- The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, came to power in Germany in 1933.
- The Nazis were a totalitarian regime that controlled every aspect of German life.
- The Nazis believed in a racially pure Aryan nation and pursued policies of racial persecution, anti-Semitism, and genocide.
- The Nazis sought to expand German territory and establish a "Greater Germany."
- The Nazis formed alliances with Italy and Japan, known as the Axis Powers.
Allied Powers
- The Allied Powers, consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, and other nations, opposed Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers.
- The Allies formed a coalition to fight against the Axis Powers in World War II.
- The Allies ultimately defeated the Axis Powers in 1945.
Political Divisions in Germany
- Germany was divided into two separate states after World War II: East Germany and West Germany.
- East Germany was a communist state allied with the Soviet Union, while West Germany was a capitalist state allied with the United States and other Western countries.
- The two German states were reunited in 1990.