The role of the Gestapo

• Who set up the Gestapo in 1933?

  Hermann Goering
• What was the primary function of the Gestapo?

  To identify opponents of the Nazi government
• How did the Gestapo primarily identify opponents of the Nazi government?

  Through spying, tapping phones, and a network of informants
• How many Gestapo officers were there for a population of 80 million?

  About 30,000
• Why did the Gestapo rely on people's fear?

  Because people did not know who was in the Gestapo
• How many people were arrested by the Gestapo for 'political crimes' by 1939?

  160,000 people a year
• What percentage of arrests were discovered through the informant network?

  80%
• What does the reliance on informants suggest about the Gestapo's operational strategy?

  It indicates a strategy of instilling fear and distrust among the population
• 1. The Gestapo (Secret Police) were set up by Hermann Goering in 1933 as a non-uniformed secret police force. By 1936, it was run by Himmler’s deputy, Reinhard Heydrich.
• 2. The main aim of the Gestapo was to identify opponents of the Nazi government through spying, tapping phones and, most effectively, a network of informants.
• 3. There were only about 30,000 Gestapo officers for a population of 80 million, so they relied on people’s fear of not knowing who was in the Gestapo.
• 4. By 1939 the Gestapo were arresting 160,000 people a year for ‘political crimes’. It is estimated 80% of these were discovered through the informant network rather than the Gestapo officers themselves.