Adolf Hitler

Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungry to Alois Hitler and Klara Polzl. Of their six children, only Hitler and his younger sister, Paula could survive into adulthood. His father Alois, a custom official by profession, was tremendously violent to his wife and son, and used to beat them often. According to Hitler’s book, “he had a terrible childhood”. The regular whipping and violence committed by his father made him extremely sympathetic to his mother, while having an unfathomable bitterness towards his father. In spite of his father’s constant pressure to pursue a career like his, Hitler dropped out of high school without a diploma, as a revolt against his father. Even after his father’s death on 3 January 1903, he did not show any liking for studies and rather tried to be a painter.

During 1900’s, Hitler lived in Vienna with financial support from an orphan’s house; his mother died of breast cancer on 21 December 1907, at the age of 47. While living in Vienna, Hitler struggled as a painter after having been rejected twice by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna during 1907-1908. According to Hitler, his anti-Semitism came from having seen an orthodox Jew community in Vienna, a breeding ground of racial and religious prejudice at that time. Hitler held the Jew community responsible for Germany’s collapse and economic problems thereafter. In May 1913, Hitler came into possession of the final part of his father’s estate and moved to Munich. With Germany entering World War I in August 1914, Hitler enlisted in the Bavarian army.

After World War I, Hitler was appointed as a police spy of an Intelligence Commando of the Reichswehr as a mean to infiltrate the German Worker’s Party. Here he came into the contact of its founder Anton Drexler and got impressed with his anti-Jewish socialism and anti-capitalist ideas; Hitler became a member of the party. He was discharged from the Army in 1920 and became an active party member with his highly effective oratory skills and delivered speeches against Marxists, Jews and anti-socialists. After a trust vote in 1921, Hitler was made the chairman of the German Worker’s Part who had changed its name to National Socialists German Worker’s Party. Hitler was arrested and charged with high treason after his attempt to instigate a coup against the government and start a march on Berlin in 1923.

A trial ensued, and he was sentenced to five year’s imprisonment at Landsberg Prison on 1 April 1924 but was released from jail in 1924 after receiving a general amnesty. While in the prison, Hitler wrote his autobiography Mein Kampf (literally 'My struggle'), which is an elucidation of his ideology. The book was published in two volumes in 1925 and 1926. On 25 February 1932, Hitler was granted the citizenship of Germany; thus making him eligible for contesting presidential election against Hindenburg. Even though he failed in his attempt, Hitler emerged as a strong alternative in the German politics. After all attempts of Hindenburg to secure majority in parliament failed, he agreed to appoint Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany, as it was obviously impossible for him to form a government without Nazi’s support.

Chancellor Of Germany

On 30 January 1933, Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany in a ceremony held at Hindenburg’s office. Having gained legislative and executive power, Hitler began his move towards establishing the Nazi’s dictatorship in Germany. Though Nazi party had failed to gain majority in parliament, he blocked all attempts of his opponents to come into power through elections. Hitler’s government further banned Communist Party of Germany and Social Democratic party and forced all other parties to dissolve. On 14 July 1933, Nazi Party was declared the only legal Party in Germany. After the death of President Hindenburg on 2 August 1934, Hitler was made the supreme commander of the military and ultimate power of the nation, whose officers took oath to Hitler’s loyalty.

During Hitler’s rule, Germany witnessed the largest expansion of infrastructure and reached the level of near full employment.  One of the major policies of Hitler was racial purification, based upon the ideas of Arthur de Gobineau - misinterpretation though - meaning survival of the fittest. The policy caused deaths of thousands of physically disabled, mentally retarded and ill people, who-in Hitler’s opinion were unworthy of life, and a burden to their nation. The Holocaust was seen as the only way out to eliminate the Jews from their land. Though Hitler always denied any mass killing conducted by the Nazis’, there are evidences, which clearly show the involvement of Hitler in the executions.

The Second World War

As Germany went on gaining strength, Hitler finally ended the informal alliance that existed between Germany and China since the 1920s. He thus paved the way for Japan to become Germany's new ally. In an answer to this Chinese Premier Chang Kai-Shek cancelled all of the Sino-German economic agreements, thereby depriving the Germans of raw materials such as tungsten which came from China earlier. In early 1938, Hitler forced Austria into amalgamation with Germany and made a victorious entry into Vienna on 14 March.

Strong in his will and withstanding all his challenges, Hitler ordered his allies to start preparing plans for the invasion of Czechoslovakia, which thereby increased the tension in Europe. The famous May Crisis of 19-22 May 1938 in Europe was a terror caused by rumors that Czechoslovakia would be attacked during the municipal elections there. This led to a word of warning from London that a German move against Czechoslovakia could be dangerous. Though plans had already been drafted in April 1938 for an attack on Czechoslovakia in the near future, the May Crisis backfired resulting in Hitler’s political defeat and thus making him the prey of his own trap. This was enough to make him understand that expansion without attacking Britain was impossible, and attacking Britain was a dangerous game that could hit back and create disaster.

After the fall of Poland to Germany and the end of the so called Phoney War in part of north-western Poland; Hitler instructed the two Gauleiters to Germanize the area. After taking-over of Poland, another major clash surfaced between different factions. Expelling the entire Jewish population of Europe into Africa and reducing the remainder of the Polish population to a leaderless laboring class, Hitler went on making Europe into a danger zone. As time passed he went on going from step to step ordering bombing raids on England. This is famously known in history as the Battle of Britain and Hitler’s planned attack. The process began by striking the Royal Air Force bases and radar stations protecting South-East England. Hitler then ordered the bombing of British cities, including London, Plymouth and Coventry, mostly at night.