Adolf Hitler, one of history’s most infamous figures, was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary (now Austria). His rise to power and the subsequent actions that led to World War II and the Holocaust have left a lasting impact on world history.
Early Life (1889–1918)
Hitler was the fourth of six children born to Alois Hitler and Klara Pölzl. His early life was marked by a strained relationship with his father, who was a customs official, and a close attachment to his mother. After the death of his father in 1903, Hitler struggled in school and eventually dropped out. He moved to Vienna, where he attempted, unsuccessfully, to pursue a career in art. During this time, Hitler developed many of his ideas about politics, race, and anti-Semitism, which were prevalent in Viennese society.
In 1913, Hitler moved to Munich, Germany, where he volunteered for service in the German Army during World War I. He served as a messenger and was injured twice, earning the Iron Cross for bravery. The defeat of Germany in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles deeply affected him, and he viewed the treaty as a humiliation imposed by the victorious Allied powers.
Political Rise and the Nazi Party (1919–1933)
After World War I, Hitler returned to Munich and became involved in politics. In 1919, he joined the German Workers’ Party, which later became the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party). Hitler’s oratory skills and his fervent nationalism helped him rise quickly within the party. In 1923, he led the failed Beer Hall Putsch, an attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic. Hitler was arrested and sentenced to prison, during which time he wrote his autobiography and political manifesto, Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”).
Mein Kampf outlined his beliefs in Aryan racial superiority, anti-Semitism, and the need for Lebensraum (living space) for the German people, which would require the expansion of Germany’s borders. Released from prison after only nine months, Hitler set out to rebuild the Nazi Party.
Throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Nazi Party gained traction by exploiting economic instability, unemployment, and dissatisfaction with the Weimar government. Hitler’s promises of restoring German pride and reversing the Versailles Treaty resonated with many Germans. By 1932, the Nazi Party had become the largest party in the Reichstag (German parliament).
Chancellor and Führer (1933–1939)
On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. Once in power, Hitler quickly moved to consolidate control, using a combination of legal maneuvers and violent suppression of opposition. The Reichstag Fire in February 1933 provided a pretext for Hitler to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree, which suspended civil liberties and allowed for the arrest of political opponents, particularly communists.
In March 1933, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, which gave Hitler dictatorial powers. Over the next few years, he dismantled Germany’s democratic institutions, abolished political parties, and established a totalitarian regime. By 1934, after the death of Hindenburg, Hitler declared himself Führer (Leader) and chancellor, combining the offices of president and chancellor into one.
Under Hitler’s rule, Germany pursued aggressive rearmament and territorial expansion. The remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936 and the annexation of Austria (Anschluss) in 1938 were part of his expansionist agenda. In 1938, Hitler also annexed the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia after the Munich Agreement, a policy of appeasement by Britain and France that sought to avoid war.
World War II and the Holocaust (1939–1945)
On September 1, 1939, Hitler’s invasion of Poland triggered World War II. In response, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Over the next few years, Germany’s military successes were swift, conquering much of Europe, including France, Norway, Denmark, and the Low Countries.
However, Hitler’s decision to invade the Soviet Union in 1941, known as Operation Barbarossa, marked a significant turning point in the war. The German army became bogged down in the harsh Russian winter, and the tide of the war began to turn against Germany.
Simultaneously, Hitler and the Nazi regime implemented the “Final Solution,” a plan to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe. This genocidal campaign resulted in the deaths of six million Jews in concentration camps and extermination camps, including Auschwitz and Treblinka. Millions of others, including Romani people, disabled individuals, political dissidents, and homosexuals, were also persecuted and murdered.
As the war progressed, the Allies gained the upper hand. The D-Day invasion in June 1944 and the Soviet advance from the east steadily pushed back German forces.
Downfall and Death (1945)
By early 1945, Germany was facing inevitable defeat. Allied forces closed in from both the east and the west. In April 1945, as Soviet forces entered Berlin, Hitler retreated to his underground bunker, where he spent the final days of his life.
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his bunker alongside his wife, Eva Braun, whom he had married the previous day. His body was burned to prevent it from being captured by the Soviets. Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies on May 7, 1945, marking the end of World War II in Europe.
Legacy
Adolf Hitler’s legacy is one of unparalleled destruction, suffering, and death. His pursuit of racial purity and territorial expansion led to the devastation of World War II and the Holocaust, one of the darkest chapters in human history. Hitler’s ideology and actions left an indelible mark on the 20th century, shaping global politics, borders, and society in profound ways.