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Sarah Fazekas Mrs. Lamanteer Humanities II History 16, September, 2011 The Life of Adolf Hitler When people hear the name Aldof Hitler, many things may come to their mind. Hatred, cruelty, suffering, the man who started World War II. What many don’t think about though is how Hitler became the monster he was. Hitler was born on August 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria. He grew up in a tough life style. His father, Alios Hitler, was a harsh and cruel father to him. He was always criticizing what he considered his son's “dreamy and effeminate nature.” Alios died in 1902 when Aldof was only 13 years old. At the age of 16, Hitler dropped out of school without his graduation certificate. He never was good at school work and his goal was to become an artist. So, he moved to Vienna where he tried to enroll in Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. After the academy rejected his application twice, Hitler decided to continue to live in Vienna, without telling his mother, Klara, what had happened. When his mother died in 1908 from cancer, he was only 19. Hitler’s sister, Paula, was very young when their mother died and went into another family’s care, while Hitler remained in Vienna, living off his father’s pension.

By the start of World War I, Hitler had settled in Munich. He decided to join the Bavarian army during the outbreak of World War I. He believed that he had found his calling while fighting on the battlefield. Hitler’s extreme belief in nationalism became stronger during the war, and when Germany lost, he blamed the defeat on the Jews and Marxists betrayal. The war finally ended in November, 1918. European leaders came up with the Treaty of Versailles, a doubtful settlement that most people say directly led to a second world war, which turned out to be more deadly than the first. Even though the treaty ended the war, it started a deep recession for Germany. Germany was hit hard after WWI, being restricted to do several things. “Up to May 1, 1921, the German Government shall not export or dispose of, and shall forbid the export or disposal of, gold without the previous approval of the Allied and Associated Powers acting through the Reparation Commission.” This was just one of the things Germany was restricted to do. At the end of the WWI, Hitler won two Iron Cross medals for his performance in battle. He found himself in an army hospital a lot when the war ended though, recovering from minor injuries to his eyes. When his wounds healed, he returned to Munich where Germany’s dreadful defeat was reflected all around him. The Weimar democratic government held a flimsy control over the nation after that war, which is one of the main reason’s Hitler was able to gain power.

Hitler’s life changed when he joined the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or DPA. He was spying on a DPA meeting on day, and found himself becoming involved in one of their debates. His unique and aggressive speaking style appealed to the groups leader, Anion Drexler, and as Hitler was drawn to the group’s program, he agreed to become its seventh member. Hitler's political career didn’t really begin until he was the organizer of the DAP’s first large public meeting in October, 1920. By February 1920, Hitler was able to attract approximately two thousand people to a DAP event in one of Munich’s largest public meetings, the Hofbrauhaus. Because of the amount of people and the success Hitler brought to the meeting that night, he became the DAP spokesman. On April 1, 1920, DAP members decided to changed the name of the DAP party to the National Socialist German Workers Party, which shortly after was know as the Nazis. The Nazi party grew quickly over the spring and summer of 1920 having Hitler as their representative. To keep order during the meetings, Hitler put together a group of men to watch out and keep everyone in check. He also adopted the good luck symbol of the swastika to signify the party’s belief that it could trace a superior line of German “blood” back to an ancient Aryan empire. The following year, the party’s size, and Hitler’s influence on the activities, had caused anger among some other Nazi party members. After failing to weaken his authority, Hitler finally took over total control of the party. In November 1923, the Nazi party kidnapped the government officials of German Bavaria and then marched with 3,000 Sturmabteilung (“S.A.”) menthrough Munich. The march was later named the Beer Hall Putsch. With Erich Ludendorff, a former general of Germany’s World War I army, marching along his side, Adolf Hitler led the march. They weren’t even able to reach the Munich center before armed police officers stopped them.Ludendorff fought until he was arrested, while Hitler fled the scene. He was later captured and served nine months in prison.

