Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was leader of Germany during the Third Reich (1933 1945 and the !rimary instigator of "oth the #econd $orld $ar in %uro!e and the mass e&ecution of millions of !eo!le deemed to "e 'enemies' or inferior to the Aryan ideal( )orn* A!ril +,1..9- died* A!ril 3,- 1945(

Adolf Hitlers Childhood:

Adolf Hitler was "orn in )raunau am /nn- Austria- on A!ril +,th 1..9 to Alois Hitler (who- as an illegitimate child- had !re0iously used his mother1s name of #chic2elgru"er and 3lara 4oel5l( A moody child- he grew hostile towards his father- es!ecially once the latter had retired and the family had mo0ed to 6in5( Alois died in 19,3 "ut left money to ta2e care of the family( Hitler was close to his mother- who was highly indulgent of Hitler- and he was dee!ly affected when she died in 19,.( He left school at 17 in 19,5intending to "ecome a !ainter(

Adolf Hitler in Vienna:

Hitler mo0ed to 8ienna in 19,9 where he a!!lied to the 8iennese Academy of :ine arts"ut was twice turned down( This e&!erience further em"ittered the increasingly angry Hitler- and he remained in 8ienna li0ing off his small family inheritance and what he could ma2e from selling his art- mo0ing from hostel to hostel- a lonely- 0aga"ond figure( ;uring this !eriod Hitler a!!ears to ha0e de0elo!ed the world 0iew that would characterise his whole life* a hatred for <ews and =ar&ists( Hitler was well !laced to "e influenced "y the demagogy of 3arl 6ueger- 8ienna1s dee!ly anti>#emitic mayor(

Adolf Hitler and the First World War:

Hitler mo0ed to =unich in 1913 and a0oided Austrian military ser0ice in early 1914 "y 0irtue of "eing unfit( Howe0er- when the :irst $orld $ar "ro2e out in 1914 he ?oined the 17th )a0arian /nfantry Regiment- ser0ing throughout the war( He !ro0ed to "e an a"le and "ra0e soldier as a dis!atch runner- winning the /ron @ross (:irst @lass on two occasions( He was also wounded twice- and four wee2s "efore the war ended suffered a gas attac2 which tem!orarily "linded and hos!italised him( /t was here he learnt of Germany1s surrender- which he too2 as a "etrayal( He es!ecially hated the Treaty of 8ersailles(

Adolf Hitler Enters Politics:

After $$1 Hitler "ecame con0inced he was destined to sa0e Germany( /n 1919wor2ing for an army unit- he was assigned to s!y on a !olitical !arty of roughly 4, idealists called the German $or2ers 4arty( /nstead he ?oined it- swiftly rose to a !osition of dominance (he was chairman "y 19+1 and renamed it the #ocialist German $or2ers 4arty (A#;A4 ( He ga0e the !arty the #wasti2a as a sym"ol and organised a !ersonal

army of Bstorm troo!ers1 (the #A or )rownshirts and a "odyguard of "lac2 shirted menthe ##- to attac2 o!!onents( He also disco0ered- and used- his !owerful a"ility for !u"lic s!ea2ing(

The Beer Hall Putsch:

/n Ao0em"er 19+3 Hitler organised )a0arian nationalists under a figurehead of General 6udendorff into a cou! (or C!utschC ( They declared their new go0ernment in a "eer hall in =unich and then 3,,, marched through the streets- "ut they were met "y !olice- who o!ened fire- 2illing 17( Hitler was arrested and tried in 19+4- "ut was sentenced to only fi0e years in !rison- a sentence often ta2en as a sign of tacit agreement with his 0iews( Hitler ser0ed only nine months in !rison- during which he wrote Mein Kampf (=y #truggle - a "oo2 outlining his theories on race- Germany and <ews( /t sold fi0e million co!ies "y 1939(

Adolf Hitler as Politician:

After the )eer>Hall 4utsch Hitler resol0ed to see2 !ower through su"0erting the $eimar go0ernment system- and he carefully re"uilt the A#;A4- or Aa5i- !arty- allying with future 2ey figures li2e Goering and !ro!aganda mastermind Goe""els( D0er time he e&!anded the !arty1s su!!ort- !artly "y e&!loiting fears of socialists and !artly "y a!!ealing to e0eryone who felt their economic li0elihood threatened "y the de!ression of the 193,s- until he had the ears of "ig "usiness- the !ress and the middle classes( Aa5i 0otes ?um!ed to 1,9 seats in the Reichstag in 193,(

Adolf Hitler as President and Fhrer:

/n 193+ Hitler acEuired German citi5enshi! and ran for !resident- coming second to 0on Hinden"urg( 6ater that year the Aa5i !arty acEuired +3, seats in the Reichstag- ma2ing them the largest !arty in Germany( Hel!ed "y su!!ort from conser0ati0e !oliticians "elie0ing they could control Hitler- he was a!!ointed @hancellor of Germany on <anuary 3,th 1933( Hitler mo0ed with great s!eed to isolate and e&!el o!!onents from !owershutting trade unions- remo0ing communists- conser0ati0es and <ews( 6ater that year Hitler !erfectly e&!loited an act of arson on the Reichstag (which some "elie0e the Aa5is hel!ed cause to "egin the creation of a totalitarian state- dominating the =arch 5th elections than2s to su!!ort from nationalist grou!s( Hitler soon too2 o0er the role of !resident when Hinden"urg died and merged the role with that of @hancellor to "ecome :Fhrer (B6eader1 of Germany(

Adolf Hitler in Power:

Hitler continued to mo0e with s!eed in radically changing Germany- consolidating !ower- loc2ing u! GenemiesH in cam!s- "ending culture to his will- re"uilding the army and "rea2ing the constraints of the Treaty of 8ersailles( He tried to change the social fa"ric of Germany "y encouraging women to "reed more and "ringing in laws to secure

racial !urityI <ews were !articularly targeted( %m!loyment- high elsewhere in a time of de!ression- fell to 5ero in Germany( Hitler also made himself head of the army(

World War Two and the Failure of the Third Reich

Hitler engineered territorial e&!ansion- uniting with Austria in an anschluss- and dismem"ering @5echoslo0a2ia( /t was in #e!tem"er 1939- when German forces in0aded 4oland- that other nations too2 a stand- declaring war( This was not una!!ealing to Hitler who "elie0ed Germany should ma2e itself great through war- and in0asions in 194, went well( Howe0er- argua"ly his fatal mista2e occurred in 1941 with the in0asion of Russiathrough which he wished to create le"ensraum- or Bli0ing room1( After initial successGerman forces were !ushed "ac2 "y Russia- and defeats in Africa and $est %uro!e followed as Germany was slowly "eaten( ;uring this time Hitler "ecame gradually more !aranoid and di0orced from the world- retreating to a "un2er( As armies a!!roached )erlin from two directions- Hitler married his mistress- %0a )raun- and on A!ril 3,th 1945 2illed himself(

Hitler and History

Hitler will fore0er "e remem"ered for starting the #econd $orld $ar- the most costly conflict in world history- than2s to his desire to e&!and Germany1s "orders through force( He will eEually "e remem"ered for his dreams of racial !urity- which !rom!ted him to order the e&ecution of millions of !eo!le- !erha!s as high as ele0en million( Although e0ery arm of German "ureaucracy was turned to !ursuing the e&ecutions- Hitler was the chief dri0ing force(