17.2.2

The Gestapo & SS

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The Nazi Police State

Hitler ran Germany as a police state. This means that the police controlled every aspect of daily life for German citizens. The Gestapo and SS were two key groups in this system.

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The Gestapo

  • The Gestapo was Hitler’s secret police service, set up by Hermann Goering in 1933 and led by Reynhard Heydrich (centre) in 1934.
    • The Gestapo did not wear uniforms as they were secret investigators.
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The purpose of the Gestapo

  • The Gestapo was a small unit of 50,000 policemen who relied on informers to identify opponents.
  • They spied on German citizens and prosecuted people who spoke against the Nazi regime.
    • Punishment for such a crime was torture or being sent to a concentration camp.
  • The German population were terrified of the Gestapo’s power.
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The SS (Schutzstaffel)

  • The SS was Hitler’s Protection Squad (bodyguards).
    • It was set up in 1925 AD and led by Heinrich Himmler.
  • The SS recruited Aryans. It was an expectation that SS troops would also have children with Aryan women.
  • SS troops were highly trained and very disciplined (this was one reason why Hitler preferred them to the SA).
  • They wore black uniforms.
  • The SS had 90,000 full-time employees and 200,000 'informal workers', who were informants passing information.
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The role of the SS

  • The SS were in charge of Germany’s police force.
    • They had the power to search people’s property and send them to prison without receiving a trial.
    • They ran the concentration camps.
  • In the Second World War, the SS were in charge of the Einsatzgruppen and death camps.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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