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Summary: Adolf Hitler never used the phrase, "Third Reich." He didn't even like it.
The phrase was coined in 1923 by Arthur Moeller van den Bruck in his book Das Dritte Reich, a work of conservative nationalist thought. The National Socialists adopted it in the 1920s and especially after 1933 to frame their regime as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire (First Reich) and the German Empire of 1871–1918 (Second Reich), implying historical legitimacy and a "thousand-year" future.
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A few years ago I mentioned on a talk show that Adolph Hitler never used the term, "The Third Reich." That led to the question, "If there was a third reich, there must have been two preceding reichs. What were they?
The term "Third Reich" refers to Germany's National Socialist era (1933–1945). It was a public relations label rather than an official name. They presented their regime as the third in a sequence of great German states: the First was the Holy Roman Empire (roughly 800–1806), the Second was the short-lived German Empire (1871–1918). They promoted "Third Reich" to claim historical legitimacy and greatness, dismissing the democratic Weimar Republic (1919–1933) as illegitimate. The official name remained Deutsches Reich until 1943, when it became Großdeutsches Reich or, Greater German Reich.
The word "Reich" in German broadly refers to a large, sovereign political entity or realm with defined boundaries and unified authority — something akin to an empire, kingdom, or even a major state.
It lacks a single precise English equivalent, though "empire" or "realm" are often used depending on context. Historically, it carried connotations of grandeur and continuity rather than strictly monarchical rule.
According to historical accounts, the Nazis positioned their government as the third in a line of significant German polities.
The First Reich
They identified the first as the Holy Roman Empire, which existed from roughly the 10th century (with roots traced to Charlemagne's coronation in 800) until its dissolution in 1806.
This sprawling entity, centered on German-speaking lands but encompassing diverse territories, was originally viewed by medieval thinkers as a continuation of the ancient Roman Empire.
Biblical interpretations, particularly from the Book of Daniel, led some to see it as the enduring fourth kingdom in prophecy, whose persistence was believed necessary to delay the end of the world.
The title "Holy" was later added to emphasize its sacred authority and rivalry with the Papacy, while "Roman" asserted continuity with classical Rome.
German kings adopted the title "Kaiser" (derived from "Caesar") to claim imperial status, even as the empire evolved into a loose confederation of numerous semi-independent principalities and kingdoms.
The Second Reich
The second in this lineage was the German Empire established in 1871 under Prussian leadership following unification.
Officially named Deutsches Reich in German, it was widely translated in English as "German Empire" because it was headed by a Kaiser who outranked the kings of constituent states such as Prussia, Bavaria, Württemberg, and Saxony.
This monarchical state lasted until the end of World War I in 1918, when the monarchy was abolished, ushering in a democratic republic.
After 1918, the official German name remained Deutsches Reich, but English usage shifted to "German Reich" since the country was no longer an empire ruled by an emperor.
Weimar Republic
The interwar period from 1919 to 1933 is retrospectively known as the Weimar Republic — a convenient historical designation rather than an official state name — to distinguish its democratic character.
When the National Socialists took power in 1933, they revived and popularized the phrase "Third Reich" (originally coined in the early 1920s by conservative nationalist writer Arthur Moeller van den Bruck in his book Das Dritte Reich) to suggest their system was the legitimate successor to these earlier eras of German greatness, bypassing the Weimar years entirely as illegitimate.
The regime's formal name stayed Deutsches Reich until 1943, when it was updated to Großdeutsches Reich ("Greater German Reich") after territorial expansions.
Although widely adopted in propaganda and popular discourse, the "Third Reich" label fell out of favor internally.
These three-phase designations — Holy Roman Empire as the First, the 1871–1918 German Empire as the Second, and National Socialist era as the Third — serve mainly as historiographical shorthand to highlight distinct political eras in modern German history.
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Third Reich | Holocaust Encyclopedia
Reich - Wikipedia
The Other Reichs: The First and Second Before Hitler's Third
Third Reich | Meaning, Facts, & History | Britannica
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