Adolf Hitler was the leader of Nazism.
Nazism is a term that comes from the German word Nazismus , which in turn is the shortening of Nationalsozialismus . The notion alludes to National Socialism .
National Socialism, in turn, is called the totalitarian and racist movement that led the German government between 1933 and 1945 . The leader of Nazism was Adolf Hitler .
Main characteristics of Nazism
As a doctrine , Nazism positioned itself on the extreme right . He rejected liberal democracy and the functioning of Parliament and opposed left-wing ideologies.
Nazism, on the other hand, was racist and anti-Semitic . He even maintained the superiority of the Aryan race and promoted eugenics .
In this way, the Nazi regime persecuted numerous social groups, collectivities and communities. Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and the disabled, for example, were victims of different actions and policies applied by the rulers.
One of the most terrible measures was the setting up of concentration and extermination camps . In them, a large number of people were deprived of their liberty, subjected to forced labor, tortured and finally murdered. The most common method of execution was through the use of gas chambers.
Nazism created concentration camps where it sought the extermination of various social groups and communities.
Its origins and rise to power
According to historians, sociologists and political scientists, Nazism began to take shape in the 1920s . The consequences of the Treaty of Versailles , which was signed in 1919 and forced Germany to bear the reparation costs of the First World War , are often cited among the main reasons. Another factor that had an impact was the so-called Great Depression , which damaged living conditions.
Faced with the discontent of the population, extremist proposals began to gain popularity. While democratic governments lost support, dictatorships presented themselves as regimes with the necessary strength to achieve control and resolve crises.
In this context, in 1919 the German Workers' Party was founded, which soon aroused the interest of Adolf Hitler , then a corporal in the German army . That right-wing party was transformed, in February 1920 , into the National Socialist German Workers' Party .
After the triumphs of Nazism in various electoral contests, Adolf Hitler was appointed German Chancellor on January 30, 1933 . Shortly after, Nazism achieved the majority necessary for the approval of a law that gave all power to Hitler , outlawed the rest of the political parties and prohibited the formation of new parties.
Nazism, from government to prohibition
Between 1933 and 1945 , thus, there existed what is known as the Third Reich or Nazi Germany . In that period, Hitler had absolute power, imposing totalitarian policies linked to racism , xenophobia and ultranationalism.
Nazism carried out a genocide (referred to as the Holocaust with regard to the Jewish population) and, through invasions and other procedures, annexed territories of Austria , Poland , Czechoslovakia , Denmark and other countries.
With the defeat of Germany and its allies in World War II , Nazism lost power. While Hitler committed suicide in his bunker, many leaders and those responsible for war crimes were sentenced to death after the Nuremberg Trials . Nazism, meanwhile, became prohibited for promoting crimes and inciting hatred .