The Greater Germanic Reich (Großgermanisches Reich), better known as the Greater Nazi Reich or simply Nazi Germany, are the main antagonists (along with the Empire of Japan) in Amazon Prime's series, The Man in the High Castle.
History[]
Interwar Germany (1919-1938)[]
Germany emerged from World War I as a defeated and weakened country, mired in economic and political turmoil. The Treaty of Versailles imposed humiliating conditions on Germany that aggravated its already dire economic situation. The loss of imperial markets and the collapse of the industrial base in the Ruhr area contributed to the economic crisis. In this chaotic postwar environment, the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) gained popularity, which worried the ruling capitalist party, the Weimar Republic. In search of an alternative, the ruling party began to support the far-right National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), led by Adolf Hitler, which opposed communism and was gaining popularity in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
The Nazi Party continued to grow until the failed Beer Hall Putsch, after which it reemerged stronger than ever, taking advantage of the economic turbulence caused by the Great Depression. In 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor by President Paul Von Hindenburg.
After Hindenburg's death, the NSDAP took complete control of Germany and established a totalitarian one-party regime. They persecuted Communists, Socialists, Jews and other groups considered undesirable. In 1936, Germany again militarized the Rhineland, although the French and British did not intervene. The following year, Austria was peacefully annexed after a pro-Nazi coup d'état. The NSDAP then used pan-Germanic sentiments during the “Sudeten Crisis” to trigger a conflict with Czechoslovakia, trying to unify ethnic Germans living in Czechoslovakia with those in Germany. The Munich Conference forced Czechoslovakia to cede the Sudetenland to Germany, and the rest of the country was annexed the following year. Britain and France, while protesting, declared their support for Poland in the event of a German invasion.
Germany demanded the annexation of the Danzig Corridor, a historically disputed region separating East Prussia from Germany. Poland's refusal provoked the invasion of Germany and the Soviet Union, which led England and France to declare war on Germany, thus initiating World War II.
The Second World War (1939-1947)[]
Weeks after the invasion, Poland quickly fell under the control of German and Soviet forces. For more than eight months, known as the "Phoney War," France avoided attacking Germany for fear of retaliation. This allowed Germany to invade Denmark and Norway, obtaining valuable resources. The situation led to the resignation of Neville Chamberlain, who was replaced by Winston Churchill as Prime Minister in May 1940. A few months later, Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands and France.
Despite the fall of France, Britain remained in the war with Churchill's spirit of "never surrender." Without the support of the United States, the Royal Air Force was nearly destroyed in the Battle of Britain, along with several major cities. Hitler's full-scale invasion of Britain, Operation Sea Lion, was postponed due to the weakness of the German navy. British morale plummeted after the assassination of Churchill, who was succeeded by Anthony Eden as Prime Minister. With the war favoring the Axis powers, Italy launched campaigns in North Africa and a successful invasion of Greece. More nations, such as Romania, Finland, and Bulgaria, joined the Axis as the war tilted in their favor.
In 1941, Germany broke the pact with the Soviet Union and invaded, accusing the Soviets of conspiring against them. Known as Operation Barbarossa, the invasion aimed to gain "Lebensraum" and secure the Caucasus's oil supplies. In North Africa, Germany triumphed in the Battle of El Alamein, pushing the Allied forces towards Palestine. Turkey joined the Axis, helping to liberate Iraq and Iran from the British and capture Stalingrad. The fall of Stalingrad led to the collapse of the Red Army and the fall of Moscow. Japanese invasions of Siberia worsened the situation, eliminating the Soviet Union from the war in April 1943. Stalin retreated to Central Siberia as the Soviet government sued for peace, resulting in the nation's collapse and division among the Axis powers. The following month, Central Asian states like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan gained independence, while Western Soviet Union fell under German control, with the rest incorporated into the Eurasian Neutral Zone.
Seeing Germany's victory over the Soviets, Spain and Portugal joined the Axis, along with Ireland, whose government was overthrown by the Irish fascist Blue Shirts. With most of Europe under Axis control, Germany focused on Africa, conquering the continent and liberating the South African Boers from British rule. In May 1945, with the British Empire crumbling, Germany besieged London, forcing Britain to finally surrender.
