Bringing History to Life

In 1933, Adolf Hitler seizes power in Germany, where he has seduced the population with golden promises of a restoration of the Great German Empire. He allies himself with Mussolini's fascist Italy, Stalin's communist Soviet Union and the military dictatorship in Japan, which has the same dreams of grandeur as Germany. In this series, you get a thorough review of World War II - from the birth of fascism through the war's many dramas to the aftermath, where the victors deal with the war's worst criminals.

Hitler seduces an entire nation

Autobahns pull Germany out of crisis • » 23RD SEPTEMBER The construction of highways and tanks leads Germany out of the economic crisis. Unemployment keeps dropping, and the Nazis are hailed as the country’s rescuers. But the figures are manipulated, and success is hollow.

Hitler Youth trains for war • » 14TH SEPTEMBER Millions of German boys between 10 and 18 years are forced into the Nazi youth corps where they’re brainwashed and trained for battle.

Olympics exploited for propaganda • » 1ST AUGUST Hitler doesn’t like sport, but the Führer sees an opportunity to present a glamorous image of Nazi Germany through the Olympics. The propaganda games are a success, with enthusiastic foreign reports.

Art reflected Nazi ideals • » 1936 Symbolic sculptures, bombastic buildings and strong athletes express Nazi ideals of totalitarian power and an Aryan people with superior strength.

Hitler draws dream city • » 1936 Hitler believes the German capital is pitiful, and draws up new plans for a renamed Berlin called Germania. The city’s central axis must be a victory avenue from a giant triumphal arch to the Great Hall.

Hitler is the new Messiah • » 30TH SEPTEMBER Adolf Hitler is not only head of state, but also viewed as a demigod in German people’s eyes. This extreme devotion to the Führer isn’t spontaneous, but the result of many years of propaganda by Joseph Goebbels, which portrays Hitler as the saviour of Germany.

Nazis kidnap children in their thousands • » 7TH OCTOBER Children with the right genes are in high demand in Germany as the Nazis resort to kidnapping and birth programmes to obtain new fair-haired and blue-eyed inhabitants for the Third Reich.

The Gestapo is unleashed • » 1941 During the war, the Gestapo tightens its grip on Germany’s population. The Nazi secret police relies heavily on help from a network of informers and agents.

Jews survive in hiding • » 22ND JUNE While the Nazis systematically kill millions of Jews in concentration camps, a few survive in the Third Reich through perpetual flight.

Nazism governs family life • » 1942 Women are sent home to bear children, the children are taught to worship their Führer, and the men train for battle. Nazi ideology bores deep into private lives and sustains gender stereotypes in Germany.

Young resist the regime • » FEBRUARY Youths from the White Rose group hand out leaflets that call for resistance against the dictatorship. But few dare to challenge Hitler’s iron grip on Germany.

Constant grief and hunger • » 1944 Cities lie in ruins, food is in short supply, and family after family is notified that a son or husband has been killed at the front. Morale declines in the Third Reich.

1933 23RD SEPTEMBER GERMANY WORKS ITS WAY OUT OF CRISIS • During the 1930s Adolf Hitler pulls Germany out of the economic mire with an extensive building programme. Unemployment keeps falling, and the Nazis are hailed as financial miracle workers. But the success is hollow: Nazi leaders have used an underhand ploy to fabricate the numbers.

1935 14TH SEPTEMBER HITLER YOUTH ARE TRAINED FOR DEATHE • Hitler thinks that Germany’s youth should be tough as leather and...