Adolf Hitler and Gaara: Difference between pages

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{{Infobox Naruto character

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| image = [[Image:Gaara.jpg|200px|Gaara]]

{{redirect|Hitler}}<!--

| caption = Gaara by [[Masashi Kishimoto]]

| character_name = Gaara

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| character_name_unicode = 我愛羅

| debut = Manga chapter 35 <br> ''Naruto'' episode 20

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| seiyu = [[Akira Ishida]]

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| voice_actor = [[Liam O'Brien]]

| age = 12-13 in Part I <br> 15 in Part II

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| height = 148.1

| weight = 40.2

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| birthday = [[January 19]]

{{Infobox Chancellor

| blood_type = AB

| name = Adolf Hitler

| rank = [[Naruto ninja ranks#Kage|Fifth Kazekage]]

| nationality = German

| current_affiliation = [[Land of Wind#Sunagakure|Sunagakure]]

| image = Adolf Hitler in Yugoslavia crop.JPG

| current_team =

| birth_date = [[April 20]], [[1889]]

| previous_affiliation =

| birth_place = [[Braunau am Inn]], [[Austria]]

| previous_team = Team Baki ([[Land of Wind#Baki|Baki]], [[Temari (Naruto)|Temari]], [[Land of Wind#Kankuro|Kankuro]], Gaara)

| death_date = [[April 30]], [[1945]]

| relatives = [[Land of Wind#Fourth Kazekage|Fourth Kazekage]] (father, deceased) <br> [[Land of Wind#Karura|Karura]] (mother, deceased) <br> [[Temari (Naruto)|Temari]] (sister) <br> [[Land of Wind#Kankuro|Kankuro]] (brother) <br> [[Land of Wind#Yashamaru|Yashamaru]] (uncle, deceased)

| death_place = [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]

| party = [[National Socialist German Workers Party]] (NSDAP)

| spouse = [[Eva Braun]]<br>''(married on [[29 April]] [[1945]])''

| order = [[Chancellor of Germany]]<br>''[[Reichskanzler]]''

| term_start = [[30 January]] [[1933]]

| term_end = [[30 April]] [[1945]]

| predecessor = [[Kurt von Schleicher]]

| successor = [[Joseph Goebbels]]

| order2 = [[Reichspräsident|Head of State<br>''Führer und Reichskanzler'']]

| term_start2 = [[2 August]] [[1934]]

| term_end2 = [[30 April]], [[1945]]

| predecessor2 = [[Paul von Hindenburg]]<br>''(as President)''

| successor2 = [[Karl Dönitz]]<br>''(as President)''

}}

{{Nihongo|'''Gaara'''|我愛羅}} is a [[fictional character]] in the [[anime]] and [[manga]] series ''[[Naruto]]'' created by [[Masashi Kishimoto]]. He is the youngest child of the [[Land of Wind#Fourth Kazekage|Fourth Kazekage]], making him the younger brother of [[Land of Wind#Kankuro|Kankuro]] and [[Temari (Naruto)|Temari]].

'''{{Audio|de-Adolf Hitler.ogg|Adolf Hitler}}''' ([[April 20]], [[1889]] &ndash; [[April 30]], [[1945]]) was [[Chancellor of Germany]] from [[1933]], and "[[Führer]]" (Leader) of [[Germany]] from [[1934]] until his death. He was leader of the [[Nazi Party|National Socialist German Workers Party]] (''Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' or NSDAP), better known as the [[Nazism|Nazi]] Party.

He is known as "Gaara of the Sand" in the Viz translation, "Gaara of the Desert" in the English anime, and {{nihongo|"Sabaku no Gaara"|砂瀑の我愛羅||Gaara of the Sand Waterfall}} in the original Japanese (''Sabaku'' 砂瀑 means "sand waterfall", but ''sabaku'' 砂漠 means "desert", thus the more common "Gaara of the Desert").

Hitler gained power in a Germany [[Weimar Republic|facing crisis]] after [[World War I]]. Using [[Propaganda#Nazi Germany|propaganda]] and [[charismatic authority|charismatic]] oratory, he was able to appeal to the economic need of the [[Working class|lower]] and [[middle class]]es, while sounding resonant chords of [[nationalism]], [[antisemitism|anti-Semitism]] and [[anti-communism]]. With the establishment of a [[Nazi Germany#Economic policy|restructured]] [[Economy of Germany|economy]], a rearmed [[Wehrmacht|military]], and a [[totalitarianism|totalitarian]] and [[fascism|fascist]] regime, Hitler pursued an aggressive [[Foreign relations of Germany|foreign policy]] with the intention of [[Expansionism|expanding]] German ''[[Lebensraum]]'' ("living space"), which triggered [[World War II]] when Germany [[Invasion of Poland (1939)|invaded Poland]]. At its greatest extent, [[Nazi Germany]] occupied most of [[Europe]], but, was eventually defeated, along with the other [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis Powers]], by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]. At war's end, Hitler's ambitions and [[Racial policy of Nazi Germany|racial policies]] had culminated in the killing of approximately 11 million people, including the [[genocide]] of some 6 million Jews, in what is now known as [[the Holocaust]].

In the annual Shonen Jump polls for the most popular character, Gaara consistently ranks in the top ten, usually between seventh and tenth spot.

In the final days of the war, Hitler, along with his new wife, [[Eva Braun]], [[Death of Adolf Hitler|committed suicide]] in [[Führerbunker|his underground bunker]] in [[Berlin]], as the city was [[Battle of Berlin|being overrun]] by the [[Red Army]] of the [[Soviet Union]].

==Early years==

===Childhood and heritage===

[[Image:Baby-hitler.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Adolf Hitler as an infant.]]

Adolf Hitler was born on [[April 20]], [[1889]] at [[Braunau am Inn]], [[Austria]], a small town in [[Upper Austria]], bordering [[Germany]]. He was the third son and fourth child of six. His father, [[Alois Hitler]], (born Schicklgruber), (1837&ndash;1903), was a minor [[customs (tax)|customs]] official; and his mother, [[Klara Pölzl]], (1860&ndash;1907), Alois' second cousin, was his father's third wife. Because of the close kinship of the two, a special papal dispensation had to be obtained before the marriage could take place, both being Roman Catholic. Of Alois and Klara's six children, only Adolf and his younger sister [[Paula Hitler|Paula]] reached adulthood. Hitler's father also had a son, [[Alois Hitler, Jr.|Alois Jr.]], and a daughter, [[Angela Hitler|Angela]], by his second wife. There were no children by his first wife.

