Gestapo In Germany

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Evaluate the role of the Gestapo in controlling German society between 1933 and 1945. Would the Nazis have been successful without them?

Gestapo, Germany's largest secret police force was leaded by the Nazis during 1933-1945. It has played a key role in the terror and control of German citizens which also helped Hitler and the Nazis to take over the power of ruling Germany. Although Gestapo was generally associated with the Schutzstaffel (SS)'s leader Heinrich Himmler, it was actually founded in April 26th 1933 by Hermann Göring. The name of Gestapo came from the German word -- Geheime Staatspolizei, meaning 'the secret state police'. The orginazition was first instructed to find out the enemies of the Nazis and arrest them. 'With the ability …show more content…
Under the ruling of Göring, gestapo officers were asked to root out and arrest those hiding enemies of the Nazis, especially the communists. During that period of time, Gestapos were everywhere, they might were in factories working as normal citizens, they might were living next door being a kind neighbor, they almost integrated into the normal German society, trying to find both hostile forces and undesirables which includes Intellectuals, Communists, Political dissidents, Homosexuals, Gypsies, Alcoholics and Jews. After arresting those people, the Gestapos would send them to Concentration Camps. 'Gestapo interrogation methods included: repeated near drownings of a prisoner in a bathtub filled with ice-cold water; electric shocks by attaching wires to hands, feet, ears and genitalia; crushing a man's testicles in a special vice; securing a prisoner's wrists behind his back then hanging him by the arms causing shoulder dislocation; beatings with rubber nightsticks and cow-hide whips; and burning flesh with matches or a soldering iron.' Under the ruling of this cruel and strict orginazation, the undesirables were soon being arrested. Within a year, almost everyone who had the thoughts to chanllage the hegemony of the Nazis states had either being sent to the prisons or Concentration Camps or being killed. 'In fact, Gestapo really helped the Nazis a lot, as it had stopped the uprising of those opposed …show more content…
Under the orders of Adolf Hiter, Gestapo joined Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RHSA) under the direction of Reinhard Heydrich, along with the other members of the Nazi police and intelligence agencies. Although Gestapo is a part of the Reich Security Central Office, the organization remained popularly known as its initial name -- 'Gestapo'. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, approximately 40,000 Gestapo agents were in Germany. As wars went on and the Nazis gained territory throughout Europe, the Gestapo extended the employment Otto over 150,000 people among informants, accessory personnel and agents. As time pass by, the Gestapo agents were charged rooting out foreign agents and resistance fighters, but they also expanded their role as an internal police force. Gestapo agents and informants concentrated on finding suspected political dissidents of the Third Reich. Spying among the citizens became pervasive, and the Gestapo encouraged people to turn in "suspect persons" to the local authorities. The victims which the Gestapos claimed that the secret police themselves have operated above the law. On February 10, 1936, the Nazi Reichstag passed the 'Gestapo Law' which included the following paragraph: "Neither the instructions nor the affairs of the Gestapo will be open to review by the administrative courts." This meant the Gestapo was now above the law and there could be no legal appeal regarding anything it has done.After the Second
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