The Secret State Police, better known by its German acronym Gestapo, was the secret police of Nazi Germany from 26 April 1933 to 8 May 1945. The force was created when the executive and judicial branches were combined by Hermann Goering, and it fell under the jurisdiction of the SS under Heinrich Himmler. Heinrich Mueller led the Gestapo during World War II, and the Gestapo was responsible for arresting and/or murdering political opponents and for ensuring that the Nazi Party remained in power. In 1945, the secret police was disbanded at the end of the war.