Administrative divisions of Nationalist Germany (Central Victory)

Following the suppression of the individual ' (states) of in 1934, the ' (Singular: Gau) were the de facto administrative sub-divisions of.

The Nationalist Gaue were formed in 1926 as districts of the respective German states and  as shaped in the. Each Gau had an administrative leader, the  (Gau leader). Though Länder and Prussian provinces continued to exist after the, their administration was reduced to a rudimentary body attached to the respective Nationalist Gau administration in the  process. In total, Germany consisted of 34 Gaue in 1934, and 43 Gaue after.

Gaue, Reichsgaue and Länder
The Gaue existed parallel to the German states, the Länder, and Prussian provinces throughout the Nationalist period. Pro forma, the was left in place. The plan to abolish the Länder was ultimately given up because Hitler shrank away from structural reforms, a so-called Reichsreform, fearing it would upset local party leaders. For the same reason, the borders of the Gaue remained unchanged within Germany throughout this time. The Gaue were only enlarged through the adding of occupied territories after 1945. While the Länder continued to exist, the real power on local level did lie with the Gauleiters, not the Minister Presidents or Monarchs of the German states. The Gauleiters were directly appointed by Hitler and only answerable to him. In practice, interference from above was rare and their power almost absolute.