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Nazi Germany

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Coordinates: 52.52°N 13.37°E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Drittes Reich" and "Third Reich" redirect here. For the 1923 book, see Das Dritte Reich. For other
uses, see Reich (disambiguation).

German Reich
(1933–1943)
Deutsches Reich

Greater German Reich

(1943–1945)
Großdeutsches Reich

1933–1945

Flag
(1935–1945)

Emblem
(1935–1945)

Anthems:

 "Das Lied der Deutschen"

("The Song of the Germans")

Duration: 1 minute and 49 seconds.1:49

 "Horst-Wessel-Lied" [a]
("The Horst Wessel Song")
Duration: 3 minutes and 22 seconds.3:22

Germany's territorial control at its greatest extent

during World War II (late 1942):

 German Reich[b]

 Civilian-administered occupied territories

 Military-administered occupied territories

Show map of Europe Show administrative divisions

Show all

Capital Berlin
52°30′40″N 13°22′47″E
and largest city

Common languages German

Religion  54% Protestant

 40% Catholic

 3.5% Gottgläubige

 1.5% irreligious

 1% other[1]

Demonym(s) German

Government Unitary Nazi one-party fascist

state under a totalitarian
dictatorship

Head of state
• 1933–1934 Paul von Hindenburg[c]

• 1934–1945 Adolf Hitler[d]

• 1945 Karl Dönitz[c]

Chancellor

• 1933–1945 Adolf Hitler

• 1945 Joseph Goebbels[e]

• 1945 Lutz von Krosigk[f]

Legislature Reichstag

• Upper house Reichsrat (dissolved 1934)

Historical era Interwar • World War II

• Seizure of power 30 January 1933

• Enabling Act 23 March 1933

• Nuremberg Laws 15 September 1935

• Anschluss 12/13 March 1938[g]

• Invasion of Poland 1 September 1939

• Death of Hitler 30 April 1945

• Fall of Berlin 2 May 1945

• Surrender 8 May 1945

• Flensburg 23 May 1945

Government arrested

• Berlin Declaration 5 June 1945

Area

1939[h] 633,786 km2 (244,706 sq mi)

1940[3][b] 823,505 km2 (317,957 sq mi)

Population

• 1939[4] 79,375,281

• 1940[3][b] 109,518,183
Currency Reichsmark (ℛℳ)

Preceded by Succeeded by

Weimar Allied-occupied
Republic Germany

Federal State Allied-occupied

of Austria Austria

Part of a series on the

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Nazi Germany,[i] officially known as the German Reich[j] and later the Greater German Reich,[k] was
the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the
country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. The Third Reich,[l] meaning "Third Realm" or
"Third Empire", referred to the Nazi claim that Nazi Germany was the successor to the earlier Holy
Roman Empire (800/962–1806) and German Empire (1871–1918). The Third Reich, which the Nazis
referred to as the Thousand-Year Reich,[m] ended in May 1945, after only 12 years, when
the Allies defeated Germany and entered the capital, Berlin, ending World War II in Europe.

After Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933 by Paul von Hindenburg, the
President of the Weimar Republic, the Nazi Party began to eliminate political opposition and
consolidate power. Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934, and Hitler became dictator by merging the
powers of the chancellery and presidency. A 1934 German referendum confirmed Hitler as
sole Führer (leader). Power was centralised in Hitler's person, and his word became the highest law.
The government was not a coordinated, cooperating body, but rather a collection of factions
struggling to amass power. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Nazis restored economic
stability and ended mass unemployment using heavy military spending. Financed by deficit spending,
the regime undertook extensive public works projects, including the Autobahnen (motorways) and a
massive secret rearmament program, forming the Wehrmacht (armed forces). The return to
economic stability boosted the regime's popularity. Germany made increasingly aggressive territorial
demands, threatening war if they were not met. Germany seized Austria in the Anschluss of 1938,
and demanded and received the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Germany signed a non-
aggression pact with the Soviet Union and invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, launching World
War II in Europe. In alliance with Italy and other Axis powers, Germany conquered most of Europe by
1940 and threatened Great Britain.

