Gestapo

Definition

The Gestapo was the secret political police organisation of Nazi Germany. Created in 1933, the Gestapo became one of the most feared instruments of state terror, its members having few or no legal restrictions to their actions. The Gestapo arrested, interrogated, assaulted, imprisoned, and executed hundreds of thousands of people across Europe ranging from Jewish civilians to Allied prisoners of war.

More about: Gestapo

Timeline

  • 1933
    Hermann Göring creates the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police.
  • 1934
    Heinrich Himmler takes over from Hermann Göring as figurehead of the Gestapo.
  • 1936
    The Gestapo is brought under the control of the Nazi Sipo police organisation.
  • 1939
    Heinrich Müller is appointed head of the Gestapo.
  • Sep 1939
    The Gestapo is brought under the control of the Nazi Reich Security Main Office.
Membership