== Background ==

Adolf Hitler's father, Alois, was born illegitimate and for the first thirty-nine years of his life bore his mother's surname, Schicklgruber. However, in 1876, Alois began using the surname of his [[stepfather]], [[Johann Georg Hiedler]], after visiting a priest who was responsible for [[Births, deaths and marriages registry|birth registries]]. The priest declared that Johann Hiedler was Alois' father (Alois gave the impression that Georg was still alive but he was long dead). The name was variously spelled Hiedler, Huetler, Huettler and Hitler and probably changed to "Hitler" by a clerk. The origin of the name is considered to be either from the [[German language|German]] word ''Hittler'' and similar, "one who lives in a hut", "shepherd", or from the [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] word ''Hidlar'' and ''Hidlarcek''.

Prior to Gaara's birth, [[Land of Wind#Sunagakure|Sunagakure]] saw a series of budget cuts that made it difficult for the village to operate. As a result, Gaara's father ordered [[Land of Wind#Chiyo|Chiyo]] to seal the [[Tailed beasts#One-Tailed Shukaku|One-Tailed Shukaku]] within Gaara during his birth in the hopes that he would become the ultimate weapon for the village. Because a sacrifice was needed, Gaara's mother, [[Land of Wind#Karura|Karura]], was used. Before she died, Karura cursed Sunagakure, hoping Gaara would avenge her death. As the host of Shukaku, Gaara acquired the rings around his eyes.

Gaara was trained by his father, but raised mainly by his maternal uncle, [[Land of Wind#Yashamaru|Yashamaru]]. Because of the power of Shukaku, the villagers of Sunagakure hated and feared Gaara, seeing him only as the monster sealed within him. For a time, Yashamaru seemed to be the only person who cared about him; when he would mistakenly harm others due to the subconscious abilities granted to him by Shukaku, Yashamaru would be the only one who understood that Gaara hadn't intended to harm anyone. Gaara's father, however, did not see him in the same light, and viewed his frequent attacks upon villagers as a result of a failed experiment that was a threat to the village.

Later, Adolf Hitler was accused by his political enemies of not rightfully being a Hitler, but a Schicklgruber. This was also exploited in Allied [[propaganda]] during World War II when [[pamphlet]]s bearing the phrase "Heil Schicklgruber" were [[airdrop]]ped over German cities.{{fact}} Adolf was legally born a Hitler, however, and was also closely related to Hiedler through his maternal grandmother, [[Johanna Hiedler]].

Because of the danger Gaara represented, his father began sending assassins to kill him, though when all attempts met with failure, the Kazekage asked Yashamaru to kill Gaara. As a result, Yashamaru tried to assassinate Gaara, though Gaara's abilities defeated him with ease. Although Gaara tried to dismiss this attack as an order of the Kazekage, Yashamaru corrected him by saying that he had willingly accepted the mission. Having never truly loved Gaara, Yashamaru hoped that killing him would avenge the death of his sister, who had named Gaara after the phrase {{nihongo|"a self-loving carnage"|'''我'''を'''愛'''する修'''羅'''|Ware wo ai suru shura}}, a sign of her hate for Gaara. In a last effort to kill him, Yashamaru detonated a number of explosive tags covering his body, asking Gaara to "please die". Gaara survived the blast without injury and lost the only person he thought had cared for him.

Hitler's given name, "Adolf", comes from the [[Old High German]] for "noble wolf" ("Adel"="nobility" + "wolf").<ref>[http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Adolph Origin and Popularity of the Name "Adolph"] thinkbabynames.com</ref> Hence, not surprisingly, one of Hitler's self-given nicknames was ''Wolf'' or ''Herr Wolf'' — he began using this nickname in the early 1920s and was addressed by it only by intimates (as "Uncle Wolf" by the Wagners) up until the fall of the Third Reich.<ref>Walter C. Langer, <cite>The Mind of Adolf Hitler</cite>, p. 246 ([[Basic Books]]: New York, 1972)</ref> By his closest family and relatives, Hitler was known simply as "Adi". The names of his various [[headquarters]] scattered throughout [[continental Europe]] (''[[Wolfsschanze]]'' in [[East Prussia]], ''Wolfsschlucht'' in [[France]], ''Werwolf'' in [[Ukraine]], etc.) seem to reflect this.

== Personality ==

As a boy, Hitler was whipped almost daily by his father. Years later he told his secretary, "I then resolved never again to cry when my father whipped me. A few days later I had the opportunity of putting my will to the test. My mother, frightened, took refuge in the front of the door. As for me, I counted silently the blows of the stick which lashed my rear end." <ref>[[John Toland]], ''Adolph Hitler'', pp. 12-13.</ref>

While Gaara had initially tried to be friendly towards others despite their fear of him, Yashamaru's actions and words changed him. Realizing that nobody loved him, Gaara used his sand to create the [[kanji]] on his forehead (愛, "Love") as a symbol of a "demon loving only himself". He became emotionally withdrawn, all but silent, and consumed with a bitter loathing for everyone but himself. He learned to find pleasure and eventually a reason to live in annihilating the numerous assassins sent to kill him &ndash; and by extension, anyone who threatened his existence. Gaara's [[insomnia]], forced upon him by the fear that the demon inside him would eat away at his personality if he were to fall asleep, only furthered his instability and desire to kill. In time, Gaara's father came to appreciate Gaara and the uses he could serve, and canceled all assassination orders in the hopes that Gaara would become an effective tool for Sunagakure.

For his first assignment as the village's weapon, Gaara is entered into the Chunin Exams taking place in Konoha to play a key role in the village's eventual invasion. While he enjoys the opportunity to kill others for much of the exam's early stages, he is eventually pitted against [[Rock Lee]] during the preliminaries. With his strength and speed, Lee is able to overcome many of Gaara's defenses, becoming the first person to ever hit Gaara. While Lee is able to deliver a number of ordinarily debilitating blows, Gaara's sand allows him survive each attack and eventually gain the upperhand on Lee. While the match is stopped before further harm can come to Lee, their match allows Gaara a change in ideals; rather than determine his own existence by killing anyone he meets, Gaara finds a drive to kill those strong enough to defeat him, and begins to long to find a formidable opponent.

