[146] While in many countries the Nazis occupied in the East, the local domestic police forces supplemented German operations, noted Holocaust historian, Raul Hilberg, asserts that "those of Poland were least involved in anti-Jewish actions. To claim that Josef Jakobs was a "Gestapo agent" is to fail to understand the difference between the Secret State Police and the Army. After Germany conquered Poland (in the autumn of 1939), Gestapo officials believed that they had neutralised Polish intelligence activities. The SA was formally declared not to be a criminal organization by the International Tribunal, and had officially ceased to exist in 1945. ThreeWalther Funk, Rudolf Hess, Erich Raederreceived life terms; and the remaining fourKarl Dnitz, Konstantin von Neurath, Albert Speer, and Baldur von Schirachreceived shorter prison sentences. Both the Gestapo and Kripo became distinct departments within the RSHA. The organisation of the security structures in the Nazi Germany was very complicated, often quite illogical, and the limit between different organisations like Gestapo or the SD or the Abwehr, is often difficult to draw. by Schmauser 13 Aug 2002, 13:44, Post What is the name of the evil organization within the Third Reich? The Nazi Party was well aware of homosexual preferences of Rhm and some other SA members. In 1931, the SA was handed over to Ernst Rhm, who headed it till his murder in 1934. Party agencies lik. [121] 80% of all Gestapo investigations were started in response to information provided by denunciations by ordinary Germans; while 10% were started in response to information provided by other branches of the German government and another 10% started in response to information that the Gestapo itself unearthed. The SD and Gestapo did have integration through SS members holding dual positions in each branch. The Nazi Party felt the need for a secret police organization, and hence, the Geheime Staatspolizei was born in 1933. Later, nurses, kindergarten teachers, and trained female commercial employees with an aptitude for police work were hired as female detectives after a two-year course as Kriminaloberassistentin and could promote to a Kriminalsekretrin. A similar co-ordination existed in the local offices. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [46] Because the Gestapo seemed omniscient and omnipotent, the atmosphere of fear they created led to an overestimation of their reach and strength; a faulty assessment which hampered the operational effectiveness of underground resistance organisations. Burian's group had also set up a secret courier service to Otto von Habsburg in Belgium. Meanwhile, there was also a great deal of overlapping of authority on many of these matters too. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The Gestapo operated without civil restraints. Together with the SS, the Gestapo managed the treatment of inferior races, such as Jews and Roma (Gypsies). Rhm wanted the SA to be run like the German Army, and he went about creating a structural hierarchy in the organization, a general staff, a training college, and placed Hitler himself at the very top of the hierarchy he had created. [134] As historian Eric Johnson remarked, "The Nazi terror was selective terror", with its focus upon political opponents, ideological dissenters (clergy and religious organisations), career criminals, the Sinti and Roma population, handicapped persons, homosexuals and above all, upon the Jews. [129] The "conventional criminality" category concerned economic crimes such as money laundering, smuggling and homosexuality. [90] Less than two weeks later in early May 1933, the Gestapo moved into their Berlin headquarters at Prinz-Albrecht-Strae 8. There were strict protocols protecting the identity of Gestapo field personnel. [121][122] Work done by social historians such as Detlev Peukert, Robert Gellately, Reinhard Mann, Inge Marssolek, Ren Otto, Klaus-Michael Mallmann and Paul Gerhard, which by focusing on what the local offices were doing has shown the Gestapo's almost total dependence on denunciations from ordinary Germans, and very much discredited the older "Big Brother" picture with the Gestapo having its eyes and ears everywhere. Female youth leaders, lawyers, business administrators with experience in social work, female leaders in the Reichsarbeitsdienst and personnel administrators in the Bund Deutscher Mdel were hired as detectives after a one-year course, if they had several years professional experience. On 27 September 1939, the security and police agencies of Nazi Germanywith the exception of the Order Policewere consolidated into the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), headed by Heydrich. The Gestapo was responsible for keeping a close watch on Hitlers personal safety, as well as ensuring the safety of the most important Nazi officials. [53], However, the Nazi regime sought to suppress any source of ideology other than its own, and set out to muzzle or crush the churches in the so-called Kirchenkampf. This page was last edited on 26 April 2023, at 18:29. [130], Normal methods of investigation included various forms of blackmail, threats and extortion to secure "confessions". It became known as Amt (Dept) 4 of the RSHA and was considered a sister organisation to the Sicherheitsdienst (SD; Security Service). Heinrich Himmler [72], In May 1935, the Gestapo broke up and arrested members of the "Markwitz Circle", a group of former socialists in contact with Otto Strasser, who sought Hitler's downfall. [70], Between 1934 and 1938, opponents of the Nazi regime and their fellow travellers began to emerge. [35] During the Holocaust, Eichmann's department within the Gestapo coordinated the mass deportation of European Jews to the Nazis' extermination camps. [17] Himmler wanted to free himself entirely from Rhm, whom he viewed as an obstacle. