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Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany
Hitler is elected as the new chancellor of Germany. He beat out his two candidate competitors: Paul Von Hindenburg and Ernst Thalmann. He quickly becomes dictator of Germany after oppressing the remaining opposition and burning the Reichstag building with his Nazi allies. -
Nuremberg Race laws passed
The Nuremberg Race laws were passed against Jews by the Nazis. These laws stated that people who had a Jew in their immediate family were automatically a Jew and were sent to concentration camps. Even if someone had a Jewish grandfather, but did not practice Judaism was considered a Jew. They also excluded German Jews from marrying persons of "German or related blood." -
Kristallnacht is carried out
Kristallnacht, or "the night of Broken Glass", was a series of riots carried out by Nazi forces and german civilians against Jews. The name Kristallnacht comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish buildings were smashed. Approximately 100 Jews were murdered in the attacks. In the aftermath, German Jews were force to pay a 1 billion mark fine for the damage done to them that was started by the Nazi mobs themselves. -
Germany captures Poland
The Nazis successfully invaded Poland by using Blitzkrieg tactics. As a result of the German occupation of Poland, at least 1.5 million Polish citizens were deported to Germany for forced labor. Hundreds of thousands were also sent to Nazi concentration camps. Approximately 5 million Polish citizens were murdered by Nazis. -
Jews forced to wear yellow star
Jews in German-occupied Poland forced to wear an arm band or yellow star. This was to easily identify Jews, and served as a badge of shame. The yellow star of David is now one of the most widely-known symbols of the Holocaust. -
Final solution is decided
The Wannsee Conference was held where top Nazi officials met to discuss a "final solution of the Jewish problem". Their final solution that was proposed by Hitler and Heinrich Himmler and it was to deport all Jews in Nazi occupied land to Poland. Here, it was planned for them to be exterminated. Jews were confined to ghetto, sent to concentration camps, and later they resisted. -
Death Marches
As the war came to close, many remaining camps were closed and evidence of their existence was destroyed. Those who had survived the camps so far were taken on forced 'Death Marches'. SS killed large numbers of prisoners by starvation before the marches, and shot many more dead both during and after for not being able to keep pace. -
Hitler commits suicide
Hitler and his wife Eva Braun walked out of their corridors and both commited suicide. Hitler shot himself with a gun, and his wife took cyanide. He did this, because he believed in death before dishonor. He would rather have died, than be tried for his many crimes and face the dishonor of being defeated in the war. -
Germany surrenders
The German instrument of surrender is signed and officially ended World War II in Europe. -
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremburg Trials were a series of trials held by the Allied forces after World War II. They were intended to punish people who commited crimes during the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler was most to blame for the Holocaust but was missing at the trials because he had committed suicide.