Hitler was not sure who his paternal grandfather was, but it was probably either Johann Georg Hiedler or his brother [[Johann Nepomuk Hiedler]]. There have been rumours that Hitler was one-quarter [[Jew]]ish [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_325b.html] and that his paternal grandmother, [[Maria Schicklgruber]], had become pregnant after working as a servant in a Jewish household in [[Graz, Austria|Graz]]. During the 1920s, the implications of these rumours along with his known family history were politically explosive, especially for the proponent of a [[racism|racist]] [[ideology]]. Opponents tried to prove that Hitler, the leader of the [[anti-Semitic]] [[Nazi Party]], had [[Jewish]] or [[Czech people|Czech]] ancestors. Although these rumours were never confirmed, for Hitler they were reason enough to conceal his origins. [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] propaganda insisted Hitler was a Jew, though more modern research tends to diminish the probability that he had Jewish ancestors. According to Robert G. L. Waite in ''The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler,'' Hitler made it illegal for German women to work in Jewish households, and after the "[[Anschluss]]" (annexation) of Austria, Hitler had his father's hometown obliterated by turning it into an artillery practice area. Hitler seemed to fear that he was Jewish, and as Waite points out, this fact is more important than whether he actually was.

Gaara's wishes are soon realized and he is matched against [[Sasuke Uchiha]] during the exam's finals. With his [[List of ninjutsu in Naruto (H-R)#Chidori|Chidori]] Sasuke is able to badly injure Gaara near his shoulder, so much so that Gaara is unable to participate in Konoha's invasion as planned. Despite this setback, Gaara's wound magnifies his desire to kill Sasuke and the two soon resume their battle. With Gaara's encouragement Sasuke is able to give additional injuries to Gaara, though his rapidly progressing Shukaku transformation leaves him unfazed by the attacks. When Sasuke is no longer able to battle and Gaara goes in for the kill, [[Naruto Uzumaki]] arrives to save him. With the desire to save his friends from Gaara, Naruto meets him in battle and is eventually able to defeat him despite being in full Shukaku form. Realizing that Naruto's strength stems from his desire to protect others, Gaara abandons his prior ideals and decides to acquire strength by caring for others.

Because of Alois Hitler's profession, his family moved frequently, from [[Braunau am Inn|Braunau]] to [[Passau]], Lambach, [[Leonding]], and [[Linz]]. As a young child, Hitler was reportedly a good student at the various [[elementary school]]s he attended; however, in [[sixth grade]] (1900&ndash;1), his first year of [[high school]] (''Realschule'') in Linz, he failed completely and had to repeat the grade. His teachers reported that he had "no desire to work." One of Hitler's classmates in the Linz Realschule was [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]], who went on to become one of the great philosophers of the 20th century.<ref>Although Hitler and Wittgenstein did attend the same school, there is scant evidence that they actually knew each other or had any meaningful contact. The fact remains nothing more than an interesting bit of trivia despite a recent book by British author Kimberley Cornish which suggests that conflict between the young Hitler and a group of Jewish students that included Wittgenstein was a critical moment in Hitler's formation as an anti-semitic radical. See ''The Jew of Linz: Hitler, Wittgenstein and their secret battle for the mind'' (1999). </ref>

Gaara's new disposition is first seen when he comes to Rock Lee's aid during the Sasuke Retrieval arc. Upon seeing that the injuries Lee received during their last battle have yet to fully heal, Gaara repeatedly stops him from fighting, concerned that Lee will only harm himself further. These new ideals are seen again during the anime's filler arcs, where Gaara acquires a student named [[Land of Wind#Matsuri|Matsuri]]. As the two begin training, Gaara worries that all of the potential training weapons might cause Matsuri injury, so he has her train with the least harmful weapon present. When she is later kidnapped, Gaara and his siblings go out to rescue her, and with the help of the Konoha ninjas they succeed in their task.

Hitler later explained this educational slump as a kind of [[rebellion]] against his father Alois, who wanted the boy to follow him in a career as a customs official, although Adolf wanted to become a [[painter]]. This explanation is further supported by Hitler's later description of himself as a misunderstood artist. However, after Alois died on [[January 3]], [[1903]], when Adolf was 13, Hitler's schoolwork did not improve. At the age of 16, Hitler left school with no [[Professional certification|qualification]]s.

[[Image:Sand Siblings.png|thumb|Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro in Part II]]

===Early adulthood in Vienna and Munich===

Over the timeskip, Gaara's personality changes a great deal. While in the past he was fairly hostile to his siblings, he has since come to hold them in a higher regard, and talks to Kankuro about his problems and dreams. As a result of becoming the {{nihongo|Fifth Kazekage|五代目風影|Godaime Kazekage}}, Gaara now acts as the villager's source of protection and values their lives over his own. The villagers, in turn, have also begun to hold Gaara in a more admirable regard, especially amongst the younger females of the village.

From 1905 onward, Hitler was able to live the life of a [[Bohemianism|Bohemian]] on a fatherless child's [[pension]] and support from his mother. He was rejected twice by the [[Academy of Fine Arts Vienna]] (1907 &ndash; 1908) due to "unfitness for painting", and was told his abilities lay rather in the field of [[architecture]]. His memoirs reflect a fascination with the subject:

== Abilities ==

<blockquote>"''The purpose of my trip was to study the picture gallery in the Court Museum, but I had eyes for scarcely anything but the Museum itself. From morning until late at night, I ran from one object of interest to another, but it was always the buildings which held my primary interest.''" (Mein Kampf, Chapter II, paragraph 3).</blockquote>

As the host of Shukaku, Gaara posses the ability to manipulate sand at will, typically moving it through the air to serve various purposes. The amount of sand he can control at one time is hrrthhrthrtfsdzfa number of miscellaneous attacks that, while capable of being an attack or a shield, are not limited to such purposes. By making a {{nihongo|Sand Clone|砂分身|Suna Bunshin}} of himself, Gaara can have an ally to be used in battle or a mere distraction to be used to buy him time. Unlike most other clone-jutsu in the series, the Sand Clone can retain its shape after more than one attack, and can even reform itself or capture an opponent upon being dispersed. {{nihongo|Sand Drizzle|砂時雨|Suna Shigure}} allows him to collect sand in the air that rains down on the opponent at high speeds in potentially harmful shapes. With {{nihongo|Desert Suspension|砂漠浮遊|Sabaku Fuyū}} Gaara can use sand as a platform to allow himself and others to float in the air. His {{nihongo|Third Eye|第三の眼|Daisan no Me}} also allows him to create a floating eyeball of sand in any ___location that he can see through as a means of spying.

