The Nazi Party (originally called the German Workers' Party) was founded in 1919 by Anton Drexler, and soon after Adolf Hitler's fiery oratorical skills and drive for power enabled him to take over the party. It was renamed the National Socialist German Workers' Party in 1920. After the Beer Hall Putsch, an unsuccessful coup staged in 1923, Hitler was imprisoned and the Nazi Party was temporarily banned. Upon Hitler's release and the occurrence of the Great Depression, the Nazi Party grew vastly in numbers. Machtergreifung ("seizure of power") occurred in January of 1933 as Hitler was named chancellor, and the democracy of the Weimar Republic crumbled away. Hitler assumed control as Führer ("Leader"), chancellor, and commander in chief of the army in 1934. He considered his dictatorship to be the successor of two great German empires, which is why Nazi Germany is referred to as the Third Reich.
Antisemitism was a core aspect of Nazi ideology. In 1935, the Nürnberg Laws deprived German Jews of rights, setting into motion the state-sponsored persecution of Jews. The pogroms known as Kristallnacht ("Crystal Night") occurred on November 9-10, 1938. Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were ransacked, nearly one hundred Jews were killed, and tens of thousands were arrested and sent to concentration camps. The ultimate goal of the Nazis was Vernichtung (“annihilation”) of Europe’s Jewish population, as well as the annihilation of other groups (Roma, Slavs, homosexuals, and people with mental illness). After six years of war, Germany was defeated in 1945, and the camps were liberated. Though many top Nazi leaders were arrested and tried for crimes against peace and humanity, a great deal escaped persecution.
