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