BITCH!!

At some point in time Gaara begins to be able to form weapons in Shukaku's likeness. The first that is seen is {{nihongo|Last Absolute Defense: Shield of Shukaku|最硬絶対防御・守鶴の盾|Saikō Zettai Bōgyo: Shukaku no Tatte}}, which creates a toy-like replica of Shukaku that is roughly twice the size of Gaara. Because the replica is formed under extreme pressure and is built of the strongest minerals it is virtually indestructible, having yet to be penetrated by any force. The anime expands on the idea of having an "ultimate defense" by creating an "ultimate attack": {{nihongo|Ultimate Absolute Attack: Shukaku's Halberd||Saikō Zettai Hōgeki, Shukaku no Hōkō}}. The attack creates a spear under the same conditions as the replica, only the blade resembles one of Shukaku's claws. Like the shield, this attack has yet to meet a defense it can't break.

[[Image:Gaarashukakureupload.jpg|thumb|Gaara in his half Shukaku form.]]

In desperate situations, Gaara can take on the form of Shukaku by layering sand on his body, making him many times more powerful than he already is. Shukaku's personality grows more dominant during this transformation, increasing Gaara's homicidal tendencies. Once finished, Gaara assumes a human-sized version of Shukaku wherein he relies on his brute strength to destroy everything around him. While in this form Gaara can use {{nihongo|Sand Shuriken|砂手裏剣|Suna Shuriken}} or {{nihongo|Sand Halberd|砂戈|Suna Hōkō}} to hurl sand-based forms of the weapons at an opponent. Shukaku also gives him the ability to utilize wind-based attacks such as {{nihongo|Wind Release: Infinite Sand Cloud Great Breakthrough|風遁・無限砂塵 大突破|Fūton: Mugen Sajin Daitoppa|''English'' "Wind Style: Sandstorm Devastation"}}, which spews large amounts of sand from his mouth, devastating both the enemy and a large area around him.

If need be, Gaara can almost instantly create a life-sized version of Shukaku should the human-sized form fail. In this form, he remains deep within the Shukaku copy safe from harm though unable to move. Gaara can also unleash the spirit of Shukaku through his {{nihongo|Feigning Sleep Technique|狸寝入りの術|Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu|''English TV'' "Play Possum Jutsu"}}, which forces him to sleep to allow the Shukaku copy to operate at its full potential. To do so, however, Gaara must emerge from within the copy, leaving him open to attack for the duration of the jutsu. While Gaara is initially dependent on waking independently or through someone else's intervention to regain control of his body, he begins to be able to suppress Shukaku by himself towards the end of the anime's filler arcs. By the time Part II begins, Gaara is even capable of using numerous Shukaku arms for attack without losing control of himself.

Following the school rector's recommendation, he too became convinced this was the path to pursue, yet he lacked the proper academic preparation for [[architecture]] school:

In Part II, Gaara is captured by [[Akatsuki (Naruto)|Akatsuki]] and the Shukaku is extracted from his body, causing his death. Chiyo, regretting the life she gave Gaara when she sealed Shukaku in his body years earlier, gives up her life to revive him. While he no longer possesses the Shukaku, Gaara is still able to manipulate sand, though to what degree has yet to be seen.

<blockquote>"''In a few days I myself knew that I should some day become an architect.

''To be sure, it was an incredibly hard road; for the studies I had neglected out of spite at the Realschule were sorely needed. One could not attend the Academy's architectural school without having attended the building school at the Technic, and the latter required a high-school degree. I had none of all this. The fulfillment of my artistic dream seemed physically impossible.''''"(Mein Kampf, Chapter II, paragraph 5 & 6).</blockquote>

== Other media ==

On [[December 21]], [[1907]], his mother Klara died a painful death from [[breast cancer]] at the age of 47. Hitler gave his share of the [[orphan]]s' benefits to his younger sister [[Paula Hitler|Paula]], but when he was 21 he inherited some money from an aunt. He worked as a struggling painter in Vienna, copying scenes from [[postcard]]s and selling his paintings to [[merchant]]s and tourists (there is evidence he produced over 2000 paintings and drawings before World War I).

In the [[Naruto the Movie 2: Great Clash! The Illusionary Ruins at the Depths of the Earth|second ''Naruto'' movie]], Gaara helps defend Sunagakure from an onslaught of mysterious knights, killing many of them with his sand until a ship launches projectiles at the battlefield and forces them to retreat. Later, in one of the wrecks of the invading ships, he fights [[List of minor villains in Naruto#Ranke|Ranke]], one of Haido's henchmen that utilizes electricity to fight. Once she transforms into a Frankenstein's monster-like state, she gains the upperhand and becomes virtually immune to the crushing force of Gaara's sand. He eventually uses Thunder God of Sand to create multiple lightning rods out of sand to shoot her electricity back at her. Once she is paralyzed he kills her with Desert Imperial Funeral.

== Sources ==

[[Image:AHWatercolor1.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A watercolour by Adolf Hitler depicting [[Laon]], [[France]].]]

* {{Nihongo|First Official Data Book|秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK|Hiden:Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book}}

* {{Nihongo|Second Official Data Book|秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK|Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book}}

After the second refusal from the Academy of Arts, Hitler gradually ran out of money. By 1909, he sought refuge in a [[homeless shelter]], and by the beginning of 1910 had settled permanently into a house for poor working men.

* {{Nihongo|Jump's 2nd Great Hero Book's Mini Data Book|秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini|Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini}}

* {{Nihongo|Naruto anime and manga Guidebook|秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini|Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini}}

Hitler first became an active [[anti-Semite]] in [[Vienna]], which had a large [[Jewish]] community, including many [[Orthodox Jews]] from [[Eastern Europe]] and where traditional religious prejudice mixed with recent racist theories. Hitler was influenced over time by the writings of the race ideologist and anti-Semite [[Lanz von Liebenfels]] and [[polemic]]s from [[politician]]s such as [[Karl Lueger]], founder of the [[Christian Social Party]] and [[List of mayors of Vienna|mayor of Vienna]], one of the most outrageous demagogues in history, and [[Georg Ritter von Schönerer]], leader of the pan-Germanic ''Away from Rome!'' movement. Hitler later wrote in his book ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' that his transition from opposing anti-Semitism on religious grounds to supporting it on racial grounds came from having seen an [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jew]]:

* Taken directly from the ''Naruto'' manga chapters and anime episodes.

