Gestapo
Hitler's secret police
The Gestapo was Nazi Germany's secret police force, notorious for brutal suppression of political opposition and enforcement of racial policies.
The name abbreviates *Geheime Staatspolizei* (secret state police).
Outside historical contexts, Gestapo describes any ruthlessly oppressive authority: The homeowners' association runs like a Gestapo.
Formal, probing examination
- tortureDeliberate infliction of suffering
- agentOne who acts independently
- officerAuthority figure in uniform
- headquartersCentral command location
Müller · Nazi · Nuremberg · collaborator · confession · prisoner · basement · cell
Oppressive, absolute governance
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
- brutalitySavage, merciless behavior
- crueltyDeliberate harm-causing disposition
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
terror · intimidation · totalitarianism · authoritarianism · despotism · dictatorship · subjugation · domination
One who provides intelligence
- denunciationFormal public accusation
- wiretappingCovert phone surveillance
- eavesdroppingSecretly listening to others
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
spying · infiltration · tracking · shadowing · tailing · observation · watchlist · bugging
interrogation
Formal, probing examination
- tortureDeliberate infliction of suffering
- agentOne who acts independently
- officerAuthority figure in uniform
headquarters · Müller · Nazi · Nuremberg · collaborator · confession · prisoner · basement · cell · disappearance
tyranny
Oppressive, absolute governance
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
- brutalitySavage, merciless behavior
- crueltyDeliberate harm-causing disposition
repression · terror · intimidation · totalitarianism · authoritarianism · despotism · dictatorship · subjugation · domination · coercion
informant
One who provides intelligence
- denunciationFormal public accusation
- wiretappingCovert phone surveillance
- eavesdroppingSecretly listening to others
monitoring · spying · infiltration · tracking · shadowing · tailing · observation · watchlist · bugging · file
- Defunct OrganizationsLeague of Nations, Warsaw Pact, Pan Am, TWA, Enron
- WWII GermanyNazi Germany, Nazi Party, Nazi regime, Third Reich, Wehrmacht
- espionagespy, spies, double agent, double agents, spying
- European HistoryFrench Revolution, Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Industrial Revolution
- World War IIAllies, Nazi, Hitler, Axis, Third Reich
- German HistoryNazi, Prussia, Saxony, Reichstag, Napoleonic Wars
Gestapocivil liberties union
Rights watchdog organization
due process · habeas corpus · ACLU · ombudsman · constitutional court
Gestapodue process
Guaranteed judicial fairness
rule of law · habeas corpus · fair trial · judicial oversight · open court
Gestapoanti-Nazi resistance
Opposition to Hitler's regime
French Resistance · White Rose · anti-fascist resistance · liberators · rescuers