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What was the Gestapo?

In: Holocaust, Germany in WW2 [Edit categories]

Answer:

The Gestapo was the Nazi secret police. It was formed in April 1933 and was a political police from the outset. Their initial role was to 'sniff out' opponents of the Nazi regime.

The name is based on the full name: Geheime Staatspolizei - which means 'Secret State Police'. Here 'state' means 'government'. It was the Nazis' secret political police. Established initially by Goering in 1933, it was transferred to Himmler's control in 1934 when the whole Nazi terror apparatus was fully centralized.

The Gestapo was the Nazi political police and the key element in the regime's terror apparatus.

First answer by ID0416698676. Last edit by Joncey. Contributor trust: 4625 [recommend contributor ]. Question popularity: 34 [recommend question].

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Relevant answers:

Why were gestapos called gestapo?
GESTAPO, and Gestapos is bad usage- you would say Gestapo agents, or men. It was the plainclothes or detective arm of the German SS and derives from the acronym- Geheime Staats Polizei=- Secret- lit,...
What was Gestapo and what did they do?
The Gestapo were with the Nazis. The Gestapo (and the Nazis) killed Jews, Handicapped people and plenty of other kinds of people in ww2,
What are gestapos?
GESTAPO is an abbreviation - the German equivalent of an acronym. It is short for Geheimstaatspolizei. geheim = secret. Staats = State. Polizei = Police.
What was the job of the gestapo?
They hunted the Jews, hippies, homosexuals, blacks and gypsies for the Nazi's. They usually killed them if they found them. This was in WWII for Hitler.
Leader of the gestapo?
Rudolf Diels (1933-1934) Reinhard Heydrich (1934-1942) Heinrich Muller (!942-1945)