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Adolf Hitler's ruling
Adolf Hitler was the undisputed leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party—known as Nazis—since 1921. In 1923, he was arrested and imprisoned for trying to overthrow the German government. -
The Nazi party
The National Socialist German Workers’ Party—also known as the Nazi Party—was the far-right racist and antisemitic political party led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazi Party came to power in Germany in 1933. It controlled all aspects of German life and persecuted German Jews. Its power only ended when Germany lost World War II. -
The Reichstag Fire
On February 27, 1933, the German parliament building burned down. The Nazi leadership and its coalition partners used the fire to claim that Communists were planning a violent uprising. -
Austria
Before World War II, Jews played an important role in Austria's economic and cultural life. In 1938, Austria had a Jewish population of about 192,000, representing almost 4 percent of the total population. -
The Annexation of Austria
Prewar and wartime territorial expansion eventually brought millions of Jewish people under German control. -
Invasion of Poland
German troops invaded Poland, triggering World War II. In response to German aggression, Great Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany. -
Invasion of the Soviet Union
Nazi Germany launched a surprise attack against the Soviet Union, its ally in the war against Poland -
Concentration Camps
Nazi Germany and its allies established more than 44,000 camps and other incarceration sites (including ghettos). The perpetrators used these sites for a range of purposes, including forced labor.