With German pride at a low and widespread instability throughout the country, political leaders turned to point fingers in terms of who was to take the blame. This resulted in a spike of anti-communist as well as anti-semitic tropes, including the infamous “stab in the back myth” which claimed that Germans had not actually lost the war, but rather rogue citizens at home, mainly Jews. Additionally, the instability led to the rise of a new government in 1919, the Weimar Republic, disliked by almost all Germans from the beginning of its 14-year stint. This disliking of the Weimar Republic extended to both left-wing and right-wing politicians, leaving for a continuous battle for control.

On November 8th, Hitler and his followers staged a failed coup of the Bavarian government in an attempted grab for power known as the Beer Hall Putsch. Although Hitler was convicted of treason and sentenced to five years in prison, he only spent a few months behind bars. During this time he wrote “Mein Kampf”, an autobiography heavy with antisemitism detailing his radical and often contradictory views on politics and race. After his release, he quickly climbed political ranks becoming the leader of the Nazi Party, and establishing the SA as well and the SS within that, with the goal of instilling fear against those who disagreed with the Nazis. Over the next few years, the party quadrupled in numbers, establishing widespread support.

Hitler was appointed chancellor, effectively ending the Weimar republic. The Nazis in power led to a series of anti-Jewish events, including the establishment of the first concentration camp. On April 1st, the Nazis ordered a nationwide boycott of Jewish businesses. This boycott was followed by a slew of antisemitic acts including laws forbidding Jews from holding political power, limits placed on the amounts of Jewish schools, and thousands of Jewish books being burned.

The death of Hindenburg in 1934 allowed Hitler to seize the presidency. He quickly abolished the office and appointed himself as the overarching leader of Germany. Hitler continued to push antisemitism, eventually passing the Nuremberg Laws in 1935 which dictated in explicit detail how pervasive Jewish blood was. It also detailed the many things Jews were forbidden from doing for not being Aryan. Additionally, more concentration camps continued to be established.

On September 1st, Germany launched a full-scale invasion of Poland, breaking the non-aggression pact signed in order to prevent war. In five weeks the German army crushed Polish forces prompting Britain and France to declare war on Germany. On March 15th, 1939 Germany occupied Bohemia and Moravia, home to over 118,310 Jews