Editing Schutzstaffel (section)

==Origins==
===Forerunner of the SS===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 119-1486, Hitler-Putsch, München, Marienplatz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Nazi Party]] supporters and stormtroopers in Munich during the [[Beer Hall Putsch]], 1923]]
By 1923, the [[Nazi Party]] led by [[Adolf Hitler]] had created a small volunteer guard unit known as the ''Saal-Schutz'' (Hall Security) to provide security at their meetings in [[Munich]].{{sfn|Evans|2003|p=228}}{{sfn|Michael|Doerr|2002|p=356}} The same year, Hitler ordered the formation of a small bodyguard unit dedicated to his personal service. He wished it to be separate from the "suspect mass" of the party, including the paramilitary ''[[Sturmabteilung]]'' ("Storm Battalion"; SA), which he did not trust.{{sfn|McNab|2009|pp=14, 16}} The new formation was designated the ''Stabswache'' (Staff Guard).{{sfn|McNab|2009|p=14}} Originally the unit was composed of eight men, commanded by [[Julius Schreck]] and [[Joseph Berchtold]], and was modelled after the [[Marinebrigade Ehrhardt|Erhardt Naval Brigade]], a ''[[Freikorps]]'' of the time. The unit was renamed [[Stoßtrupp-Hitler|''Stoßtrupp'']] (Shock Troops) in May 1923.{{sfn|Weale|2010|p=16}}{{sfn|McNab|2009|p=16}}

The ''Stoßtrupp'' was abolished after the failed 1923 [[Beer Hall Putsch]], an attempt by the Nazi Party to seize power in Munich.{{sfn|Hein|2015|p=10}} In 1925, Hitler ordered Schreck to organise a new bodyguard unit, the ''Schutzkommando'' (Protection Command).{{sfn|Weale|2010|p=26}} It was tasked with providing personal protection for Hitler at party functions and events. That same year, the ''Schutzkommando'' was expanded to a national organisation and renamed successively the ''Sturmstaffel'' (Storm Squadron), and finally the ''Schutzstaffel'' (Protection Squad; SS).{{sfn|Weale|2010|pp=26–29}} Officially, the SS marked its foundation on 9 November 1925 (the second anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch).{{sfn|Koehl|2004|p=34}} The new SS protected party leaders throughout Germany. Hitler's personal SS protection unit was later enlarged to include combat units.{{sfn|Cook|Bender|1994|pp=17, 19}}

===Early commanders===
Schreck, a founding member of the SA and a close confidant of Hitler, became the first SS chief in March 1925.{{sfn|Laqueur|Baumel|2001|p=604}} On 15 April 1926, Joseph Berchtold succeeded him as chief of the SS. Berchtold changed the title of the office to ''[[Reichsführer-SS]]'' (Reich Leader-SS).{{sfn|Weale|2010|p=30}} Berchtold was considered more dynamic than his predecessor but became increasingly frustrated by the authority the SA had over the SS.{{sfn|Weale|2010|p=32}} This led to him transferring leadership of the SS to his deputy, [[Erhard Heiden]], on 1 March 1927.{{sfn|Hein|2015|p=12}} Under Heiden's leadership, a stricter code of discipline was enforced than would have been tolerated in the SA.{{sfn|Weale|2010|p=32}}

Between 1925 and 1929, the SS was considered to be a small ''Gruppe'' (battalion) of the SA.{{sfn|Weale|2010|pp=45–46}} Except in the Munich area, the SS was unable to maintain any momentum in its membership numbers, which declined from 1,000 to 280 as the SA continued its rapid growth.{{sfn|Weale|2010|pp=32–33}} As Heiden attempted to keep the SS from dissolving, [[Heinrich Himmler]] became his deputy in September 1927. Himmler displayed better organisational abilities than Heiden.{{sfn|Weale|2010|pp=45–46}} The SS established [[List of Gauleiters|a number]] of [[Gau (territory)|''Gaue'']] (regions or provinces). The SS-Gaue consisted of ''SS-Gau Berlin'', ''SS-Gau Berlin Brandenburg'', ''SS-Gau Franken'', ''SS-Gau Niederbayern'', ''SS-Gau Rheinland-Süd'', and ''SS-Gau Sachsen''.{{sfn|Miller|Schulz|2012|pp=1–2}}

