ADOLF HITLER

ADOLF HITLER

1. THE BEGINNING

At half past six on the evening of April 20th, 1889 a child was born in the small town of Branau, Austria. The name of the
child was Adolf Hitler. He was the son a Customs official Alois Hitler, and his third wife Klara. As a young boy Adolf
attendated church regulary and sang in the local choir. One day he carved a symbol into the bench which resembled the
Swastika he later used as the symbol of the Nazi party. He was a pretty good student. He received good marks in most
of his classes. However in his last year of school he failed German and Mathematics, and only succeeded in Gym and
Drawing. He drooped out of school at the age of 16, spending a total of 10 years in school. From childhood one it was
his dream to become an artist or architect. He was not a bad artist, as his surviving paintings and drawings show but he
never showed any originality or creative imagination. To fullfil his dream he had moved to Vienna the capital of Austria
where the Academy of arts was located. He failed the first time he tried to get admission and in the next year, 1907 he
tried again and was very sure of success. To his surprise he failed again. In fact the Dean of the academy was not very
impressed with his performance, and gave him a really hard time and said to him "You will never be painter." The
rejection really crushed him as he now reached a dead end. He could not apply to the school of architecture as he had no
high-school diploma. During the next 35 years of his live the young man never forgot the rejection he received in the
dean's office that day. Many Historians like to speculate what would have happened IF.... perhaps the small town boy
would have had a bit more talent....or IF the Dean had been a little less critical, the world might have been spared the
nightmare into which this boy was eventually to plunge it.

2. WORLD WAR I

While living in Vienna Hitler he made his living by drawing small pictures of famous landmarks which he sold as post
cards. But he was always poor. He was also a regular reader of a small paper which claimed that the Araban race was
superior to all and was destined to rule the world. The paper blamed Communists and Jews for all their problems and
hitler agreed to those views. Hitler agree with most of the points made in the publication. He continued to live a poor live
in Vienna and in 1913 decided to move to Munich. Still living in Vienna and being Austrain by birth, Hitler showed more
loyalty to the Geramny. He thought that the Aryan race was destined to rule the world. Many believe that he tried to
escape the draft but it was never proven. His live in Munich was not much better then before and he continued to be
poor. Then in 1914 World War I broke out and Hitler saw this as a great opportunity to show his loyalty to the
"fatherland" by volunteering for the Imperial army. He did not want to fight in the Austrian Army. Hitler was a good
soldier. Many of political opponents claimed that he was a coward but records clearly show that he was not. He received
to awards of bravery but never achieved a high Rank.

In 1918 Germany surrendered and Hitler was very upset about the loss. He believed that it was the Jews and the
Communists who betrayed the "fatherland" and it was here that his disliking of the Jews most likely began. Germany after
the war was in chaos. With no real Government to control the country, many groups tried to take control. One day a big
communist group staged a big riot but another group of ex-soldiers including Hitler managed to hold them back.

3. THE NAZI PARTY

Since there were not many chances for employment Hitler stayed in the army. Hitler was assigned the job of going go to
various meetings of groups which sprang up like mushrooms and to report on them. One day September 12, 1919 - a
fateful day in history, Hitler was sent to investigate a small group which called itself the "German Workers Party". Hitler
was not to happy about his assignment. He thought it wouldn't be worth it to even go. At the group mainly talked about
the Countries problem and how the Jews, communists and others where threatening the master race and offered their
own solutions. Hitler was bored by the meeting but when a man stood up and claimed that Bavaria should separate from
Germany, Hitler got up and argued that point. He argued that Germany and germans must unite into one to survive. His
natural ability to speak imprest the leader of the group and at the end of the meeting he gave Hitler a pamphlet and an
initiation the next meeting. He wasn't interested in attending but after reading the hand out he accepted. He later joined the
German Workers Party and was in charge of Propaganda. The party was small at first but Hitler's great skill at
deliberating speeches attracted more and more listeners and it soon became a major party with many followers.
Eventually Adolf Hitler became it's leader and the rest as they say....is history.

