Nazi Germany 1933-1945
Hitler's rise, the Third Reich, and the Holocaust
Hitler's rise to power:
- 1919: Joins DAP, renamed NSDAP (Nazi Party)
- 1923: Beer Hall Putsch — failed coup, imprisoned, wrote Mein Kampf
- 1929: Wall Street Crash → economic crisis → Nazi support rises
- 1932: Nazis become largest party; July election: 37.4% of vote
- January 1933: Hitler appointed Chancellor by Hindenburg
Consolidating power:
- Reichstag Fire (Feb 1933) → Decree for Protection of People and State (suspended civil liberties)
- Enabling Act (March 1933) → Hitler could pass laws without Reichstag
- Night of the Long Knives (1934) → SA leadership murdered; army swears loyalty oath
- Hindenburg's death (1934) → Hitler becomes Führer
The Nazi state:
- Propaganda: Goebbels controlled all media
- Terror: SS and Gestapo controlled opposition
- Youth groups (Hitler Youth, League of German Girls) for indoctrination
The Holocaust: Systematic murder of 6 million Jews and millions of others (Roma, disabled, political prisoners). Stages: discrimination, ghettos, Final Solution (1941), death camps (Auschwitz).
Key Points to Remember
- 1Hitler became Chancellor Jan 1933 after economic crisis boosted Nazi support
- 2Enabling Act 1933: Hitler governed by decree
- 3Propaganda (Goebbels) + terror (SS/Gestapo) = totalitarian control
- 4Holocaust: systematic genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of others
Pakistan Example
Partition of 1947 — A Comparison with Nazi Population Policies
EdExcel History students often compare persecution and population displacement. While radically different in nature and ideology, both Nazi persecution and the 1947 Partition involved mass forced migration, ethnic targeting, and state violence. Pakistani students can analytically compare how propaganda dehumanised 'enemies' in Nazi Germany with how colonial 'divide and rule' policies inflamed communal tensions in India. Understanding genocide and persecution helps evaluate modern human rights issues.
Quick Revision Infographic
History — Quick Revision
Nazi Germany 1933-1945
Key Concepts
Formulas to Know
Goebbels) + terror (SS/Gestapo) = totalitarian controlPartition of 1947 — A Comparison with Nazi Population Policies
EdExcel History students often compare persecution and population displacement. While radically different in nature and ideology, both Nazi persecution and the 1947 Partition involved mass forced migration, ethnic targeting, and state violence. Pakistani students can analytically compare how propaganda dehumanised 'enemies' in Nazi Germany with how colonial 'divide and rule' policies inflamed communal tensions in India. Understanding genocide and persecution helps evaluate modern human rights issues.