by Maurice Sassoon

Created on: June 12, 2008   Last Updated: March 04, 2010

Adolf Hitler was Germany's fanatical dictator from 1933 to 1945. He was responsible for the extermination of millions of people, particularly Jews, and plunged the world into World War II. He was born in 1889 in Austria, the son of Alois Hitler, a customs officer. His mother was a housemaid.

He worked as a laborer before he was twenty years old and later moved to Vienna where he was very poor. He came to think that the world had treated him unfairly, and for this reason, he hated almost all the people around him, and especially the Jews. In 1913, he moved to Munich, the capital of Bavaria.

When World War I began, Hitler enlisted in the German army. In 1919, when the war ended, he joined a new political group,called the German Workers' Party, where he succeeded in influencing many people to denounce the things that he hated himself. At this time, veterans of the war were experiencing some hardship in civilian life. He ranted and raved against the Treaty of Versailles as well as the Jews whom he accused as being the root cause of their problem.

In 1920, Hitler formed the National Socialist German Workers' Party, also known as the Nazi Party that attracted prominent Germans. He soon organized his own little army. Those that joined the force were known as Storm Troopers. As soon as he felt that he was strong enough, he took control of the city of Munich, but was captured and sentenced to five years in prison. He served only nine months of that sentence. While in prison, he managed to write a book, titled "Mein Kampf," which means "My Fight."

In 1929, Germany's economy began faltering. The Nazi Party began a propaganda campaign to enlist fresh members. He assured them that he would bring them steady jobs by controlling big business. He became a German citizen and was qualified to run for the presidency of Germany. He lost, but, by now, the Nazi Party became very popular.

In 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor, which was the highest office, next to president, in Germany. Shortly thereafter, his Storm Troopers began terrorizing Germany. In 1933, the Reichstag voted to give him the powers of a dictator. He soon became both chancellor and president, at which time he assumed the title of Fuhrer, or leader.

In 1938, Hitler captured Austria and annexed it to Germany. He demanded more territory and was given a part of Czechoslovakia, under the Munich Pact. In 1939, he invaded Poland, marking the beginning of World War II.

During his twelve years in power, he was responsible for the extermination of millions of Jews in concentration camps. It was a sad time in history when Europe was struggling under his tyrannical control.

During the last months of the war, Hitler suffered a nervous breakdown. He lived in a bomb shelter under the chancellery where he formally married Eva Braun, who for years had been his favorite, before shooting her and himself to death.

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