Nazi Germany is the period when Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party controlled Germany. It is also sometimes called the Third Reich (), which means the 'Third Empire' or 'Third Realm'. The first German empire was the Holy Roman Empire. The second was the German Empire of 1871 - 1918. The Nazis said they were making the third, even if itself never was the monarchy at all. However, the term 'Third Reich' was more popular in other countries. In Germany it was merely The Reich (pronounced 'rike') or the Greater German Reich ().
Adolf Hitler led Nazi Germany until it was defeated in World War II in the Battle of Berlin, when he killed himself in 1945. The Nazi Party was destroyed in the same year as its leaders ran away, were arrested, or killed themselves. Some were executed for war crimes by the Western and Soviet powers. Others survived, with some of them getting important jobs. However, their racial policies never again held power in Germany.
The Nazi government was formed under the idea that the "Aryan race" (pure white Germans) deserved to rule over all other races. This idea gained respect after the Great Depression made many important Germans poor and powerless. Hitler blamed the problems on Jews, communists, liberals, and many others. He made many Germans feel like they were innocent victims who had to take charge over Europe. The Nazis also tried to create an empire with colonies, and used their ally Italy's colonies in Africa as a model.
When the Nazi government was destroyed at the end of World War II, Germany was split into four "occupation zones". The Soviet Union took East Germany while the United Kingdom, France, and the United States took portions of West Germany.
The Nazis came to power in 1933 and made their power absolute with an "Enabling Law" and an unfair referendum. They centralized Germany, replacing local self-government. They strengthened the economy by doing business with major companies like General Motors and IBM. They expanded the Schutzstaffel to control the local police, and started the Gestapo to find, jail, and kill political enemies. They immediately banned Jews from important jobs, and soon restricted them in other ways. After a few years they built the armed forces far beyond the limits of the Treaty of Versailles. They also cooperated and made agreements with Italy and Japan.
On September 1st, 1939, German forces attacked Poland, which began World War II. With over a million troops, Hitler's army easily took over Poland, losing about 59,000 soldiers. Their country was also attacked by the Soviet Union from the east. Poland lost over 900,000 soldiers.
On October 12, 1939, Hitler sent a letter to the United Kingdom promising peace. The British continued the war.
Hitler conquered France in the Battle of France. Then he sent the Luftwaffe to attack England. Winston Churchill, now Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, did not surrender. The Battle of Britain lasted from July to October 1940. When it failed, Hitler ordered the mass bombardment of London. That also failed, and Hitler decided to face east for his racial war of destroying the Slavs and Jews. This gave Britain time to regain power.
In 1941, Hitler ordered ""Operation Barbarossa."" It lasted from June 22, 1941 until December 5, 1941. Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, had weakened his army with his Great Purges, which had killed many Russian officers before the war.
During Operation Barbarossa, many more Soviet soldiers died than Germans. At Stalingrad, however, about a million soldiers died on each side. While the Soviet Union could replace its losses, Germany could not.
After Stalingrad, the Germans lost their momentum. The Soviets learned from the long campaigns, fought better, and gained many new weapons from very efficient factories. The United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union fought together, and pushed against the smaller German army. In May 1945, they took over Berlin to win the war.
Many people from all sides of the war died fighting in Europe, including:
While fighting in the Soviet Union:
After the Allies took over Germany, the Soviets set up the German Democratic Republic in the east that that followed communism as a socialist state. The United Kingdom, the United States, and France set up the Federal Republic of Germany in the west as a democratic country.
Jim Reeves
James Travis "Jim" Reeves (August 20, 1923 in Galloway, Texas - July 31, 1964 in Nashville, Tennessee) was an American country singer. He died in a plane crash.
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999) was a English pop singer. Her real name was Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien. Her musical career lasted from the late 1950s to the 1990s. She recorded over 200 songs during this time. She became one of the most successful female singers in Britain. She made soul music. Between 1963 and 1989, she had six top 20 singles on the United States "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and 16 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart. She is a member of both the US Rock and Roll and UK Music Halls of Fame. She is famous as a pop icon of the Swinging Sixties.
Springfield was born in London. She learned to sing at home. She liked American jazz music, and wanted to sound like that. In 1958, she joined her first professional group, The Lana Sisters. Two years later, she formed a singing trio, The Springfields. Her solo career began in 1963. Her first successful song was "I Only Want to Be with You". Other successful songs followed: "Wishin' and Hopin'" (1964), "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (1964), "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (1966), and "Son of a Preacher Man" (1968).
Later, she worked in Memphis, Tennessee on a soul album with Atlantic Records. The album was called "Dusty in Memphis". It was released in 1969. It has been ranked among the greatest albums of all time by the magazine "Rolling Stone", and in polls by VH1 artists, "New Musical Express" readers, and Channel 4 viewers. The album was also awarded a spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Springfield was openly bisexual.
In March 1999 Springfield was going to go to Buckingham Palace to be given her award of Officer, Order of the British Empire. Springfield was given the award early in January 1999 in hospital.
Springfield died of breast cancer on 3 March 1999. Her name was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two weeks later, on 16 March.
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk group formed in 1984 in Garden Grove, California. Their music has covered both punk rock and pop punk.
The band was founded by Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel after a concert of Social Distortion as "Manic Subsidal". As soon as Kevin "Noodles" Wassermann joined the band as their second guitarist in 1985, they changed their name to "The Offspring".
It would not be until ten years after forming that The Offspring saw its first piece of commercial success in its third album, "Smash", which was released in 1994. Regarded by many as The Offspring's classic release, and Epitaph Records' best-selling album, "Smash" produced four successful hit singles: "Come Out and Play" (which reached #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart), "Self Esteem", "Gotta Get Away" and the radio-only single "Bad Habit". From there, The Offspring became one of the most important punk bands of the 1990s, along with ALL, Bad Religion, Face to Face, Green Day, Guttermouth, Lagwagon, NOFX, Pennywise, Rancid, Social Distortion, The Vandals, and many others.
Their most recent album was released in June 2008. The exact date of release depended on the country/region.
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer. She was called the "Queen of Soul". She was best known for her songs "Respect", "Think", "Chain of Fools", and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman".