Geheime Staatspolizei Identification Tag

The Gestapo, short for Geheime Staatspolizei, was established in 1933 as the principal investigative and repressive body of the National Socialist regime. Initially under the Interior Ministry and later integrated into the SS structure, it functioned outside the normal legal framework, with broad powers that enabled preventive arrests, surveillance, and unrestricted investigations. Its responsibilities involved detecting political dissent, monitoring organizations and institutions, conducting inquiries into activities deemed hostile to the State, and cooperating with other security agencies to maintain political and social control. The Gestapo became a central element in the enforcement apparatus of Nazi Germany and played a decisive role in sustaining the regime’s system of repression.