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Among the first to speak out were religious dissenters but following in their wake were educators, aristocratic businessmen, office workers, teachers, and others from nearly every walk of life. Without the help, support, and co-operation of these organizations, perhaps Hitler wouldnt have been able to spread the terror he did, for whatever reasons. (2013). The stricter laws did not apply to lesbians as their behaviour was never officially criminalised, even though their behaviours were labelled "deviant". [77] Later, the British and Americans did not want to deal with anti-Nazis because they were fearful that the Soviet Union would believe they were attempting to make deals behind their back. In lieu of naming convention changes, the original construct of the SiPo, Gestapo, and Kripo cannot be fully comprehended as "discrete entities", since they ultimately formed "a conglomerate in which each was wedded to each other and the SS through its Security Service, the SD". Terror against "state enemies" had become a way of life to such a degree that the Gestapo's presence and methods were eventually normalised in the minds of people living in Nazi Germany. Founded in 1999. Nonetheless, operations performed either by German members of the Gestapo or auxiliaries from willing collaborators of other nationalities were inconsistent in both disposition and effectiveness. From 27 September 1939, it was administered by the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA). But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. On 20 April 1934, oversight of the Gestapo passed to the head of the Schutzstaffel (SS), Heinrich Himmler, who was also appointed Chief of German Police by Hitler in 1936. The Abwehr was a German intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944. They were subject to co-ordination by inspectors of the security police and SD on the staffs of the local higher SS and police leaders, however, and one of the principal functions of the local SD units was to serve as the intelligence agency for the local Gestapo units. We've created informative articles that you can come back to again and again when you have questions or want to learn more! [29] The Gestapo was specifically exempted from responsibility to administrative courts, where citizens normally could sue the state to conform to laws. by JLEES 16 Aug 2002, 02:40, Post This represented a radical departure from German tradition, which held that law enforcement was (mostly) a Land (state) and local matter. [92], In September 1939, the SiPo and SD were merged into the newly created Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA; Reich Security Main Office). The Geheime Staatspolizei (transl. The SD was mainly an information-gathering agency, while the Gestapoand to a degree the Criminal Police (Kriminalpolizei or Kripo)was the executive agency of the political police system. Copyright Historyplex & Buzzle.com, Inc. The Gestapo was somewhat of a division of the SS, making SS the parent organization. Anyone suspected of even having made an anti-Nazi joke would be subjected to such treatment, or worse. They nearly drowned suspects in ice-cold water, gave them electric shocks, hung them by their wrists, or beat them savagely. [49] On the following day, the newly formed Gestapo officers, who had been shadowing some 58 trade union leaders, arrested them wherever they could find themmany in their homes. Whereas the Gestapo agents, were mostly of police background. Gellately argued that it was because of the widespread willingness of Germans to inform on each other to the Gestapo that Germany between 1933 and 1945 was a prime example of panopticism. They were both eventually headed by Himmler, although the Gestapo existed before him. Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Gring along with some Army officials began plotting Rhms downfall. The original foundation date of the Gestapo can be traced back in April 1933 whereas the foundation date of the SS is originally on 1923. There were reports that Mller ended up in the foreign secret service at Washington D.C., some allege he was in Moscow working for the Soviets, still others claimed he escaped to South Americabut none of the myths have ever been proven; all of which adds to the "mysterious power of the Gestapo". To ensure that history does NOT repeat itself, it is vital that we realize that humanity is above all, and not any one race or ethnic group. Even a Gestapo Agent would understand it now! [5] Contrary to popular perception, the Gestapo was actually a relatively small organization with limited surveillance capacity; despite this the Gestapo proved extremely effective due to the willingness of ordinary Germans to snitch on fellow citizens. After Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, Hermann Gringfuture commander of the Luftwaffe and the number two man in the Nazi Partywas named Interior Minister of Prussia. For the wider use of "Secret Police", see, Suppression of resistance and persecution, General opposition and military conspiracy, Population ratios, methods and effectiveness, Operation Crossbow was one preliminary missions for, Bonhoeffer was an active opponent of Nazism in the German resistance movement. The simple answer is that Josef Jakobs, Karel Richter and all of the Operation LENA spies who landed on the green shores of England were agents of the Abwehr, the military intelligence arm of the German Army. These officials were helped and supported by a mysterious organization called the ODESSA, which helped provide them identification, passports, and visas to South American countries. [150], Between 14 November 1945 and 3 October 1946, the Allies established an International Military Tribunal (IMT) to try 22 major Nazi war criminals and six groups for crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. [23] For the Gestapo, the next two years following the Night of the Long Knives, a term describing the putsch against Rhm and the SA, were characterised by "behind-the-scenes political wrangling over policing". [48] As a preface to this action, Hitler decreed May 1 as National Labor Day to celebrate German workers, a move the trade union leaders welcomed. After the Supreme Leader (Hitler), came senior groups, lower groups, regiments, battalions, and troops, to name a few parts of the structure of the SA. These men were then given training in racial hatred and were taught to become cold-hearted, violent, sadistic, and to not feel anything at human loss. However, these internal departments remained and the Gestapo continued to be a department under the RSHA umbrella. Leading members of the most famous of these groups, the White Rose, were arrested by the police and turned over to the Gestapo. Rhm had been one of the earliest supporters of Hitler and was a personal friend to him too. [27] Heinrich Mller was at that time the Gestapo operations chief. The SS also identified and arrested Jews in the German-occupied territories. [111] This admixture certainly shaped the Gestapo's public image which they sought to maintain despite their increasing workload; an image which helped them identify and eliminate enemies of the Nazi state. [100] It was the Gestapo chief, SS-Brigadierfhrer Heinrich Mller, who kept Hitler abreast of the killing operations in the Soviet Union and who issued orders to the four Einsatzgruppen that their continual work in the east was to be "presented to the Fhrer. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. [14] Himmler and Heydrich both immediately began installing their own personnel in select positions, several of whom were directly from the Bavarian Political Police, such as Heinrich Mller, Franz Josef Huber and Josef Meisinger. [108] Heydrich thought along similar lines and advocated both defensive and offensive measures on the part of the Gestapo, so as to prevent any subversion or destruction of the National Socialist body. In this, he ran into conflict with Schutzstaffel (SS) chief Heinrich Himmler who was police chief of the second most powerful German state, Bavaria. [129] Most of the political investigations took place between 1933 and 1935 with the all-time high of 57 cases in 1935. Deans were to be targeted as the "eyes and ears of the bishops" and a "vast network" established to monitor the activities of ordinary clergy: "The importance of this enemy is such that inspectors of security police and of the security service will make this group of people and the questions discussed by them their special concern". [125] The Gestapo always showed a special interest in denunciations concerning sexual matters, especially cases concerning Rassenschande with Jews or between Germans and foreigners, in particular Polish slave workers; the Gestapo applied even harsher methods to the foreign workers in the country, especially those from Poland,[126] Jews, Catholics and homosexuals. Fearful of an internal overthrow, the forces of the Gestapo were unleashed on the opposition. Thereafter, there was a show trial overseen by Roland Freisler, followed by their execution. [115] The majority of Gestapo informers were not full-term employees working undercover, but were rather ordinary citizens who chose to denounce other people to the Gestapo. [71] Most people quickly learned that open opposition was dangerous since Gestapo informants and agents were widespread. Indeed quite talented in investigations, interrogation, and torture, but they were mostly violent under educated people, and lacked the culture of the SD agents, whom Heydrich chose very carefully. His