Adolf hitler biography adolf hitler facts

Dictator of Nazi Germany from to

"Hitler" and "The Führer" redirect here. For other uses, see Hitler (disambiguation) and Führer (disambiguation).

Adolf Hitler (20 April – 30 April ) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from until his suicide in He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in and then taking the title of Führer und Reichskanzler in His invasion of Poland on 1&#;September marked the start of the Second World War. He was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust: the genocide of about six million Jews and millions of other victims.

Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn in Austria-Hungary and moved to Germany in He was decorated during his service in the German Army in World War I, receiving the Iron Cross. In , he joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), the precursor of the Nazi Party, and in was appointed leader of the Nazi Party. In , he attempted to seize power in a failed coup in Munich and was sentenced to five years in prison, serving just over a year. While there, he dictated the first volume of his autobiography and political manifestoMein Kampf (My Struggle). After his early release in , Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting pan-Germanism, antisemitism, and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. He frequently denounced communism as being part of an international Jewish conspiracy. By November , the Nazi Party held the most seats in the Reichstag, but not a majority. Former chancellor Franz von Papen and other conservative leaders convinced President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor on 30 January Shortly thereafter, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act of , which began the process of transforming the Weimar Republic into Nazi Germany, a one-party dictator

Hitler: key facts

Born: Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April in Braunau am Inn, Austria.

Died: Hitler died by suicide in a Berlin bunker, age 56, on 30 April

Known for: Being the leader of the the Nazi Party and initiating the Second World War. Adolf Hitler replaced Anton Drexler as party chairman of the Nazi Party in July , and soon after he acquired the title führer (“leader”). He was chancellor of Germany from 30 January, , and Führer and chancellor combined from 2 August His rise to power led to the Second World War and the deaths of more than six million Jews in the Holocaust.

Family: Adolf Hitler was the fourth of six children born to Alois Hitler (–) and his third wife, Klara (–). His full siblings are: Gustav, Ida, Otto, Edmund and Paula, but he also had two half-siblings – Alois Jr and Angela – from his father’s previous marriages. Alois, who was illegitimate, bore his mother’s name Schicklgruber for some time, but by had established his family claim to the surname 'Hitler'. Adolf Hitler himself never used any other surname.

Early childhood: Most of Hitler’s childhood was spent in Linz, Austria. He had a difficult relationship with his father, with many of their arguments focusing on Hitler’s refusal to behave at school. However he was very fond of his mother, who died in

Education: Hitler had a mixed education and has generally been considered a mediocre student by many historians. Although his father wished for his son to follow a career in his own footsteps, at a customs office, Hitler had other ideas. Tensions rose when Alois sent Hitler to the Realschule (a type of secondary school) in Linz in September and Hitler performed poorly. Hitler later suggested that this was an intentional act on his behalf: he deliberately performed badly to show his father that he should be allowed to pursue his dream of becoming an artist.

The narrative doesn't entirely hold up if you consider that, following Alois’s death in Januar

1. He was Austrian

The fact that Hitler was Austrian, born in Braunau am Inn in April , might seem odd given his association with German nationalism. This affinity was not, however, all that unusual among Austrians.

Influenced by the tutelage of his high school teacher, Leopold Poetsch, who had strong German nationalist sensibilities (and also taught Aldolf Eichmann), Hitler grew to despise the Austro-Hungarian Empire and express loyalty only to Germany.

In , while living in Munich, Hitler managed to enlist in the Bavarian Army before renouncing his Austrian citizenship in and officially becoming a German citizen in the early 30s.

Despite the family moving from Braunau am Inn to Linz when Adolf was three years old, the border town and the house that he was born in (but only stayed in for a couple of weeks) have a lasting issue with their connection to Hitler.

2. He was a frustrated artist

It’s tempting to wonder how different the 20th century might have been had Hitler’s youthful aspirations to become an artist been realised.

He twice failed the entrance exam of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (in and in ) when it was noted that, though he had some talent for architectural draughtsmanship, his human figures lacked detail and character.

Hitler&#;s interest in art did continue, however. So-called &#;degenerate&#; modern, abstract and impressionist art was denounced as the product of Jewish and Bolshevik artists during the Third Reich.

The works, some by world famous artists like Klee and Picasso, were removed from German museums and placed in a condemnatory exhibition.

The Nazis also collected significant and invaluable pieces of art, often in the name of &#;kunstschutz&#; &#; art protection.

This process was decreed by the Hague Convention Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land ( and ), but excess looting took place in occupied zones