4. HITLER IN POWER

While spending time in prison for trying to overthrow the government Adolf Hitler wrote his famous book "Mein Kampf",
in which he describes many problems and where he states that the Jews and communists were responsible for those
problems. He also decided on the "Final Solution" to the "Jewish Question". It was his goal to eliminate the Jewish race
from the European continent. It is interesting to look and see how a small time boy from Austria with no education, money
or political background could become within a few years the leader of big nation such as Germany. Historians believe that
Hitler saw a great opportunity to get his views across to the German people who have lost all hope. Of course people did
not start to support him right away. After he came into power, the Nazi party took control over every aspect of every day
life. Hitler ordered the creation of a special police force to make sure that all opponents would be elimanted, the Gestapo.
He also gave orders to set up a special force which would be used to transport and take care of all political prisioners
and people thought to be inferior. The name of the force was the feared SS. Mass propaganda was used to persuade the
German people that the "Fuhrer" would make the country strong and powerful again. They also used propaganda against
the Jews and other minority groups which were considered enemies. Teachers had to belong to the Nazi party, and
children were taught that Jews very the source of all their problems. Since the country was in chaos after the war, and
was forced to pay billions in damages, The Germans saw hope in Adolf Hitler. In the late 20's the depression hit which
made the situation even worse.

Hitler in his speeches blamed the Jews and Communists for their misfortunes and many listed. Unemployment was very
high at that time standing at about 25%. Hitler also spoke out against the unfairness of the Versailles treaty. Germany lost
a lot of its territory. The Empire was no more. He believed the pure Araban race is destined to rule the world and wanted
to build an Empire that would last a 1000 years. He preached that all Germans must unite in order for this goal to
succeed. Hitler publicly stated his views on the Jews. But the Jews of Germany didn't see Hitler as a great threat at first.
However when Hitler became chancellor and eventually took over totally they changed their mind. The first thing he did
was to take the Jews their right to vote. Soon they were not allowed to marry with a pure german, they could not hold
positions such as teachers, doctors lawyers,..and so on. Many Jews only then realized that he was serious and many fled
Germany. Why did so many Germans follow Hitler? When he took power the economy was basically non existent. Many
looked for answers and hope. Hitler was their answer. He promised to rebuild the Glorious Germany of the past. First he
started to build up the Wehrmacht. Germany was not allowed to have more than 100,000 men, but Hitler broke the
treaty and gave orders to increase that number. Factories started putting out weapons and people now had jobs. To the
Germans this was a very good sign. Mass rallies were held, where Hitler continued to use his powers of speech on the
German people.

5. THE ROAD TO WAR

At first the allies did nothing about the fact that Hitler broke the Treaty. He gave speeches in which he indicated that the
German people needed living space. Later he Marched into the Reihnland, and area which Germany lost. Next He
moved into Austria, his home country and annexed it without a shoot being fired into the Reich. Following Austria, he
wanted control of the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia which was mainly German speaking. He also achieved that
goal. The allies didn't want another war so they led Hitler do what he wanted to, but when he Attacked Poland on
September 1st, 1939 the allies no longer stood by and watched. Britain and France declared war on Germany a few
days after later, World War II began.

6. THE DARK SIDE

After the Wehrmacht conquered and occupied a territory the SS quickly followed. They would round up Jews,
Communists, Gypsies, Homosexuals and others which were viewed as "Inferior" according to Nazi racial theory and
enemies of the German people and put on trains. They were all sent to Concentration camps, which were set up to
implement the 'final solution'. Camps such as Auschwitz, Treblinka, Bergen Belsen were all equipped with gas chambers
to make the killing process quick and efectfull. In those camps 6 million Jews and many others were killed by the Nazis.
Hitler's army seemed unstoppable but in the end, the allies managed to win many decisive battles. Eventually on Aril 30th,
1945 Hitler committed suicide in his bunker by shooting himself in the mouth. His body was burned, but no ones knows
what happened to the "Fuhrer's" ashes. On May 7th, 1945 Germany surrendered unconditionally.

7. THE MAN

Hitler was one of the most, if not the most cruel man to ever walk the face of the earth. His believe of the superiorority of
the "Aryan" race made him hate all others. He believed that the slaws to the east should be made work for the German
people. He thought of blacks as being "Sub-human". And Most of all he hated the Jews. So much that in early 1945,
when equipment and manpower was badly needed on the front Hitler insisited on man and equipment staying and
continuing to tranport Jews to the camps. In his Testament he left his money to his family. And message to the Germany
people "Above all I charge the leaders of the nation and those under them to scrupulous observance of the laws of race
and to merciless opposition to the universal poisoner of all peoples, international Jewry." The only people which would be
spared where the Scandinavians to the north, since they were closely related to the German race. With Hitler's death the
Nazi party quickly fated. But there is still a lot of tension in todays Germany.