===Himmler appointed===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1969-054-53A, Nürnberg, Reichsparteitag.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Heinrich Himmler]] (with glasses, to the left of [[Adolf Hitler]]) was an early supporter of the Nazi Party.]]
With Hitler's approval, Himmler assumed the position of ''Reichsführer-SS'' in January 1929.{{sfn|McNab|2009|p=18}}{{sfn|Weale|2010|p=47}} There are differing accounts of the reason for Heiden's dismissal from his position as head of the SS. The party announced that it was for "family reasons".{{sfn|Longerich|2012|p=113}} Under Himmler, the SS expanded and gained a larger foothold. He considered the SS an elite, ideologically driven National Socialist organisation, a "conflation of [[Teutonic Order|Teutonic knights]], the [[Jesuits]], and [[Samurai|Japanese Samurai]]".{{sfn|Burleigh|Wippermann|1991|pp=272–273}} His ultimate aim was to turn the SS into the most powerful organisation in Germany and the most influential branch of the party.{{sfn|Weale|2010|pp=45–47, 300–305}} He expanded the SS to 3,000 members in his first year as its leader.{{sfn|Burleigh|Wippermann|1991|pp=272–273}}

In 1929, the ''[[SS Main Office|SS-Hauptamt]]'' (main SS office) was expanded and reorganised into five main offices dealing with general administration, personnel, finance, security, and race matters. At the same time, the SS-Gaue were divided into three ''SS-Oberführerbereiche'' areas, namely the ''SS-Oberführerbereich Ost'', ''SS-Oberführerbereich West'', and ''SS-Oberführerbereich Süd''.{{sfn|Miller|Schulz|2012|pp=2–3}} The lower levels of the SS remained largely unchanged. Although officially still considered a sub-organisation of the SA and answerable to the ''[[Stabschef]]'' (SA Chief of Staff), it was also during this time that Himmler began to establish the independence of the SS from the SA.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|pp=308–314}} The SS grew in size and power due to its exclusive loyalty to Hitler, as opposed to the SA, which was seen as semi-independent and a threat to Hitler's hegemony over the party, mainly because they demanded a "second revolution" beyond the one that brought the Nazi Party to power.{{sfn|Baranowski|2010|pp=196–197}} By the end of 1933, the membership of the SS reached 209,000.{{sfn|Zentner|Bedürftig|1991|p=901}} Under Himmler's leadership, the SS continued to gather greater power as more and more state and party functions were assigned to its jurisdiction. Over time the SS became answerable only to Hitler, a development typical of the organisational structure of the entire Nazi regime, where legal norms were replaced by actions undertaken under the {{Lang|de|[[Führerprinzip]]}} (leader principle), where Hitler's will was considered to be above the law.{{sfn|Zentner|Bedürftig|1991|p=903}}

In the latter half of 1934, Himmler oversaw the creation of ''[[SS-Junker Schools|SS-Junkerschule]]'', institutions where SS officer candidates received leadership training, political and ideological indoctrination, and military instruction. The training stressed ruthlessness and toughness as part of the SS value system, which helped foster a sense of superiority among the men and taught them self-confidence.{{sfn|Laqueur|Baumel|2001|p=606}} The first schools were established at [[Bad Tölz]] and [[Braunschweig]], with additional schools opening at [[Klagenfurt]] and [[Prague]] during the war.{{sfn|Allen|2002|p=112}}

===Ideology===
{{Main|Ideology of the SS}}
The SS was regarded as the Nazi Party's elite unit.{{sfn|Höhne|2001|pp=146, 147}} In keeping with the [[racial policy of Nazi Germany]], in the early days all SS officer candidates had to provide proof of [[Aryan race#Nazism|Aryan ancestry]] back to 1750 and for other ranks to 1800.{{sfn|Stackelberg|2002|p=116}} Once the war started and it became more difficult to confirm ancestry, the regulation was amended to proving only the candidate's grandparents were Aryan, as spelled out in the [[Nuremberg Laws]].{{sfn|Jacobsen|1999|pp=82, 93}} Other requirements were complete obedience to the ''Führer'' and a commitment to the German people and nation.{{sfn|Weale|2010|pp=62–67}} Himmler also tried to institute physical criteria based on appearance and height, but these requirements were only loosely enforced, and over half the SS men did not meet the criteria.{{sfn|Weale|2010|pp=63–65}} Inducements such as higher salaries and larger homes were provided to members of the SS since they were expected to produce more children than the average German family as part of their commitment to Nazi Party doctrine.{{sfn|Langerbein|2003|p=19}}

[[File:Gruft der Wewelsburg (10573265394) b.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|The crypt at [[Wewelsburg]] was repurposed by Himmler as a place to memorialise dead SS members.{{sfn|Yenne|2010|p=115}} Artwork commemorating the Holocaust hangs on the walls (2013).]]

Commitment to SS ideology was emphasised throughout the recruitment, membership process, and training.{{sfn|Höhne|2001|pp=148–149}} Members of the SS were indoctrinated in the racial policy of Nazi Germany and were taught that it was necessary to remove from Germany people deemed by that policy as inferior.{{sfn|Weale|2010|pp=65–66}} [[Esoteric Nazism|Esoteric]] rituals and the awarding of regalia and insignia for milestones in the SS man's career suffused SS members even further with Nazi ideology.{{sfn|Höhne|2001|pp=150–151}} Members were expected to renounce their Christian faith, and Christmas was replaced with a [[Christmas in Nazi Germany|solstice celebration]].{{sfn|Yenne|2010|p=93}} Church weddings were replaced with SS ''Eheweihen'', a pagan ceremony invented by Himmler.{{sfn|Yenne|2010|p=94}} These pseudo-religious rites and ceremonies often took place near SS-dedicated monuments or in special SS-designated places.{{sfn|Laqueur|Baumel|2001|p=608}} In 1933, Himmler bought [[Wewelsburg]], a castle in [[Westphalia]]. He initially intended it to be used as an SS training centre, but its role came to include hosting SS dinners and neo-pagan rituals.{{sfn|Yenne|2010|pp=111–113}}

In 1936, Himmler wrote in the pamphlet "The SS as an Anti-Bolshevist Fighting Organisation":
{{blockquote|We shall take care that never again in Germany, the heart of Europe, will the Jewish-Bolshevik revolution of subhumans be able to be kindled either from within or through emissaries from without.{{sfn|Himmler|1936}}}}

The SS ideology included the application of brutality and terror as a solution to military and political issues.{{sfn|Langerbein|2003|p=21}} The SS stressed total loyalty and obedience to orders unto death. Hitler used this as a powerful tool to further his aims and those of the Nazi Party. The SS was entrusted with the commission of war crimes such as the murder of Jewish civilians. Himmler once wrote that an SS man "hesitates not for a single instant, but executes unquestioningly..." any ''Führer-Befehl'' (''Führer'' order).{{sfn|Himmler|1936|p=134}} Their official motto was ''"[[Meine Ehre heißt Treue]]"'' (My Honour is Loyalty).{{sfn|Weale|2012|pp=60–61}}

As part of its race-centric functions during World War II, the SS oversaw the isolation and displacement of [[Jews]] from the populations of the conquered territories, seizing their assets and deporting them to concentration camps and [[Jewish ghettos established by Nazi Germany|ghettos]], where they were used as slave labour or immediately murdered.{{sfn|Jacobsen|1999|pp=82, 93}} Chosen to implement the [[Final Solution]] ordered by Hitler, the SS were the main group responsible for the institutional murder and [[democide]] of more than 20 million people during the Holocaust, including approximately 5.2 million{{sfn|Rummel|1992|pp=12–13}} to 6 million{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=318}} Jews and 10.5 million [[Slavs]].{{sfn|Rummel|1992|pp=12–13}} A significant number of victims were members of other racial or ethnic groups such as the 258,000 [[Romani people|Romani]].{{sfn|Rummel|1992|pp=12–13}} The SS was involved in murdering people viewed as threats to [[Nazi eugenics|race hygiene]] or Nazi ideology, including the mentally or physically disabled, homosexuals, and political dissidents. Members of trade unions and those perceived to be affiliated with groups that opposed the regime (religious, political, social, and otherwise), or those whose views were contradictory to the goals of the Nazi Party government, were rounded up in large numbers; these included clergy of all faiths, [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]], [[Communism|Communists]], and [[Rotary International|Rotary Club]] members.{{sfn|Rummel|1992|p=12}} According to the judgements rendered at the [[Nuremberg trials]], as well as many war crimes investigations and trials conducted since then, the SS was responsible for the majority of Nazi war crimes. In particular, it was the primary organisation that carried out the Holocaust.{{sfn|International Military Tribunal|1946}}