Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, Austria. His father, Alois Hitler, originally bore the surname Schicklgruber but later changed it to Hitler. Adolf had a strained relationship with his father but was deeply devoted to his mother, who died in 1907. He had a mediocre academic record and aspired to become an artist but failed to gain admission to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He lived in poverty, painting postcards and drifting through hostels. This period shaped his anti-cosmopolitan views and laid the foundation for his later ideology. In 1913, Hitler moved to Munich and, despite initially being rejected from the Austrian army for health reasons, enlisted in the Bavarian army when World War I broke out. He served on the front lines, was wounded twice, and received the Iron Cross First and Second Class for bravery. He viewed the war as a meaningful experience that gave him purpose and confirmed his belief in the virtues of war.

Entry into Politics and Nazi Party Formation

After Germany’s defeat in World War I, Hitler became involved in politics as a propaganda agent for the army. In 1919, he joined the German Workers’ Party, which was later renamed the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party). Hitler quickly rose through the ranks, using his oratory skills and propaganda efforts to attract followers. With support from paramilitary groups like the SA, and figures like Ernst Röhm, he became party leader in 1921. In November 1923, Hitler attempted to overthrow the Bavarian government in the failed Beer Hall Putsch. Arrested and charged with treason, he used the trial for publicity and was sentenced to five years in prison, though he served only nine months. During this time, he wrote Mein Kampf, outlining his ideology, including Aryan supremacy, antisemitism, and his belief in the Führer principle. He rejected democracy and saw the state as existing to serve the German Volk, under the leadership of a single, infallible ruler.

Ideological Foundations

Hitler’s worldview was shaped by a belief in racial hierarchy and German nationalism. He saw the Jews as the ultimate enemy and blamed them for Germany’s problems. His ideology fused antisemitism with anti- Marxism and anti- democratic sentiments. Hitler promoted the idea that the German people were the pinnacle of civilization, and that all moral and political truth should serve their interests. He viewed parliamentary democracy as inherently flawed and believed only a strong, authoritarian leader could unify the nation. After his release from prison, Hitler rebuilt the Nazi Party during a period of relative economic stability. He was banned from public speaking in many regions but gradually reasserted control within the party, defeating internal rivals. The Great Depression of 1929 created new opportunities, and Hitler formed alliances with nationalists and industrialists, using their resources and media access to expand his reach. His rhetoric appealed to the unemployed and disillusioned lower middle class, helping transform the Nazi Party into a national force.

Electoral Success and Rise to Power

As Germany struggled with economic and political instability, Hitler’s relentless propaganda and nationalistic messaging gained traction. The Nazi Party’s electoral performance surged, becoming the second- largest party by 1930. In 1932, Hitler ran against President Paul von Hindenburg and received significant support. Despite some electoral setbacks, political elites feared communism more than Hitler’s extremism and believed they could control him. On January 30, 1933, Hindenburg appointed Hitler as chancellor, marking the beginning of Nazi rule. Although few Nazis were initially included in the cabinet, Hitler quickly consolidated power. Following his appointment as chancellor in January 1933, Hitler swiftly dismantled democratic institutions. The Reichstag fire provided a pretext for suspending civil liberties and suppressing dissent. The March 1933 elections gave the Nazis a strong showing, and the subsequent Enabling Act granted Hitler legislative power without parliamentary consent. Within months, all political parties except the Nazi Party were outlawed. In 1934, Hitler consolidated his control by orchestrating the Night of the Long Knives, eliminating SA leader Ernst Röhm and other perceived threats. After President Hindenburg’s death in August, Hitler merged the roles of chancellor and president, securing the army’s allegiance and establishing absolute authority.

Hitler's foreign policy was driven by a vision of reversing the Treaty of Versailles and expanding German territory eastward. He portrayed himself as a man of peace while systematically defying post-WWI restrictions. Germany withdrew from the League of Nations, signed a nonaggression pact with Poland, and reintroduced conscription. In 1936, Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland. The Anschluss of Austria in 1938 followed, and soon after, the Munich Agreement ceded the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia to Germany. Despite promising no further territorial ambitions, Hitler occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. That same year, he signed a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union, paving the way for the invasion of Poland.

Outbreak and Course of World War II

Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, triggering World War II. Hitler’s early military campaigns were swift and devastating. He conquered Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France by mid- 1940. Though Hitler hoped Britain would negotiate peace, its resistance led him to plan an invasion, which was eventually abandoned. In June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union. Though initially successful, the campaign faltered as Soviet resistance and winter conditions took a toll. Germany’s alliance with Italy and later with Japan brought further complications, particularly after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor led to a German declaration of war on the United States. Initially focused on expelling Jews from German territory, Hitler’s regime shifted toward genocide by 1941. Under SS direction, extermination camps like Auschwitz and mobile killing units carried out mass murder. Six million Jews, along with Roma, disabled individuals, political dissidents, and others, were systematically exterminated. This genocide, known as the Holocaust, became one of history’s most horrific atrocities and central to Hitler’s legacy of destruction.

Decline and Fall

By late 1942, Germany began to face significant defeats at El- Alamein, Stalingrad, and through Allied advances in North Africa and Italy. Hitler’s leadership became more erratic; he isolated himself in military headquarters, refused to visit bombed cities, and became dependent on medication. The failed July 20, 1944, assassination attempt by German officers led to further consolidation of power under Hitler, with increased SS influence. As the Allies advanced from the west and Soviet troops closed in on Berlin from the east, Hitler retreated to his bunker. Realizing defeat was inevitable, he married Eva Braun and, on April 30, 1945, committed suicide, leaving Germany in ruins.

Hitler’s rise was not inevitable, but his ability to exploit Germany’s post- WWI turmoil, coupled with propaganda, mass mobilization, and political repression, allowed him to dominate Europe for over a decade. His actions led to the deaths of tens of millions and the near- total destruction of European civilization as it had existed. In the aftermath of 1945, Germany entered a period it called "Year Zero", forced to reckon with the legacy of dictatorship, war, and genocide.

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Adolf Hitler