WWII+Hitler+Page+RIJR

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.
 * Adolf Hitler: The Beginning of Der Fuhrer **

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.

Shortly after joining the German Workers Party, Adolf Hitler transformed the party into the Nazis. He was blessed with the ability to be a great speaker, which was just one of the reasons he was elected president of the Nazis. He spoke out against the people he did not like, mostly Jews. He wasn’t afraid to take risks, as evident by the Munich Beer Hall Putsch, where he attempted, unsuccessfully, to gain control of the Bavarian government. After being arrested for his actions at the Munich Beer Hall Putsch, he wrote his book, the //Mein Kampf//, where he spoke of his views on Nazism. Being arrested may have proven how Hitler wasn’t afraid to take risks as the leader of the Nazis. Soon after being released from prison, he started to slowly gain more power.

Even after barely losing the 1932 election for president of the German republic, the Nazis gained more power. They became the largest party represented, and the man who Hitler lost to, Paul von Hindenburg, appointed him as the Reich chancellor. Hitler managed to abolish the Communist Party, and was granted four years of dictatorial power with the passage of the Enabling Act. With his power, he started to take apart all government parties, and even removed Jews from government. The brownshirts were replaced by the blackshirts, and with the help of the Gestapo and SS, Jews were sent to concentration camps to either work or be executed. An alliance with Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini showed that Hitler had extreme plans of dominance.

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.

“In order to promote international co-operation and to achieve international peace and security by the acceptance of obligations not to resort to war, by the prescription of open, just and honourable relations between nations.”
 * Primary Documents: **

-This is an excerpt from the Treaty of Versailles where they start to speak of the creation of the League of Nations, and how it was supposed to fix problems peacefully. They believed that at the time, this was a way to avoid war, but the League was not successful.

“And so in contrast to our own official Government, I see no hope for the resurrection of Germany if we regard the foreign politics of Germany as the primary factor: our primary need is the restoration of a sound national German body politic armed to strike.”

-This quote comes from Adolf Hitler’s speech titled “The Drummer of National Germany.” He is showing that he believes in using force, and believes that in order to resurrect Germany, that is how it must be done.
 * Works Cited: **

Axelrod, Alan, and Charles Phillips. "Hitler, Adolf." //Dictators and Tyrants: Absolute Rulers and Would-Be Rulers in World History.// New York: Facts On File, Inc., 1995. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Sept. 2011. []

Biesinger, Joseph A. "anti-Semitism in the 19th and 20th centuries." //Germany: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present//, European Nations. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. //Modern World History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Sept. 2011. []

Axelrod, Alan. "Blitzkrieg." //Encyclopedia of World War II//, Volume I. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. //Modern World History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Sept. 2011. []

Axelrod, Alan. "Hitler Jugend (HJ)." //Encyclopedia of World War II//, Volume I. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. //Modern World History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Sept. 2011. []

Hastedt, Glenn. "Treaty of Versailles." //Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy//. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2004. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Sept. 2011. []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Various. "Treaty of Versailles." //Treaties Conventions, International Acts, Protocols and Agreements, 1910-23,// Vol. III, p. 3331. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Sept. 2011. []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Adolf Hitler. "'The Drummer of National Germany'." Hitler, Adolf. "Address to the Industry Club." In //The Weimar Republic Sourcebook//, edited by Anton Kaes, Martin Jay, and Edward Dimendberg, 138. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994. //Modern World History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. Web. Sept 17. 2011. []