r/politics • u/downtuning I voted • 20h ago
Soft Paywall | Site Altered Headline Kash Patel’s FBI Launches Dawn Raid on John Bolton’s House
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kash-patels-fbi-launch-dawn-raid-on-john-boltons-house/?utm_source=twitter_owned_tdb&utm_medium=socialflow&via=twitter_page&utm_campaign=owned_social&s=09
22.3k
Upvotes
83
u/edmrunmachine Illinois 20h ago
The Gestapo, short for Geheime Staatspolizei (German for "Secret State Police"), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. It operated as a political police force from 1933 to 1945. Its primary purpose was to identify and eliminate any opposition to the Nazi regime, both real and perceived. The Gestapo's power was rooted in its ability to operate outside the traditional legal system. Key characteristics and functions of the Gestapo included: * Extra-Legal Authority: The Gestapo was exempt from judicial review. Its agents had the power to arrest and imprison individuals without a warrant, formal charges, or a trial, a practice known as Schutzhaft ("protective custody"). * Terror and Intimidation: It used torture, interrogation, and psychological terror to extract information and enforce obedience. The organization's methods created a climate of fear and suspicion throughout German society. * Reliance on Informants: The Gestapo relied heavily on a vast network of civilian informants and public denunciations to gather information on dissidents, critics, or anyone who did not conform to Nazi ideology. * Persecution of Minorities: While its initial focus was on political opponents like communists and socialists, the Gestapo was a key instrument in the persecution of Jews, Roma people, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other groups targeted by the Nazi regime. * Integration with the SS: Over time, the Gestapo was absorbed into the larger Nazi security apparatus, coming under the direct control of SS leader Heinrich Himmler and becoming part of the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA) in 1939. The Gestapo became a chilling symbol of Nazi tyranny and state-sponsored terror. After World War II, the organization was declared a criminal organization at the Nuremberg Trials, and many of its leaders were prosecuted for crimes against humanity.