The Gestapo & SS
History: KS3, topic 18.2.2
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on The Gestapo & SS
Which of the following about the Gestapo are correct?
What colour uniforms did the SS wear?