Known also as National Socialism, Nazism was a mass political movement in Germany in the 20th century. It was led by Adolf Hitler, the head of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, or the Nazi Party. The Nazis wanted to glorify Germany—and in the process destroy all people they believed to be enemies of the German people. The official symbol of the Nazi Party was the swastika, a cross with arms bent at right angles.

Nazi views

The Nazis believed that the well-being of individuals was less important than the glory of the German state. In keeping with this idea, they expected people to be completely obedient to their leaders. The Nazis rejected democracy, law, human rights, and peace, instead believing that the strong have a right to use force against and rule over the weak.

Above all, Nazism was rooted in the idea that the Germans were superior to all other races. In 1925 Hitler published his theories on race in a book called Mein Kampf (My Struggle), which the Nazis treated as their bible. He argued that Germans had to do everything they could to preserve the “purity” of their race. For Hitler, this meant in particular that the Jewish people should be eliminated. He preached hatred against the Jews, calling them not only inferior but also evil. The Nazis also sought to wipe out other people they thought to be threats to the Germans.

Rise of Nazism

Nazism originated in Germany in the years after World War I (1914–18). Germany's defeat in the war led to difficult times in the country. The Treaty of Versailles, the formal settlement of the war, required Germany to pay the huge sum of 33 billion dollars for its involvement in the conflict. Germany also had to give up some of its territory. The country's defeat in the war also brought hardships upon its people. Poverty and unemployment were widespread. Many Germans blamed the government for their problems. They began looking for a change.

A group of dissatisfied young people formed the small German Workers' Party in 1919. Hitler was one of the group's earliest members. In 1920 he became the party's leader. He renamed it the National Socialist German Workers' Party, called the Nazi Party for short. In 1923 Hitler tried to start a revolution to overthrow the German government, but his efforts failed. Hitler was jailed and the Nazi Party was banned.

Nazism grew in popularity, however, when Germany's economy slumped during the Great Depression. During this crisis, which began in 1929, many Germans began to vote for Nazi candidates in elections. In 1933 the president of Germany named Hitler chancellor (prime minister).

Dictatorship

Once in power, Hitler established a dictatorship. Between 1934 and 1939 the Nazis established full control of all phases of life in Germany. Most Germans welcomed the strong Nazi government. The people were especially pleased with the economic improvement that the Nazis provided. The party gave many of the unemployed jobs in arms factories and public-works projects.

Despite their popularity, the Nazis ruled through deception, terror, and violence. They used all forms of media to spread misinformation, especially about the Jews. The party portrayed the Jews as enemies of the country and the people. Anyone who was said to oppose the government was declared an enemy as well. Uniformed and secret police rounded up these people and put them in prison centers known as concentration camps.

While Hitler strengthened his grip on Germany, he also expanded Nazi power into territories beyond the country's borders. At first he conquered only lands inhabited by German-speaking people. In 1939, however, the Nazis invaded the non–German-speaking nation of Poland. This invasion started World War II. Germany's early military campaigns were successful, leading Hitler to make even grander plans for expansion. His ultimate goal was to eventually bring the whole world under Nazi rule.

Hitler's hopes for Nazism ended when Germany was defeated by the Allied powers in 1945. Nazism itself is said to have ended as a mass political movement on April 30, 1945, when Hitler killed himself to avoid being captured by Soviet troops. But the terrible scope of the Nazi era was yet to be revealed. After the war it was discovered that the Nazis had murdered millions of people in their effort to eliminate all those who they considered inferior. In addition to the concentration camps, the Germans had established extermination centers, or “death camps.” In these camps the Nazis used gas chambers as a means of mass killing. Their victims included about 6 million Jews and millions of others, including Slavs (such as Russian and Polish people), Roma (Gypsies), people with mental and physical disabilities, and homosexuals. (See also Holocaust.)

Nazism after World War II

A small number of Germans remained faithful to Nazism even after Hitler's downfall. Over the years a few Nazi-oriented political parties and other groups were formed. The government banned some of them. In the 1990s some youths in eastern Germany formed gangs that believed in Nazi ideas. They were called neo-Nazis (neo means “new”). They attacked immigrants and vandalized Jewish cemeteries. The great majority of Germans condemned the attacks.