Third Reich
Third Reich
Pronunciation
Third Reich
/ˌθɜːrd ˈraɪk/
Third:
/θɜːrd/
/θ/ - voiceless dental fricative (as in "thin")
/ɜː/ - open-mid central unrounded vowel (as in "bird")
/r/ - alveolar approximant (as in "red")
/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive (as in "dog")
Reich:
/raɪk/
/r/ - alveolar approximant (as in "red")
/aɪ/ - diphthong (as in "my")
/k/ - voiceless velar plosive (as in "cat")
Word Form Variations
The term "Third Reich" is primarily used as a proper noun and does not have typical singular, plural, or other grammatical variations in the same way common nouns or verbs do. It refers to a specific historical period and regime.
Singular: Third Reich
Plural: The term does not have a plural form. One would not refer to "multiple Third Reichs."
Possessive: Third Reich's (e.g., "the Third Reich's policies")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: The official name of the Nazi regime in Germany from 1933 to 1945, characterized by its totalitarian rule, aggressive militarism, and genocidal policies, particularly against Jewish people.
Synonyms: Nazi Germany, Hitler's Germany, National Socialist Germany
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as it refers to a specific historical entity. One could consider terms representing opposing ideologies or historical periods, e.g., Weimar Republic, democratic Germany, post-war Germany)
Definition 2: (Figurative) Any highly oppressive or tyrannical political system or period, especially one exhibiting characteristics similar to the historical Nazi regime, such as extreme nationalism, propaganda, and suppression of dissent.
Synonyms: totalitarian state, dictatorship, authoritarian regime, police state
Antonyms: democracy, free society, liberal state, republic
Examples of Use
Books: "The rise and fall of the Third Reich is a complex and often disturbing chapter in human history, meticulously documented by historians such as William L. Shirer."
Newspapers: "New archival discoveries shed light on the economic policies implemented during the Third Reich." (Example based on typical historical news reporting, The New York Times, October 2023)
Online Publications: "How did propaganda machinery effectively manipulate public opinion in the Third Reich?" (Example based on an article from History.com, January 2024)
Television/Film (Entertainment Medium): "Many documentaries on the History Channel explore the atrocities committed by the Third Reich."
Video Games (Entertainment Medium): "The latest installment of Call of Duty features missions set during World War II, depicting battles against the forces of the Third Reich."
Podcasts (Entertainment Medium): "On this episode, we delve into the cultural suppression enforced by the Third Reich on avant-garde art." (Example based on a history podcast, Dan Carlin's Hardcore History, April 2024)
General Public Discourse: "When discussing the dangers of unchecked nationalism, some commentators draw parallels to the rise of the Third Reich."
10 Famous Quotes Using Third Reich
"The discipline of the Third Reich is toadyism and not freedom." (Willy Brandt, April/May 1933)
"The pyromaniacs of the Third Reich were now playing their final scene on the stage of the world: they who had set the world aflame were now perishing in their own fires." (Miklós Nyiszli, Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account)
"Evil in the Third Reich had lost the quality by which most people recognize it—the quality of temptation." (Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil)
"Imagine that some minor functionary of the Third Reich had correctly accused someone of being a racist murderer." (Noam Chomsky, On Language)
"To produce this horrible confection at home, start with our genocidal treatment of the Native Americans, add a couple hundred years of slavery, along with our denial of entry to Jewish refugees fleeing the death camps of the Third Reich, stir in our collusion with a long list of modern despots and our subsequent." (Sam Harris, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason)
"The word 'Reich' conjured up an image among educated Germans that resonated far beyond the institutional structures Bismarck created: the successor to the Roman Empire; the vision of God's Empire here on earth; the universality of its claim to suzerainty; in a more prosaic but no less powerful sense, the concept of a." (Richard J. Evans, The Coming of the Third Reich)
"The Nazi regime intended eventually to destroy Christianity in Germany, if it could, and substitute the old paganism of the early Germanic gods and the new paganism of the Nazi extremists." (William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich)
"It also added immeasurably to the power of the Third Reich vis-a-vis the Western democracies and the Soviet Union." (William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich)
"No class or group or party in Germany could escape its share of responsibility for the abandonment of the democratic Republic and the advent of Adolf Hitler." (William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich)
"Hitler, who founded the Third Reich, who ruled it ruthlessly and often with uncommon shrewdness, who led it to such dizzy heights and such a sorry end, was a person of undoubted, if evil genius." (William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich)
Etymology
The term "Third Reich" literally means "Third Realm" or "Third Empire" in German. It was a propaganda term used by the Nazi party to describe their regime in Germany from 1933 to 1945.
