The Shutz Staffel - SS - Black Shirts

• Use the study guide below to write an account of the role of the SS in Germany [15]
• 3 paragraphs - formation, development and creation of a dictatorship

Technique Guide

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​1. What was the SS?

• The SS (Schutzstaffel) means “Protection Squad.”
• It became the most powerful and feared Nazi organisation, central to enforcing Nazi control and terror.

2. Formation of the SS

• Founded in 1925 as a small unit to act as Hitler’s personal bodyguard.
• Originally part of the SA (Brownshirts), but more elite and loyal to Hitler.
• Wore distinctive black uniforms (from 1932).

3. Development of the SS

• Gained power after the Night of the Long Knives (1934), when the SS helped eliminate SA leaders.
• After this, the SS became independent from the SA and grew rapidly under Heinrich Himmler.
• Himmler turned the SS into a highly disciplined, racially pure, and fanatically loyal organisation.

4. Structure of the SSThe SS had several branches, each with a specific function:
Allgemeine SS (General SS)

• Oversaw domestic security, racial policy, and general Nazi enforcement.

Waffen-SS (Armed SS)

• A military branch of the SS, separate from the regular army.
• Fought in WWII and committed many war crimes.

SS-Totenkopfverbände (Death’s Head Units)

• Ran the concentration camps and later the extermination camps.

5. Role in Creating the Nazi Police State
​The SS was central to building and maintaining the Nazi police state:
Gestapo (Secret State Police)

• Run by the SS from 1936.
• Arrested and tortured political enemies, Jews, and anyone seen as a threat.
• Had the power to imprison people without trial (protective custody).

SD (Sicherheitsdienst – Security Service)

• SS intelligence agency.
• Spied on the German population and identified threats to the regime.

Control of Concentration Camps

• The SS ran the camp system, starting with Dachau (1933).
• Camps were used to imprison and terrorize political opponents, Jews, Roma, and other targeted groups.

Law and Order

• The SS controlled the police and judiciary.
• Helped turn Germany into a totalitarian state, where the law served Nazi interests.

Quick Summary

• Formed in 1925, the SS grew from a small bodyguard unit into the main force of terror and control in Nazi Germany.
• Under Himmler, it became responsible for surveillance, arrest, imprisonment, and execution of enemies.
• Its control over the Gestapo, SD, and camps made it key to the Nazi police state and dictatorship.

Exam Tip (GCSE)If asked about the police state or control in Nazi Germany, always mention:

• The SS’s rise after 1934
• Its branches (Gestapo, SD, Totenkopf)
• Its role in surveillance, repression, and camps