By Luke Tunstall and Sebastian Mlynarski

A diagram to sum up the Nazi Police State Heinrich Himmler became Head of the SS and Chief of the German Police including the Gestapo SS = Nazi Party’s own security force Gestapo = Government secret police New sections of the SS = SD Waffen SS Special Action Groups Death’s Head Units

After the Nazis came to power they turned Germany into a police state, where anyone could be arrested and punished without trial. This was done using the SS the Schutzstaffel or protection squad. The SS had begun in 1925 as Hitler’s personal body guard and developed under its leader, Heinrich Himmler, into the Nazi Party’s unofficial police force. In 1930, they were separated from the SA and given different uniforms. They had to be of Aryan ancestry, physically fit and unquestionably loyal.

In 1931, Himmler set up the SD or Sicherheitsdienst the internal security service of the Nazi Party under Reinhard Heydrich. Once in power in 1933, the Nazis aimed to get control of the state political police forces. The SS quickly helped Himmler to achieve this in every state except Prussia. Control of the Prussian political police was finally achieved when Hermann Goering, the Prime Minister of Prussia, appointed Himmler “Inspector of the Gestapo” on 20 April The word Gestapo is short for Geheime Staatspolizei, meaning Secret State Police.

The SS quickly took control of the Gestapo. The reputation of the SS was increased because of the role it played in the Night of the Long Knives on 30 June Himmler had demonstrated his absolute loyalty and the value of the SS as a ruthless weapon of power. In June 1936, Hitler gave Himmler sole authority over the police in Germany.

 The Deaths Head Units or the Totenkopfverbände were responsible for dealing with concentration camps and mass murder. The SS-TV was an independent unit within the SS with its own ranks and command structure. It ran the camps throughout Germany, and Europe they were also responsible for the final solution. They were distinguished from the rest of the SS by the ‘Death’s Head’

 The Waffen SS could be compared to an army, because of their huge numbers of 45 divisions. They were highly skilled soldiers and physically and mentally fit.

 The Gestapo was used to get rid of any political opponents of the Nazis within Germany. They were the secret police of the Nazi state