The Coming of the Third Reich

The Centre Party was one of the mainstream parties of the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The party was primarily a political party representing German Catholics but, true to its name, it also represented centrist and moderate right-wing political and social views.

A concordat is any formal set of agreements between the Catholic Church and a secular government. In 1933, one such concordat was agreed between Nazi Germany and the Catholic Church in an attempt to guarantee the independence of the Catholic clergy.

Named for “dada,” a French word for a toy horse, Dadaism was a modernist art and literary movement originating in post-World War I Germany. Using irrational and surreal images and language, Dada was in many ways a protest against the strict, regimented nature of industrial capitalism and middle-class culture. Dadaism was despised by many conservatives including the Nazis along with other modernist movements.

Passed by the Reichstag in 1933, the Enabling Act gave the Reich Chancellor, then Adolf Hitler, and the members of his cabinet the ability to completely bypass the President and the Reichstag in making legislation. It was an important step in Hitler ending the Weimar Republic and creating a totalitarian state.

Founded in 1918, the German Democratic Party was a centrist and moderate left-wing party. It became one of the main political parties of the Weimar Republic.

Modernism describes a variety of cultural movements across various fields, including literature, the visual arts, film, and architecture. It was characterized by experimentation and a rejection of tradition and rationalism. Modernist works and groups, such as the architectural school Bauhaus, were reviled by the Nazis.

Often translated into English as “parliament,” the Reichstag was the elected legislative body of Germany during both the German Empire and the Weimar Republic.

This law was passed in response to the burning of the Reichstag building. It permanently repealed many civil liberties, including freedom of speech and the press and the right to privacy. Along with the Enabling Act, it was the legal action that allowed the Nazis to establish an authoritarian regime.

SA is short for Sturmabteilung (storm troopers), and they were also called the brownshirts, named for wearing brown shirts and ties. Starting as the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, the brownshirts also served as Adolf Hitler’s bodyguard. They lost much of their prominence to the SS once the Nazis came to power.

Shorthand for Schutzstaffel (protection squadron), they began as a group that protected party leaders during public speeches and meetings. As the Nazis began to rise to power, they also became more involved in conducting terror campaigns against Nazis.