Although the majority of historians believe that Adolf Hitler, no matter how evil or distructive he was, was a great

and mighty dictator. Some say he is so great because he rose to power in only a few years. He went from just the average citizen with a dream and became the total ruler of all of Germany. However Hilter was ione of the weakest in my opinion. On January 30, 1932, the same year Hitler was granted his citizenship, president Hindenburg of Germany, pressured by his co-workers, appointed Hitler as the new chancellor. This was just the beginning of his reign. From 1931 to 1932, the Nazi Party went from 0 to 37.3 percent of the vote for the Reichstag. The Reichstag is Germany's Parliament that is the equivelent to the Communistic Congress. He eventually used this power that he received from the chancelorship to his advantage and gained control over all of Germany. He did this through absorbing all of the powers of the now dead President Paul von Hindenburg and combining them with his own equallyimpressive powers. President Paul von Hindenburg died on August 2, 1934. Therefore, he assumed the roles of Fhrer as well as Reighskanzler, meaning the Leader of Germany and also keeping the role ad Chancellor of Germany and the Reigh. As Hitler became more powerful, he became greedy. His goal expanded to become increasing and strengthening German's Army and also expanding German territory. He wanted to eventually control as much land as he could get ahold of. Greediness was Hitler's downside and most traumatizing weakness. He wanted everything and did not have the amount of supplies to achieve that. Not even considering the weak, unsupported Versailles treaty, Hitler invaded many territories including Rhineland, Austria, Sudatenland, Czecholsovakia, and Poland. The Versailles treaty was the war that put an end to war in German and most of Europe and the world in 1919. He annexed Austria without a single shot in March 1939, and he attacked Poland, beginning the start of World War II when other European countries could not tolerate the treatment to them anymore. Once in the war, Hitler, being the cause of it was a very wanted man. In 1944, barely Born April 20, 1889, Braunau am Inn, Austria, Adolf Hitler was leader of the Nazi Party 1920-1921 and Fuehrer of Germany 1933-1945. His rise to power began when German president Hindenburg appointed him chancellor of a Nazi in 1932. During World War II, Hitler orchestrated the Nazi's Holocaust under the Third Reich. He died of possible suicide in 1945 in the wake of Germany's defeat. (born April 20, 1889, Braunau am Inn, Austriadied April 30, 1945, Berlin, Germany) leader of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party (from 1920/21) and

chancellor (Kanzler) and Fhrer of Germany (193345). He was chancellor from January 30, 1933, and, after President Paul von Hindenburg's death, assumed the twin titles of Fhrer and chancellor (August 2, 1934). ______________________________________________________________________________ ____ Hitler's Family Despite becoming the dictator of Germany, Hitler was not born there. Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria on April 20, 1889. Hitler's parents were Alois (1837-1903) and Klara (1860-1908) Hitler. Hitler had only one sibling that survived childhood, Paula (1896-1960). However, Hitler also had four other siblings that died in childhood: Gustav (1885-1887), Ida (1886-1888), Otto (1887), and Edmund (1894-1900). In addition to his sister Paula, Hitler had one step-brother, Alois (b. 1882) and one step-sister, Angela (1883-1949), both from his father's previous marriage. Hitler was known as "Adi" in his youth. Hitler's father, Alois, was in his third marriage and 51 years old when Hitler was born. He was known as a strict man who retired from the civil service when Hitler was only six. Alois died when Hitler was 13. Artist and Anti-Semite Throughout his youth, Hitler dreamed of becoming an artist. He applied twice to the Vienna Academy of Art (once in 1907 and again in 1908) but was denied entrance both times. At the end of 1908, Hitler's mother died of breast cancer. After his mother's death, Hitler spent four years living on the streets of Vienna, selling postcards of his artwork to make a little money. No one is quite sure where or how Hitler picked up his virulent antisemitism. Some say it was because of the questionable identity of his grandfather (was Hitler's grandfather Jewish?). Others say Hitler was furious at a Jewish doctor that let his mother die. However, it is just as likely that Hitler picked up a hatred for Jews while living on the streets of Vienna, a city known at the time for its antisemitism. Hitler as a Soldier in World War I

