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Adolf Hitler: The Beginning of Der Fuhrer

Born in the town of Brauanu am Inn, Hitler was raised in fear due to the violent temper of his father, Alois. By 1905, Adolf had already left secondary school without graduating. He did rather poorly in school. Adolf realized his real passion was art, but he did not possess the talent that the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna was looking for, twice rejecting Hitler's admission. After the death of his idol, his mother, he relocated to Vienna hoping to make a decent living. For a few years, he managed to just that, living off the earnings he made from painting advertisements and postcards. Although he was making art, he fell into a deep depression, centered on his growing hatred of Jews. At first, he avoided enlistment into the Austrian army by moving to Munich. He was called back to Austria about a year later to be examined, but was labeled physically unfit. Months later Hitler was enlisted in the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment.

To many people’s surprise, World War I ended on a somewhat peaceful note with the Treaty of Versailles. Even though the ending was peaceful, Germans were not so pleased. They surrendered on November 18, 1919, and eventually signed the treaty June 28, 1920. Along with very substantial reparations, the Germans also lost major chunks of land and had to return them to the countries they were taken from. The German army took a major hit as well; the army could not exceed 100,000 men, and could not even have an air force. A depression followed the war in Germany, as well as other countries around the world. All of these major hits to Germany became a drive for Hitler and the Nazis; they never forgot how they were affected after World War I.

Translated into English, **blitzkrieg** means “lightning war.” This German term refers to the military strategy the Germans used against Poland in 1939, where they used massive numbers of tanks, and infantry backed up by air support.

The hatred of Jews, or **anti-Semitism**, was first discovered in Spain when Jews were forced to leave a Spanish port because they were overflowing the port. Hitler later adopted this hatred and is usually associated with the word for his brutal actions towards Jews.

The **Hitler Youth** was founded in 1922 by the Nazi Party for youth from 14 to 18 years old. The program was a way of introducing German youth to the Nazi way of life, and to prepare them for military service. The Youth became rather close with the SS by World War II.

The **Schutzstaffel (SS)** was one of the most feared groups during World War II. The word Schutzstaffel means “defense squadron,” and it handled the physical part of striking fear into people. This group was so powerful that it sometimes even operated outside of the German army.


 * Nazi leader Adolf Hitler believed that a dictator would be able to guide the Nazi party, and Germany. In his book, //Mein Kampf,// he stated that the Third Reich would be led by a “**Fuhrer,**” or leader. He was later given the nickname Der Fuhrer.