Rudolf Diels: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

Rudolf Diels

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	Topics Rudolf Diels Topic Home Rudolf Diels was a GermanGermany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe.... politician. A protégé of Hermann GöringHermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Gring was a German politician and military leader, a leading member of the Nazi Party, second in command o... , Diels was in charge of the GestapoFacts About Gestapo The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany.... from 1933 to 1934. He was born in Berghaus in Taunus, the son of a farmer. He served in the army during World War IWorld War I World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and "The War to End All Wars" was a global m... and afterwards went to study law at the University of Marburg from 1919. He joined the PrussiaPrussia Prussia was, most recently, a historic state originating in Brandenburg, an area which for centuries had substantial influen... n interior ministry in 1930 and was promoted to an advisory position in the Prussian police in 1932, targeting the suppression of political radicals, both Communists and Nazis. When Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler Adolf Hitler was Chancellor of Germany from 1933, and Fhrer of Germany from 1934 until his death.... came to power, Diels was head of the Prussian political police in BerlinBerlin Overview Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany.... . When Göring was made minister for Prussia in 1933, replacing Karl Severing, he was impressed with Diels' work and new commitment to the Nazi party. Göring appointed him as chief of the new Prussian state police department 1A, concerned with political crimes, in April 1933. Department 1A was soon renamed the Gestapo. He was the main interrogator of Marinus van der LubbeMarinus van der Lubbe Marinus van der Lubbe was a Dutch council communist accused of and executed for setting fire to the German Reichstag bui... following the Reichstag fireReichstag fire The Reichstag fire, a pivotal event in the establishment of Nazi Germany, began at 9:14 PM on the night of February 27, 1933... of February 27, 1933. Diels soon attracted the attention of political rivals including Reinhard HeydrichReinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenfhrer, chief of the Reich Security Main Office and Reich governor... . Effectively smeared, he narrowly avoided execution during the Night of the Long KnivesFacts About Night of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives , also known as Reichsmordwoche, "Operation Hummingbird" or "the Blood Purge", was a letha... , fleeing his post for five weeks. When control of the Gestapo was given to Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germa... , Diels was dismissed on April 1, 1934. He was briefly Deputy Police President of Berlin before being appointed to the local government of Cologne as a Regierungsprasident. He maintained his association with Göring, marrying a cousin of his protector. Göring saved him from prison on a number of occasions, notably once in 1940 when he declined to order the arrest of JewJew Jews are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno-religious group descended from th... s and more vitally after the July 20 Plot. He presented an affidavit for the prosecution at the Nuremberg trialsNuremberg Trials The Nuremberg Trials were the trials of the Nazi officials involved in the Holocaust during World War II.... but was also summoned to testify by Göring's defence lawyer. He later served in the post-war government of Lower SaxonyLower Saxony With an area of 47,618 km and nearly eight million inhabitants, Lower Saxony ) lies in north-western Germany and is second ... from 1950 and then in the Ministry of the Interior until his retirement in 1953. He died following an accident while hunting. Diels' memoirs, Lucifer Ante Portas: Von Severing bis Heydrich, were published in 1950. A less cautious work was published after his retirement, Der Fall Otto Johns (1954).