While in prison, Hitler wrote his famous book “Mein Kampf," or “My struggle.” His book sold over 5 million copies and became a platform of the Nazi party. After the Beer Hall Putsch, the public seemed to grow disappointed with Hitler, the Nazis, and their harsh form of nationalism. Hitler was able to gain back his popularity by public speaking to massive audiences about his anti-Semitic views and his vision of German domination. With his new gain in popularity, Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Hitler was able to combine his chancellor powers with the presidential powers after the death of Paul von Hindenburg, the President of Germany. He soon became the Fuhrer of Germany. Hitler was able to use events like the burning of the Reichstag (German parliament) building to increase his power. Eventually, the Nazi Party became the only legal political party in the country and Hitler gained complete control over Germany. These events acted as the beginning to World War II, as Hitler tried to expand his control over the entire European continent and the world.

Hitler was known for encouraging Anti –Semitism, a form of injustice against Jews, ranging from a strong dislike to violent hatred. The holocaust was a result that happened from Hitler’s gain in power. It was a period full of hatred and discrimination against Jews. It is estimated that between 5 to 6 million European Jews were killed between 1939 and 1945 in the Holocaust. Another result from Hitler’s reign was World War II. WWII started when Hitler invaded Poland using the Blitzkrieg warfare. Blitzkrieg consisted of several major elements and characteristics, each giving the Germans a significant advantage. The first element and most important was speed and surprise. German troops used modern tactics and weaponry to strike Poland swiftly, forcing the Poles to fall back. The Poles fought bravely, but their outdated army was no match for the Germans. Besides his army, Hitler’s most powerful weapon during his reign of power was propaganda--the words that he and the other top Nazi speakers/writers used to influence the German people. Propaganda "must present only that aspect of the truth which is favorable to one's own side," Hitler wrote. "The people," he confessed, "must be misled." He believed that the people shouldn’t know the truth, that lying was the only way.

The Gestapo (secret state police) is an example of Hitler and his lying ways. It was originated in 1933 under Hermann Georing and was known and feared by many. The powers of the Gestapo were broad. Basically, any person suspected of unfaithfulness to the administration could be immediately arrested, executed, or killed in a concentration camp. It was harsh and cruel, but kept people in line and under Hitler’s power. He adopted the nickname Fuhrer as the leader of the Nazi Party. It was one of his ways of making people see him as a higher power. After years of terror and pain that Hitler had inflicted on Europe, his reign ended when him and his wife committed suicide together in an underground bunker of the chancellery building on Apr. 30. Hitler left Germany devastated and showed just how much the cost of wars outweigh the benefits. His story will linger on forever, showing people just how evil people can be. Hopefully people have learned from this tragedy and it wont have to happen again.

Primary Documents
 * Treaty of Versaillies (1871)-** “Up to May 1, 1921, the German Government shall not export or dispose of, and shall forbid the export or disposal of, gold without the previous approval of the Allied and Associated Powers acting through the Reparation Commission.” This treaty was what ended World War I. Many people believe that its was one of the main reasons World War II happened.Germany was the country that was hit the hardest from this treaty, that is why Hitler was able to use it to gain power.
 * Munich** **Pact (1938)-** This was a pact between the French premier, British prime minister andGermany. It basically gave Hitler control overSudetenland in order for him to end his invasions and create peace. This treaty didn’t last though because shortly after, Hitler invadedPoland, sparking World War II.

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“Munich Pact” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 7/1/2010, p1 18 September. 2011 <[b90d6ee65eee%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=khh&AN=39034701|http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=21&sid=d617a0db-c768-42a5-a6fd- b90d6ee65eee%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=khh&AN=39034701]

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Tarr, Russel “THE FOREIGN POLICIES OF ** HITLER ** AND MUSSOLINI” History Review, Dec2009, Issue 65, p44 18 September. 2011 < [|http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=17&hid=119&sid=0d91baaa- 25ef-43e2-8be2- cc7c1c025e71%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=kh h&AN=21212263]>

Witherbee, Amy. “Adolf Hitler.” 2009, p1-4, 2p. 18 September. 2011 <[|http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=ac8902e9-18fc- 48b4-a5a5- 876d0ba72851%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=119&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3 QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d #db=b5h&AN=15259513]> >