<blockquote>"''There were very few Jews in Linz. In the course of centuries the Jews who lived there had become [[Europeanization|Europeanized]] in external appearance and were so much like other human beings that I even looked upon them as Germans. The reason why I did not then perceive the absurdity of such an illusion was that the only external mark which I recognized as distinguishing them from us was the practice of their strange religion. As I thought that they were persecuted on account of their faith my aversion to hearing remarks against them grew almost into a feeling of abhorrence. I did not in the least suspect that there could be such a thing as a systematic anti-Semitism.'' </blockquote>

<blockquote>''Once, when passing through the inner City, I suddenly encountered a phenomenon in a long caftan and wearing black side-locks. My first thought was: Is this a Jew? They certainly did not have this appearance in Linz. I carefully watched the man stealthily and cautiously but the longer I gazed at the strange countenance and examined it feature by feature, the more the question shaped itself in my brain: Is this a German?''" <br>(''Mein Kampf'', vol. 1, chap. 2: "Years of study and suffering in Vienna")

</blockquote>

Hitler began to claim the Jews were natural enemies of what he called the [[Aryan race]]. He held them responsible for Austria's crisis. He also identified certain forms of [[Socialism]] and especially [[Communism|Bolshevism]], which had many Jews among its leaders, as Jewish movements, merging his anti-Semitism with anti-Marxism. Blaming Germany's military defeat on the 1917 Revolutions{{fact}}, he considered Jews the culprit of Imperial Germany's military defeat and subsequent economic problems as well.

Generalising from tumultuous scenes in the parliament of the multi-national [[Austria-Hungary|Austria Monarchy]], he developed a firm belief in the inferiority of the democratic [[parliamentary system]], which formed the basis of his political views. However, according to [[August Kubizek]], his close friend and [[roommate]] at the time, he was more interested in the [[opera]]s of [[Richard Wagner]] than in [[politics]].

[[Image:Hitler's Paintings - Landscape.jpg|thumb|212px|left|A landscape painted by Adolf Hitler.]]

Hitler received the final part of his father's estate in May 1913 and moved to [[Munich]]. He later wrote in ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' that he had always longed to live in a "real" German city. In Munich, he became more interested in architecture and the writings of [[Houston Stewart Chamberlain]]. Moving to Munich also helped him escape [[Conscription|military service]] in Austria for a time, but the Austrian army later arrested him. After a physical exam (during which his height was measured at 173 cm, or 5 ft 8 in) and a contrite plea, he was deemed unfit for service and allowed to return to Munich. However, when Germany entered World War I in August 1914, he immediately petitioned King Ludwig III of Bavaria for permission to serve in a Bavarian regiment, this request was granted, and Adolf Hitler enlisted in the [[Bavaria]]n army.<ref>Shirer, William L., ''The Rise And Fall of Adolf Hitler'' c 1961, Random House</ref>

===World War I===

Hitler saw active service in [[France]] and [[Belgium]] as a messenger for the regimental headquarters of the 16th Bavarian Reserve [[Regiment]] (also called ''Regiment List'' after its first commander), which exposed him to enemy fire. Unlike his fellow soldiers, Hitler reportedly never complained about the food or hard conditions, preferring to talk about [[art]] or history. He also drew some [[cartoon]]s and [[instruction]]al drawings for the army newspaper. His behaviour as a soldier was considered somewhat sloppy{{fact}}, but his regular duties required taking dispatches to and from fighting areas and he was twice decorated for his performance of these duties. He received the [[Iron Cross]], Second Class, in December 1914 and the Iron Cross, First Class, in August 1918, an honour rarely given to a [[Gefreiter]]. However, because of the perception of "a lack of leadership skills" on the part of some of the regimental staff, as well as (according to Kershaw) Hitler's unwillingness to leave regimental headquarters (which would have been likely in event of promotion), he was never promoted to [[Unteroffizier]]. Other historians, however, say that the reason he was not promoted is that he did not have German citizenship. His duty station at regimental headquarters, while often dangerous, gave Hitler time to pursue his artwork. During October 1916 in northern France, Hitler was [[wound]]ed in the leg, but returned to the front in March 1917. He received the [[Wound Badge]] later that year, as his injury was the direct result of hostile fire. [[Sebastian Haffner]], referring to Hitler's experience at the front, suggests he did have at least some understanding of the military.

On [[October 15]], [[1918]], shortly before the end of the war, Hitler was admitted to a [[field hospital]], temporarily [[Blindness|blinded]] by a [[poison gas]] attack. The English psychologist [[David Lewis (psychologist)|David Lewis]]<ref>[[David Lewis (psychologist)|David Lewis]], ''The Man who invented Hitler'', [[Headline Book Publishing]], 2003. ISBN 0-7553-1148-5.</ref> and [[Bernhard Horstmann]] indicate the blindness may have been the result of a [[conversion disorder]] (then known as [[hysteria]]). Hitler later said it was during this experience that he became convinced the purpose of his life was to "save Germany". Some scholars, notably Lucy Dawidowicz,<ref>The War Against the Jews. Bantam. 1986</ref> argue that an intention to exterminate Europe's Jews was fully formed in Hitler's mind at this time, though he probably hadn't thought through how it could be done.

Two passages in ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' mention the use of ''[[poison gas]]'':

:''At the beginning of the Great War, or even during the War, if twelve or fifteen thousand of these Jews who were corrupting the nation had been forced to submit to poison-gas . . . then the millions of sacrifices made at the front would not have been in vain.'' (Volume 2, Chapter 15 "The Right to Self-Defence").

