holocaust timeline

  • Beer Hall Putsch

    Hitler and the Nazi Party unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the Weimar Republic. This event became known as the Beer Hall Putsch.
  • Hitler Appointed As Chancellor

    Following inconclusive elections, President Hindenburg invited Hitler to become chancellor of Germany.
  • The Reichstag Fire

    The Reichstag building in Berlin was set on fire. Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch communist, was taken into custody for the crime and later executed. The Nazi government exploited the fire and declared a state of emergency.
  • Dachau Is Established

    The first Nazi concentration camp was established in Dachau. Until its liberation in 1945, more than 188,000 prisoners were incarcerated here, at least 28,000 of which died.
  • The Enabling Act Is Passed

    The Enabling Act was passed in the Reichstag, granting the government dictatorial powers for four years.
  • Boycott Of Jewish Businesses

    The Nazis carried out a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses and shops. This was the first mass action the regime took against the Jews of Germany.
  • The Law For The Restoration Of The Professional Civil Service

    The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service banned Jews and dissidents from the Civil Service. As a result, Jewish teachers, professors, judges and other civil servants lost their jobs.
  • Book Burnings

    University students publicly burned books that were considered ‘un-German’ or written by Jewish authors in Berlin. In the following days, similar burnings were held in several German cities.