By: Lawrence Book McKnight Adolf Hitler By: Lawrence Book McKnight

Early Life Hitler was born in Austria on April 20th, 1889. He had lots of health problems as a child. As a young man, he wanted to become an artist. His father was very strict, was often abusive towards him, and did not approve of his ambitions in life. In 1907, Hitler’s mother died of breast cancer and this devastated him emotionally. Much of Hitler’s family died before he was an adult; his father, mother, and many brothers and sisters. This type of loss can possibly explain his personality later in life.

Hitler the Artist Hitler did not do well in school, and after his mother’s death he dropped out of High School and moved to Vienna to pursue being an artist at the Academy of Fine Arts. He was rejected and did not gain entry. Many people on the board of admissions were Jewish and he blamed them . He suffered from depression and this lead him to be homeless for a period of time.

Hitler and WWI When WWI came, Hitler left Austria and joined the German Army. He was excited to fight for the “fatherland” and it gave him a purpose in life. Hitler won many medals, and even captured 4 French soldiers.

After WWI Germany lost the war, and Hitler was devastated. Hitler believed that the Jews and Communists had an anti- war conspiracy. Hitler believed that it wasn’t the German Military who lost the war, but that it was the Jewish politicians at home who were responsible for the defeat. Hitler became an undercover agent (spy) who rooted out communists. He also lectured about the dangers of Communism and Jews.

The Nazi Party (1920-45) The Nazi party was formed in 1920, and Hitler became a very active member. He participated in the advertisement of the party, especially in anti-Semitic newspapers. The goal of the party was to revoke the rights of Jews, and to create an Aryan society (people with blue eyes and blonde hair) He wanted to have citizenship determined by race.

Did you know? The swastika was actually stolen from Buddhism, where it is actually a symbol for good luck. This symbol has been used by many cultures around the world, before Hitler stole it and gave it a bad meaning.

Hitler, Prison and Mein Kampf Hitler was arrested a put in prison for leading a revolution against the government of Germany. During his trial people learned who he was and he became famous. He only served 9 months in prison. While in prison, he wrote the book, “Mein Kampf”.

Mein Kampf This book’s title translates to “my struggle”. It sold about 5 million copies. The book was about how Jewish people were evil, Germans were a superior race, and the dislike of Communism and Democracy.

Holocaust Due to economic problems, this gave rise to the Nazi Party, they promised to make Germany great again, and people believed them. Once people started supporting the Nazi’s they could get their supporters to believe anything they wanted. Once Hitler became the leader he started deporting Jewish people to Concentration Camps.

Holocaust continued… Hitler killed about 6 million Jewish people during the Holocaust.

My trip to Auschwitz

My trip to Auschwitz

Random Facts about Hitler *He suffered from chronic flatulence *He was a vegetarian and was against animal cruelty *He launched the first anti- smoking campaign in modern history *He was TIME Magazines “person of the year” in 1938. Before the Holocaust, Hitler gave the U.S., Great Britain, and many other nations a chance to take in Jewish refugees. They refused.

Questions 1) Explain in a few sentences why his childhood was so difficult. 2) What was Hitler’s famous book about? 3) How many Jew’s were killed during the Holocaust? 4) How was Hitler’s relationship with his father? 5) What did Hitler want Citizenship to be determined by? 6) In what culture and religion was the Swastika used first?