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Allgemeine-SS
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Allgemeine-SS

German military history
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The Allgemeine-SS, or General SS, was one of two main groups within the SS, the elite corps of the Nazi Party. Founded by Adolf Hitler in 1925 as a personal bodyguard, the SS grew into a powerful organization with police and military authority. The Allgemeine-SS primarily functioned as a police force, dealing with "racial" matters and overseeing intelligence and espionage through divisions like the Reich Security Central Office (RSHA) and the Gestapo. In contrast, the Waffen-SS served as combat troops and administered concentration camps, carrying out mass executions. The SS was declared a criminal organization by the Allied Tribunal in Nuremberg in 1946.12

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