:''These tactics are based on an accurate estimation of human weakness and must lead to success, with almost mathematical certainty, unless the other side also learns how to fight poison gas with poison gas. The weaker natures must be told that here it is a case of to be or not to be.'' (Volume 1, Chapter 2 "Years of Study and Suffering in Vienna")

Hitler had long admired Germany, and during the war he had become a passionate German [[patriotism|patriot]], although he did not become a German citizen until 1932. He was shocked by Germany's [[capitulation]] in November 1918 even while the German army still held enemy territory. Like many other German [[Nationalism|nationalists]], Hitler believed in the ''[[Dolchstoßlegende]]'' ("dagger-stab legend") which claimed that the army, "undefeated in the field", had been "stabbed in the back" by civilian leaders and Marxists back on the [[home front]]. These politicians were later dubbed the ''[[November Criminals]]''.

The [[Treaty of Versailles]] deprived Germany of various territories, [[demilitarization|demilitarized]] the [[Rhineland]] and imposed other economically damaging sanctions. The treaty also declared Germany the culprit for all the horrors of the Great War, as a basis for later imposing not-yet-specified reparations on Germany (the amount was repeatedly revised under the [[Dawes Plan]], the [[Young Plan]], and the [[Hoover Moratorium]]). Germans, however, perceived the treaty and especially the paragraph on the German guilt as a humiliation, not least as it was damaging in the extreme to their pride. For example, there was a nearly total demilitarisation of the armed forces, allowing Germany only 6 battleships, no submarines, no air force, an army of 100,000 without [[conscription]] and no armoured vehicles. The treaty was an important factor in both the social and political conditions encountered by Hitler and his National Socialist Party as they sought power. Hitler and his party used the signing of the treaty by the "November Criminals" as a reason to build up Germany so that it could never happen again. He also used the 'November Criminals' as scapegoats, although at the Paris peace conference, these politicians had had very little choice in the matter.

==The early years of the Nazi Party==

[[Image:Hitlermember.png|thumb|right|A copy of Adolf Hitler's forged [[German Workers' Party|DAP]] membership card. His actual membership number was 555 (the 55th member of the party - the 500 was added to make the group appear larger) but later the number was reduced to create the impression that Hitler was one of the founding members (Ian Kershaw ''Hubris''). Hitler had wanted to create his own party, but was ordered by his superiors in the Reichswehr to infiltrate an existing one instead.]]

===Hitler's entry into politics===

{{main|Hitler's political beliefs}}

After World War I, Hitler remained in the army and returned to Munich, where he - in contrast to his later declarations - participated in the funeral march for the murdered Bavarian prime minister [[Kurt Eisner]].<ref>[http://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/document/artikel_44676_bilder_value_6_beisetzung-eisners3.jpg 1919 Picture of Hitler]</ref> After the suppression of the [[Bavarian Soviet Republic]], he took part in "national thinking" courses organized by the ''Education and Propaganda Department'' (Dept Ib/P) of the Bavarian ''Reichswehr'' Group, Headquarters 4 under Captain [[Karl Mayr]]. A key purpose of this group was to create a [[Scapegoat#Political.2FSociological Scapegoating|scapegoat]]{{fact}} for the outbreak of the war and Germany's defeat. The scapegoats were found in "international Jewry", communists, and politicians across the party spectrum, especially the parties of the [[Weimar Coalition]], who were deemed "[[November Criminals]]"{{fact}}.

In July 1919, Hitler was appointed a ''Verbindungsmann'' (police spy) of an ''Aufklärungskommando'' (Intelligence Commando) of the [[Reichswehr]], for the purpose of influencing other soldiers toward similar ideas and was assigned to [[Infiltration|infiltrate]] a small party, the [[German Workers' Party]] (DAP), which was thought of to be a possibly [[socialism|socialist]] party ''(See: [[Adolf Hitler's inspection of the German Workers' Party]]).'' During his [[Adolf Hitler's inspection of the German Workers' Party|inspection of the party]], Hitler was impressed with [[Anton Drexler|Drexler]]'s [[anti-Semitism|anti-Semitic]], [[nationalism|nationalist]], [[Anti-capitalism|anti-capitalist]] and anti-[[Marxism|Marxist]] ideas, which favoured a strong active government, a "non-Jewish" version of socialism and mutual solidarity of all members of society.

Here Hitler also met [[Dietrich Eckart]], one of the early founders of the party and member of the occult [[Thule Society]].<ref>Joachim C. Fest, [http://ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/festjc/chap2.htm The Drummer] in ''The Face Of The Third Reich'' (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1970; URL accessed [[June 11]], [[2005]]).</ref> Eckart became Hitler's mentor, exchanging ideas with him, teaching him how to dress and speak, and introducing him to a wide range of people. Hitler in return thanked Eckart by paying tribute to him in the second volume of ''Mein Kampf''.

Hitler was discharged from the army in March 1920 and with his former superiors' continued encouragement began participating full time in the party's activities. By early 1921, Adolf Hitler was becoming highly effective at speaking in front of even larger crowds. In February, Hitler spoke before a crowd of nearly six thousand in [[Munich]]. To publicize the meeting, he sent out two truckloads of Party supporters to drive around with [[swastika]]s, cause a commotion and throw out [[leaflet]]s, their first use of this tactic. Hitler gained notoriety outside of the Party for his rowdy, [[polemic]] speeches against the [[Treaty of Versailles]], rival politicians (including monarchists, nationalists and other non-internationalist socialists) and especially against Marxists and Jews.

The DAP was centered in Munich which had become a hotbed of German nationalists who included Army officers determined to crush Marxism and undermine or even overthrow the young German republic. Gradually they noticed Adolf Hitler and his growing movement as a vehicle to hitch themselves to. Hitler traveled to Berlin to visit nationalist groups during the summer of 1921 and in his absence there was an unexpected [[revolt]] among the DAP leadership in Munich.

The Party was run by an executive [[committee]] whose original members considered Hitler to be overbearing and even [[dictator]]ial. To weaken Hitler's position they formed an [[Wiktionary:alliance|alliance]] with a group of socialists from [[Augsburg]]. Hitler rushed back to Munich and countered them by tendering his [[resignation]] from the Party on [[July 11]], [[1921]]. When they realized the loss of Hitler would effectively mean the end of the Party, he seized the moment and announced he would return on the condition that he was made chairman and given dictatorial powers. Infuriated committee members (including founder [[Anton Drexler]]) held out at first. Meanwhile an [[anonymous]] [[pamphlet]] appeared entitled ''Adolf Hitler: Is he a [[traitor]]?'', attacking Hitler's lust for power and criticizing the violence-prone men around him. Hitler responded to its publication in a Munich newspaper by [[Lawsuit|suing]] for [[slander and libel|libel]] and later won a small settlement.

