Adolf Hitler was
leader of Germany during the Third Reich (1933 – 1945) and the primary
instigator of both the Second World War in Europe and the mass execution of
millions of people deemed to be “enemies” or inferior to the Aryan ideal. Born:
April 20, 1889, died: April 30, 1945.
Adolf Hitler’s Childhood:
Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, on April 20th 1889 to Alois
Hitler (who, as an illegitimate child, had previously used his mother’s name of
Schickelgruber) and Klara Poelzl. A moody child, he grew hostile towards his
father, especially once the latter had retired and the family had moved to
Linz. Alois died in 1903 but left money to take care of the family. Hitler was
close to his mother, who was highly indulgent of Hitler, and he was deeply
affected when she died in 1908. He left school at 16 in 1905, intending to
become a painter.
Adolf Hitler and the First World War:
Hitler moved to Munich in 1913 and avoided Austrian military service in
early 1914 by virtue of being unfit. However, when the First World War broke
out in 1914 he joined the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, serving throughout
the war. He proved to be an able and brave soldier as a dispatch runner,
winning the Iron Cross (First Class) on two occasions. He was also wounded
twice, and four weeks before the war ended suffered a gas attack which
temporarily blinded and hospitalised him. It was here he learnt of Germany’s
surrender, which he took as a betrayal. He especially hated the Treaty of
Versailles.
Adolf Hitler as Politician:
After the Beer-Hall Putsch Hitler resolved to seek power through subverting the
Weimar government system, and he carefully rebuilt the NSDAP, or Nazi, party,
allying with future key figures like Goering and propaganda mastermind
Goebbels. Over time he expanded the party’s support, partly by exploiting fears
of socialists and partly by appealing to everyone who felt their economic
livelihood threatened by the depression of the 1930s, until he had the ears of
big business, the press and the middle classes. Nazi votes jumped to 107 seats
in the Reichstag in 1930.
Hitler and History
Hitler will forever be remembered for starting the Second World War, the most
costly conflict in world history, thanks to his desire to expand Germany’s
borders through force. He will equally be remembered for his dreams of racial
purity, which prompted him to order the execution of millions of people,
perhaps as high as eleven million. Although every arm of German bureaucracy was
turned to pursuing the executions, Hitler was the chief driving force.
0 comments:
Post a Comment