Holocaust Timeline

9th November 1923 Beer hall Putsch Hitler and the Nazi party unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the weimar republic. This event became known as the Beer hall putsch 30th January 1933 Hitler appointed as chancellor Following inconclusive elections, President Hindenburg invited Hitler to become chancellor of Germany.

27 February 1933
The Reichstag Fire
The Reichstag building in Berlin was set on fire. Marinus van der Lubbe, a Dutch communist, was taken into custody for the crime and later executed. The Nazi government exploited the fire and declared a state of emergency.

22 March 1933
Dachau Is Established
The first Nazi concentration camp was established in Dachau. Until its liberation in 1945, more than 188,000 prisoners were incarcerated here, at least 28,000 of which died.

23 March 1933
The Enabling Act Is Passed
The Enabling Act was passed in the Reichstag, granting the government dictatorial powers for four years.

1 April 1933
Boycott Of Jewish Businesses
The Nazis carried out a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses and shops. This was the first mass action the regime took against the Jews of Germany.

7 April 1933
The Law For The Restoration Of The Professional Civil Service
The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service banned Jews and dissidents from the Civil Service. As a result, Jewish teachers, professors, judges and other civil servants lost their jobs.

10 May 1933
Book Burnings
University students publicly burned books that were considered ‘un-German’ or written by Jewish authors in Berlin. In the following days, similar burnings were held in several German cities.




14 July 1933
The Sterilisation Law Is Passed
The Sterilisation Law was passed, forcing compulsory sterilisation of disabled or mentally ill people. Approximately 400,000 people were sterilised as a result.

20 July 1933
Concordat With The Vatican
The Roman Catholic Church signed a Concordat with the Nazi government. This made the Vatican the first state to officially recognise Nazi Germany.

4 October 1933
The Editorship Law Is Passed
The Editorship Law was passed. This law imposed strict rules on what newspapers were allowed to publish. Non-‘Aryans’ were banned from working in journalism.

26 January 1934
The German-Polish Non-Aggression-Pact Is Agreed
Germany and Poland signed a 10-year non-aggression pact.

30 June 1934
The Night Of The Long Knives
A purge of the SA leadership was ordered by Hitler, who falsely accused them of conspiring against the government. Over the course of three days, more than 150 people were murdered, including the SA Chief of Staff Ernst Röhm.

2 August 1934
The Death Of Hindenburg
The German President Paul von Hindenburg died. Following Hindenburg’s death, Hitler merged the positions of President and Chancellor.

1 May 1935
Jehovah’s Witnesses Banned
The German government issued a ban on all organisations of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

28 June 1935
Revision Of Paragraph 175
Paragraph 175 of the German Criminal Code was revised to impose stricter penalties on any sexual contact between men, increasing the number of convictions by ten. Many of the convicted were taken to concentration camps.
15 September 1935
The Nuremberg Laws Are Passed
At the annual party rally of the Nazis, Hitler announced the Nuremberg Laws. They consisted of two separate laws, the first prohibited marriages and relationships between Jews and Germans; the second stripped Jews of their German citizenship.

7 March 1936
Reoccupation Of The Rhineland
The German army reoccupied the Rhineland. This action directly broke the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

25 October 1936
Agreement On The Rome-Berlin Axis
The Rome-Berlin Axis was agreed, with Germany and Italy informally promising to support each other in the event of war.

19 July 1937
Exhibition Of ‘Degenerate Art’ Opens
The ‘Degenerate Art’ exhibition opened in Munich. It presented paintings, sculptures and books from Germany’s public galleries that were considered to be ‘un-German’ and therefore unacceptable.

12 March 1938
German Invasion Of Austria And Anschluss
The German Army invaded and annexed Austria. This became known as Anschluss.

6 July 1938
Evian Conference Takes Place
Representatives of 32 states and 24 voluntary organisations met in Evian, France, to discuss the international refugee problem.

17 August 1938
New Compulsory Middle Name For Jews
A law was passed stating that all Jews in Germany were required to adopt a new middle name; ‘Israel’ for men and ‘Sara’ for women. The names had to be registered at the registry office and be used on all official documents.

5 October 1938
Jewish Passports Are Stamped With A ‘J’
Passports of Jewish citizens began to be stamped with a large ‘J’ for Jew. This was implemented to prevent Jews from emigrating to Switzerland by pretending to be Christians.


10 October 1938
The Sudetenland Is Annexed
Following the Munich Pact, the Sudetenland was occupied by the German ‘Wehrmacht’ and annexed by Germany.

9 November 1938
November Pogrom – Kristallnacht
Throughout Germany and Austria, a pogrom was initiated by the Nazis. Synagogues were destroyed and Jewish shops were looted and ransacked. 91 Jews were killed and thousands of Jewish men were taken to concentration camps. This event became known as the November Pogrom or Kristallnacht.

12 November 1938
The Exclusion Of Jews From Economy
A decree banning Jews from owning businesses and selling goods was issued.

15 March 1939
Germany Invades Czechoslovakia
Nazi troops invaded Czechoslovakia and occupied Prague, breaking the Munich agreement which was agreed just six months prior.
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Editing (1939- 1945) -Still in progress-
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15 april 1945

Liberation Of Bergen-Belsen

 British forces liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

30 april 1945 

Hitler’s Suicide

Hitler commited suicide in his bunker in Berlin.

7 may 1945 

Germany Surrenders

 At 2.41pm, General Jodl and Admiral Friedeburg signed documents of unconditional surrender at Eisenhower’s headquarters. The following day was declared the Day of Victory in Europe by Churchill and Truman.

16 july 1945 

Potsdam Conference

At the Potsdam Conference, both Germany and Berlin were partitioned into four zones of occupation. A Soviet zone in the East, an American, a British and a French zone in the West.

9 august 1945 

Atomic Bomb In Hiroshima 

The US army dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima at 8.15am. 80,000 people died immediately. Thousands more died of their injuries and radiation sickness.

15 august 1945 

End Of The Second World War

Following a second atomic bomb, Japan announced its surrender in a radio address by Emperor Hirohito. The government signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on 2 September 1945, officially ending World War Two.

20 november 1945 

The Nuremberg Trials

The trials of 22 top-level Nazi war criminals began at Nuremberg. They were tried for crimes against humanity and war crimes by a court of Allied judges. Twelve of the defendants were sentenced to death.The trials of 22 top-level Nazi war criminals began at Nuremberg. They were tried for crimes against humanity and war crimes by a court of Allied judges. Twelve of the defendants were sentenced to death.