Here's a breakdown of its etymology:
"Third" (Dritte in German): This part of the term was deliberate and carried significant historical weight. The Nazis used it to suggest that their regime was a glorious successor to two earlier German "empires" or "realms":
The First Reich: This referred to the Holy Roman Empire, which existed from the 9th century (or 800 AD with Charlemagne) until its dissolution in 1806. It was a sprawling, multi-ethnic empire with a long and complex history, often seen as a foundational period of German identity.
The Second Reich: This referred to the German Empire established by Otto von Bismarck in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, which lasted until 1918 (the end of World War I). This was a unified German nation-state under the Hohenzollern dynasty.
"Reich" (German): This word is more complex than a simple translation to "empire" or "realm." While it can mean "empire," it also carries connotations of "kingdom," "dominion," or even a vast, spiritual domain. In a historical German context, "Reich" evoked a sense of a powerful, unified, and enduring state.
First Known Use and Meaning:
The concept of a "Third Reich" (specifically as a Nazi propaganda term) was popularized by Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, a German writer, in his 1923 book titled "Das Dritte Reich" (The Third Reich). He used the term to envision a new, nationalist, and authoritarian Germany that would rise after the perceived failures of the Weimar Republic (the democratic government that followed the Second Reich).
The Nazis, particularly Adolf Hitler and his propaganda machine, adopted this term eagerly. For them, it served several purposes:
Legitimacy: By associating themselves with the "First" and "Second" Reichs, they attempted to present their new, radical regime as the logical and historically destined continuation of a glorious German past, thereby granting it a sense of legitimacy and tradition.
Nationalism and Grandeur: It evoked a sense of a powerful, unified, and expansive German state, appealing to nationalist sentiments and dreams of past imperial greatness.
Future Vision: It also implied a future of unprecedented power and influence for Germany, a "thousand-year Reich" as Hitler famously proclaimed, suggesting an enduring and dominant state.
So, in essence, "Third Reich" was a deliberately chosen, propagandistic term that aimed to connect the Nazi regime to a perceived glorious German past, legitimize its authoritarian rule, and project an image of powerful, lasting dominance.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Third Reich
The rise of the Third Reich: Refers to the period when the Nazi party gained power and consolidated its control in Germany.
The fall of the Third Reich: Refers to the defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II.
Echoes of the Third Reich: Used to describe actions, rhetoric, or policies in contemporary times that are seen as disturbingly similar to those of Nazi Germany.
A new Third Reich (often used pejoratively): A metaphorical warning or accusation suggesting the emergence of a new oppressive, totalitarian, or genocidal regime.
The architects of the Third Reich: Refers to the key figures and leaders responsible for establishing and running Nazi Germany.
Living under the Third Reich: Describes the experience of people during the Nazi regime, often implying oppression, fear, and persecution.
The ideology of the Third Reich: Refers to the set of beliefs and principles that underpinned Nazi Germany, including racial supremacy, antisemitism, and extreme nationalism.
Not since the Third Reich: A strong historical comparison used to emphasize the unprecedented or extreme nature of an event or situation.
A "thousand-year Reich": This was the Nazi's own propaganda term for their regime, implying it would last for a millennium. Used today, it often highlights the hubris and ultimate failure of their ambitions.
The shadow of the Third Reich: Suggests the lingering influence, memory, or consequences of the Nazi era on subsequent generations or global affairs.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of Third Reich from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
