2. Adolf Hitler is among the few influential men who changed the course of history. His ideas and actions altered the way the world perceived terror and evil, ultimately shaping the way history would play out in the future.

3. Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau on the inn.
“Bavarian by blood, technically Austrian.” – Hitler (4)
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau on the inn.
Though part of Austria-Hungary, the town he was born into the Austrian section just on the fringe of the German side.
He grew up in a very abusive environment. He eventually learned to hide his emotions due to his frequent beatings from his dad.
Entered into Primary School the same year his father retired from being an Austrian Civil Servant.
-He believed that the German Austrian should return to the “motherland” of Germany. Inherently believed that Austria should just combine to make a large Germany.
-Entered into Primary School same year as his father retired from Austrian Civil Service. Father was used to giving commands and having them unquestioningly followed. Also found more surveillance and rules at school. Sudden onset of regimented lifestyle could contribute to the style of government run by the Nazi party later.
-He was very good in school. He was also the “ringleader” of his schoolmates with quickly developing oratorical skills. His favorite subject was History. He learned about how wars in the past had played out and wondered why Austria hadn’t fought with Germany in the Franco-German war.
-Abusive childhood can be attributed to his hardness and ability to inflict such cruelties in later years.
“German-Austria must return to the great
German mother country.” – Hitler (1)

4. His father had worked his way up through the ranks of the Austrian government and became an Austrian Civil Servant.
He was rejected from the Academy School of Painting and then could not attend the Academy School of Architecture.
He realizes how manual workers are working, but have little relation to the upper classes.
“For anyone who has not taken the time to
study the Habsburg monarchy.” – Hitler (13)
-His father had started out poor, and when he left his home he went to Vienna to learn a trade which he later gave up to become a Civil Servant – someone he viewed as at the top of humanly attainable heights. He worked his way up through the gov’t and soon achieved his goal.
-Hitler sees his father and wants to work his way up just as his father did. Adds to his desire to want to become the top of the gov’t so he could have it his way.
-His father had wanted him to go to school to be a Civil Servant as he had. They had huge arguments over him becoming an artist over a Civil Servant – the ideal job in his father’s eyes. They eventually came to understanding that he would go to an Art School , but he was rejected. He was recommended for an Architecture school, but he had never taken the necessary courses to be eligible to go to one of these schools.
-He becomes more bitter from here on. He sees how the upper classes are taking advantage of the lower classes and wants to find some way to fix this.
“The upper classes feel less constraint in
their dealings with the lowest.” – Hitler (23)

5. Enlisted in the Bavarian Regiment at age 25.
Always willing to do dangerous missions and never complained about the food or the living conditions.
He received several awards for bravery and courage.
October 7, 1916 Hitler is injured for the first time.
October 15, 1918 Hitler was temporarily blinded by a Mustard Gas attack.
-Escaped the first battle where 2500/3000 men died against British and Belgians. He was very lucky at escaping life-threatening situations.
-Colonel Hitler was a dispatch runner who would run messages from the command staff to units in the field.
-His bravery, willingness, and compliance made his generally a very likable soldier. He was awarded the Iron Cross Second class and then First class. He received the Wound Badge in 1916 after a mortar shell hit his left thigh.
-He goes back to Germany after being injured to be hospitalized. He is appalled at the anti-war sentiment of the people and blames the Jews for the civil unrest against the war. His anti-semetic feelings began early.
-The second time he is injured, he is admitted into a field officer where he becomes convinced that it is his duty to “save Germany.”
“Service in World War 1 had [provided] comradeship
and some accomplishment.” – Chambers (1038)

6. “He’s got the gift of gab, we could use
Hitler had been appointed as a spy after the death of the murder of Kurt Eisner, the Bavarian Prime Minister.
The German Workers’ Party invites Hitler into the party due to his superior oratory skills.
Early discharge from the military.
Anton Drexler and the influence he had on Hitler’s view on politics with “My Political Awakening”
“He’s got the gift of gab, we could use
him.” – Anton Drexler
-He was a spy for the Germans to influence other soldiers and to infiltrate a small group call the German Workers’ Party. This party later changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party to increase its public appeal. When Hitler became the leader in years to come he would make this his Nazi party.
-This party was anti-semitic, nationalist, anti-capitalism, and anti-Marxism.
-When Hitler went in to the meeting on the job of being a spy, one of the men present proposed Bavaria breaking away from Germany and forming its own country. Hitler became outraged with this and furiously argued, closely followed by Anton Drexler inviting Hitler to come.
-His early discharge gave him motivation to be part of the party full time. He took up being a political figure full time.
- “My Political Awakening” shared much of the same views of Hitler on the ideal German state. This inspired him to become more involved. -

