"The System" (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Das System'') was a

derogatory term A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...

used by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

to denote contemptuously the Weimar Republic, whose official name was German Reich (Deutsches Reich), and its institutions.Cornelia Schmitz-Berning: ''Vokabular des Nationalsozialismus.'' 2. durchges. u. überarb, Aufl. Berlin 2007, , pp. 597-598. In Nazi propaganda, the word was used in a number of compounds: for example, the period from the

German Revolution of 1918–1919 The German Revolution or November Revolution (german: Novemberrevolution) was a civil conflict in the German Empire at the end of the First World War that resulted in the replacement of the German federal constitutional monarchy with a dem ...

to the ''

Machtergreifung Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

'' in 1933 was called "The time of the System" (German: ''Systemzeit'') and political opponents of the Nazis from this period were called "System parties", "System politicians" or the "System press". After 1933, the term was quickly adopted to everyday use. Victor Klemperer (2006), ''LTI,

Lingua Tertii Imperii Lingua (Latin, 'tongue') may refer to: * ''Lingua'' (journal), a peer-reviewed academic journal of general linguistics * ''Lingua'' (sculpture), by Jim Sanborn * ''Lingua'' (play), a 17th-century play attributed to Thomas Tomkis * Project Lingu ...

: a philologist's notebook'', Continuum International Publishing Group, , p. 91 Another Nazi phrase used for the republic and its politicians was "the November criminals" or "the regime of the November criminals" (German: ''November-Verbrecher''), referring to the month the republic was founded in (November 1918).Richard Wires (1985), ''Terminology of the Third Reich'', Ball State University, p. 44 This term was used also by other nationalistic groups.

References

External links

''Bring Down the System!''
Campaign pamphlet for the 1932 Reichstag election
Election poster: ''Germans, give the System your answer! Vote for Hitler!''
{{DEFAULTSORT:System, The Nazi terminology Politics of the Weimar Republic