By 1945, the Nazis had successfully conquered Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In this alternate timeline, they developed an operational atomic bomb, the "Heisenberg Device." On December 11, 1945, they deployed this weapon on Washington D.C., devastating the city and wiping out the U.S. government. This cleared the way for a German invasion of the Eastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. At the same time, the Nazis seized Greenland, the Caribbean, Central America, and the eastern parts of South America.
Meanwhile, Japan began conquering the Western United States, Western Canada, the Baja Peninsula, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and all the Pacific Islands. On September 18, 1947, Adolf Hitler declared that the last of the American Resistance had been crushed, marking the end of World War II. Germany and Japan divided the former United States between them. The eastern U.S. became the American Reich, while the western parts became the Japanese Pacific States. The territory between Nazi America and the Japanese Pacific States was designated as the Neutral Zone.
Post-War[]
The Assassination of Hitler[]
The year 1962 marked a turning point in the history of the Global Reich when a high-level conspiracy shook the foundations of Nazi power. Reich Minister Martin Heusmann and Oberstgruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, two of the most influential figures within the Nazi hierarchy, orchestrated the assassination of Adolf Hitler. Their motivations went beyond mere personal ambition; they aimed to precipitate a global conflict with the Japanese Empire, with the ultimate goal of expanding Nazi domination over the entire planet.
The meticulously planned conspiracy revealed deep fractures within the Nazi leadership and underlying tensions between different party factions. However, Obergruppenführer John Smith, an American who had remarkably risen through the party ranks, uncovered the plot. This discovery not only saved the Reich from a potential catastrophic war with Japan but also established Smith as a key figure in Reich politics.
After Hitler's death, Heinrich Himmler assumed the role of Führer, becoming the second leader of the Global Reich. This transition, although seemingly smooth on the surface, triggered a series of internal power struggles that revealed the fragility of the Nazi political structure.
Crisis in the American Reich[]
The situation became particularly complicated in the American Reich, where Reichsmarschall George Lincoln Rockwell, in collaboration with J. Edgar Hoover, director of the ARBI (American Reich Bureau of Investigation), attempted to overthrow John Smith, who had been promoted to Oberstgruppenführer. This coup attempt reflected the tensions between the “pure” American Nazis and those considered upstarts in the party.
Smith, demonstrating considerable political astuteness, managed not only to survive the attempted overthrow but also to strengthen his position. He enlisted Hoover's support and, with a combination of political strategy and manipulation, succeeded in overthrowing Rockwell. Himmler, in a move that surprised many, revealed that he had been preparing Smith to assume the role of Reichsmarschall, although the latter had come close to being arrested during the crisis.
Smith's ascension to the position of Reichsmarschall generated considerable unrest in Berlin. The top German Nazi hierarchy viewed with suspicion that an American, regardless of his demonstrated loyalty, would occupy such a crucial position. This distrust manifested itself in a new conspiracy against Smith, this time led by Hoover and Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Goertzmann.
In an unexpected turn of events, Smith managed to convince Goertzmann to switch sides. Together, they developed an ambitious plan to overthrow not only Himmler but the entire leadership structure in Berlin. This carefully planned and executed putsch proved successful, placing Goertzmann as the de facto leader of the German Reich.
The Birth of the Independent American Reich[]
The agreement between Smith and Goertzmann resulted in a fundamental change in the structure of the Global Reich. For the first time since its establishment, the American Reich gained full independence under the leadership of John Smith, who became the first Reichsführer of an autonomous Nazi America. This division of power represented a paradigm shift in global Nazi policy, effectively creating two independent Nazi power centers.
Legacy[]
The subsequent death of John Smith and the fall of the American Reich led to the restoration of the United States, marking the end of an era in alternative North American history. However, the fate of the German Reich under Goertzmann's leadership remained shrouded in mystery, leaving many unanswered questions about the future of Nazi Europe and its global influence.