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Nazis

Cultural  
  1. A German political party of the twentieth century, led by Adolf Hitler. The Nazis controlled Germany from the early 1930s until the end of World War II. The party's full name in English is National Socialist German Workers' party; Nazi is short for its German name. Despite the word socialist in its name, it was a fascist party, requiring from its members supreme devotion to the German government — the Third Reich (see fascism and socialism). The Nazis rose to power by promising the people that Germany, which had been humiliated after World War I, would become powerful again. The Nazis opposed communism and free intellectual inquiry. Desiring to form a master race that would rule the world, they fought the influence in Germany of peoples not of “pure” descent. Their power was particularly directed at controlling Jews (see also Jews) in Germany and in the countries that Germany conquered in war. After depriving Jews (see also Jews) of their property and confining them in concentration camps, the Nazis employed the Final Solution of killing them in large numbers; an estimated six million Jews lost their lives (see Holocaust). Also marked for extermination were the mentally and physically handicapped and “enemies of the Reich” such as Slavs, communists, Gypsies, homosexuals, Christians (see also Christian) who resisted the government, and defenders of intellectual freedom. The Nazis fought World War II to spread their principles worldwide but were defeated. Twenty-two of their leaders were convicted of war crimes at the Nuremberg trials. A great number of symbols (see also symbol), images, and names are associated with the reign of the Nazis, including the swastika emblem; the stiff-armed salute; the greeting “heil Hitler”; the goose-step march; mass political rallies; concentration camps, such as Auschwitz and Dachau; and Hitler's aides Adolf Eichmann, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goering, and Heinrich Himmler.


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Perhaps Mitchell and Webb's best known sketch, which sees them both dressed as Nazis while begging the question: "are we the baddies?"

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Now a museum, the former school of design closed by the Nazis in the 1930s promoted a style of architecture devoid of regional roots, according to the party.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

A painting which was stolen by the Nazis and only recovered in Argentina last year must now be returned to the heir of its rightful owner, a court has ruled.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

In the aftermath of World War II, Austria long presented itself as a victim of the Nazis, ignoring the complicity of many Austrians.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

After cheating death, Burger was assigned to Germany's political division, where he worked on journalism and propaganda for the Nazis.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

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