Nazi Germany

**Deutsches Reich**

HEIL HITLER!

* Other WW2 Allied Powers:
* China
* Poland
* The Netherlands
* Belgium
* Luxembourg
* Yugoslavia
* Greece

* Free City of Danzig
* Second Polish Republic
* Polish People's Republic

**Nazi Germany**, officially known as the **German Reich** from 1933 to 1943 and the **Greater German Reich** from 1943 to 1945 and unofficially known as the **Third Reich**, was a country in Europe that existed from 1933 to 1945 under the totalitarian leadership of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party.

## History

After the German defeat in WW1, many Germans, most notably a former soldier named Adolf Hitler, were humiliated and frustrated. The situation got worse in 1929 when the stock market crashed, and everyone blamed the government in Weimar for it. The problem allowed Hitler to rule Germany as its dictator; due to several incidents in Germany, he became chancellor and soon the dictator of a new fascist government. Hitler wanted to increase the Aryan population, so he had to annex the entire world. In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria (called "*Anschluss*") and the German populated parts of Czechoslovakia, called the Sudetenland. The UK and France agreed that Nazi Germany would get the Sudetenland but would leave the rest of Czechoslovakia alone. However, Hitler violated this agreement and invaded the rest of the country anyway. Hitler didn't want a two-front, so he signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with the Soviet Union. The UK and France warned Hitler not to invade Poland; however, Hitler invaded it anyway on September 1, 1939; in response, the UK and France declared war on Germany. Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union quickly defeated Poland. Norway and Sweden were trading iron ore with Nazi Germany, but the UK asked the former two to stop; they refused. Nazi Germany then occupied Denmark and Norway. Nazi Germany's plan was very similar to its WW1 plan:

* Invade and defeat France (knocking out the UK in the process).
* Turn on the Soviet Union.
* Win the war.

France still had defenses on its German border, so Germany invaded the Low Countries. Germany defeated them and then captured Paris. Much to Germany's dismay, the UK never surrendered, so Germany occupied coastal France and turned the rest of it into what we now call "Vichy France". Then, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, but they failed. Therefore, the Soviet Union pushed the Germans to Berlin.

Meanwhile, the UK and the US have liberated France, Belgium, and the Netherlands; they also pushed the Nazis back to Berlin. Finally, Hitler committed suicide, and Nazi Germany surrendered. The Soviet Union, United States, the UK, and France then split Germany into four occupation zones.

## Trivia

* In the OverSimplified channel's WW2 videos, the swastika in the Nazi flag is replaced with an Iron Cross. He most likely did this to avoid using offensive symbols. However, the Hitler videos do use the uncensored Nazi swastika.
* Adolf Hitler proclaimed Nazi Germany to be the Third Reich, with the first being the Holy Roman Empire and the second being the German Empire (the Weimar Republic, which was also officially known as the German Reich, is ignored in this numbering system).

## Gallery

Germany and ItalyAfter annexing Austria and invading CzechoslovakiaInvasion of PolandBattle of FranceInvasion of the Soviet UnionNazi Germany at its heightD-DayFall of the Reich

Australia •  Belgium • Republic of China •  Czechoslovakia •  Denmark • Ethiopia •  France • Greece • Luxembourg • Mexico • The Netherlands •  Norway • The Philippines • Poland •  Soviet Union •  United Kingdom •  United States • Yugoslavia

**Axis Powers**
 **Nazi Germany** •  Kingdom of Italy •  Empire of Japan •  Kingdom of Hungary •  Kingdom of Romania •  Kingdom of Bulgaria • Croatia • Finland • Thailand

1. ↑ In scenes from that video where Nazi Germany's flag is shown, the Iron Cross is seen instead of the Nazi swastika.