A principal architect of the Nazi racial state
Heinrich Himmler was a central Nazi leader who expanded the SS and police into a bureaucratic apparatus for racial rule and mass murder. He directed the concentration-camp system, extermination policies, and killing formations in occupied Europe, making him one of the principal perpetrators of the Holocaust and the murder of millions of other victims. During the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, he approved and directed the German reprisal that treated the city and its population as targets for destruction, massacre, and deportation. After attempting unauthorized negotiations with the Western Allies as Germany’s defeat became unavoidable, he was dismissed by Hitler, captured by British forces, and died by suicide in custody.
Career Timeline
- 1923Joined the Nazi Party and took part in the Beer Hall Putsch.
- 1925Joined the Schutzstaffel, or SS.
- 1929–1945Led the SS as Reichsführer-SS.
- 1936–1945Served as Chief of German Police, controlling the police and apparatus of political repression.
- 1943–1945Served concurrently as Reich Minister of the Interior.
- 1944Directed the destruction of Warsaw and the massacre and deportation of civilians during the uprising.
- 1945Was dismissed over unauthorized peace contacts, then captured and died by suicide in custody.