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Comparison Of Robert Gellaty's The Gestapo And German Society

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The Gestapo The perturbation in Germany during Hitler’s rule was caused by numerous factors, however the most prevalent fear among the Jewish and the normal population was embodied in the secret police, or Gestapo. Despite its meager numbers, the Gestapo efficiently controlled many features of society, and most notably, its citizens. In Robert Gellaty’s book, “The Gestapo and German Society”, he addresses the growth of the Gestapo and its effects on civilian life. Gellately illuminates the origins of the secret police and their effect on the population by evaluating the surviving records in the areas of Würzburg and Lower Franconia. Using the evidence given in these records, he effectively argues that the Gestapo was constructed upon preexisting organizations of the Weimar Republic, and that ordinary citizens played a vital role in the mass murder of the Jewish population. Although, not everyone followed Nazi policies, many willingly played a crucial role in the rise of the Gestapo, and the fall of the Jewish community. …show more content…

In the opening of “The Gestapo and German Society”, Gellately answers the questions related to the organization and reputation of the Gestapo. The group’s legacy of implanting fear among Germans led many to assume it was an original creation of Hitler and the Third Reich; however, it was actually an expansion of previous police and governmental structures before the Nazi period. The Nazi government took preexisting police practices and formed the Gestapo. What made this police organization so distinctive in its construction in 1933 was the freedom it was given. This freedom gave the Gestapo seemingly unlimited power over the fate of the Jewish people. Their power was unprecedented which allowed them to almost carry out a total

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