Nazi Germany: Key Terms and Ideologies for History Students

Totalitarian

A political system where the state holds total authority over society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life.

Fascist

A far-right, authoritarian ideology emphasizing nationalism, dictatorial power, and suppression of opposition, often with militarism and state control.

Charisma

A compelling charm or magnetic quality that inspires devotion and obedience in followers.

Propaganda

Biased or misleading information used to promote a political cause or point of view.

Führer (Leader)

German for "leader," used as Adolf Hitler's title to signify his absolute authority in Nazi Germany.

Sonderweg (Special Path)

The idea that Germany followed a unique historical path leading to Nazism, different from other Western democracies.

Lebensraum (Living Space)

The Nazi belief that Germany needed to expand territorially, especially eastward, to provide land for the "Aryan" race.

Volksgemeinschaft (People's Community)

A Nazi ideal of a unified, racially pure national community that excluded Jews and other "outsiders."

Authoritarian

A governing system that demands strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.

Nationalism

Strong identification with and pride in one's nation, often accompanied by the belief in its superiority.

Eugenics

A pseudo-science advocating the improvement of the human race through selective breeding and sterilization.

Treaty of Versailles

The 1919 peace treaty ending World War I, which imposed heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany.

NSDAP

The National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party), led by Adolf Hitler.

Völkisch

A German nationalist ideology emphasizing ethnic purity, folk culture, and a mystical connection to the land.

Bolshevik

A member of the radical socialist faction led by Lenin that seized power in Russia in 1917, forming the Communist government.

Great Depression

The severe worldwide economic downturn from 1929 through the 1930s, leading to mass unemployment and political instability.

Reichstag

The German parliament; also refers to its building in Berlin.

Emergency Decree

A legal order that suspends constitutional rights in times of crisis, used by Hitler to suppress opposition after the Reichstag Fire, enabled by Article 48 of the Weimar constitution.

Bewegung (Movement)

Refers to the Nazi Party's portrayal of itself as a dynamic revolutionary movement rather than a traditional political party.

Dictatorship

A government ruled by one person or a small group with absolute power, often obtained and maintained by force.

Reichstag Fire Decree

Issued after the 1933 Reichstag Fire, it suspended civil liberties and allowed arrests of political opponents.

Enabling Act

The 1933 law that gave Hitler the power to enact laws without Reichstag approval, establishing his legal dictatorship.

Gleichschaltung (Alignment)

The process of bringing all institutions and organizations under Nazi control and ideology.

SA (Sturmabteilung)

The Nazi Party's paramilitary wing, led by Ernst Röhm, used to intimidate opponents and enforce party power.

SS (Schutzstaffel)

An elite Nazi paramilitary organization led by Heinrich Himmler, responsible for policing, security, and running concentration camps.

Gestapo

The Nazi secret police, notorious for surveillance, terror, and eliminating opposition.

Aryan Paragraph

A clause excluding Jews and other non-Aryans from jobs, organizations, and public service.

Civil Service

Government employees and officials who implement public policy; in Nazi Germany, purged of Jews and political opponents.

"Asocial"

A Nazi label for individuals considered socially deviant or nonconforming, including the homeless, Roma, and others targeted for persecution.

Mischling

A term used in Nazi racial laws to describe a person of mixed Jewish and non-Jewish ancestry.

when was hitler appointed chancellor?

january 31, 1933

when was reichstag fire decree?

february 28, 1933

when was passage of the enabling act?

march 23, 1933

when was jewish business boycott?

april 1, 1933

when were all political parties banned besides Nazi Party?

mid july of 1933

when was night of long knives?

june 30, 1934

when were state governments dissolved and recreated by reich governors in control of each state?

,march 31, 1933

when was law for the restoration of the professional civil service?

april 7, 1933

what idd hte law for the restoration of professional civil service do?

targeted Nazi opponents and Jews and made education under control of the state

important parts of the racial state?

racial education (scientific racism), taught germans to ignore or abandon traditional moral precepts as means of “self defense”

nazi eugenics

when was the law passed to allow for forced sterilization for “feeblemindedness”?

july 1933

when were the nuremberg laws passed?

september 15, 1935

what did nuremberg laws do?

dissolved citizenship for jews

established legal definitions of jewishness (3-4 jewish grandparents)

• mixed race = 1-2 jewish grandparents