Hitler’s tyrannical power lay in his position as a state leader (Reich President), head of government (Reich Chancellor), and leader of the Nazi political party (Fuehrer). Based on the principle of “Fuehrer,” Hitler had the final say in all matters pertaining to legal state policy; Hitler had the power to determine both domestic legislation and German relations abroad (Holocaust Encyclopedia n.p.). Hitler’s foreign relations policy was steered by the racist notion that the Germans were naturally meant to expand eastward using military action and that a larger, racially superior German population ought to establish its dominance in Eastern Europe and Russia.

With the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact in 1939, Germany secured a peace deal with Russia. Hitler, however, invaded Poland and after only a few weeks of the war, the country was divided between Germany and Russia (The Open University n.p.). Hitler’s thirst for further territorial conquest pushes him to attack Russia in June 1941, ignoring the peace treaty that Germany had signed. Hitler stated that: “the German question can be solved only by way of force, and this is never without risk…” (Jewish Virtual Library n.p.). The Nazi foreign policy had from the onset aimed to start a war of annihilation against Russia, and the peacetime years had been used to prepare for war. The German invasion of Russia (Operation Barbarossa) begins and, as a result, Hitler loses miserably in the war against Russia.

According to the Encyclopedia of World Biography, Hitler withdrew almost completely from the public limelight with the fading fortunes of the German war expeditions. His orders became increasingly misguided as he recalled his earlier victories over other military generals, refused to heed advice from his trusted military counselors. He became an increasingly insecure person and thought of treason attempts being made against him everywhere. Under the motto “total victory or total ruin,” the entire German soldiers, often poorly equipped or not well trained, were sent to the war front. Following a botched assassination attempt against Hitler on July 20, 1944, the reign of terror further intensified.

The Nazi regime initially started as a political movement meant to liberate the German people from the economic woes that they had faced under the parliamentary democracy of the Weimar Republic, which was formed in Germany after the end of the World War I. However, Hitler’s increasing obsession with extending his control over other parts of Eastern Europe diverted his focus from the political, social, and economic problems that many “Aryan” Germans continued to encounter domestically. As a result, he lost the backing of many Germans who had supported him immensely when he rose to power. Over time, the Nazi rule became less popular throughout Germany.

The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 marked the segregation and persecution of the Jewish population in Germany. Many Jews were confined in concentration camps, as Jewish property, businesses, and synagogues were destroyed. What is more, the Jews were even asked to pay a fine of 1 billion Reichmark for the atrocities committed against the “Aryan” Germans. In schools, the Nazi rule put much effort into teaching the young children why it was important to alienate the Jews from the country. Using anti-Semitic literature, the children were taught to hate members of Jewish descent by claiming that they posed a serious danger to the prosperity of the German population. Official teaching guidelines regarding the Jewish Questions stated that every pupil should: “remain an enemy of the Jews for the rest of his life and raise his children as enemies (of the Jews)” (Jewish Virtual Library n.p.). Such teachings did not go well among both Catholic and Protestant church leaders. As a result, many church leaders acted against the Nuremberg Laws and even helped to hide Jews from the Nazi regime.