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The Holocaust

The Holocaust Resource Center

The Rise of the Nazi Party

The Weimar Republic was founded after the defeat of Germany in World War I. It never managed to take root in sufficiently broad segments of society due to the lack of democratic traditions in German history. The republic's early years, which were marked by tremendous political violence, triggered among others by economic uncertainty, witnessed the founding of extreme movements. These radical groups worked tirelessly against moderate democratic foundations, which ultimately led to the collapse of the Weimar Republic. From the very beginning of the republic, the National Socialist German Workers' Party (the Nazi Party), which was founded in 1919 and functioned from 1920 under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, combined political activity with street violence and even tried to take over the Bavarian government in a 1923 putsch. The putsch failed but the Nazi Party bided its time until the opportunity was ripe to assume power.

Total Sources (by media type):

Lexicon Entries 7
Maps and Charts 8
Photographs 30
Research 4
Total Sources 49