The executive committee of the DAP eventually backed down and Hitler's demands were put to a vote of party members. Hitler received 543 votes for and only one against. At the next gathering on [[July 29]], [[1921]], Adolf Hitler was introduced as [[Führer]] of the National Socialist Party, marking the first time this title was publicly used. Hitler changed the name of the party to the National Socialist German Workers Party (''Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' or [[National Socialist German Workers Party|NSDAP]]).

Hitler's beer hall [[oratory]], attacking Jews, [[Social democracy|social democrats]], [[Liberalism|liberals]], reactionary [[Monarchism|monarchists]], [[Capitalism|capitalists]] and [[Communism|communists]], began attracting adherents. Early followers included [[Rudolf Hess]], the former air force pilot [[Hermann Göring]], and the army [[captain]] [[Ernst Röhm]], who became head of the Nazis' [[Paramilitary organizations|paramilitary organization]], the [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] (''Sturmabteilung'', or "Storm Division"), which protected meetings and attacked political opponents. Hitler also assimilated independent groups, such as the Nuremberg-based ''Deutsche Werkgemeinschaft'', led by [[Julius Streicher]], who now became [[Gauleiter]] of [[Franconia]]. Hitler also attracted the attention of local business interests, was accepted into influential circles of Munich society and became associated with wartime General [[Erich Ludendorff]] during this time.

===The Beer Hall Putsch===

{{main|Beer Hall Putsch}}

Encouraged by this early support, Hitler decided to use Ludendorff as a front in an [[coup|attempt to seize power]] later known as the ''[[Beer Hall Putsch]]'' (and sometimes as the ''Hitler Putsch or Munich Putsch''). The Nazi Party had copied the Italian [[Fascism|Fascists]] in appearance and also had adopted some programmatical points and now, in the turbulent year 1923, Hitler wanted to emulate [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]]'s "[[March on Rome]]" by staging his own "Campaign in Berlin". Hitler and Ludendorff obtained the clandestine support of [[Gustav von Kahr]], [[Bavaria]]'s [[de facto]] ruler along with leading figures in the [[Reichswehr]] and the police. As political posters show, Ludendorff, Hitler and the heads of the Bavarian police and military planned on forming a new government.

However on [[November 8]], [[1923]] Kahr and the military withdrew their support during a meeting in the Bürgerbräukeller, a large beer hall outside of Munich. A surprised Hitler had them arrested and proceeded with the coup. Unknown to him, Kahr and the other detainees had been released on Ludendorff's orders after he obtained their word not to interfere. That night they prepared resistance measures against the coup and in the morning, when Hitler and his followers marched from the beer hall to the Bavarian War Ministry to overthrow the Bavarian government as a start to their "March on Berlin", the army quickly dispersed them (Ludendorff was wounded and a few other Nazis were killed).

Hitler fled to the home of [[Ernst Hanfstaengl|friends]] and contemplated suicide. He was soon arrested for [[high treason]] and appointed [[Alfred Rosenberg]] as temporary leader of the party but found himself in an environment somewhat receptive to his beliefs. During Hitler's trial, sympathetic magistrates allowed Hitler to turn his debacle into a [[propaganda]] stunt. He was given almost unlimited amounts of time to present his arguments to the court, and his popularity soared when he voiced basic nationalistic sentiments shared by some of the public. On [[April 1]], [[1924]] Hitler was sentenced to five years' imprisonment at [[Landsberg Prison]] for the crime of conspiracy to commit treason. Hitler received favoured treatment from the guards and had much fan mail from [[Fan (aficionado)|admirers]]. Hitler was released on [[December 20]], [[1924]] after the authorities decided that he was not a danger to the public. Including remand, he had served just over one year of his five-year sentence.

===''Mein Kampf''===

{{main|Mein Kampf}}

While at Landsberg he dictated his political book ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' (''My Struggle'') to his deputy [[Rudolf Hess]]. The book, dedicated to [[Thule Society]] member [[Dietrich Eckart]], was both an autobiography and an exposition of his political ideology. It was published in two volumes in 1925 and 1926 respectively, selling about 240,000 copies between 1925 and 1934 alone. By the end of the war, about 10 million copies had been sold or distributed (every newly-wed couple, as well as front soldiers, received free copies).

Hitler spent years dodging taxes on the royalties of his book, and had accumulated a tax debt of about 405,500 [[German reichsmark|Reichsmarks]] (€6m in today's money) by the time he became chancellor (at which time his debt was waived).<ref name="taxes">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4105683.stm Hitler dodged taxes, expert finds] BBC News</ref><ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/0,1518,druck-433526,00.html Mythos Ladenhüter] Spiegel Online</ref>

===The rebuilding of the party===

At the time of Hitler's release, the political situation in Germany had calmed down, and the economy had improved, which hampered Hitler's opportunities for agitation. Though the ''Hitler Putsch'' had given Hitler some national prominence, his party's mainstay was still Munich.

[[Image:Goebbels mit Hitler.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Joseph Goebbels with Adolf Hitler at the [[Obersalzberg]], possibly early 1944.]]

As Hitler was still banned from public speeches, he appointed [[Gregor Strasser]], who in 1924 had been elected to the [[Reichstag (institution)|Reichstag]], as ''Reichsorganisationsleiter'', authorizing him to organise the party in northern Germany. Gregor, joined by his younger brother [[Otto Strasser|Otto]] and [[Joseph Goebbels]], steered an increasingly independent course, emphasizing the socialist element in the party's programme. The ''Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Gauleiter Nord-West'' became an internal opposition, threatening Hitler's authority, but this faction was defeated at the [[Bamberg Conference|Bamberg Conference (1926)]], during which Goebbels joined Hitler.

After this encounter, Hitler centralized the party even more and asserted the ''[[Führerprinzip]]'' ("Fuhrer principle") as the basic principle of party organization. Leaders were not elected by their group but were rather appointed by their superior and were answerable to them while demanding unquestioning obedience from their inferiors. Consistent with Hitler's disdain for [[democracy]], all power and [[authority]] devolved from the top down.

