Difference between revisions of "Gestapo"
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Revision as of 16:34, January 7, 2010
The Gestapo was the secret police force of Nazi Germany. The word "Gestapo" is short for the German words "Geheime Staatspolizei", which is translated "secret police of the state". The Nazis used this police force to quiet all opposition from 1933 to 1945. German people were terrified of the Gestapo, as they were brutal, often arresting people in the middle of the night, and condemning them without giving them a chance to speak in their own defense. The Nazis placed them around Europe in countries occupied by Germany to spread Nazi control and search out opponents. Also they were used to spy on each other, on government officials, and on army officers. The Gestapo collected COMPLETE histories of people, so when the Nazis invaded that country they would know who would oppose them. The Gestapo was created in 1933, and Heinrich Himmler became their leader. Members were usually chosen from the Elite Guard or Storm Troopers, who were known for their overbearing manner, and their capacity for brutality.
See also
Bibliography
- Browder, George C. Hitler's Enforcers: The Gestapo and the SS Security Service in the Nazi Revolution (1996) online edition
- Burleigh, Michael. The Third Reich (2000)
- Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power: 1933-1939., 2005. 800 pp.
- Gellately, Robert. The Gestapo and German Society: Enforcing Racial Policy, 1933-1945 (1990)
- Manvell, Roger, and Heinrich Fraenkel. Heinrich Himmler: The SS, Gestapo, His Life and Career (2007)
- Padfield, Peter. Himmler: Reichsführer-SS. 1990. 656 pp.
