Celeste Saenz4th period5/20/14GestapoWorld War II began in 1939. It was the deadliest and most widespread war in history. There were more than 30 countries involved in the war and more than 5,000,000 deaths. The war finally ended in 1945. One of the many secret police forces during the war was the Gestapo. It is short for Gieheime Staatspolizei, which is German for secret state police. They were a primary use for destruction and oppression. They persecuted a lot of other races or religions like Jews, Germans and regimes. The Gestapo was formed before the war began in 1933. Hermann Göring was the one who organized everything in the Gestapo. He later became commander of the Gestapo. They had the power to do whatever they wanted to the Nazis' enemies, such as capture, arrest, or stalk them. So whoever they thought had gone against the government they had, they could do those things to him. This work occupied all of Europe. Two of their main responsibilities were to hunt down Jews and other people and deal with the threat of resistance movements. People feared the Gestapo, and the organization used that fear as a weapon. Even though the Gestapo was not everywhere at the same time, it was evenly distributed, which gave the Germans the impression that they could not trust anyone. If you dared to cross the state, it was said that the Gestapo would most likely capture you. They had their own way of dealing with people in protective custody and it was known throughout the country, so it sent a message that you should remain loyal to your state. If they wanted to give a trial to someone who had been captured, they took him to the People's Court, sometimes they sent a dea...... middle of paper....... The Gestapo led the Germans into the Final Solution with all the torture and punishments they received. In France, the Gestapo would help the Milice track down resistance groups. In Eastern Europe, the Gestapo hunted Jews who may have escaped. In Western Europe, the Gestapo killed all prisoners of war protected by the Geneva Convention. At the Nuremberg Trials the Gestapo was tried and considered a criminal organization. The Nazis wanted to change the way people thought, so they began a campaign to strengthen the hated "un-German" ideas. Then they burned books, considered the worst crime to commit. Müller was never brought to justice. His death is unknown to people, they say that he died in the last battle, and some say that he moved to South America and lived without warning. The Gestapo lasted from 1933 to 1945, when World War II ended.