Nazi Germany: The Third Reich and the Path to War

Nazi Dictatorship and the Third Reich

When the Third Reich was proclaimed, political parties and unions were forbidden, the parliament was closed, and political and social freedoms were struck down as the opposition was persecuted. The Nazi Party became the only legal political entity, with justice and administration controlled directly by party members.

Totalitarian Control and Social Engineering

Education, culture, universities, and art were also controlled by the Nazi Party. Censorship was used to dominate means of communication, including radio, cinema, the press, information tampering, and the burning of books. They attempted to impose a family and social model according to Nazi ideology: women were expected to be good housewives, focusing on children, church, and the kitchen (the three "K"s in German: Kinder, Küche, Kirche).

The Hitler Youth (Juventudes Hitlerianas) was established to control and indoctrinate German boys and the general population according to the Nazi spirit.

The Reign of Terror and the Police State

A Police State was established by the Nazis. Hitler founded the SS (Schutzstaffel), a select protection squadron that served as Hitler's personal guard. The SS became one of the largest and most powerful organizations in Nazi Germany. The Nazi government also created the Gestapo, a secret state police force, to persecute political opposition and Jewish people to maintain order in Germany.

Racial Policy and the Nuremberg Laws

Racial Policy was based on racism, antisemitism, and the belief in a superior Aryan master race. The Nuremberg Laws were introduced in 1935 against Jewish people to protect German blood and honor; these laws forbade marriages between Jews and Germans. By 1938, Jews were required to wear a yellow badge featuring the Star of David.

The Holocaust and Concentration Camps

The Holocaust was a genocide in which six million Jews were killed. In 1938, attacks against the Jewish community by the Nazi Party began in Germany during the Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht). A network of concentration camps was established in Germany and occupied territories during the war. In extermination camps, people died due to hard labor, hunger, illness, or in gas chambers. These camps also held communists, Romani people, homosexuals, and other targeted groups.

Economic Autarky and Military Rearmament

The Nazi military project focused on expansionism and rearmament, leading to significant growth in the arms industry and increased military spending. Under the autarky system, the economy was controlled by the state to ensure self-sufficiency. Hitler focused on heavy industry, weaponry, and public works; consequently, unemployment was reduced, which increased social support for Nazism.

Expansionism and the Road to World War II

The Nazi government reorganized the army and the air force (Luftwaffe). Hitler sought to conquer "German living space" (Lebensraum) to build a vast empire by occupying zones where German people lived, such as Poland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. These aggressive actions eventually triggered the beginning of World War II.