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Treaty of Versailles is signed
Treaty ended the war, but created a very bad aftermath for the German people - assumed war guilt - made to pay reparations - eliminate airforce - greatly reduce navy, with no submarines - reduce army to 100,000 - lost territory -
Period: to
Rise of Hilter!
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Adolf Hitler joins The German Workers' Party
Created by out of work WWI veterans, the group was the forerunner to the Nazi party. -
SA created
Also known as "Brown Shirts," they were Hitler's private army for the furthering of Nazi Party ideas. -
Beer Hall Putsch
Hitler led an attempt to over throw the Munich leaders. Failed miserably. -
Hitler sent to prison
Hitler was sent to prison for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch. Because he was able to prove he was not a socialist or a communist, and for the fact that many agreed with what Hitler said, he was given a very light sentence for his charge of treason. Hitler was given a 5-year prison sentence, of which he served 3 months. It was also in prison that Hitler realized that the Nazi Party would have to gain power through legitimate means. -
Mein Kampf is published
Written while he was in prison, Hitler's book discusses his ideas for a stronger Germany, his anti-Semetic beliefs, and other political ideas. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression begins. Failure of American economy has a big effect on Germany. -
Nazi Party becomes second largest party in Reichstag
The Reichstag is the German Parliament. This is a huge victory for the Nazi Party as it gains power legitimately. -
Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany
Hitler and the Nazi Party now have control of Germany. -
New elections!
On his first day as chancellor, Hitler manipulated Hindenburg into dissolving the Reichstag and calling for the new elections. -
Enabling Act passed
The Enabling Act allowed Hitler to suspend the German constitution in order to bring Germany back to greatness. Hitler has complete control of Germany. -
National boycott was formed
a national boycott of Jewish shops and department stores was organized by Nazis under the direction of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. The boycott was claimed to be in reaction to unflattering newspaper stories appearing in Britain and America concerning Hitler's new regime. -
Gestapo was born
Although the Gestapo is generally associated with SS Leader Heinrich Himmler, it was actually founded by Hermann Göring. -
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives in 1934 was when Hitler purged the leaders of the SA, or Brownshirts, the first vanguard of the Nazi Party. -
Hitler Becomes Führer
About 9 a.m. on August 2, 1934, the much anticipated death of President Hindenburg finally occurred. They later said that Hitler was the Führer -
The Nuremberg Laws
the Jews of Germany were subjected to a never-ending series of discriminatory laws. There would be, during the twelve years of Hitler's Reich, over 400 separate regulations issued against Jews prohibiting everything from performing in a symphony orchestra to owning a pet cat. -
Nazis March into the Rhineland
High above the town of Berchtesgaden in southeastern Bavaria, Adolf Hitler spent many hours in solitude at his mountain retreat with its magnificent views of the Alps and the valleys below. It was here that the Führer came to contemplate the future of Germany and to make all of his big decisions. -
Hitler Reveals War Plans
For Germany's top Army leaders that revelation came on November 5th, 1937, when Hitler called a secret conference and bluntly outlined his plans to acquire Lebensraum at the expense of other nations. -
Hitler becomes Army Commander
In February 1938 he dismissed sixteen senior generals and took personal command of the armed forces, thus ensuring that he would be able to implement his aggressive designs. -
Nazis Takes Austria!
First Republic of Austria by Nazi Germany, which was proclaimed by Hitler from the balcony of the city hall in Linz on March 13, 1938 after his troops had invaded Austria on March 12th. This was Hitler's first act of aggression against an independent sovereign nation and it was the start of the events that ultimately led to World War II. -
Last days of peace!
Hitler was undeterred. On August 23, 1939 he stunned the world with the announcement that he had signed a non-aggression treaty with the Soviet Union. The German Fuhrer was now assured that he could invade Poland without fear of Russian interference.
