This is a quick post for history students focusing on Nazi Germany. I’ve created some
notes to download on the origins of the Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei), the Nazi Secret State Police. Secret political police forces in Germany existed before Hitler came to power and were amalgamated into the Gestapo, which fell under the auspices of the the SS by the mid 1930s. The Gestapo is a much mythologised institution, it was relatively small compared to the population it had to police and would not have been able to operate effectively without German citizens ready to denounce each other. You can download study notes by clicking on the link below:
You can also download a guide to developing arguments in your essays on this topic here:
Explaining History Podcast 