Hitler’s rise to power

1. Hitler’s rise to power Hitler rose to power after World War One. Hitler Was a powerful speaker who got the attention of many Germans who were ready for change. He promised all the Germans they would live a better life and Germany will rise to power. In 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor.

2. Nazi Terror Begins After being appointed chancellor, Hitler quickly turned Germany into a one party dictatorship. Hitler took away all of the peoples rights: including freedom of press, speech, and assembly. Taking those rights away allowed him to control everyone and everything.

3. Ss Police State SS were an important tool of Nazi terror was the Protective Squad (Schutzstaffel). They began as a special guard for Hitler and other party leaders.Some SS members formed a smaller, elite group whose members also served as auxiliary police officers and, later became concentration camp guards. After 1934, they became the private army of the Nazi party. The SS set up hundreds of makeshift "camps”. These camps held political opponents without trial and under conditions of great cruelty!

4. Nazi Propaganda and Censorship: Once democracy ended and Germany was turned into a one-party dictatorship, the Nazis orchestrated a huge propaganda campaign to win the cooperation of Germans.  Dr. Joseph Goebbels took over control of communication in Germany: newspapers, magazines, books, public meetings, and rallies, art, music, movies, and radio. On May 10, 1933, Nazis raided libraries and bookstores across Germany. They threw the books into huge bonfires over 25,000 books were burned.

5. Nazi Racism For a long time Hitler was obsessed with Racial Purity. He thought that the German race was the perfect or master race. Hitler figured if you were not this race you must die. When he came to power he started spreading these beliefs through media like movies and radios. After awhile beings that were inferior or not his perfect race started to be forced sterilized. Some targets were gypsies and african-americans.

6. Key Dates Feb 24 1920- The german workers party demanded racial purity and about Germany’s destiny to rule over inferior races. July 14 1993-Nazi State enacts Racial Purity law.

7. World War II In World War II Germany was overran much of the European countries using a tactic called the Blitzkrieg tactic. This plan involved a bunch of Tanks, Planes, and Artillery that would break through the enemy defenses. With this tactic they defeated Poland, Denmark, Norway and many others. Germany Attacked the Soviet Union but weakened by the cold was defeated which started to turn the tide of the battle.

8. The Murder of the Handicap Adolf Hitler and the German soldiers killed all the physically and mentally handicap people because they found these people useless to the world. They were targeted for murder in what the Nazis called “ t-4” or “Euthanasia” program. The public protested these programs in 1941 but the Nazis continued this program in secret. Between 1940-1945 about 200,000 handicap people died. This program became the model for Jews, gypsies, and who ever else was being held in the camps with the gas chambers that were open in 1941 and 1942.

9. Key Dates October 1939- Hitler authorizes killing of the impaired. August 3, 1941- Catholic bishop denounces “euthanasia”August 24, 1941- Hitler officially orders end to “euthanasia”.

10. German Rule in Occupied Europe Germany planned to conquered most of eastern territories after they had been Germanized. Citizens of the local population were drafted and used as forced labors. They were used for war industries and military construction and some were departed to Germany for agriculture. Polish teachers, priests, and culture figures were targeted for persecution.  The Germans destroyed Polish cultural and scientific institutions and plundered national treasures. Some countries were to become part of Germany like the Netherlands and others like France were to stay dependent on Germany. Members of armed, irregular forces fighting the Germans in occupied areas of Europe were called partisans. They harassed the German civilian and military authorities across Europe, engaging in sabotage, demolition, and other diversionary attacks.

11. Key Dates May 16, 1940- NAZIS ORDER POLISH LEADERS KILLEDJune 10, 1942- GERMANS DESTROY SMALL CZECH TOWNMarch 24, 1944- SS MEN MASSACRE ITALIANS NEAR ROMEJune 10, 1944- SS UNIT MASSACRES VILLAGERS IN FRANCE

12. Bibliography • Hitler Comes to Power: http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007671 • The Nazi Terror Begins: http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007673 • SS Police State: http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675 • Nazi Propaganda and Censorship: http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007677 • Nazi Racism: http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007679 • World War II in Europe: http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007681 • The Murder of the Handicapped: http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007683 • German Rule in Occupied Europe: http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007685