Adolf Hitler, who
passed away on 30 April 1945, aged 56, in Berlin, Germany, was an Austrian-born
German politician who rose to power as the dictator of Germany, leading the
country from 1933 to 1945. He was the head of the National Socialist German
Workers' Party, commonly known as the Nazi Party. Hitler's aggressive policies
initiated World War II and he was a key figure in the execution of the
Holocaust, which claimed the lives of approximately six million Jews and
millions of others.
Hitler was born in Austria-Hungary, and in 1913, he
relocated to Germany. He served in the German Army during World War I, being
awarded the Iron Cross for bravery twice, and subsequently joined the German
Workers' Party, which he transformed into the Nazi Party and took control of in
1921.
His attempt to overthrow the government in the 1923 Munich Beer Hall
Putsch failed, resulting in his imprisonment. During his imprisonment, he
wrote Mein Kampf, outlining his political ideology. Once released, Hitler
gained popularity by promoting anti-Semitic and anti-communist sentiments. His
charismatic oratory backed by Nazi propaganda found a receptive audience in
Germany during the Great Depression.
In 1933, Hitler ascended to the role of chancellor of Germany and
quickly established himself as the Führer, consolidating his power. His first
six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great
Depression and the removal of restrictions imposed on Germany after World War
I.
Hitler's ambitions included the expansion of German
living space, or Lebensraum, particularly in Eastern Europe, which precipitated
the start of World War II. This aggressive foreign policy is considered to be
the primary cause of the outbreak of World War II in Europe. He directed
large-scale rearmament and on September 1st, 1939 invaded Poland, resulting in
British and French declarations of war on Germany.
In June 1941, Hitler ordered an invasion of the
Soviet Union. By the end of 1941, German forces and the European Axis powers
occupied most of Europe and North Africa. Failure to defeat the Soviet Union,
who ultimately battled back to Berlin, and the entry of the United States into
the war forced Germany onto the defensive and ultimately its defeat.
Throughout the war, Hitler's strategic decisions were responsible for
the loss of countless lives and the widespread devastation across Europe. 29
million soldiers and civilians died as a result of military action in the
European theatre. This number of deaths was unprecedented and it constitutes
the deadliest conflict in human history.
He was supported in this endeavour by such
other leading members of the Nazi party as Joseph Goebbels, Martin Bormann,
Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler, and Reinhard Heydrich. Most of these
figures died during the war, such as Heydrich, or committed suicide towards the
end, such as Goebbels, or afterwards, such as Himmler and Göring.
As Germany's prospects deteriorated, Hitler became increasingly
isolated, coordinating his military campaigns from a bunker in Berlin. In his
final days, with Soviet and Allied forces advancing, Hitler chose to marry Eva
Braun, his partner of many years. On 30 April 1945, they both committed suicide
in their Berlin bunker.
