The Gestapo and German Society

An examination of the everyday operations of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police. It looks at the three-way interaction between the police, the German people and the enforcement of Hitler's policies, as an example of popular participation in the operations of institutions such as the Gestapo. This book is an examination of the everyday operations of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police. How were the Gestapo able to detect the smallest signs of non-compliance with Nazi doctrines, especially `crimes' pertaining to the private spheres of social, family, and sexual life? How could the police enforce policies such as those designed to isolate the Jews, or the foreign workers brought to Germany after 1939, with such scrupulousness and apparent ease? Robert Gellately argues that the key factor in the `successful' enforcement of Nazi racial policy was the willingness of German citizens to provide the authorities with information about suspected `criminality'. He does not charge the nation with `collective guilt', but demonstrates that, without some degree of popular participation in the operations of institutions such as the Gestapo, the regime would have been seriously hampered not only inside Germany, but also in many of the occupied countries.

This study attempts to further scholastic understanding with regards to the relationship between the Third Reich and the German population, in order to examine the regime's success and effectiveness. This book examines the everyday operations of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police. How were the Gestapo able to detect the smallest signs of non-compliance with Nazi doctrines, especially `crimes' pertaining to the private spheres of social, family, and sexual life? How could the police enforce policies such as those designed to isolate the Jews or foreign workers with such apparent ease? Robert Gellately argues that there was a three-way interaction between the police, the German people, and the implementation of policy; and that the key factor in the enforcement of Nazi racial policy was the willingness of German citizens to provide the authorities with information about suspected `criminality'.