History of Germany during World War II
| German Reich | ||||||
| Deutsches Reich | ||||||
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Anthem Das Lied der Deutschen Song of the Germans Horst-Wessel-Lied Horst Wessel Song |
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 Germany at the height of World War II
success (late 1942) |
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 Administrative divisions of Germany, February 1944
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| Capital | Berlin | |||||
| Languages | German | |||||
| Government | ||||||
| President / Führer | ||||||
| • | 1933–1934 | Paul von Hindenburg | ||||
| • | 1934–1945 | Adolf Hitler | ||||
| • | 1945 | Karl Dönitz | ||||
| Chancellor | ||||||
| • | 1933–1945 | Adolf Hitler | ||||
| • | 1945 | Joseph Goebbels | ||||
| • | 1945 (as leading minister) | Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk | ||||
| Legislature | Reichstag | |||||
| • | State council | Reichsrat | ||||
| Historical era | Interwar period / World War II | |||||
| • | Machtergreifung | 30 January 1933 | ||||
| • | Gleichschaltung | 27 February 1933 | ||||
| • | Anschluss | 12 March 1938 | ||||
| • | World War II | 1 September 1939 | ||||
| • | Death of Adolf Hitler | 30 April 1945 | ||||
| • | Surrender of Germany | 8 May 1945 | ||||
| • | Final dissolution | 23 May 1945 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| • | 1939 | 633,786 km² (244,706 sq mi) | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| • | 1939 est. | 69,314,000 | ||||
| Density | 109.4 /km² (283.3 /sq mi) | |||||
| Currency | Reichsmark (ℛℳ) | |||||
| a. | ^ Officially "Großdeutsches Reich" ("Greater German Reich"), 1943–1945. | |||||
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Nazi Germany is the common English name for the period in German history from 1933 to 1945, when Germany was governed by a dictatorship under the control of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Under Hitler's rule, Germany was transformed into a fascist state in which the Nazi Party took totalitarian control over nearly all aspects of life. The official name of the state was Deutsches Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Großdeutsches Reich ("Greater German Reich") from 1943 to 1945. The period is also known under the names the Third Reich (German: Drittes Reich) and the National Socialist Period (German: Zeit des Nationalsozialismus, abbreviated as NS-Zeit). The Nazi regime came to an end after the Allied Powers defeated Germany in May 1945, ending World War II in Europe.
Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany by the President of the Weimar Republic Paul von Hindenburg on 30 January 1933. The Nazi Party then began to eliminate all political opposition and consolidate its power. Hindenburg died on 2 August 1934, and Hitler became dictator of Germany by merging the powers and offices of the Chancellery and Presidency. A national referendum held 19 August 1934 confirmed Hitler as sole Führer (leader) of Germany. All power was centralised in Hitler's person, and his word became above all laws. The government was not a coordinated, co-operating body, but a collection of factions struggling for power and Hitler's favour. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Nazis restored economic stability and ended mass unemployment using heavy military spending and a mixed economy. Extensive public works were undertaken, including the construction of Autobahnen (motorways). The return to economic stability boosted the regime's popularity.
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