August 2 1934
Hitler becomes Führer

Chancellor Adolf Hitler becomes sole leader of Germany upon the death of President Paul von Hindenburg. The German army swore allegiance to the Führer, who planned the rearmament of Germany and vast territorial expansion. In little more than a decade, the National Socialist (Nazi) Party had risen from a radical splinter group to Germany's ruling party, allowing Hitler to seize powers previously divided among president, chancellor, and the Reichstag. With Hindenburg's death, the last remnants of Germany's democratic government were dismantled, leaving Hitler--a megalomaniac intent on war and genocide--in command of the nation.