Everyone knows of the mistreatment and horrors of the Holocaust, but how much do we know about the monsters behind them? The Gestapo was Nazi Germany’s secret police that had a unique yet powerful role in the Final Solution. They were known for their harsh torture tactics and the willingness to kill and torture whoever they needed to get what they wanted. Jews and other targeted groups of people were stricken with the fear and worry of the Gestapo coming to their door. The Gestapo was the definitely the most feared police force in Germany. The beginning of the ‘Geheime Staatzpolizi’ or the Gestapo, was very interesting. It started with the idea to have a secret police force from the Prussian Interior Minister Hermann Gӧring. In April 26, 1933, Gӧring filled the ranks of the secret police with political and internal intelligence wings of the Nazi’s, knowing they would stay loyal to Hitler (“Gestapo”). He then put Rudolph Diels in charge of them, ecstatic that one of his men was in a powerful and important position. However, in April 1934, this secret police caught the interest of Adolf Hitler, who appointed Heinrich Himmler in charge of the Gestapo. Himmler thought Diels too soft for the job, and replaces him with Heinrich Muller (“The Gestapo”). The Gestapo policemen were chosen based on what skills they acquired and what ranking they were trying to be in. Lower ranks did not need as much party loyalty as the higher ranks. However, technocratic, bureaucratic, and police skills were highly valued when choosing these men (“Gestapo”). Many men were not chosen to be a part of the Gestapo because overall, it was only made up of 40,000 people, which included office and clothing personnel. There were 5 sections the Gestapo was spli... ... middle of paper ... ...s began. Finally, Heinrich Muller, the leader under Himmler who gave the Gestapo their brutal reputation, was never brought in. He has not been seen since 1945, right before the war ended (“Nuremberg Trials: Brief overview of Defendants and Verdicts”). When people name the major groups or people in the Holocaust, how often do you hear them name the Gestapo? Even when I began to research this topic, I did not exactly know what they did or how the contributed to the Final Solution. When I came across the information such as their horrific torture methods, lack of mercy and sympathy, and the stories from survivors, I was taken aback about how a police force of only 40,000 men throughout Germany could cause such grief and chaos. Now, I can honestly say that if I was a Jew in Germany at the time of the Holocaust, one of my worst fears would be running into the Gestapo.
The Gestapo, Hitler’s secret Police, instilled a lot of fear into the German people's eyes. With their leader being one of Hitlers advisers, you can tell they were pretty important to Hitler. However, they weren't always lead by one of Hitler’s advisers. The Gestapo had many roles to Hitler's war plan. With this they had many duties to do and many different complicated ways they did their duties.
Gellately, Robert. “The Gestapo and German Society: Political Denunciation in the Gestepo Case Files.” Journal of Modern History (The University of Chicago Press) 60, no. 04 (December 1988): 654-694.
Hall, Claire M. An Army of Spies? The Gestapo Spy Network 1933-45, Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Apr., 2009)
Prisoners and concentration camps A. The Gestapo and the Thought Police B. Disappearance and re-education of people C. Concentration and extermination camps
The word Holocaust comes from a Greek word meaning “sacrifice by fire.” The Holocaust was perceived to be one of the most deadly crimes of all times targeting the minority population at the time. A Nazi was known to be a member of the “National Socialist German Workers” who worked under Adolf Hitler the leader of Germany in 1933 to 1945. The Nazi’s targeted
After World War II the world began to here accounts of the atrocities and crimes committed by the Nazi’s to the Jews and other enemies of the Nazis. The international community wanted answers and called for the persecution of the criminals that participated in the murder of millions throughout Europe. The SS was responsible for playing a leading role in the Holocaust for the involvement in the death of millions of innocent lives. Throughout, Europe concentration camps were established to detain Jews, political prisoners, POW’s and enemies of the Third Reich. The largest camp during World War II was Auschwitz under the command of SS Lieutenant Colonel Rudolf Hoess; Auschwitz emerged as the site for the largest mass murder in the history of the world. (The, 2005)
The holocaust is one of the darkest times in human history. Mass exterminations, torture , and mistreatment .thee holocaust is no doubt a sensitive subject to man, but shouldn’t be covered up or hidden. Adolf Hitler thee leader of the Nazi Party was appointed the chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933 during that time Germany had a Jewish population of about 566,000.
