Foundations of the Nazi police state : the formation of Sipo and SD

Analyzes the conglomerate Sipo (Sicherheitspolizei; fusion of the Kriminalpolizei and the Gestapo) and SD (Sicherheitsdienst), created by Himmler in 1936 and commanded by Heydrich, as an amalgam of Nazi Party and state agencies which constituted the heart of the National-Socialist police state based on terror and mass murder. Advocates the polycratic-functionalist theory as against intentionalism, arguing that in developments which were usually below Hitler's level of interest, functional pressures by institutions such as the Sipo-SD helped shape policy within the ideological framework. Traces the history of both the SS and SD, as well as that of the German police, in the power struggle for primacy. After the SS victory in 1936, the Sipo-SD became involved with the Jewish problem, with the Gestapo as the official vehicle for forced emigration, resettlement in ghettos, and shipment to extermination camps. It also controlled the euthanasia program and the Einsatzgruppen mass killings. Includes bibliographical references (pages 252-331). xii, 346 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm