The Nazi Regime
Totalitarian Control
Hitler established a totalitarian state, banning political opposition and
censoring the press.
The Gestapo and SS enforced compliance through terror, imprisoning
dissenters in concentration camps.
Propaganda and Indoctrination
Joseph Goebbels’ Ministry of Propaganda controlled media, education, and
arts to glorify the Nazi ideology.
The Hitler Youth and League of German Girls indoctrinated children with
Nazi values.
Economic Policies
The Nazis reduced unemployment through public works projects (e.g., the
Autobahn) and rearmament.
Businesses were aligned with state goals, while labor unions were
abolished.
Racial Policies
Nazi ideology centered on the idea of Aryan racial superiority.
Jews, Roma, disabled individuals, and other minorities faced systemic
persecution.
The Nuremberg Laws (1935) stripped Jews of citizenship and banned
intermarriage.
The Holocaust
During World War II, the Nazis escalated their persecution of Jews into a
campaign of genocide.
Over six million Jews and millions of others were murdered in
concentration camps like Auschwitz.
World War II and Nazi Expansionism
Aggressive Expansion
Hitler aimed to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and expand German
territory for "Lebensraum" (living space).
Germany reoccupied the Rhineland (1936), annexed Austria (Anschluss,
1938), and seized Czechoslovakia (1938–1939).
Outbreak of War
Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, prompting Britain and
France to declare war.
Blitzkrieg tactics led to rapid conquests in Europe, including France in
1940.
Turning Point
The invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa, 1941)
overextended German forces.
Germany’s defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad (1943) marked a turning
point in the war.
Defeat
Allied forces landed in Normandy (D-Day, 1944) and advanced into
Germany.
Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, as Soviet forces entered Berlin.
Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, ending Nazi rule.
