Early Life
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20th, 1889, in the Austrian town of Braunau am Inn. His parents, Alois Schickelgruber and Klara Polzl, were ethnically Catholic Austrians, both of whom had worked as civil servants. As an adolescent, Hitler began to display a rebellious, even violent, streak. He declined to make a living as a laborer and instead chose to pursue his artistic ambitions in Vienna. After a failed attempt to become an architect, Hitler found himself penniless and homeless. During his time on the streets of Vienna, he was exposed to an anti-Semitic culture that would shape much of his outlook and later actions.
Hitler volunteered to serve in the German army during World War I, where he quickly rose to the rank of corporal. During his time in the trenches of war, Hitler learned about the German defeat and the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles. This sparked in Hitler a strong sense of discontent and loathing for the entire international political system. He chose to stay in the army after the war ended to pursue a career in politics.
Rise in Politics
In 1919, Hitler became the 55th member of a small, far-right political organization known as the German Workers’ Party. He rose quickly in the ranks and soon emerged as the party’s leader, renaming the movement the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Under Hitler’s rule, the party flourished, winning a large number of parliamentary seats in the 1932 elections. It was here that Hitler’s ability to rouse crowds and instigate loyalty and trust became fully apparent. His inflammatory rhetoric, which included the vilification of Jews and other minorities, resonated among those disaffected by the Treaty of Versailles.
In 1933, the Nazi party gained a plurality in the German parliament, allowing Hitler to become the chancellor of Germany in a majority coalition government. Within a year, he had transformed both the German government and society, pushing out non-Nazi politicians, establishing a one-party state and beginning a propaganda campaign targeted against Jews and other “undesirable” groups.
Nazi Expansion
Beginning in 1934, Hitler began to expand Germany through a series of moves that would be named the Second World War. In 1936, Germany annexed Austria, and quickly followed that move by the Invasion and annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1938. In May of the same year, the German army invaded and occupied Poland, prompting Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Hitler responded by launching a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, with the ultimate goal of exterminating the Jewish population there.
Hitler also implemented a network of extermination camps in Poland, where millions of Jews and other undesirables were murdered by Nazi soldiers. As the war progressed, Germany slowly began to lose ground to the allied forces, who eventually entered Berlin and forced the unconditional surrender of Germany in 1945.
Downfall
Realizing the situation was untenable, Hitler committed suicide on April 30th, 1945. He was succeeded by Admiral Karl Doenitz, who subsequently surrendered Germany and all its remaining territory to the allied forces. The unconditional surrender of all Nazi forces marked both the end of Hitler’s rule, and the brutal World War which he had single-handedly instigated.
In the aftermath of the war, all Nazi leaders were tried for war crimes at the Nuremberg trials. Hitler himself was found guilty in absentia, and his actions were strongly condemned worldwide. To this day, his name is associated with bigotry, hatred, and violence.
Legacy
Despite the infamy of Hitler’s riegn, many of his political methods are still studied in classrooms and debated in political circles, with some pointedly praising his policies for the economic growth and expansion of the German empire. Whether his legacy is invoked to understand and appreciate the abuses of power, or to provide a theoretical model for autocratic rule, Hitler and his legacy will continue to remain a contentious part of human history.
Effects on the World
Hitler’s actions irrevocably changed the course of world history, setting off a chain of events that eventually lead to the nuclear arms race and the Cold War. Apart from the devastating military casualties on both sides, often ignored are the millions of lives he destroyed through his oppressive and inhumane policies towards minorities. Whether intentional or not, Hitler’s actions resulted in a world that was more divided, more militarized, and more oppressive than it was before.
Assessment
An objective assessment of Hitler’s legacy paints a complex and troubling picture. Although the achievements of his administration are obvious, his legacy is largely defined by his monstrous acts of genocide, his inhuman treatment of minorities, and his role in sparking a global conflict. Hitler’s ambitions were ultimately unchecked by their very scope and caused unimaginable destruction throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
