Hitler's Daughter

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of religious discrimination, antisemitism, graphic violence, death, antigay bias, and racism.

After World War I ended in 1918, Germany experienced political deadlock, increasing violence, and economic depression. The country had lost the war, and the Treaty of Versailles punished Germany, which made the state pay a significant amount of money and give up land (“Background: The Impact of World War I.” Holocaust Encyclopedia). This caused the German economy to collapse. Many people lost their jobs, had little food, and didn’t trust their government anymore. At the same time, the Great Depression—a major global economic downturn with high unemployment and poverty rates, significant reductions in industrial production and international trade, and bank and business failures—was causing financial problems worldwide. 

In this time of fear and confusion, some people began looking for a strong leader who promised to make Germany powerful again. One of those leaders was Adolf Hitler, who led the National Socialist German Workers Party, known as the Nazis, beginning in 1921. Following attempts to overthrow the German government, Hitler was imprisoned in 1923; this increased his fame and followers, and he used his time in prison to write

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