Eichmann in Jerusalem

by

Hannah Arendt

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An abbreviation for the “Geheime Staatspolizei,” or Secret State Police within the S.S.. The Gestapo employed Eichmann after 1939, when it was combined into the R.S.H.A. with the S.D., its sister organization. Led by Heinrich Müller, the immensely powerful Gestapo operated without judicial oversight, rounding up Jews and the Nazis’ opponents throughout Europe.

Gestapo Quotes in Eichmann in Jerusalem

The Eichmann in Jerusalem quotes below are all either spoken by Gestapo or refer to Gestapo. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Banality of Evil Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

Eichmann himself, after “consulting Poliakoff and Reitlinger,” produced seventeen multicolored charts, which contributed little to a better understanding of the intricate bureaucratic machinery of the Third Reich, although his general description—“everything was always in a state of continuous flux, a steady stream”—sounded plausible to the student of totalitarianism, who knows that the monolithic quality of this form of government is a myth.

Related Characters: Adolf Eichmann, Heinrich Himmler
Page Number: 152
Explanation and Analysis:
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Gestapo Term Timeline in Eichmann in Jerusalem

The timeline below shows where the term Gestapo appears in Eichmann in Jerusalem. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5: The Second Solution: Concentration
The Banality of Evil Theme Icon
Conscience, Authority, and Totalitarianism Theme Icon
Justice and Legal Responsibility Theme Icon
...war, Heinrich Himmler combined the S.S. Security Service (S.D.) with the state police (including the Gestapo) into the Head Office for Reich Security (R.S.H.A.), headed by Reinhardt Heydrich (and later Ernst... (full context)
The Banality of Evil Theme Icon
Conscience, Authority, and Totalitarianism Theme Icon
Heinrich Müller headed the R.S.H.A. Gestapo bureau, Section IV. Eichmann worked directly for him in Subsection IV-B, dealing with Jewish matters.... (full context)
Chapter 15: Judgment, Appeal, and Execution
Justice and Legal Responsibility Theme Icon
...counts. The last three counts are for belonging to “criminal organizations”: the S.S., S.D., and Gestapo (but not the Nazi leadership in which the prosecution wanted to prove his membership). Each... (full context)