Adolf Hitler Biography and Works.

The German politician, Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. Commonly associated with the rise of Fascism in Europe, the World War II and the Holocaust, Hitler was the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, commonly referred to as the ‘Nazi Party’.

He left school at the age of 16 in 1905, intending to become a painter. He was rejected twice by the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna because of his ‘unfitness for painting’.

When the World War I touched off, Hitler’s passion against foreigners, particularly Slavs was inflamed and he served as a soldier in the Bavarian Army. A decorated veteran of the World War I, Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party, precursor of the Nazi Party in 1919, and became a leader of the party in 1921.

Gradually, he gained support by promoting Pan-Germanism and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and propaganda. He was appointed as Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and head of the state from 1934 to 1945. He oversaw the rearmament of Germany and the invasion of Poland by the Wehrmacht in 1939, which led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe.

Under Hitler’s direction, German forces occupied most of Europe and North Africa. These gains were reversed in 1945 when the Allied armies defeated the German army. Around six million Jews and 1,500,000 Roman people were targeted in the Holocaust.

During the Battle of Berlin in 1945, Hitler married his long-time mistress, Eva Braun. On April 30, 1945, less than two days of their marriage, the two committed suicide to avoid capture by the Red Army.

Trivia

In 1923, Hitler attempted a coup, known as the ‘Beer Hall Putsch’, at the Bürgerbräukeller beer hall in Munich. Hitler was imprisoned due to the failed coup. During his imprisonment, he wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle).