A Brief Introduction

 Adolf was the son of Alois and Klara Hitler  His Father’s original family name was “Schicklgruber” but changed his name when he was 40  Adolf was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau, Austria  He had a step-brother and step-sister from his father’s previous marriage. He also had 5 siblings, all except one died in childhood.  From an early age, Hitler though he was special, being the only surviving boy of the family.

 High school dropout  Father died when he was 14  Mother died when he was 18  Aspiring artist but rejected from Vienna Art School  Never held a job, inherited money from the death of parents and wealthy aunt  Moved to Vienna and lived in flophouses and hostels  Spend his days daydreaming, going to the theatre and drawing at street corners for extra cash

 Hitler became fascinated with the radical Nationalist and anti-Jewish philosophies that existed in Vienna  This is where the foundation of his beliefs in war and racial hatred were built  Made crazy plans and dreamed of greatness  Constantly talking to anyone who would listen to him  When WWI started, Hitler was very excited  He moved to Germany and sought special permission to fight in the German Army

 Spent 4 years as a Communications runner  Promoted to Corporal and received 2 medals for bravery  However, he was a misfit and had trouble making friends with the men in his unit  Wounded twice – grenade shrapnel in the leg and a gas attack that left him temporarily blinded

 Hitler remained in the German Army and became an “educational officer”  His main job was to spy on the political organizations popping up all over Germany  As part of his job, he came across a group of men who called themselves the “National Socialist German Workers Party” or NSDAP  Hitler was so impressed with these men, he left the army and decided to join them  Within months Hitler became the leader of the party  Hitler was a great speaker and had a clear vision for Germany

 Revenge on France and Britain  Breaking the Treaty of Versailles  German’s were not responsible for losing the war, they were stabbed in the back by traitors at home (Jews and Communists)  The meaning of life was the struggle between races  Conflict is the natural state of man  Germans were the greatest of all races: “Aryans” - tall, blonde, blue-eyed and strong - supermen  Racial Purity should be preserved  Jews were the lowest of all – an anti race – put on earth in infect pure races – they should be destroyed  Christianity was invented by Jews to keep people weak  Children should be raised to be like wild animals  Women were little more than baby machines

 The Nazis try and fail to take over the government in 1923  Hitler was arrested and put on trial  Hitler used the trail to attack the government and promoted his philosophies  His speeches were published in newspapers and he soon became a national hero  Hitler was convicted and sent to jail  While in jail, Hitler wrote his book “Mein Kampf” or My Struggle  It became a national best seller

 Hitler was sent to jail for 5 years but gets out in 30 months  He re-gains popularity after to Germany economy collapses again in 1929  He forms the “S.A.” a street gang of over one million men and battles communist for control of the streets  The Nazis win the most seats in the elections in 1930 and again in 1933  Hitler is appointed chancellor in 1933  In 1935, the President dies and Hitler combines the two positions and become the “Fuhrer” or Leader  He makes all other political parties illegal and stops further elections