er was named chancellor of Germany. By the summer of 1933, Hitler declared himself dictator of Germany. In April of 1933, Hitler had created the Gestapo, the Secret State Police. The Gestapo was responsible for researching the history of the German citizens. If the Gestapo discovered that a citizen was of the Jewish religion or did not contain one hundred percent German blood, they were taken to one of the various concentration camps located throughout Germany. Hitler created concentration camps to kill all who were of the Jewish religion and who were not of German descent. The SS administered the killings of these people in the camps by placing them in gas chambers. Hitler believed the people he murdered were an inferior group who would only create evil in the world. He planned to establish Germany as the world’s leading power by eliminating this inferior group of people. From 1933 onward, Hitler prepared Germany for war. In 1936, German troops invaded France and eventually gained the territory. In 1938, German troops invaded Austria. Austria then became part of Germany. After each success, Hitler planned a new invasion. He took control of the remainder of Czechoslovakia in March of 1939. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. By the spring of 1940, German troops conquered Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium. This was the beginning of World War II. In June of 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. This was a huge mistake on Hitler’s part. Soon, his Nazi party rule over Germany would crumble. The Soviets wiped out the German army. This German defeat was a major turning point in World War II. While his empire lasted, Adolf Hitler directed the SS, Gestapo, and Nazi officials for 12 long, brutal years. Over six million Jews were murdered. That was two thirds of the Jewish population in Europe. He also killed over one million non-German bloo...
