Third Reich

The Third Reich, known officially as the German Reich is the name for the Nazi Party ran empire founded in 1933 by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

Background
After the fall of the German Empire in 1918 after World War I, the Germans established the Weimar Republic, which was an attempt to establish a Republican government in the German region. What failed the Weimar Government was the Great Depression, Nationalism, and the Nazis. Communist groups attempted revolutions, which they managed to establish the Bavarian Social Republic in 1919, which was put down by the Reichswehr and the Freikorps. Eventually the Freikorps, unhappy with the Weimar Republic, attempted a coup, which failed. The Freikorps was then absorbed into the SA. In 1933, Hitler was declared Chancellor of Germany, starting the Third Reich, and in 1934 once Paul Von Hindenburg died, he took over as the President. Combining both President and Chancellor he declared himself the Führer of Germany.

(Brief Overview)
Hitler's seizure of power was the driving force to what started the Third Reich. In 1923 an attempted coup known as the Beer Hall Putsch was led by Adolf Hitler and Erich Ludendorff. Numerous SA members attended too. It failed after the Reichswehr killed 16 SA members, injured a few including Adolf Hitler and captured a few. Hitler was arrested and sent to prison, where he wrote Mein Kampf. After being released he aimed to growing the party in the Reichstag, which was successful in the end. On January 30th, 1933, he was given the role as Chancellor of Germany by the Vice Chancellor and Paul von Hindeburg, believing they can control him. Ernst Röhm, the SA Commander attempted to have the Rechswehr merge into the SA, which angered the military and Hitler. Hitler ordered the SS to purge the SA and its leaders which is known as the Knight of the Long Knives from June 30th - July 2nd, 1934. Röhm was killed on July 1st, 1934. The SS then took over as the primary paramilitary group of the Nazi Party. On August 2nd, 1934, Paul von Hindeburg died, having Hitler take over as President. Due to his combination of both President and Chancellor, he declared himself Führer.

Rearmament
Hitler eventually in 1935 began rearmament of Germany. Including re-militarizing the Rhineland. The Reichswehr was dissolved and the Wehrmacht was established as the Third Reich's armed forces in 1935. In 1936 the Spanish Civil War occurred and the Wehrmacht's Luftwaffe were able to test their planes out by assisting the Francoist forces. In 1938 two events occurred, the Anschluss of Austria, which annexed all of Austria and the capture of the Sudetenland. In 1939, Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia.

(Brief Overview)
To be written.