7. Hitler accumulated much support for the group through his speeches.
Hitler adapted the Italian Fascist style into the National Socialist German Workers’ Party.
Initially some wondered whether Hitler was a traitor.
He chose the swastika as the symbol of the party so it would be more easily recognized.
-Hitler was able to rally hundreds of men and women with his wildly emotional speeches that some time verged on being wild frenzies. From the people who listened, he was usually able to get large amounts of money to buy leaflets and other resources to promote and spread the ideals and views of the Nazi party as it was now called.
-Many saw Hitler’s rise to power in the Nazi party as his lust for increased power.
-Hitler was voted as leader of the party that he would transform into his infamous Nazi party. At some point, leaders of the group had allied with some Socialists which Hitler countered by tendering his resignation and requesting that to stay with the party, he was to replace Drexler with unlimited powers.
-The swastika was a symbol of life, sun, strength, power, and good luck until Hitler used it for his party. Hitler chose this symbol b/c it had been in Germanic culture (with the classical meaning) for a very long time – he chose it as a symbol of the long Germanic history.

8. Attempted to stage a coup in Bavaria and overthrow its government.
Hitler received wild support within the Beer Hall.
Hitler leaves to resolve the conflict with the German Army that his soldiers had failed to defeat – Kahr, Lossow, and Seisser escape.
Hitler decides to just march into the center of Munich and take it over.
The Nazi movement ends and most are arrested, including Hitler.
-He entered the Beer Hall Putsch, the Beer Hall of the Bavarian gov’t, and attempted to overthrow the leaders. He lied to the occupants of the beer hall in order to gain their support, telling them that the Nazis had already taken over. The 3 major leaders at the bar had been taken to the back and it was viewed by all that attended that they had accepted the Nazi ways.
-He was unable to resolve the conflict with the undefeated soliders, so he returned to the Beer Hall. His revolution had fizzled out and now he was being ordered to dissolve his party and its fighting forces.
-It was reasoned that they had enough WW1 fame for them not to have to worry about being fired on. In truth, when they got to Munich, they were fired on to the point where only Hitler’s bodyguard protected him from being killed. The troops scattered and were arrested. Hitler fled, but was arrested a few days later.

9. He openly admitted to all the charges on him.
He gained sympathy and was guaranteed parole before he was charged.
He was sentenced to 5 years in prision, but got out in only 2.
-This made him have the sight of being a German patriot, allowing his image to stay intact even when he was in prison.
-The sympathy he received told him that the judges did not WANT to punish him, rather they punished him b/c they were required to b/c of their job.

10. The SA and the SS were Hitler’s private police. Propaganda
He did not allow any other political parties.
Hitler made sure that he made the population happy by drastically reducing unemployment.
-These two agencies ensured that Hitler would remain in power b/c they invoked fear that repressed uprisings and they eliminated all political opponents that posed a threat to his power in any way, shape, or form.
-Propaganda was used by most of the major powers during this WW2 era. It was designed to make Hitler’s state seem better than other states and put down the other systems of government in the Democratic, Communist, and Socialist countries of the rest of Europe.

11. Possibly propaganda to some extent.
Told of his childhood and how he grew up.
Outlined his political views and how he would run the country had he not been arrested.
Talks about his hatred for Jews and blames them for everything wrong with Germany.
-Probably propaganda of some kind. Hitler probably put himself in a better light than was shown by the facts, but he knew people would read his book, or at least thought so. He wanted his people to see that their leader went from being nothing to being a political genius and have them think that their leader was the best equipped leader there was.
-If the people know more about their leader, then won’t they be more inclined to accept him b/c he had been more accepting to them?
-He talks about how Germany was unjustly punished after WW1. He states that the main reason for the Nazi party, at first, was to reduce the reparations.
-He basically wanted to exterminate the Jews. This leads to the Holocaust.

12. Concentration Camps and “Showers”
The Final Solution
Concentration Camps and “Showers”
“The Holocaust was the systematic…murder of
…six million Jews by the Nazi regime…” – ushmm.org

13. The Blitzkrieg and the attack of France
Treaties with the U.S.S.R.
The Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia
Attack Poland
-Hitler’s war tactic which involved a quick strike using tanks, infantry, and fast moving vehicles. The goal was not so much to kill all the enemies right away, but to overwhelm so that they could not respond fast enough. This worked extremely well on France b/c they had the Maginot Line. This demonstrates Hitler’s new ways of thinking – he has made this war completely different than what everyone had expected another World War to be like.
-He made treaties with the USSR to avoid having to fight a 2 front war, though later one his fatal errors is his attack on the USSR where he eventually suffers heavy losses.
-Before the war, Hitler had gradually attained more territory due to the slow chipping away at the Sudetenland and then all of Czechoslovakia under the premise that there were German peoples that should be part of the Germany rule. As he sees that Chamberlain and other political figures are just going to give into his will, he starts to get more ambitious.
-He attacks Poland b/c it had split Germany in 2. This is the factor that starts the 2nd War War.

14. Adolf Hitler has become one of the most infamous names in history due to the atrocities he had committed in his lifetime. He has been put down as one of the worst mass-murderers in history, and one of the most ruthless rulers to date. His military tactics changed the way wars were fought both strategically and militarily.