Nazi Germany A People’s History

Legacy Adolf Hitler and the Nazis left an indelible mark on the history of Europe and the world Europe as a world power became secondary to that of the United States and the Soviet Union Most of Europe was left in ruins Genocide on a massed scale Trials to bring the guilty to justice that last to the present day Threat of global annihilation by nuclear weapons

Legacy While Hitler was at the heart of it all, he could not have done all of this alone In Germany thousands threw their support behind the Third Reich and its leadership How much did the common German citizen know and could this have been stopped? Why did ordinary people give their support to the Nazis?

World War 1 and the Versailles Treaty The end of World War 1 brought about the collapse of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, and the German Empire. The war was the first modern war where industrialization and massed mobilization were employed.

Treaty of Versailles The treaty greatly limited Germany’s armed forces Took land from them to create other countries Forced them to accept all responsibility for World War 1 Forced large reparations to be paid to the victors

Germany in 1919 Germany in 1919 was in a state of rebellion and revolution Most Germans did not at first believe they had lost World War 1 Most Germans believed the treaty was too harsh and they were not to blame for the war Others believed that they were somehow betrayed by conspirators inside Germany itself Jews, Communists, Pacifists, Anarchists, and various other socially unacceptable groups and organizations

Freikorps Formed after the war in the absence of a national army Volunteers of former army officers and soldiers who wanted to confront the revolutionaries in Germany

Adolf Hitler 1889-1945 Hitler’s father was born of an illegitimate birth to Maria Anna Schicklgruber Alois Schicklgruber was eventually adopted by Johann Hiedler In time Alois changed the name to Hitler

Adolf Hitler 1889-1945

Adolf Hitler 1889-1945 Adolf Hitler was born on April 30,1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria Hitler was the fourth of six children born to Alois and Klara Hitler. Three of his siblings died as infants and a younger brother Edmund died in 1900 of measles He was close to his mother though was not fond of his father. Alois wanted his son to become a customs agent like him Hitler wanted to go to art school but his father would not allow it

Adolf Hitler 1889-1945 The family moved several times around Austria and Germany finally settling in Linz, Austria In 1907 he moved to Vienna, and was twice rejected for art school. When his mother died of breast cancer, he was virtually penniless and homeless.

Hitler in the Military 1914-1918 Hitler enlisted in the German army at the start of World War 1 He served in France, Belgium, was wounded at the Battle of the Somme in his leg, and blinded by a mustard gas attack in 1918 In all of the war he only took 1 leave of 18 days

Hitler Enters Politics In 1919, still in the army, Hitler was sent to spy on an organization called the German Worker’s Party (Deutche Arbiterspartei or DAP) By 1921 he dedicated his full efforts to the party, and became the chief spokesman for the party

Growth of the Nazi Movement To broaden the appeal of the Nazi movement, Hitler rebranded the DAP to the National Socialists German Worker’s Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) At the same time the paramilitary SA (Sturmabteilung) was formed to keep order at party rallies and make trouble for rival parties

Hitler’s Inner Circle Hermann Goering Heinrich Himmler Joseph Goebbels

The Swastika Meant to symbolized Aryan identity and German nationalism and identity Nazis were not the only ones to use the symbol Used in numerous cultures throughout the world Hakenkreuz or hooked cross

Establishment of the Nazi Party Feb. 24, 1920 The DAP changed its name to the NSDAP or National Socialist German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) July 29, 1921 Hitler became the party’s sole leader and took the title of Der Fuhrer (The Leader) That November the SA also officially came into being.

Munich Beerhall Putsch With numbers of party members growing Hitler believed it was time to take more radical action. November 8-9 Hitler led an attempt to seize power in Munich. The attempt failed resulting in his arrest and the death of 16 Nazis

Trial and Imprisonment Hitler’s trial turned into a platform for his political vision. He was sentenced to 5 years in Landsberg Prison, but served about 8 months While there he received numerous visitors and wrote Mein Kampf.

The SS Formed to be Hitler’s personal bodyguards in 1925 Wore distinctive black uniforms Became an official part of Nazi government and military Heinrich Himmler was haed of the SS

The Great Depression The Depression hit Germany hard in 1930 Massed unemployment and hyperinflation By 1932 Nazi party members represent 37% of the German government

Hitler Takes Power Jan. 30, 1933 Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Hindenburg Feb. 27, 1933 Reichstag Fire March 23, 1933 Enabling Act passed April 26, 1933 Gestapo, Nazi secret police, formed

Removing All Rivals July 14, 1933 All parties except the Nazis banned June 30, 1934 Night of the Long Knives Aug. 2, 1934 Hindenburg dies and Hitler becomes sole power in Germany Hitler’s seizure of power is complete

German Rearmament and Expansion 1935 Hitler announces Germany will build an air force (Luftwaffe) and begin conscription 1936 Rhineland reoccupied by German troops 1936 Italy and Japan enter into military alliances with Germany

Austria and Czechoslovakia March 14, 1938 Austria annexed by Germany September 30, 1938 Munich agreement ends the Sudeten crisis by giving the Sudetenland to Germany March 15, 1939 Nazis conquer all of Czechoslovakia

Germany Under the Nazis Hitler says in a speech that a woman’s duty is to her “husband, her family, her children, and her home.” By 1936 all boys were to become members of the Hitler Youth Girls became members of the League of German Girls

Jews Under the Nazis Before World War 2 Nov. 1935 Nuremberg Laws strip Germany’s Jews of most of their civil rights and citizenship. Nov. 9-10, 1938 Kristallnacht or Night of Broken Glass attacks on Jews synagogues and shops.

World War 2 Begins Germany invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939 to begin World War 2 To assure that the Soviet Union would not interfere the Nazi- Soviet Pact was signed between the two nations. The pact split Poland between Russia and Germany.

World War 2 The Nazis swiftly overran much of eastern and western Europe, and by 1941 controlled much of the continent. In 1941 Germany invaded the USSR and Japan attacked Pearl Harbor involving the US in the war.

World War 2 By 1943, the Germans suffered defeats in Russia, North Africa, and Italy bringing the war closer to Germany. Allied bombers began to target German industrial cities, and other targets.

World War 2 By the end of 1944 both the Soviets and British and American armies were poised to pierce the heart on Nazi Germany and finish the Third Reich once and for all.

The Final Solution During the invasion of Poland, Einsatzgruppen followed the army and executed any Jews they found. At the Wannsee Conference it was decided that death in concentration camps using poison gas were the most efficient method of dealing with Jews.

The Final Solution In 1942 large scale deportations of Jews began to the concentration camps located in eastern Europe. Auschwitz was the largest of the hundreds of camps across Europe.

Final Solution Upon arrival Jews were separated. Women with small children, the elderly, were sent to their deaths in the gas chambers. Their bodies often burned in crematoriums. Healthy inmates were worked to death with few rations and little winter clothing.

Final Solution By 1945 some 6,000,000 people were murdered by the Nazis. Among them were Gypsies, the mentally handicapped, people with birth defects, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Russian POWs, and others deemed unfit for Hitler’s world vision.

The Final Solution

The End of the Third Reich In April 1945 the Allied armies crossed the Rhine into Germany. The Soviet Red Army began the final offensive to take Berlin that same month. With defeat inevitable, Hitler took his life on April 30, 1945 with his mistress. Germany’s Thousand Year Reich collapsed on May 8, 1945 after only 12 years.

Judgement at Nuremberg Surviving lead Nazis were tried in the city of Nuremberg for crimes against humanity. 12 leading Nazis were condemned to death, while 7 others received prison sentences. Trials continue to the present to bring those responsible to justice.