Machtergreifung is a German word meaning seizure of power. It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi take over of power in Weimar Germany in 1933.
The term Machtübernahme (take over of power) is also used for this event.
It was followed by the Gleichschaltung, the period to around 1937 characterized by systematic elimination of non-Nazi organizations that could potentially influence people, such as trade unions and political parties.