Racism, Nazi eugenics, anti-Slavism, and especially antisemitism were central ideological features of
the regime. The Germanic peoples were considered by the Nazis to be the "master race", the purest
branch of the Aryan race. Jews, Romani people, Slavs, homosexuals, liberals, socialists, communists,
other political opponents, Jehovah's Witnesses, Freemasons, those who refused to work, and other
"undesirables" were imprisoned, deported, or murdered. Christian churches and citizens
that opposed Hitler's rule were oppressed and leaders imprisoned. Education focused on racial
biology, population policy, and fitness for military service. Career and educational opportunities for
women were curtailed. Nazi Propaganda Ministry disseminated films, antisemitic canards, and
organized mass rallies; fostering a pervasive cult of personality around Adolf

Search Wikipedia
Search

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Name

Background

History

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Geography

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Politics

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Military and paramilitary

Toggle Military and paramilitary subsection


Economy

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Racial policy and eugenics

Toggle Racial policy and eugenics subsection

Society

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Culture

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Legacy

See also

References

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External links

Nazi Germany

155 languages

 Article

 Talk

 Read

 View source

 View history

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 

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Coordinates: 52.52°N 13.37°E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Drittes Reich" and "Third Reich" redirect here. For the 1923 book, see Das Dritte Reich. For other
uses, see Reich (disambiguation).

German Reich
(1933–1943)
Deutsches Reich

Greater German Reich

(1943–1945)
Großdeutsches Reich

1933–1945

Flag
(1935–1945)

Emblem
(1935–1945)

Anthems:

 "Das Lied der Deutschen"

("The Song of the Germans")

Duration: 1 minute and 49 seconds.1:49

 "Horst-Wessel-Lied" [a]
("The Horst Wessel Song")

Duration: 3 minutes and 22 seconds.3:22

Germany's territorial control at its greatest extent
during World War II (late 1942):

 German Reich[b]

 Civilian-administered occupied territories

 Military-administered occupied territories

Show map of EuropeShow administrative divisionsShow

all

Capital Berlin
52°30′40″N 13°22′47″E
and largest city

Common languages German

Religion  54% Protestant

 40% Catholic

 3.5% Gottgläubige

 1.5% irreligious

 1% other[1]

Demonym(s) German

Government Unitary Nazi one-party fascist

state under a totalitarian
dictatorship

Head of state

• 1933–1934 Paul von Hindenburg[c]

• 1934–1945 Adolf Hitler[d]

• 1945 Karl Dönitz[c]

Chancellor

• 1933–1945 Adolf Hitler

• 1945 Joseph Goebbels[e]

• 1945 Lutz von Krosigk[f]

Legislature Reichstag

• Upper house Reichsrat (dissolved 1934)

Historical era Interwar • World War II

• Seizure of power 30 January 1933

• Enabling Act 23 March 1933

• Nuremberg Laws 15 September 1935

• Anschluss 12/13 March 1938[g]

• Invasion of Poland 1 September 1939

• Death of Hitler 30 April 1945

• Fall of Berlin 2 May 1945

• Surrender 8 May 1945

• Flensburg 23 May 1945

Government arrested

• Berlin Declaration 5 June 1945

Area

1939[h] 633,786 km2 (244,706 sq mi)

1940[3][b] 823,505 km2 (317,957 sq mi)

Population

• 1939[4] 79,375,281

• 1940[3][b] 109,518,183

Currency Reichsmark (ℛℳ)

 Preceded by Succeeded by

Weimar Allied-occupied
Republic Germany

Federal State Allied-occupied

of Austria Austria

Part of a series on the

History of Germany

show

Topics

show

Early history

show

Middle Ages

show

Early Modern period

show

Unification

show

German Reich

show

Contemporary Germany

 Germany portal
  History portal

 v

 t

 e

Part of a series on

Nazism

show

Organizations

show

History

show

Ideology

show

Politicians

show

Ideologues

show

Literature

show

Religion

show

Outside of Germany

show

Lists
 show

Related topics

 Category

 Germany portal

 v

 t

 e

Nazi Germany,[i] officially known as the German Reich[j] and later the Greater German Reich,[k] was
the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the
country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. The Third Reich,[l] meaning "Third Realm" or
"Third Empire", referred to the Nazi claim that Nazi Germany was the successor to the earlier Holy
Roman Empire (800/962–1806) and German Empire (1871–1918). The Third Reich, which the Nazis
referred to as the Thousand-Year Reich,[m] ended in May 1945, after only 12 years, when
the Allies defeated Germany and entered the capital, Berlin, ending World War II in Europe.

After Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933 by Paul von Hindenburg, the
President of the Weimar Republic, the Nazi Party began to eliminate political opposition and
consolidate power. Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934, and Hitler became dictator by merging the
powers of the chancellery and presidency. A 1934 German referendum confirmed Hitler as
sole Führer (leader). Power was centralised in Hitler's person, and his word became the highest law.
The government was not a coordinated, cooperating body, but rather a collection of factions
struggling to amass power. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Nazis restored economic
stability and ended mass unemployment using heavy military spending. Financed by deficit spending,
the regime undertook extensive public works projects, including the Autobahnen (motorways) and a
massive secret rearmament program, forming the Wehrmacht (armed forces). The return to
economic stability boosted the regime's popularity. Germany made increasingly aggressive territorial
demands, threatening war if they were not met. Germany seized Austria in the Anschluss of 1938,
and demanded and received the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Germany signed a non-
aggression pact with the Soviet Union and invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, launching World
War II in Europe. In alliance with Italy and other Axis powers, Germany conquered most of Europe by
1940 and threatened Great Britain.

Racism, Nazi eugenics, anti-Slavism, and especially antisemitism were central ideological features of
the regime. The Germanic peoples were considered by the Nazis to be the "master race", the purest
branch of the Aryan race. Jews, Romani people, Slavs, homosexuals, liberals, socialists, communists,
other political opponents, Jehovah's Witnesses, Freemasons, those who refused to work, and other
"undesirables" were imprisoned, deported, or murdered. Christian churches and citizens
that opposed Hitler's rule were oppressed and leaders imprisoned. Education focused on racial
biology, population policy, and fitness for military service. Career and educational opportunities for
women were curtailed. Nazi Propaganda Ministry disseminated films, antisemitic canards, and
organized mass rallies; fostering a pervasive cult of personality around Adolf

Search Wikipedia
Search

Donate

 Create account

 Log in

Personal tools

Contents

hide

(Top)

Name

Background

History

Toggle History subsection

Geography

Toggle Geography subsection

Politics

Toggle Politics subsection

Military and paramilitary

Toggle Military and paramilitary subsection


Economy

Toggle Economy subsection

Racial policy and eugenics

Toggle Racial policy and eugenics subsection

Society

Toggle Society subsection

Culture

Toggle Culture subsection

Legacy

See also

References

Toggle References subsection

External links

Nazi Germany

155 languages

 Article

 Talk

 Read

 View source

 View history

Tools
 

Appearance

hide

Text

Small

Standard

Large

Width

Standard

Wide

Color (beta)

Automatic

Light

Dark

Coordinates: 52.52°N 13.37°E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Drittes Reich" and "Third Reich" redirect here. For the 1923 book, see Das Dritte Reich. For other
uses, see Reich (disambiguation).

German Reich
(1933–1943)
Deutsches Reich

Greater German Reich

(1943–1945)
Großdeutsches Reich

1933–1945

Flag
(1935–1945)

Emblem
(1935–1945)

Anthems:

 "Das Lied der Deutschen"

("The Song of the Germans")

Duration: 1 minute and 49 seconds.1:49

 "Horst-Wessel-Lied" [a]
("The Horst Wessel Song")

Duration: 3 minutes and 22 seconds.3:22

Germany's territorial control at its greatest extent
during World War II (late 1942):

 German Reich[b]

 Civilian-administered occupied territories

 Military-administered occupied territories

Show map of EuropeShow administrative divisionsShow

all

Capital Berlin
52°30′40″N 13°22′47″E
and largest city

Common languages German

Religion  54% Protestant

 40% Catholic

 3.5% Gottgläubige

 1.5% irreligious

 1% other[1]

