Schutzstaffel (Noun)
Meaning
Special police force in Nazi Germany founded as a personal bodyguard for Adolf Hitler in 1925; the SS administered the concentration camps.
Classification
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects.
Examples
- The Schutzstaffel was a powerful symbol of Nazi authority and played a central role in enforcement of the Holocaust during World War II.
- Adolf Hitler initially founded the Schutzstaffel in 1925 as a personal bodyguard unit known as the SS-Stabswache.
- As a specialized police force, the Schutzstaffel worked closely with the German military establishment to impose Nazi dominance across Europe.
- In addition to administering the network of concentration camps in Germany and Poland, the Schutzstaffel carried out 'Night of the Long Knives' and other acts of repression against elements opposing the Nazi regime.
- Members of the Schutzstaffel, recognizable by their black uniforms and SS insignia, were among the most feared figures in occupied Europe during World War II.