German Reich year 1941 ☀ Hitler’s Birthday ☀ MNH stamp
The “Third Reich” (Drittes Reich) is a term used to refer to Nazi Germany under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler, which lasted from 1933 to 1945. The term “Reich” in German translates to “empire” or “realm,” and the designation of “Third Reich” implies a continuation or revival of a historical German empire.
Hitler’s regime, officially known as the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), sought to establish a totalitarian state with absolute control over all aspects of society. The Third Reich was characterized by extreme nationalism, racism (especially anti-Semitism), militarism, and the suppression of dissenting voices.
During this period, Germany pursued aggressive expansionist policies, leading to the annexation of Austria (Anschluss) in 1938 and the invasion of Poland in 1939, which triggered World War II. The regime also implemented policies that resulted in the persecution, imprisonment, and extermination of millions of Jews, as well as other targeted groups such as Roma, disabled individuals, political dissidents, and homosexuals, in what became known as the Holocaust.
The Third Reich came to an end in 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Allied forces in World War II. The regime’s collapse resulted in the Nuremberg Trials, where key Nazi leaders were prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities committed during the Holocaust and the war.
