Hitler's Rise and the Road to World War II

This set covers the definitions and key concepts related to the rise of totalitarianism, the Nazi party's tactics, and the global political climate leading to World War II.

Authoritarianism

A type of government that has a lot of authority but not total control over people's lives, where voting might exist but often does not impact power.

Totalitarianism

The most extreme version of authoritarianism that attempts to control or influence every level of an individual's life through propaganda and organizations.

National Socialist Party

Also known as the Nazi party, this right-wing fascist group used the word 'socialist' to appeal to regular German working people despite having no interest in actual socialism.

Anti-Semitism

Prejudice against Jewish people, which Hitler used to create a narrative that a minority group conspired to cause Germany's defeat in World War I.

Weimar Republic

The parliamentary government established in Germany after the collapse of the imperial government following World War I.

Reparations

Payments Germany was forced to make after accepting full responsibility for World War I, which debilitated its already weakened economy.

The Great Depression

An economic collapse triggered in 1929 when American banks withdrew loans from Germany, causing the German economy to collapse and the Nazi vote to rise from under $3\%$ to over $18\%$ in two years.

General von Hindenburg

A decorated war hero who defeated Hitler in the 1932 presidential election but later appointed Hitler as chancellor in 1933.

Chancellor

The administrative head of the German parliament; a position Hitler used to steadily expand his power.

1933 Parliament Building Fire

An event involving a young worker that Hitler used as a pretext to convince the government to grant him emergency powers.

SS

A Nazi paramilitary group used to enforce political will through militarized force.

Gestapo

The secret police under Hitler's regime responsible for abducting and imprisoning those perceived as going against society.

Third Reich

The name given to Hitler's reign over Germany and his planned domination of Europe.

Aryan race

A mythical ancient race that Nazis believed was superior to all other Europeans, characterized by white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes.

Appeasement

The political strategy of giving an aggressor small concessions in the hope that they will stop their aggression, famously associated with Britain and France's early response to Hitler.

Munich Agreement

A specific moment where Britain and France attempted to get Hitler to stop his aggression by granting certain concessions.

Neville Chamberlain

The British leader often criticized for his policy of appeasement and for 'giving a mouse a cookie' regarding Hitler's territorial demands.

Doctor Seuss

An anti-patriotic political cartoonist who drew warnings about the dangers of appeasement and urged the United States to join the conflict against the Nazis.

Soviet-German Treaty

A non-aggression pact made by Hitler to avoid the mistake of fighting a war on two fronts, agreeing with Stalin that the two nations would not invade each other.