History GCSE
The SS
What The SS means in History GCSE, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definition of The SS
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain The SS in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
Led by Heinrich Himmler, it grew from Hitler's bodyguard into the primary instrument of internal security, overseeing all police forces.
Topics that use The SS
- Option 31: Key topic 3: Nazi control and dictatorship, 1933–39 - 2 The police state (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
- Concentration camps
- Dictatorship and authoritarianism
- Institutional control
- Political repression
- The Gestapo
- The police state
- Subversion of justice
Using The SS in the exam
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