Nazism established itself in an extraordinarily short time as a major force in German politics and thereafter seized and consolidated its grip on power against all expectations. Humanity was to suffer appallingly as a consequence of the Nazis' success.

The Impact of World War I

Despite palpable tensions over the country's semi-absolutist constitution, early twentieth-century imperial Germany was among the more prosperous and dynamic of European societies. A vibrant literary and arts scene, a strengthening economy, and a relatively advanced welfare system gave grounds for influential citizens, such as the Jewish banker Max Warburg, to look to the future with optimism. States such as Prussia had sheltered and absorbed victims of foreign religious persecution for many generations and during its industrial revolution Germany attracted and successfully absorbed...