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Gestapo
The Gestapo (abbreviation for Geheime Staatspolizei) was the political police force of the Third Reich. It was formally organized after the Nazi’s came to power in 1933. Originally founded by Hermann Goering in April of 1933; power was transferred to Heinrich Himmler in 1936 at which point all elite forces were commanded by one main authority. With the power to arrest and confine to camps without legal recourse the Gestapo had the ability to rid the Reich of their enemies perceived or real.
The main task of the Gestapo was to combat enemies of the state. Therefore, it was necessary that internal division of department allowed the Gestapo to deal with these enemies of the state efficiently and effectively. Offices were divided into communism, Jews, and Eastern Europeans. These are just a few of the many. Churches, Freemasons, monarchists and other religious institutions also had their own departments. Gypsies and homosexuals were the responsibility of the criminal police.
Because of lack of personnel, the Gestapo depended heavily on informants. Their main weapon was the protective custody order. By February 1933, the basic rights had been removed and the prosecuting attorney’s who traditionally worked with and controlled investigation were removed from the procedure all together by 1934.
In 1939, the killing of Gestapo prisoners in concentration camps was introduced. Officially called Sonderbehandlung(special treatment). The Gestapo had now become involved with the forced population transfers. A special force called the Einsatzgruppen was created. The Einsatzgruppen became "mobile killing units" charged with liquidating all political enemies of the Reich. According to historian, Raul Hilberg, the mobile killing units murdered 1.4 million Jews between 1941 and the end of the war in 1945. In all areas except the General Government in Poland, the Gestapo organized the transfer of the Jews to the camps. By 1943, the focus of the Gestapo had changed from deportation of Jews to dealing with and quelling resistance as well as surveillance of foreign forced workers inside the Reich.
The Gestapo was responsible for the murder of millions through any means possible. Their disregard for human rights created a state of fear that helped them to control and terrorize millions more across Europe.
Federation of American Scientists. Intelligence Resource Program [Data File] Retrieve from http://fas.org/index.html
Jewish Virtual Library. The Gestapo [Data File] Retrieve from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Gestapo.html
The main task of the Gestapo was to combat enemies of the state. Therefore, it was necessary that internal division of department allowed the Gestapo to deal with these enemies of the state efficiently and effectively. Offices were divided into communism, Jews, and Eastern Europeans. These are just a few of the many. Churches, Freemasons, monarchists and other religious institutions also had their own departments. Gypsies and homosexuals were the responsibility of the criminal police.
Because of lack of personnel, the Gestapo depended heavily on informants. Their main weapon was the protective custody order. By February 1933, the basic rights had been removed and the prosecuting attorney’s who traditionally worked with and controlled investigation were removed from the procedure all together by 1934.
In 1939, the killing of Gestapo prisoners in concentration camps was introduced. Officially called Sonderbehandlung(special treatment). The Gestapo had now become involved with the forced population transfers. A special force called the Einsatzgruppen was created. The Einsatzgruppen became "mobile killing units" charged with liquidating all political enemies of the Reich. According to historian, Raul Hilberg, the mobile killing units murdered 1.4 million Jews between 1941 and the end of the war in 1945. In all areas except the General Government in Poland, the Gestapo organized the transfer of the Jews to the camps. By 1943, the focus of the Gestapo had changed from deportation of Jews to dealing with and quelling resistance as well as surveillance of foreign forced workers inside the Reich.
The Gestapo was responsible for the murder of millions through any means possible. Their disregard for human rights created a state of fear that helped them to control and terrorize millions more across Europe.
Federation of American Scientists. Intelligence Resource Program [Data File] Retrieve from http://fas.org/index.html
Jewish Virtual Library. The Gestapo [Data File] Retrieve from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Gestapo.html
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