Adolf Hitler Essay, Research Paper

I am writing this report on Adolf Hitler, who would one day lead a movement that would change the world.

Adolf Hitler was born in the small Austrian village of Braunau Am Inn on April 20, 1889. Adolf?s father, Aolis, was born in 1837. Aolis had always used the last name of his mother, Schicklgruber. After some years his uncle convinced him to change his last name to Hiedler, to continue the family name. When it was time to write the name down in the record book it was spelled Hitler, so in 1876, at age 39, Aolis Schicklgruber became Aolis Hitler.

In 1885 at the age of 48, Aolis married Klara Polzl, age 24. On April 20, 1889, Adolf was born and baptized Catholic. Hitler?s father was then 52 years old. Eleven years later, the Hitler household consisted of Adolf, Edmund, Paula, Aolis Jr., and Angela.

At age 7 Adolf and his family moved to Lambach, Austria. This would be the first of several moves the family would have to take. In Lambach, Adolf attended a school where the ancient monasteries were decorated with many different signs, one of which was a swastika.

Later on in Adolf became very interested in German Nationalism. Also during this time, both of Adolf?s parents died, his father of a lung hemorrage and his mother of natural causes. He dropped out of school in 1905 at age 16.

Eight years later, Hitler fled to Vienna to escape arrest as a deserter from the Austrian army. He lived in Munich until the outbreak of World War I, when he volunteered for service in the German army. During the war he served as a dispatch runner on the western front. He also was promoted to corporal, was wounded twice, and was awarded the Iron Cross, both for first and second class, for bravery.

After the war ended Hitler became increasingly and vocally anti-semitic (against jews). This began the Development of the Nazi party in 1919. In the beginning, he was assigned to spy on political parties. On September 22, 1919, he investigated the German Workers Party, this was one of the many nationalist, racist groups that grew in Munich in the post-war years. Hitler joined the party as number 55 and was later made member number 7 of the party?s executive committee. During the next two years he changed the name of the party to the Nationalist Socialists German Worker?s Party, abbreviated as the Nazi party.

Hitler?s rise to power had a little bit of luck, at the time Hitler was rising, Germany was experiencing financial troubles that would make it very easy for someone to start a revolution. That is exactly what Hitler planned, a revolution. In November, the Nazi party had 55,000 followers and were by far the most organized of the many extremist groups wanting power. Hitler thought of a plan in which they would kidnap the leaders of the Bavarian government and force them at gunpoint to make Hitler as the leader. The Nazi party put this into effect when they learned there would be a large gathering of businessmen in a Munich beer hall and the guests of honor would be the Bavarian leaders that they wanted to kidnap.

Hitler?s plan didn?t work out as he wanted it to, he was arrested and put in jail for five years. During his time in prison, Hitler had a spacious cell, had as many visitors as he wanted, and wrote his most famous book Mein Kampf . This book was written between 1923 and 1924. The original title Hitler chose was “Four and a half years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice.” In this book he announced his hatred toward what he believed to be the twin evils of the world, Communism and Judaism. He also wrote that Germans were a superior form of humanity. He accused the Jews of corrupting everything in the country. He also said in this book, ” By defending myself against the Jews, I am doing the Lord?s work.” Although Hitler?s sentence was for five years, he only served nine months in jail and was let go.

The years following were slow, until At age 39, Hitler fell in love with his step sister?s daughter, Geli. On October 29, the American Stock Market fell, people lost their jobs and companies went out of business, Hitler knew that it was time to seize power.

Hitler broadened his appeal and won support of many, including the 100,000 that were now members of the Nazi party. In July of 1930 elections were going to take place for high positions. Hitler and the Nazi?s were campaigning all over Germany and in the end won over 6,371,000 votes. Although Hitler?s political life was going well, during this time Hitler?s girlfriend Geli was feeling trapped by Hitler and committed suicide by shooting herself through the heart. After this tragedy the Nazi?s lost 3 more elections and yet again one of Hitler?s other girlfriends shoot herself in the neck, not killing her, but putting her life in danger.

Hitler was finally appointed chancellor after President Hindengburg stepped down and gave the position to Hitler. On the March 5 election Hitler won absolute monarchy. His first actions were to arrest any non-Nazi and to “conduct a systematic invasion of Europe starting World War II.”

On September 1, 1939, German troops attacked Poland to create the immediate grounds that started World War II. As the war went on and England refused to follow the terms, although there was the fall of Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland and France, Hitler decided to invade England. Hitler then made the decision to pledge German support to the Japanese in the possible event of a conflict with the U.S. He hoped this would keep the Americans out of the war. He was wrong, the American?s entered into the war immediately following the bombs that were thrown into Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. While the most brutal war in history was taking place, Hitler was kept in a Berlin air-raid shelter. He was also at this time taking massive doses of vitamins, sedatives, hormones, and stimulants in which his doctor prescribed for a nerveous disease which he was suffering with.

During the Battle of Stalingrad in Russia, the Soviets wiped out a German army of 300,000 men. This defeat was a turning point in the war. After this, Germany plunged downward in their status of the war. The Allies were winning, and Hitler was loosing. Hitler had failed in his plot for total domination of the world, and killed hundreds of thousands of people trying to do so. Some of his words such as “The German people are not worthy of me, let them perish”, actually came true. Many Germans did perish in World War II. Two of those people were Hitler and his wife Eva. On April 29, 1945, just as the war was at the end, Hitler was wed to his long time love Eva. The next day, Hitler poisoned his wife and took his own life. “Hitler?s body was dumped into a trough, doused with gasoline and set afire.”

Hitler lived a life full of moments that came in times of dispair and times of hope. He wanted to play God to try and create a world that only he wanted to see. His choices where those of selfishness and not of love for the human race. Hitler has changed the world, even today we see signs of his presence among us. His actions, words and history will always be remembered.

1. Bullock, Alan. Hitler: A study in Tyranny. Harper, copyright 1964. Reprint of 1962 edition.

2. Collier?s Encyclopedia Vol.12. Copyright 1988. MacMillan Educational Co., New York

3. Internet Source: Guevera, Jose. Adolf Hitler: Background and Conclusion. http://despina.advanced.org. December 10, 1998.

4. Compton?s Encyclopedia Vol.10. Copyright 1987. Compton?s Learning Co., Chicago.

5. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography Vol.5. Copyright 1973. McGraw-Hill Inc., New York

6. Toland, John. Adolf Hitler. Ballantine, 1986. First published in 1976.