Adolf Hitler

Hitler is famous, or more correctly, infamous, for the creation of Nazi Germany, founded on a belief in the supremacy of the Aryan nation. This belief led to Germany military expansion and World War II as well as the persecution and attempted genocide of the Jewish race, the persecution of homosexuals, the mentally handicapped, the Roma, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others.

Main Ideas

• supremacy of the Aryan race
• Jews and communists were to blame for all of Germany's financial and political problems

Famous Statements

• "It is always more difficult to fight against faith than against knowledge."

• "What good fortune for leaders that the people do not think."

• "It is not truth that matters, but victory."

• "All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach."

Famous Works

• Mein Kampf (My Struggle)

Interesting Trivia

Youth: Hitler was born with the name Alois Schicklgruber, was the illegitmate son of an Austrian woman who became the leader of Nazi Germany. As a young child, Alois Hitler was inspired by the fictional works about Winnetou, an Aboriginal American character. As an eleven year old, he was deeply affected by the death of his younger brother. After his brother's death, Alois changed from being an outgoing, happy child to a sullen and angry young man, often beaten by his stepfather. He wanted to be an artist, but was forced by his stepfather to attend technical school. After his stepfather's death, the 15 year old Hitler, after a bout of drinking with his pals, tore up his school certificate and used it as toilet paper, for which he was expelled from school. As a young adult, he was denied entry twice to art school for lack of talent. He was a decorated war hero in World War One, one of only 42 out of 250 of his troop to survive the Battle of Ypres, in which over 40,00 soldiers died in 20 days.

Climb to Power: After the war, he joined a political party which announced the overthrow of the Weimar Republic at a beer hall, for which he was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to five years in jail. During his time there, he dictated his great work, Mein Kampf, which sold over 10 million copies by the end of World War II. Pardoned after less than a year, he used legitimate means to run for office and was elected to parliament and later appointed Chancellor of Germany. He then used his powers to grant himself almost complete authority. He was linked romantically to his 23 -year-old half-niece who died of an apparent suicide, which profoundly affected all his subsequent relations with other people.

The Führer: A passionate and powerful public speaker, Hitler was able to mesmerize huge crowds and appeal to their pride and hope for the rise of Germany.

Death: In the spring of 1945, the German army was nearly defeated and the Red Army was marching towards Berlin. On the 29th of April 1945 Hitler dictated his will and political statement to his private secretary. Later that day, he married his long time companion, Eva Braun. Less than 40 hours later, on April 30, Hitler and Eva committed suicide while sitting together in their bunker deep below the Chancellor's office. Their bodies were put in a bomb crater, doused in gasoline by the SS, and set on fire.