Although Hitler attempted to avoid Austrian military service by moving to Munich, Germany in May 1913, Hitler volunteered to serve in the German army once World War I began. Hitler endured and survived four years of World War I. During this time, he was awarded two Iron Crosses for bravery. Hitler sustained two major injuries during the war. The first occurred in October 1916 when he was wounded by a grenade splinter. The other was on October 13, 1918, when a gas attack caused Hitler to go temporarily blind. It was while Hitler was recovering from the gas attack that the armistice (i.e. the end of the fighting) was announced. Hitler was furious that Germany had surrendered and felt strongly that Germany had been "stabbed in the back" by its leaders. Hitler Enters Politics Furious at Germany's surrender, Hitler returned to Munich after the end of World War I, determined to enter politics. In 1919, Hitler became the 55th member of a small antisemitic party called the German Worker's Party. Hitler soon became the party's leader, created a 25-point platform for the party, and established a bold red background with a white circle and swastika in the middle as the party's symbol. In 1920, the party's name was changed to National Socialist German Worker's Party (i.e. the Nazi Party). Over the next several years, Hitler often gave public speeches that gained him attention, followers, and financial support. In November 1923, Hitler spearheaded an attempt to take over the German government through a putsch (a coup), called the Beer Hall Putsch. When the coup failed, Hitler was caught and sentenced to five years in prison. It was while in Landsberg prison that Hitler wrote his book, Mein Kampf (My Struggle). After only nine months, Hitler was released from prison. After getting out of prison, Hitler was determined to build up the Nazi Party in order to take over the German government using legal means. Hitler Becomes Chancellor In 1932, Hitler was granted German citizenship.

In the July 1932 elections, the Nazi Party obtained 37.3 percent of the vote for the Reichstag (Germany's parliament), making it the controlling political party in Germany. On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor. Hitler then used this high-ranking position to gain absolute power over Germany. This finally happened when Germany's president, Paul von Hindenburg, died in office on August 2, 1934. Hitler took the title of Fhrer and Reichskanzler (Leader and Reich Chancellor). Hitler as Fhrer As dictator of Germany, Hitler wanted to increase and strengthen the German army as well as expand Germany's territory. Although these things broke the terms of the Versailles Treaty, the treaty that officially ended World War I, other countries allowed him to do so. Since the terms of the Versailles Treaty had been harsh, other countries found it easier to be lenient than risk another bloody European war. In March 1938, Hitler was able to annex Austria into Germany (called the Anschluss) without firing a single shot. When Nazi Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, the other European nations could no longer stand idly by. World War II began. On July 20, 1944, Hitler barely survived an assassination attempt. One of his top military officers had placed a suitcase bomb under the table during a conference meeting at Hitler's Wolf's Lair. Because the table leg blocked much of the blast, Hitler survived with only injuries to his arm and some hearing loss. Not everyone in the room was so lucky. On April 29, 1945, Hitler married his long-time mistress, Eva Braun. The following day, April 30, 1945, Hitler and Eva committed suicide together. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____ A troubled childhood Born (1889, April 20) Adolf Hitler is born in an inn in the Austrian village of Braunau-am-Inn. He is the third child of Alois Hitler and his third wife Klara, but the other two children they had died in infancy. Adolf has a half-brother, Alois Jr, and a half sister, Angela, from Alois' previous marraige. Adolf's younger brother, Edmund, would be born in 1896. Another sister,

