under Nazi rule means reporting another person to the authorities, often for political opinions, forbidden relationships, criticism, or alleged disloyalty. When people are encouraged or pressured to report neighbours, colleagues, friends, or even family members, ordinary social relationships become unsafe. Individuals begin watching what others say and do, while fear and suspicion spread through the community. This helps a dictatorship control society even without a police officer being present everywhere.

Option B is correct because informing made people monitor one another and helped the regime enforce obedience through social pressure. It did not increase free elections, protect Jews, or make the press independent; those are the opposite of Nazi practice. The wider lesson is that surveillance can become a tool of repression when citizens are turned into informers and people censor themselves to avoid punishment.