National Socialism and World War II
The years from 1933 to 1945 are some of the darkest times in German history. The Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers' Party) (NSDAP) took over political power in Germany on 30 January 1933 and forced the end of the Weimar Republic – the provisional end of the still young German democracy. It propagated nationalist, racist and anti-Semitic ideologies as well as imperialist goals. It forced the systematic persecution, expulsion and murder of Jews, Sinti and Roma, people with disabilities, homosexuals, political opponents and numerous other groups of people. The Nazi regime sparked World War II, which was a war of race and extermination and was intended to secure world domination for the German Reich. After 12 devastating years, the war and the Nazi dictatorship of the so-called Third Reich ended on 8 May 1945 with the surrender of the Wehrmacht to the Allies. With the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, you can learn more about selected aspects of the topic "National Socialism and World War II."