History up to 1945
Geschichte bis 1945
After reading, you will understand the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945, the Second World War, the persecution of Jews and how Germany remembers the victims.
1933: Hitler and the dictatorship
National Socialism is the name of the ideology and the regime of the party led by Adolf Hitler. Its followers are called Nationalsozialisten (National Socialists, or Nazis). In 1933, Hitler became Reichskanzler, the head of the German government at that time.
In 1933, the National Socialists built a Diktatur in Germany, that is, a dictatorship. In a dictatorship, one person or one group holds all power and nobody is allowed to control them. It was not a democracy, not a monarchy and not a principality.
This period is called the Drittes Reich (Third Reich). The National Socialists held power from 1933 to 1945, that is, twelve years. The period is also called the Zeit des Nationalsozialismus (time of National Socialism).
Living under the Nazi regime
In a democracy, citizens have freedoms. Under the National Socialists, these freedoms did not exist. There were no freie Wahlen, so people could not freely choose who governed. Other Parteien (parties) were banned.
The state controlled the press through Pressezensur (press censorship). Newspapers could not print what the government did not want. The police could arrest people without a valid reason, which are willkürliche Verhaftungen (arbitrary arrests).
A feature of the Nazi state was racism carried out by the state, Rassismus. The state divided people into groups by so-called "race" and treated them very differently. Jews were subject to Verfolgung (persecution).
- No free elections.
- Other parties were banned.
- The press was censored.
- Arbitrary arrests.
- Persecution of Jews.
The Second World War
The Zweite Weltkrieg (Second World War) lasted from 1939 to 1945. It began when Germany attacked Poland. Do not confuse it with the earlier Erste Weltkrieg (First World War).
The war in Europe officially ended with Germany's bedingungslose Kapitulation, its unconditional surrender. Neither a revolution in Germany nor the death of Hitler ended the war.
The 8. Mai 1945 (8 May 1945) is the day the Second World War ended in Europe. This is why 1945 is the year the Nazi regime ended.
- 1933: Hitler becomes Reichskanzler.
- 1939: the war begins.
- 8 May 1945: the war ends in Europe.
- 1945: the Nazi regime ends.
Persecution of Jews and resistance
The 9. November 1938 (9 November 1938) was a turning point. On this day, the National Socialists and their supporters destroyed Synagogen (synagogues) and Jewish shops all over Germany. This happened in 1938.
The persecution of Jews continued and led to the Holocaust, the murder of millions of European Jews organised by the Nazi state.
Some people also resisted the regime. Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg became known for the Attentat (assassination attempt) on Hitler on 20 July 1944. It was an act of Widerstand, resistance against the regime.
Remembrance and responsibility today
Germany today keeps the memory of the victims alive. Stolpersteine are small stones set into the pavement. They remember the victims of National Socialism.
The 27 January is an official Gedenktag (day of remembrance). It remembers the victims of National Socialism. It is also the day the Auschwitz extermination camp was liberated.
In 1970, Willy Brandt knelt at the former Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, a gesture called the Kniefall. He wanted to ask Poland and Polish Jews for forgiveness. It was not a sign of submission.
From the Nazi crimes against Jews comes Germany's special Verantwortung (responsibility) for Israel. The state of Israel was founded on the basis of a resolution of the Vereinte Nationen (United Nations).
In Germany, a person who denies the Holocaust can be punished with up to five years in prison or a fine. Holocaust denial is not allowed.