direct subordinate Adolf Eichmann headed the Gestapo's Office of Resettlement and then its Office of Jewish Affairs (Referat IV B4 or Sub-Department IV, Section B4). Abfraction is a common dental problem caused by the flexing of teeth during biting and . Under the leadership of Rhm, the number of employees in the SA increased dramatically. In 1929 General Kurt von Schleicher combined all service units under his Ministry of Defence. [128], Of the political cases, 61 people were investigated for suspicion of belonging to the KPD, 44 for the SPD and 69 for other political parties. [26] The Gestapo became a national state agency. For the most part, members of the church did not offer political resistance but simply wanted to ensure that organizational doctrine remained intact. [52] Increasing religious objections to Nazi policies led the Gestapo to carefully monitor church organisations. He had to count on his senior officials support for his rule, and he gave the go-ahead for the plan to put Rhm out of the picture once and for all. The Gestapo committed widespread atrocities during its existence. [155] These groupsthe Nazi Party and government leadership, the German General staff and High Command (OKW); the Sturmabteilung (SA); the Schutzstaffel (SS), including the Sicherheitsdienst (SD); and the Gestapohad an aggregate membership exceeding two million, making a large number of their members liable to trial when the organisations were convicted. One of the more famous schemes, Operation Valkyrie, involved a number of senior German officers and was carried out by Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. [63], Despite male homosexuality being considered a greater danger to "national survival", lesbianism was likewise viewed as unacceptabledeemed gender nonconformityand a number of individual reports on lesbians can be found in Gestapo files. [113] In Dsseldorf, the local Gestapo office of only 281 men were responsible for the entire Lower Rhine region, which comprised 4 million people. 1938 Gestapo border inspection stamp applied when leaving Germany On 17 June 1936, Hitler decreed the unification of all police forces in Germany and named Himmler as Chief of German Police. [107], The Canadian historian Robert Gellately wrote that most Gestapo men were not Nazis, but at the same time were not opposed to the Nazi regime, which they were willing to serve, in whatever task they were called upon to perform. [104] In 1939, only 3,000 out of the total of 20,000 Gestapo men held SS ranks, and in most cases, these were honorary. Simultaneously, Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, the Nazi paramilitary corps, together with his aide Reinhard Heydrich, similarly reorganized the police of Bavaria and the remaining German states. [84] The Gestapo cracked down ruthlessly on dissidents in Germany, just as they did everywhere else. by Starinov 12 Aug 2002, 21:51, Post [79] Despite the fear of the Gestapo after mass arrests and executions in the spring, the opposition still plotted and planned. The killing units wiped out entire villages as a result. [117] The Gestapoat timeswas overwhelmed with denunciations and most of its time was spent sorting out the credible from the less credible denunciations. Rhms leadership and not-so-secret desire of merging with the Army made many senior Nazi officials feel threatened. [138], As an instrument of Nazi power, terror, and repression, the Gestapo operated throughout occupied Europe. There were plenty of intelligence agencies in Nazi Germany with overlapping portfolios. [34] Mller remained the Gestapo Chief. The Gestapo was officially declared to be answerable only and only to Hitler, and could not be reviewed by the judiciary in any way. [143] Correspondingly, Gestapo offices were established in a territory once occupied. [10] Diels was best known as the primary interrogator of Marinus van der Lubbe after the Reichstag fire. [28] He answered to Heydrich, Heydrich answered only to Himmler, and Himmler answered only to Hitler. For example, in 1939 Stettin and Frankfurt am Main only had a total of 41 Gestapo men combined. [11] Gring took over the Gestapo in 1934 and urged Hitler to extend the agency's authority throughout Germany. [94], The Gestapo became known as RSHA Amt IV ("Department or Office IV") with Heinrich Mller as its chief. Complaints from the Waffen-SS led to a change of rank insignia shoulder boards from those of the Waffen-SS to those of the Ordnungspolizei. [94] However, Gestapo leader Heinrich Mller was never tried, as he disappeared at the end of the war. [60], Violence and arrest were not confined to that opposing political parties, membership in trade unions, or those with dissenting religious opinions, but also homosexuality. Gradually, with time, the SS became one of the most-feared organizations in Germany. Before 1929, the SS wore uniforms similar to the SA. The name Gestapo is an abbreviation for its official German name "Geheime Staatspolizei." The direct English translation is "Secret State Police." The Gestapo was not the first political police force in German history.
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