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Greek Soldiers Guarding Barracks.
Greek soldiers guard the barracks that were left intact after the pogrom of June 29, 1931. -
Paul Beller
Identification papers issued to Paul Beller stating he was born in Vienna on October 20, 1931 but is officially stateless. -
Hitler Election Poster
Modern techniques of propaganda—including strong images and simple messages—helped propel Austrian-born Adolf Hitler from being a little-known extremist to one of the leading candidates for Germany’s presidency in 1932. -
Book Burnings
On May 10, 1933 student groups at universities across Germany carried out a series of book burnings of works that the students and leading Nazi party members associated with an “un-German spirit.” The largest of these book bonfires occurred in Berlin, where an estimated 40,000 people gathered to hear a speech by the propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, in which he stated that “Jewish intellectualism is dead." -
President of Germany
German President Von Hindenburg dies. With the support of the German armed forces, Hitler becomes President of Germany. -
Leader of the German People
Hitler abolishes the office of President and declares himself Führer of the German Reich and People, in addition to his position as Chancellor. In this capacity as Führer, Hitler's decisions are not bound by the laws of the state. Hitler now becomes the absolute dictator of Germany; there are no further legal or constitutional limits to his authority. -
Nazi Party Congress
Rows of SA standard bearers line the field behind the speaker's podium at the 1935 Nazi Party Congress. Adolf Hitler addresses the crowds from the podium. Nuremberg, Germany, September 1935. -
Invasion of Poland, Fall 1939
The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. After heavy shelling and bombing, Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939. Britain and France, standing by their guarantee of Poland's border, had declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. The Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland on September 17, 1939. The demarcation line for the partition of German- and Soviet-occupied Poland was along the Bug River.
