On January 30th, 1933, Paul von Hindenburg, the President of the Reich, appointed Adolf Hitler as Reich Chancellor. Although Hitler's party, the NSDAP, was the strongest in parliament, they did not win an outright majority, making their starting position precarious. Instable parliaments were at risk of being dissolved by the President, which had happened several times before.

To form a stable government after the chaotic years between 1930 and 1933, during which the Weimar Republic had been governed with emergency decrees, Hitler called for new elections, which were scheduled for March 5th. For the National Socialist movement, Hitler's legal inauguration on January 30th was the key to a takeover, which was celebrated on the same evening with a torchlight procession. Germany's heavy manufacturing was their main supporter.

A few days later, on February the 3rd, Hitler announced his long-term goals to a group of generals, namely "strict authoritarian rule that would rid Germany of the 'cancer' of democracy and 'exterminate' Marxism." (Kitchen, pp.234)

The German political parties were campaigning for the upcoming election, with support from various industries such as steelmakers, the coal industry, insurance companies, and the chemical industry. On February 20th, Hitler presented his plan to leading industry representatives, stating that the upcoming election would be the last and that he intended to transform Germany into a strong state, regardless of the results. The industrialists readily wrote checks to support his campaign.

(Kitchen)

On February 27th, the Reichstag building caught fire. Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutchman, immediately confessed to committing arson. While some argue that the Nazis orchestrated the fire to implement stricter legislation, most historians agree that van der Lubbe acted alone. Perhaps the nationalistic climate at the time had triggered him to commit the crime. The following day, the "Degree for the Protection of the People and the State" was passed, suspending all constitutional rights and placing restrictions on press freedom and the right to assemble. Although the election results on March 5th could have been used to form a government, Hitler's National Socialists did not win an outright majority, obtaining only 43.9% of the popular vote. The Weimar Republic's constitution allowed for the formation of a government with another party to achieve a majority, but such a compromise seemed unacceptable. It was all or nothing, leaving supporters disappointed:

 "The ballots were hardly counted when the National Socialists set about the demolition of the republics federal structure. A two-pronged attack on local government was launched. SA thugs and party activists stormed town halls and local government offices, hoisted swastika flags, and chased terrified officials away." (Kitchen, pp.236)

Hitler requested a law that would allow him to rule without interference from other German organs for the next four years. To achieve this, he needed a two-thirds majority in parliament and the goodwill of the Center Party. However, the conservative party members were concerned about further religious restrictions and their supporters. Despite their concerns, most delegates voted in favor of the law, and only the Social Democrats spoke out against it. The Enabling Act of 1933 disabled the people's house of Germany and served as a fundamental pillar for the National Socialist movement.

On March 31st, Hitler and his party used their powers to proclaim further actions, including forcible coordination. They dissolved all state parliaments and replaced them with Reich Governors, many of whom also held the position of Gauleiter, leader of a party district. The boundaries of the state and the Gauleiters' party district were different, causing confusion when determining whether someone was speaking as a Governor or as a Gauleiter. The functions fused, marking the beginning of the coordination of every aspect of German life:

■ German Labor Front

■ National Socialist Motor Corps

■ National Socialist Women's League

■ HJ group (1926)

■ National Socialist University Teachers' League

■ National Socialist German Students' League

■ National Socialist German Doctors' League

By law, other parties were made illegal. On December 1, 1933, the unity between the country and the party was enshrined by statute. The National Socialist revolution was complete, and the German Empire changed its political system once again, becoming known as the Third Reich. 

The whole process took only a few months and became a model for authoritarian takeovers.

(Thamer)

Life under the Swastika was heavily structured by the Nazi regime's national calendar. The winter season saw National Socialists celebrating their takeover on January 30th each year, as well as observing a holiday named "midwinter" on December 21st. During the springtime, a few holidays were celebrated to further unify the community. One of them was a special Memorial Day held on March 16th (similar in nature to the American Memorial Day in May). Hitler's birthday on April 20th was considered a sacred day and was followed by the Day of National Labor on May 1st. With the arrival of summer on June 21st, the regime marked the occasion with a special celebration. The fall season saw citizens turning on their radios to listen to the Nuremberg rallies in September and celebrating the Reich's Thanksgiving on the first Sunday of November. (BIGE)

 Life was bleak for those considered enemies of the Reich. Jews, Romany people (downgraded as "gypsies"), those labeled as antisocial, homosexuals, and people with disabilities experienced exclusion, humiliation, and often death. The National Socialist ideology deemed Jews and Romany people to be inferior and racially unacceptable. The Nuremberg Laws of September 15, 1935, set the course for intensified policies targeting non-Aryans. However, not every white person was automatically an Aryan; individuals had to undergo unique measurements and provide a well-documented genealogy.

Some famous Germans resisted the ideology or were considered enemies because of their heritage and left the country. Prominent Jews, such as the physicists Albert Einstein and Max Born, were able to continue their careers abroad. Bertolt Brecht and Thomas Mann were two German writers who fled National Socialism. Walter Gropius, a famous German architect and founder of the Bauhaus movement, became a professor at Harvard University.

Interestingly, charity also played a role in National Socialist ideology. While beggars were considered vermin to a healthy environment, several initiatives such as the Winter Help Aid and the National Socialist Public Welfare fought against hunger for fellow citizens. These organizations attracted millions of donors and served as a commitment to the values of the national community (Volksgemeinschaft), inspiring unity throughout society. It was an excellent way to build up a social network. However, the focus was not on the poor but rather the donors, who could present themselves as participating in poor relief.

(Rall,William)

One of the most important tools, if not the most important, was German propaganda techniques. Recurring catchwords, slogans, rhetoric, posters, and music played a significant role in shaping public opinion. Different demographic groups were targeted in a variety of ways. The young, the old, the rich, and the poor received different forms of propaganda. The regime ensured that new technological devices, such as radios, were affordable for everyone. Every German could listen to speeches by Hitler and his minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. Hitler's election campaign was characterized by speeches held in different German cities on the same day. He was portrayed as a man who stood for modernity and technical progress. The airplane made it possible to showcase him above Germany. One nationalistic newspaper, "Hitler über Deutschland," depicted the leader of the Reich as an ever-present savior of a nation in crisis.