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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''' (German: ''Großdeutsches Reich'', "Greater German Empire") was the dictatorship of [[Germany]] from 1933-1945 while under the control of the [[Nazi Party]] and its leader, [[Adolf Hitler]].  Quickly consolidating power after his appointment by President [[Paul von Hindenburg]], Hitler pulled the country out of the world-wide depression and transformed it once again into a major [[Europe]]an power; his lust for German territorial expansion at the expense of other countries, beliefs in an Aryan "master race", and a hatred of those considered "sub-human" (primarily the Jews) led to the outbreak of World War II in 1939, which left Germany and much of Europe in ruins and millions of people dead.

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.

In taking over Germany, 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 [[Second Reich]] created by [[Otto von Bismarck]], which lasted 1871-1918.  

== The Reichstag and Its Aftermath ==

== The Reichstag and Its Aftermath ==