"The System" (German: Das System) was a derogatory term used by the Nazis to denote contemptuously the Weimar Republic, whose official name was German Reich (Deutsches Reich), and its institutions.[1] In Nazi propaganda, the word was used in a number of compounds: for example, the period from the German Revolution of 1918–1919 to the Machtergreifung 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".[1] After 1933, the term was quickly adopted to everyday use.[2]
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).[3] This term was used also by other nationalistic groups.[3]
