Hitler & Rise of Nazi Germany

Adolf Hitler Born in Austria, moved to Germany & fought in German army during World War I Failed attempt to seize power in Munich sends him to prison Wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) in prison Extreme nationalism, racism & antisemitism Believed Germans belonged to superior master race of light-skinned Europeans. Greatest enemy=Jews Basic book for Nazi goals & ideology

Hitler’s Rise to Power He promised to end reparations, create jobs & defy Treaty of Versailles Elected chancellor in 1933 through legal, democratic means Suspended civil rights and destroyed the socialists & communists Nazi became the only party in Germany

Hitler’s Third Reich Established the Third Reich in which he said the German master race would dominate Europe for 1,000 years Hitler organized a brutal system of terror, repression & totalitarian rule Nazis controlled ALL areas of German life

Campaign Against Jews Begins Nuremburg Laws- placed severe restrictions on Jews: couldn’t marry a non-Jew, attend German schools, hold government jobs, publish books, or practice law/medicine Kristallnacht- The Night of Broken Glass Attack on all Jews; Nazis smashed windows, looted shops, burned synagogues, and publicly beat Jews

The Holocaust Jews were sent to concentration camps, detention centers for civilians considered enemies of the state “Final Solution”- genocide, deliberate murder, of all Jews Kill all people he judged racially inferior: Jews, Slavs, Gypsies, and mentally ill

The Holocaust Special death camps were built: Auschwitz, Sobibor, and Treblinka Nazis deisgned the most efficient means of killing millions of men, women and children When Jews reached camps, stripped of their clothes & separated Young, old & sick targeted for immediate killing Headed into shower rooms & gassed Others used as medical experiments Most people pretended not to notice what was happening By 1945, Nazis had killed around 6 million Jews