Griffin explores Heinrich Himmler and the secrets that are hidden within him. Throughout his childhood Himmler’s secrets and thoughts were hidden, overshadowed by a mask or barrier formed by his upbringing and culture.
...iques. They were also taught some of the practices that the doctors at Dachau would use to experiment on the prisoners with. Although the camps were ran by the SS they were under the control of the Gestapo. After the war the Gestapo was dissolved and declared a criminal organization. At the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminal the Gestapo was named as one of the chief institutional perpetrators of the holocaust but not very many officers were prosecuted (“Nazi perpetrators”).
The main focus of the post war testimony of Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Hoess, Commandant at Auschwitz from May 1940 until December, 1943, is the mass extermination of Jews during World War II. His signed affidavit had a profound impact at the Post-War trials of Major War Criminals held at Nuremburg from November 14, 1945 to October 1, 1946. His testimony is a primary source that details and describes his personal account of the timeline, who ordered Auschwitz to become a death camp, and the means used to execute and exterminate millions of Jews. Obtained while tortured nearly to death under British custody, the authenticity and reliability of this document is questioned due to arguable inconsistencies that exist. However, the events sworn to in his testimony have been recounted and corroborated by witnesses and thousands of survivors.
The Holocaust was the murder and persecution of approximately 6 million Jews and many others by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The Nazis came to power in Germany in January of 1933. The Nazis thought that the “inferior” Jews were a threat to the “racially superior” German racial community. The death camps were operated from 1941 to 1945, and many people lost their lives or were forced to work in concentration camps during these years. The story leading up to the Holocaust, how the terrible event affected people’s lives, and how it came to and end are all topics that make this historic event worth learning about.
During the Holocaust, around six million Jews were murdered due to Hitler’s plan to rid Germany of “heterogeneous people” in Germany, as stated in the novel, Life and Death in the Third Reich by Peter Fritzsche. Shortly following a period of suffering, Hitler began leading Germany in 1930 to start the period of his rule, the Third Reich. Over time, his power and support from the country increased until he had full control over his people. Starting from saying “Heil Hitler!” the people of the German empire were cleverly forced into following Hitler through terror and threat. He had a group of leaders, the SS, who were Nazis that willingly took any task given, including the mass murder of millions of Jews due to his belief that they were enemies to Germany. German citizens were talked into participating or believing in the most extreme of things, like violent pogroms, deportations, attacks, and executions. Through the novel’s perspicacity of the Third Reich, readers can see how Hitler’s reign was a controversial time period summed up by courage, extremity, and most important of all, loyalty.
"Gestapo Torture of Jews in Warsaw Prisons Reported, List of Guilty Nazis Published." . The Global Jewish News Source , 19 October 1942. Web. 10 Dec 2013. .
The Gestapo, established in 1933, controlled originally by Georing and later in November 1934, was controlled under Himmler. The Gestapo’s job was to investigate and suppress all anti-state activities, and had a reputation of being very brutal and ruthless. It was not secret and was much feared. Terror atomised the nation, people thought the Gestapo was everywhere but in fact they were a very small number. The Gestapo controlled concentration camps.
Within Nazi government, Hitler acted as the final source of authority, which serves as evidence against the notion that Hitler was ‘weak’. Having consolidated power by 1934 Hitler was, at least theoretically, omnipotent, being Chancellor, Head of State and “supreme judge of the nation”. However, the notion that Nazi government systematically pursued the clear objectives of the Fuhrer is challenged by the reality of Nazi government structure. It has been widely accepted by historians that the Nazi State was a chaotic collection of rival power blocs. Mommsen’s explanation that this was the result of Hitler’s apathy towards government a...