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Image: Edisto Images/Newscom/picture alliance Image: Edisto Images/Newscom/picture alliance

World War II

When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, it propelled the world into the most widespread conflict in history. World War II lasted from 1939 to May 8, 1945.

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

A smartphone with the X logo on it sitting on a laptop

X: Holocaust remembrance organizations quit platform

X: Holocaust remembrance organizations quit platform

Various Holocaust remembrance groups are leaving X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
CultureDecember 13, 2024
Terumi Tanaka representing the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Nihon Hidankyo group, is seen behind paper cranes, symbol of the fight against nuclear weapons and logo of Nihon Hidankyo, as he gives a press conference in Oslo, Norway

Nagasaki, Hiroshima survivors receive Nobel Peace Prize

Nagasaki, Hiroshima survivors receive Nobel Peace Prize

Activist group Nihon Hidankyo calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons at Nobel Prize award ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
ConflictsDecember 10, 202401:53 min
Ralf Siepmann, Journalist and author

Germany remembers Nazi genocide of Sinti, Roma with culture

Germany remembers Nazi genocide of Sinti, Roma with culture

Across Germany, cultural events have commemorated the Sinti and Roma who were murdered by the Nazis.
SocietyDecember 6, 202403:50 min
projection of the former synagogue in Dortmund

A light in the darkness: Remembering Germany's destroyed synagogues

A light in the darkness: Remembering Germany's destroyed synagogues

To commemorate the pogroms, images of destroyed synagogues were projected onto their original locations in 2023.
HistoryNovember 9, 20247 images
Fire engulfs Berlin's Eberswalde Synagogue on November 9, 1938

'Kristallnacht' not strong enough term for anti-Jewish riots

'Kristallnacht' not strong enough term for anti-Jewish riots

In Germany, the term "Kristallnacht" is falling out of favor when referring to the violent events of November 9, 1938.
HistoryNovember 9, 2024
A black-and-white photo of two young girls wearing dirndls

Surviving the Holocaust: 'There is no God'

Surviving the Holocaust: 'There is no God'

The film "Verity Circle" tells the story of two sisters who survived the Theresienstadt Ghetto.
CultureNovember 8, 2024
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Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

Esso Hamburg

Brazil: Illegal salvage from Nazi ships poses oil threat

Brazilian researchers have warned that the hunt for raw materials in old wartime shipwrecks could cause oil spills.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 28, 2024
Six Der Spiegel magazine covers featuring Hitler

'After Hitler': Changing German views of Nazism

From secret adoration to loud dismay, Germans have reconciled the Nazi past in very different ways across 80 years.
CultureSeptember 26, 2024
Bojanczyk family, Warsaw

Young Polish Jews rediscover their Jewish identity

Young Polish Jews are keen to explore their Jewish roots and live their Jewish identity.
SocietySeptember 16, 202403:20 min
Jens Kremb sits at a table in the town hall looking at city documents, surrounded by students

Students want to strip Adolf Hitler of honorary citizenship

Thousands of German towns once made the Nazi dictator an honorary citizen, and many have still not distanced themselves.
SocietySeptember 8, 2024
Wehrmacht soldiers tearing down a barrier - black and white foto

Hitler's Germany invaded Poland 85 years ago

World War II began with Germany's invasion of Poland. It was a turning point that still has a geopolitical impact today.
HistoryAugust 31, 2024
Christian Pfeil

European Holocaust Remembrance Day for Sinti and Roma

Christian Pfeil survived the Nazi genocide, and later experienced racist attacks. He has a warning for society.
HistoryAugust 1, 2024
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