Paula, would be born in 1896 and would outlive Adolf, dying in 1960. Childhood games (1895) Hitler's family move closer to the city of Linz and Hitler starts school in the village of Fischlham. Adolf quickly becomes the leader of his group of boys. He enjoys games like Cowboys and Indians and organizes reenactments of the Franco-Prussian War. Swastika (1897) Hitler attends a Benedictine monastry school in Lambach where he sang in the choir and had allusions of joining the priesthood. He probably first sees the swastika there engraved into crests in the buildings walls. This crooked cross was an an ancient religious symbol and was to become a symbol of right-wing parties in Germany, including, of course, the Nazi Party. Brother dies (1900, February 2) Edmund dies of measles and the family is distraught, no-one more than Adolf, who is torn between his parents. The overwhelming love and affection Adolf receives from his mother is offset by the physical beatings and emotional distance he gets from his father. Alois wants his son to aim for a steady job in the civil service, but young Adolf refuses to set himself on a career path. He dreams of becoming an artist. Alois sends Adolf to a technical high school in Linz where his grades and behavior take a sharp turn for the worse. Adolf grows a love of Germany and stories of heroic German men. Father dies (January 3, 1903) Alois dies suddenly of a lung hemorrhage at an inn wheere he had gone to drink his morning glass of wine. Adolf is forced to change schools because of disruptive behavior. Poverty, war and the pains of growing up Leaves school (1905 - 1907) Hitler uses a lung ailment as an excuse to take time off from school and eventually drops out altogether. He spends his time going for walks, attending the opera in Linz, reading, drawing and dreaming. Hitler makes no effort to get a job, he considers himself far beyond that. Rejected (1907) - Hitler tries and fails the admission exam at the Vienna School of Fine Arts, and the proctor says he should focus on architecture instead. Mother dies (December 21, 1907) Klara Hitler dies from breast cancer and Adolf is overcome with grief. He decides to move to Vienna and live off his inheritance and orphans allotment until he can sit the entrance exam for the art school again. But Hitler makes little progress with his art and after seeing

his sketch pad the school's board refuse to let him even sit the test. Just scrapes by (1909) Hitler runs out of money and moves into a homeless shelter in Vienna. There He becomes friends with another resident, Reinhold Hanish, who suggests the two can make money by selling Hitler's paintings. Hitler starts to paint scenes of Vienna's landmarks, copied from postcards, and the smooth-talking Hanish sells them to shops and tourists. They sell enough to be able to move into Mnnerheim, a kind of flop house for men. But the partners eventually have a falling out over money and Hitler later has Hanish killed in 1938. Hitler comes to despise Bolsheviks (old-school communists) and Jews, who he sees as a power and money hungry race. Visits Great Britain (1912) Hitler visits his half brother, Alois Jr, who is living in Liverpool. Hitler is fascinated by Britain's industrial strengh and wants to keep living there, at one point renting an appartment of his own. But with only a few words of English, Hitler fails to get a job and is forced to return to Vienna. Munich (1913) Hitler moves to the Bavarian capital of Munich, Germany, to avoid enlistment in the Austrian Army. The Austrian authorities demand he joins up in 1914, but Hitler fails the physical and is allowed to return to Munich. War (1914) Hitler joins a Bavarian regiment of the German Army after World War I breaks out. He serves in Belgium and France as a private. Hitler wins several awards for bravery including the Iron Cross First Class for saving his unit from being mistakenly shelled from behind by German artillery. Wounded (October 7, 1916) Hitler suffers a serious thigh wound at the Battle of the Somme. This was one of the bloodiest battle of the war and it left over one million dead. Hitler is sent back to Munich to recover and this is when he clips his moustache into its familiar form. Rejoins his unit (March 1, 1917) - Hitler volunteers to go back to the front and lives through rat-infested trenches and gas attacks. Blinded (October, 1918) Hitler is blinded in a British clorine gas attack near Ypres soon before the end of the war. He is dismayed when Germany surrenders on November 11 with the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty imposes harsh sanctions on Germany and Hitler, along with other nationalists, sees it as a "stab in the back" by influential German Jews and Marxists.

______________________________________________________________________________ ____ http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/timeline/nazirise.htm