reference to
Germany when it was under the
control of the National
Socialist German Workers'
Party beginning in 1933. The
party seized political
control of the country under the
leadership of Adolf
Hitler and systematically eliminated opposition, and put into
effect its
program of
nationalism, racism, rearmament, aggression, etc. In
alliance with
Italy and, later, Japan,
Nazi-controlled
Germany entered into a large-
scale war with many other nations of the
world, which came to be called
World War II (1939–1945). Upon
Germany's surrender (1945), its
standard of
living collapsed and there was widespread suffering. The
word Nazi comes from the
German word Nationalsozialist (national
socialist).
—HEV Approved Glossary