3. Authorities & decisions: Nazism, racial dictatorship and aggressive war

Decision-makers, laws and consequences

President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor in January 1933. The Reichstag Fire Decree suspended civil liberties, and the Enabling Act of March 1933 permitted government lawmaking without parliamentary approval.

Nuremberg Laws in 1935 deprived German Jews of citizenship rights; Nazi authorities organized genocide during World War II. Hitler’s invasions began with Poland in September 1939, leading to a wider European war.

Institutional consequences

The authorities identified above acted within institutions that determined who could govern, enforce decisions and challenge official power. The resulting changes to political participation, legal status, military control or property administration are part of the historical record of this specific event, rather than evidence that every later government followed the same path.

Legal restrictions, rights & enforcement

Compare who exercised authority, whether opponents could organize independently, how the government handled economic and social demands, and whether neighboring populations were exposed to invasion or coercion. The record above describes this particular case rather than treating every movement with a similar label as identical.