How did the defeat of Germany in 1945 end Nazi rule?

The defeat of Germany in 1945 brought an end to Nazi rule through a combination of military collapse, the death of its leadership, and formal surrender. By early 1945, Allied forces had breached Germany from both the east and the west, rendering the regime's position untenable.1

As Allied troops closed in on Berlin, Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, to avoid capture. Following his death and the suicides of other high-ranking officials, the remaining leadership attempted to negotiate, but the Allies demanded an unconditional surrender. This was signed on May 7, 1945, and took effect on May 8–9, marking the end of the Third Reich.123

Following the surrender, the Nazi Party was officially banned. The four occupying powers—the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and France—assumed responsibility for governing the German people. Many surviving Nazi leaders were subsequently captured and prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Nuremberg trials, which established that individuals could be held legally accountable for their roles in the regime's atrocities.4516