-
Adolf Hitler Appointed Chancellor
assumes control of the German state when German President Paul von Hindenburg appoints Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler as Chancellor at the head of a coalition government. . The Nazis and the German Nationalist People's Party (Deutschnationale Volkspartei; DNVP) are members of the coalition. -
Reichstag Fire Decree
The day after the German parliament building (Reichstag) caught fire due to arson, President Hindenburg issues the Decree for the Protection of People and the Reich. Although the origins of the fire are still unclear, in a propaganda move, the coalition government (made up of Nazis and nationalists) blamed the communists. -
Establishment of Dachau Camp
Outside the city of Dachau, Germany, the SS (Schutzstaffel, protection squads) establish their first concentration camp to imprison political opponents. Between 1933 and 1945, concentration camps (Konzentrationslager; KL or KZ) were an integral feature of the Nazi regime. -
Anti-Jewish Boycott
After coming to power in Germany, the Nazi organizes an economic boycott targeting Jewish-owned businesses and the offices of Jewish professionals. -
Law Limits Jews in Public Schools
After Adolf Hitler's appointment as chancellor in January 1933, government at all levels (national, state, and municipal) began to adopt laws and policies that increasingly restricted the rights of Jews in Germany. -
Book Burning
On May 10, 1933, university students burn more than 25,000 "non-German" books on the Berlin Opera Square. Some 40,000 people gather to hear Joseph Goebbels deliver a fiery speech: "No to decadence and moral corruption!" -
Law for the “Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases
The German government passes the “Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases” (Gesetz zur Verhütung erbkranken Nachwuchses), ordering the forced sterilization of certain people with physical and mental disabilities. -
Central Organization of German Jews Formed
German Jewish organizations establish the Central Organization of German Jews (Reichsvertretung der deutschen Juden) in an effort to better represent the interests of German Jews through a unified response to escalating Nazi persecution.