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Following the suppression of the individual ''Länder'' (states) of Weimar Germany in 1934, the ''Gaue'' (Singular: ''Gau'') were the ''de facto'' administrative sub-divisions of Nazi Germany. The Nazi ''Gaue'' were formed in 1926 as Nazi party districts of the respective German states and Prussian provinces as shaped in the aftermath of World War I.〔 (Die NS-Gaue ), ''Deutsches Historisches Museum'', accessed: 25 June 2008〕 Each ''Gau'' had an administrative leader, the ''Gauleiter'' (''Gau'' leader). Though Länder and Prussian provinces continued to exist after the Enabling Act of 1933, their administration was reduced to a rudimentary body attached to the respective Nazi ''Gau'' administration in the ''Gleichschaltung'' process. In total, Germany consisted of 32 ''Gaue'' in 1934, and 42 ''Gaue'' at its collapse in 1945.〔(The Organization of the Nazi Party & State ) ''The Nizkor Project'', accessed: 25 June 2008〕 The regions occupied in 1938 (Austria, Sudetenland) and early 1939 (Memelland) as well as the areas conquered during the Second World War were either incorporated into existing ''Gaue'' or organised in ''Reichsgaue'', similar to the ''Gaue'' in all but name. In the ''Reichsgaue'', the ''Gauleiter'' also carried the position of ''Reichsstatthalter'',〔 thereby formally combining the spheres of both party and state offices. A special political award, known as the Gau Badge, was issued in most Nazi ''Gaue''. Eventually, in the aftermath of its defeat in the war, and the Yalta Conference, Germany would lose not only the newly annexed territories but some of the territories it held before the Nazi government assumed power; it would also spend most of the following second half of the 20th century divided into two separate states. == ''Gaue'', ''Reichsgaue'' and ''Länder'' == The ''Gaue'' existed parallel to the German states, the ''Länder'', and Prussian provinces throughout the Nazi period. ''Pro forma'', the Administrative divisions of Weimar Germany 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 1938.〔 (Gau (NSDAP) - Kontinuität der Gaugliederung nach 1933 ), ''Historisches Lexikon Bayerns'', accessed: 25 June 2008〕 While the ''Länder'' continued to exist, the real power on local level did lie with the ''Gauleiters'', not the ''Minister Presidents'' 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.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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