The Rise of HitlerCHC 2DIS. Todd

Childhood• Born on 20 April 1889 in Austria-Hungary to Alois Hitler and Klara Pölzl • Many of his siblings died in

infancy• When Hitler was three, his family moved to Germany• Had a tense relationship with

his father and did very poorly in school

Adolf Hitler as an infant

Early Adulthood

• Moved to Vienna and lived a bohemian life as a painter

• Applied to Vienna’s Academy of Fine Arts but was rejected twice

• After the second rejection, Hitler’s mother died of breast cancer at age 47

• He ran out of money and was forced to live in homeless shelters and hostels

The Courtyard of the Old Residency in Munich - Adolf Hitler (1914)

Antisemitism

• At the time Hitler lived there, Vienna was a hotbed of religious prejudice and racism

• It was feared that immigrants from the East (particularly Jews) would take over Western Europe

• Hitler read many anti-Semitic newspapers while living there

• Historians say that it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when Hitler “became” anti-Semitic but there is general agreement that it was before the end of WWI

Hitler and World War I

• Hitler fought in the First Battle of Ypres, the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Arras, and the Battle of Passchendaele, and was wounded at the Battle of the Somme

• October 1918: Hitler temporarily blinded in a mustard gas attack and hospitalized

• It was while in hospital that he learned of Germany’s defeat in World War I

• He received many war medals for his bravery and military skill during the war

Adolf Hitler from 1914-1918

Post-WWI

• After the war, Hitler returned to Germany• With no career or education, he remained in the

army• Hitler was discharged from the army in March 1920

and began working full-time for the Nazi party• The Nazi party was determined to crush Marxism

and undermine the Weimar Republic• Hitler began making public speeches and quickly

became famous for his speeches against the Treaty of Versailles and Jews

Post-WWI

• Hitler served a year in prison for leading the Beer Hall Putsch (tried to overthrow the government!)

• During his time in prison, he wrote his autobiography, “Mein Kampf” (My Struggle)

• The book laid out Hitler's plans for transforming German society into one based on race very anti-Semitic

Hitler and Politics

• When released from prison, Hitler promised that he would only seek political power in a legal way

• When the stock market crashed in 1929, Hitler and the Nazis used it as a way to promise to strengthen the economy, create jobs, and abolish the Treaty of Versailles

Election

• 1932: Hitler and the Nazis won 35% of the vote• He was then appointed Chancellor, the leader

of Germany • Hitler then passed the Enabling Act which

transformed Germany’s government into a dictatorship

• Using his new power, Hitler eventually wiped out all other political parties

• 1933: Reichstag Fire – German parliament went up in flames

• Hitler and the Nazis blamed communists• Used it as a way to further persecute

communists and to suspend certain rights

Hitler as Leader

• Under Hitler’s leadership, life in Germany improved immensely

• Unemployment fell from 6 million in 1932 to 1 million in 1936

• Infrastructure improved – roads, bridges, railways, Autobahn

• The “People’s Car” – literal translation:

1938 Volkswagen Beetle

Hitler’s Objectives

• 1933: Hitler spoke of his goal for Lebensraum (“living space”)

Wanted to expand Germany’s borders to make room for a pure, superior Aryan race

• Thus begins the Road to WWII…