19331945

1933–1945 refers to the period in European and world history from the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany in 1933 to the end of World War II in 1945. It was a time marked by totalitarian dictatorship, aggressive expansion, and widespread persecution.

In political terms, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, and after the Enabling Act the Nazi Party established a one-party state. The regime pursued Gleichschaltung, aligning all aspects of society with its ideology and dismantling democratic institutions. A centralized war economy and pervasive surveillance supported its objectives and eliminated political opposition.

Foreign policy and warfare dominated the era. The regime sought to revise post–World War I borders and pursued annexations such as Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia. The invasion of Poland in 1939 triggered World War II. The conflict spread across Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia, with Germany facing a series of military reversals and ultimately defeat by 1945 as Allied forces advanced from multiple fronts.

The period is also defined by atrocities conducted under Nazi rule. The Holocaust targeted Jews and other groups, resulting in the systematic mass murder of approximately six million Jews and millions of others, including Roma, disabled individuals, political dissidents, and forced labor victims, among others.

The war’s end in 1945 brought Allied victory and the collapse of the Nazi regime, leading to major geopolitical restructuring, war-crimes trials, and the emergence of the postwar order. The term 1933–1945 is frequently used to describe this era in German history and its broader historical impact.