Reichssicherheitshauptamt

  • Reich Security Main Office
  • RSHA
Identifier
427
Type of Entity
Corporate Body

Dates of Existence

Founded in 1939-09-27

History

The Reichssicherheitshauptamt consisted of headquarters of the Sicherheitspolizei, Sicherheitsdienst, and Gestapo as of 1939-09-27. It was the principal office of the Nazi regime’s political, ideological, and racial warfare. The Reichssicherheitshauptamt’s backbone was the Gestapo and was founded by Reinhard Heydrich. After his assassination, Ernst Kaltenbrunner assumed command on 1943-01-30. This branch of the SS issued a decree in 1940 containing a tacit order for the Final Solution and coordinated the activities of the Einsatzgruppen.

Places

  • Founded in Germany.

Sources

  • Dictionary of the Holocaust : Biography, geography, and terminology / E.J. Epstein, P. Rosen. – Westport, 1997. – p. 264