Demonym(s) German

Government Unitary Nazi one-party fascist

state under a totalitarian
dictatorship

Head of state

• 1933–1934 Paul von Hindenburg[c]

• 1934–1945 Adolf Hitler[d]

• 1945 Karl Dönitz[c]

Chancellor

• 1933–1945 Adolf Hitler

• 1945 Joseph Goebbels[e]

• 1945 Lutz von Krosigk[f]

Legislature Reichstag

• Upper house Reichsrat (dissolved 1934)

Historical era Interwar • World War II

• Seizure of power 30 January 1933

• Enabling Act 23 March 1933

• Nuremberg Laws 15 September 1935

• Anschluss 12/13 March 1938[g]

• Invasion of Poland 1 September 1939

• Death of Hitler 30 April 1945

• Fall of Berlin 2 May 1945

• Surrender 8 May 1945

• Flensburg 23 May 1945

Government arrested

• Berlin Declaration 5 June 1945

Area

1939[h] 633,786 km2 (244,706 sq mi)

1940[3][b] 823,505 km2 (317,957 sq mi)

Population

• 1939[4] 79,375,281

• 1940[3][b] 109,518,183

Currency Reichsmark (ℛℳ)

 Preceded by Succeeded by

Weimar Allied-occupied
Republic Germany

Federal State Allied-occupied

of Austria Austria

Part of a series on the

History of Germany

show

Topics

show

Early history

show

Middle Ages

show

Early Modern period

show

Unification

show

German Reich

show

Contemporary Germany

 Germany portal
  History portal

 v

 t

 e

Part of a series on

Nazism

show

Organizations

show

History

show

Ideology

show

Politicians

show

Ideologues

show

Literature

show

Religion

show

Outside of Germany

show

Lists
 show

Related topics

 Category

 Germany portal

 v

 t

 e

Nazi Germany,[i] officially known as the German Reich[j] and later the Greater German Reich,[k] was
the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the
country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. The Third Reich,[l] meaning "Third Realm" or
"Third Empire", referred to the Nazi claim that Nazi Germany was the successor to the earlier Holy
Roman Empire (800/962–1806) and German Empire (1871–1918). The Third Reich, which the Nazis
referred to as the Thousand-Year Reich,[m] ended in May 1945, after only 12 years, when
the Allies defeated Germany and entered the capital, Berlin, ending World War II in Europe.

After Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933 by Paul von Hindenburg, the
President of the Weimar Republic, the Nazi Party began to eliminate political opposition and
consolidate power. Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934, and Hitler became dictator by merging the
powers of the chancellery and presidency. A 1934 German referendum confirmed Hitler as
sole Führer (leader). Power was centralised in Hitler's person, and his word became the highest law.
The government was not a coordinated, cooperating body, but rather a collection of factions
struggling to amass power. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Nazis restored economic
stability and ended mass unemployment using heavy military spending. Financed by deficit spending,
the regime undertook extensive public works projects, including the Autobahnen (motorways) and a
massive secret rearmament program, forming the Wehrmacht (armed forces). The return to
economic stability boosted the regime's popularity. Germany made increasingly aggressive territorial
demands, threatening war if they were not met. Germany seized Austria in the Anschluss of 1938,
and demanded and received the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Germany signed a non-
aggression pact with the Soviet Union and invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, launching World
War II in Europe. In alliance with Italy and other Axis powers, Germany conquered most of Europe by
1940 and threatened Great Britain.

Racism, Nazi eugenics, anti-Slavism, and especially antisemitism were central ideological features of
the regime. The Germanic peoples were considered by the Nazis to be the "master race", the purest
branch of the Aryan race. Jews, Romani people, Slavs, homosexuals, liberals, socialists, communists,
other political opponents, Jehovah's Witnesses, Freemasons, those who refused to work, and other
"undesirables" were imprisoned, deported, or murdered. Christian churches and citizens
that opposed Hitler's rule were oppressed and leaders imprisoned. Education focused on racial
biology, population policy, and fitness for military service. Career and educational opportunities for
women were curtailed. Nazi Propaganda Ministry disseminated films, antisemitic canards, and
organized mass rallies; fostering a pervasive cult of personality around Adolf