Adolf Hitler, born between 1889-1945, is known as one of the most ruthless dictators in world history. He is responsible for causing the deaths of 62 million people during World War II.
Despite being the dictator of Germany, he was born in the town of Braunau am Inn, Austria, as the son of a customs officer. In his early years, he was not an exceptional student and had a turbulent childhood. He harbored dreams of becoming an artist and pursued this passion. His infamous hatred towards Jews took root during this period, as he faced rejection and discrimination due to them.
In pursuit of his dream to become an artist, he enrolled in the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, but failed to pass the entrance exams. By 1912, the preparations for World War I were underway, and nothing would be the same for Adolf thereafter.
Hitler directly joined the army when World War I broke out. He initially attempted to join the Austrian army but was deemed unfit and rejected. He later joined the German army and served as an infantryman and messenger on the Western Front during the war. He was wounded multiple times and, despite proving his bravery four times, never rose beyond the rank of corporal. World War I imposed harsh conditions on Germany, bringing only hunger and hardship to the German people.
Amidst these difficult circumstances, Adolf Hitler saw himself as a savior for Germany. On his first day with the German Workers' Party, he delivered a speech that revealed his innate talent for oratory. Ten people followed him on the first day, and the numbers grew to thousands in subsequent days. Through his impassioned speeches, Hitler gained a substantial following, with Jews being his sole declared enemies. His followers later bestowed upon him the title of "Führer," meaning leader or guide in German.
Meanwhile, within the party, Hitler's influence grew, and the party came to be known as the Nazis. Promises such as granting German citizenship to those of German blood, nationalizing capital, and cleansing the country of Jews were made to the public. Alongside figures like Goebbels, they began to elevate the party. Believing they had gained enough strength, Hitler and his associates sought ways to seize power and establish Greater Germany.
The failed coup known as the Beer Hall Putsch led to Hitler's arrest and imprisonment. During his 10 months in prison, he wrote the book "Mein Kampf."
Impressed by the courage displayed by his private guards during the coup attempt, Hitler decided to increase their numbers and institutionalize them, forming the abbreviated SS. By 1929, Germany, already grappling with the Great Depression, worsened, and under these dire circumstances, ultra-nationalist sentiments among the populace began to rise. In the 1930 elections, Hitler's party, the Nazis, emerged as the second-largest party in politics. In the 1932 elections, with a 37% vote share, the Nazi Party, led by Hitler, became unstoppable.
While rumors of a communist takeover and war due to the crisis were stoked, the President was forced to appoint Hitler as Chancellor. However, Hitler failed to form a government. Then, a very strange event occurred. After a suspicious parliament fire, attributed to him but allegedly plotted against the opposition, Hitler won a new election with a large 44% of the vote, solidifying his power.
Subsequently, with his charismatic influence and ruthless tactics, Hitler eliminated many from the opposition, solidifying himself as an absolute dictator in the eyes of the German people. Swiftly rearming Germany, he began to challenge the world.
With advancing military technology and the unity of the German people, the economy flourished, and unemployment disappeared. However, Hitler did not refrain from sending threatening messages to the outside world.
In 1936, Hitler declared the annexation of the Rhineland, establishing a new German Empire (known as the Third Reich). He then annexed Austria, bringing it under his control. As the world watched in a mix of fear and awe at Germany's military might, Hitler, through an agreement in 1938, incorporated the Sudetenland, a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia, into German territory.
During this time, Hitler began initiatives to marginalize and segregate the Jewish population, materializing his deep-seated hatred towards them. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, it became clear that Hitler's intentions were malevolent. Following World War I's devastation, the world powers, France and England, declared war on Germany. However, their efforts only marginally slowed Germany's advance. Nazi war machines plowed through, sweeping aside anything in their path.
In 1940, Hitler, after occupying Scandinavia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, and the following year, Greece and Yugoslavia, had nearly conquered all of Europe. Only Britain managed to escape to some extent, thanks to a brilliant air defense and the barrier created by the English Channel.
Realizing that Germany could not withstand the might of the Soviets in the east and the Allied forces in the west, things began to unravel.
Those who stood by Hitler began to flee, and even as rival countries raced to be the first to reach the Nazi capital, Berlin, Hitler was convinced of his victory. When the Soviet Red Army began to shell the underground bunkers in Berlin, he was forced to admit that the end was near. In despair, he carried out his final plan, ending his own life with a bullet in his mouth. It was April 30, 1945, and the man who defied the world, leaving behind the lifeless bodies of millions and his lover Eva Braun, had come to his end.
It is said that Adolf Hitler was a narcissistic psychopath who experienced a troubled youth and suffered abuse from his father. Among his unfulfilled dreams were aspirations of becoming an architect, an opera singer, and a painter, all of which were hindered. It is believed that a hidden psychopathy grew within him, finding an outlet in his vengeful feelings towards Jews. When the existence of concentration camps came to light, revealing the genocide of approximately six million Jews, the world was shocked.
The fact that Hitler was not admitted to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts is still considered by many art historians as an injustice done to him, as he is believed to have been highly talented in painting. Adolf Hitler, a soldier who truly changed history, though defeated, left an indelible mark on world history through his tactics, wartime leadership, oratory skills, and overall leadership qualities.
Hitler was not a Christian and believed in a pagan philosophy that glorified the superiority of the Aryan race. He harbored equal animosity towards all religions. Various conspiracy theories have been concocted regarding Hitler, suggesting that he did not truly die or that he resided in Argentina.
It is alleged that he once ordered tanks for a factory in Michigan, implying that he would invade the United States, saying, "You don't need to send them to Germany; I'll pick them up in Detroit."
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