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The Third Reich was the name given to the German government by the [[Nazis]]. "Reich" in German means "empire". [[Hitler]] believed that he was creating a third German empire, following the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (800-1806) what he called the [[First Reich]], and the one created by [[Otto von Bismarck]] which lasted from 1871 until 1918 or the [[Second Reich]].  

The '''Third Reich''' was the name given to the German government by the [[Nazis]]. "Reich" in German means "empire". [[Hitler]] believed that he was creating a third German empire, following the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (800-1806) what he called the [[First Reich]], and the one created by [[Otto von Bismarck]] which lasted from 1871 until 1918 or the [[Second Reich]].  

The Third Reich lasted from 1933 until 1945. It's birth and the death knell of the Weimar Republic, began on January 30, 1933, when [[Hitler]] was appointed Chancellor. Less than a month later, the Reichstag burned and Hitler seized power.

The Third Reich lasted from 1933 until 1945. It's birth and the death knell of the Weimar Republic, began on January 30, 1933, when [[Hitler]] was appointed Chancellor. Less than a month later, the Reichstag burned and Hitler seized power.

== The Reichstag and Its Aftermath ==

== The Reichstag and Its Aftermath ==

On February 27, 1933, the [[Reichstag]] in [[Berlin]] was destroyed in a fire that had plainly been deliberately set. Exactly who set the fire remains a question never fully resolved. Most contemporary observers both in and outside of Germany blamed and still blame the Nazis themselves, though Shirer admits in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich that “The whole truth about the Reichstag Fire will probably never be known.” <ref>The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Book Two, “Triumph and Consolidation.” William Shirer</ref>

On February 27, 1933, the [[Reichstag]] in [[Berlin]] was destroyed in a fire that had plainly been deliberately set. Exactly who set the fire remains a question never fully resolved. Most contemporary observers both in and outside of Germany blamed and still blame the Nazis themselves, though Shirer admits in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich that “The whole truth about the Reichstag Fire will probably never be known.” <ref>The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Book Two, “Triumph and Consolidation.” William Shirer</ref>