Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, a small town in Austria-Hungary near the German border. He was the fourth of six children born to Alois Hitler and Klara Pölzl. His father was a stern and authoritative customs officer, while his mother was gentle and deeply caring. Of the six children, only Adolf and his sister Paula survived into adulthood.
Hitler's early years were marked by conflict with his father, who wanted him to follow in his footsteps as a civil servant. However, Hitler aspired to become an artist. After the death of his father in 1903 and his mother in 1907, he moved to Vienna with dreams of enrolling in the Academy of Fine Arts. Unfortunately, he was rejected twice, leading to a period of poverty and homelessness.
Between 1908 and 1913, Hitler lived in Vienna. It was during this time that he developed many of the ideas that would later define his ideology. Living among various ethnic groups, including Jews, Slavs, and other minorities, Hitler adopted extreme nationalist and anti-Semitic views. He blamed Jews for many of the problems in society and grew increasingly resentful of the multicultural makeup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He also became influenced by German nationalism and believed in the superiority of the "Aryan race." While in Vienna, Hitler read extensively, including works that promoted racial purity and anti-Semitism. He also admired the growing German military power and detested the weakness of Austria.
In 1913, Hitler moved to Munich, Germany, avoiding military service in Austria. When World War I broke out in 1914, he volunteered to serve in the German army. He fought on the Western Front and served as a messenger. Hitler was wounded twice and received the Iron Cross for bravery. The war deeply impacted him, and he viewed Germany’s defeat in 1918 as a betrayal by internal enemies, especially Jews and Marxists.
Like many German veterans, Hitler struggled to find meaning in the postwar years. He felt disillusioned and blamed politicians, communists, and Jews for the Treaty of Versailles, which he believed unjustly humiliated Germany.
After the war, Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party in 1919, which later became the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), or Nazi Party. He quickly became the party’s most effective speaker and propagandist. Hitler promoted a platform of German nationalism, anti-communism, anti-Semitism, and the rejection of the Treaty of Versailles.
In 1923, Hitler and his followers attempted a coup, known as the Beer Hall Putsch, in Munich. The failed coup led to Hitler’s arrest and a five-year prison sentence, of which he served only nine months. During his time in prison, Hitler wrote *Mein Kampf* ("My Struggle"), outlining his ideology, including his belief in Aryan supremacy, anti-Semitism, and his vision of expanding Germany through *Lebensraum* (living space).
After his release from prison, Hitler focused on gaining power through legal means. The Nazi Party began to gain popularity during the late 1920s and early 1930s as Germany suffered from economic depression, unemployment, and political instability. Hitler promised to restore national pride, rebuild the military, and create jobs.
By 1932, the Nazi Party had become the largest party in the Reichstag, though it did not have an absolute majority. On January 30, 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, underestimating his ambitions and believing he could be controlled by conservative elites.
Once in power, Hitler moved quickly to dismantle democracy. After the Reichstag Fire in February 1933, he pushed the Reichstag Fire Decree, which suspended civil liberties and allowed for the arrest of political opponents. The Enabling Act passed in March 1933 gave Hitler dictatorial powers, effectively ending the Weimar Republic and establishing a totalitarian regime.
The Nazi regime eliminated political opposition, outlawed other parties, and established a one-party state. Hitler used propaganda, orchestrated by Joseph Goebbels, to promote his image and Nazi ideology. The Gestapo (secret police) and SS (Schutzstaffel) were used to enforce Nazi rule and suppress dissent.
Anti-Semitism was central to Hitler’s ideology and policies. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of their German citizenship and prohibited marriage or sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews. Jews were increasingly excluded from public life, education, and employment.
On November 9-10, 1938, during Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), Nazi paramilitary forces and civilians attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues, killing dozens and arresting thousands. This marked a shift toward more violent persecution.
During World War II, the persecution escalated to genocide. The Nazis implemented the "Final Solution"—a systematic plan to exterminate the Jewish population. Over six million Jews were murdered in concentration and extermination camps such as Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Sobibor. Millions of others, including Romani people, disabled individuals, political prisoners, and homosexuals, were also killed.
Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy aimed to undo the Treaty of Versailles and expand German territory. In 1938, Germany annexed Austria in the Anschluss. Later that year, Hitler demanded the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. The Munich Agreement allowed the annexation, but Hitler soon took over all of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, prompting Britain and France to declare war. This marked the beginning of World War II. Germany quickly overran much of Europe using a strategy called Blitzkrieg (lightning war). By 1940, Germany had occupied Poland, Denmark, Norway, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Hitler formed alliances with Italy and Japan, creating the Axis Powers. In June 1941, he invaded the Soviet Union, violating the non-aggression pact. The war on the Eastern Front became one of the bloodiest in history, with millions of soldiers and civilians killed.
Despite early successes, Germany’s fortunes changed as the war dragged on. The invasion of the Soviet Union stalled, especially after the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943, which marked a turning point in the war. Allied forces landed in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and began liberating Western Europe.
As Allied forces closed in from the west and the Soviet Red Army advanced from the east, Germany’s situation became hopeless. Berlin was surrounded in April 1945. Hitler, refusing to surrender or flee, remained in his bunker beneath the Reich Chancellery.
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker alongside his long-time partner Eva Braun, whom he had married the day before. His death marked the symbolic end of the Nazi regime. On May 7, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending the war in Europe.
Hitler left behind a legacy of destruction, war, and genocide. His ideology of hatred and supremacy led to the deaths of over 70 million people during World War II, including the systematic murder of six million Jews. The Nuremberg Trials later held Nazi leaders accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The atrocities committed by Hitler and the Nazis had a profound impact on international law, human rights, and global politics. The United Nations was formed to prevent future conflicts, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948. The Holocaust became a defining moment in the collective memory of humanity, leading to efforts to combat anti-Semitism and genocide worldwide.
Germany underwent a long process of denazification and reconciliation. Memorials and museums now commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, and education systems emphasize the importance of remembering history to avoid repeating it.
Adolf Hitler remains one of the most infamous figures in human history. His rise to power, totalitarian regime, and ideology of hatred brought unimaginable suffering to millions. Understanding his life and the consequences of his rule is essential to learning the dangers of extremism, authoritarianism, and prejudice. His story serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of democracy and the need for vigilance in preserving human rights and dignity.