A key element of Hitler's appeal was his ability to convey a sense of offended national pride caused by the [[Treaty of Versailles]] imposed on the defeated [[Second Reich|German Empire]] by the Western Allies. Germany had lost economically important territory in Europe along with its [[Colony|colonies]] and in admitting to sole responsibility for the war had agreed to pay a huge [[World War I reparations|reparations]] bill totaling 132 billion [[German gold mark|marks]]. Most Germans bitterly resented these terms but early Nazi attempts to gain support by blaming these humiliations on "international Jewry" were not particularly successful with the electorate. The party learned quickly and soon a more subtle propaganda emerged, combining anti-Semitism with an attack on the failures of the "[[Weimar]] system" and the parties supporting it.

Having failed in overthrowing the Republic by a coup, Hitler now pursued the "strategy of legality": this meant formally adhering to the rules of the [[Weimar Republic]] until he had legally gained power and then transforming liberal democracy into a Nazi dictatorship. Some party members, especially in the paramilitary [[Sturmabteilung|SA]], opposed this strategy and [[Ernst Röhm]] ridiculed Hitler as "Adolphe Legalité".

==The road to power==

{{main|Hitler's rise to power}}

<table border="2" class="prettytable">

<tr>

<td align="center" colspan="5"><strong>Nazi Party Election Results<br />

</strong></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td align="center"><strong>Date</strong></td>

<td align="center"><strong>Votes (in&nbsp;thousands) </strong></td>

<td align="center"><strong>Percentage </strong></td>

<td align="center"><strong>Seats in&nbsp;Reichstag</strong></td>

<td align="center"><strong>Background</strong></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td align="left">[[German election, May 1924|May 1924]]</td>

<td align="right">1,918.3</td>

<td align="right">6.5</td>

<td align="right">32</td>

<td align="left">Hitler in prison</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td align="left">[[German election, December 1924|December 1924]]</td>

<td align="right">907.3</td>

<td align="right">3.0</td>

<td align="right">14</td>

<td align="left">Hitler is released from prison</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td align="left">[[German election, 1928|May 1928]]</td>

<td align="right">810.1</td>

<td align="right">2.6</td>

<td align="right">12</td>

<td align="left">&nbsp;</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td align="left">[[German election, 1930|September 1930]]</td>

<td align="right">6,409.6</td>

<td align="right">18.3</td>

<td align="right">107</td>

<td align="left">After the financial crisis</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td align="left">[[German election, July 1932|July 1932]]</td>

<td align="right">13,745.8</td>

<td align="right">37.4</td>

<td align="right">230</td>

<td align="left">After Hitler was candidate for presidency</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td align="left">[[German election, November 1932|November 1932]]</td>

<td align="right">11,737.0</td>

<td align="right">33.1</td>

<td align="right">196</td>

<td align="left">&nbsp;</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td align="left">[[German election, 1933|March 1933]]</td>

<td align="right">17,277.0</td>

<td align="right">43.9</td>

<td align="right">288</td>

<td align="left">During Hitler's term as Chancellor of Germany</td>

</tr>

</table>

===The Brüning administration===

The political turning point for Hitler came when the [[Great Depression]] hit Germany in 1930. The [[Weimar Republic]] had never been firmly rooted and was openly opposed by right-wing conservatives (including monarchists), Communists and the Nazis. As the parties loyal to the democratic, parliamentary republic found themselves unable to agree on counter-measures, their [[Grand Coalition]] broke up and was replaced by a minority cabinet. The new Chancellor [[Heinrich Brüning]] of the Roman Catholic [[Centre Party]], lacking a majority in parliament, had to implement his measures through the President's emergency decrees. Tolerated by the majority of parties, the exception soon became the rule and paved the way for authoritarian forms of government.

The Reichstag's initial opposition to Brüning's measures led to premature elections in September 1930. The republican parties lost their majority and their ability to resume the Grand Coalition, while the Nazis suddenly rose from relative obscurity to win 18.3% of the vote along with 107 seats in the [[Reichstag (institution)|Reichstag]], becoming the second largest party in Germany.

[[Image:Hitler walking out of Brown House after 1930 elections.jpg|thumb|left|Hitler emerges from the Brown House in Munich (headquarters of the Nazi party during the last days of the Weimar Republic) after a post-election meeting in 1930.]]

Brüning's measure of budget consolidation and financial [[austerity]] brought little economic improvement and was extremely unpopular. Under these circumstances, Hitler appealed to the bulk of German [[farmer]]s, [[war veteran]]s and the [[middle-class]] who had been hard-hit by both the [[inflation]] of the 1920s and the [[unemployment]] of the Depression. Hitler received little response from the [[Urban area|urban]] working classes and traditionally Catholic regions.

Meanwhile, on [[September 18]], [[1931]], Hitler's [[niece]] [[Geli Raubal]] was found dead in her bedroom in his Munich apartment (his half-sister [[Angela Hitler|Angela]] and her daughter Geli had been with him in Munich since 1929), an apparent suicide. Geli was 19 years younger than he was and had used his gun, drawing rumours of a relationship between the two. The event is viewed as having caused lasting turmoil for him.

In 1932, Hitler intended to run against the aging [[President of Germany|President]] [[Paul von Hindenburg]] in the scheduled [[German presidential election, 1932|presidential elections]]. Though Hitler had left Austria in 1913, he still had not acquired German citizenship and hence could not run for public office. In February, however, the state government of [[Brunswick-Lüneburg|Brunswick]], in which the Nazi Party participated, appointed Hitler to some minor administrative post and also gave him citizenship. The new German citizen ran against Hindenburg, who was supported by a broad range of reactionary nationalist, monarchist, Catholic, Republican and even [[Social Democracy|social democratic]] parties, and against the Communist presidential candidate. His campaign was called "Hitler über Deutschland" (Hitler over Germany). The name had a double meaning. [[Image:Hitler ueber Deutschland 1932.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Hitler over Germany. Political campaign by aircraft.]] Besides an obvious reference to Hitler's dictatorial intentions, it also referred to the fact that Hitler was campaigning by aircraft. This was a brand new political tactic that allowed Hitler to speak in two cities in one day, which was practically unheard of at the time. Hitler came in second on both rounds, attaining more than 35% of the vote during the second one in April. Although he lost to Hindenburg, the election established Hitler as a realistic and fresh alternative in German politics.

===The cabinets of Papen and Schleicher===

President Hindenburg, influenced by the [[Camarilla (history)|Camarilla]], became increasingly estranged from Brüning and pushed his Chancellor to move the government in a decidedly authoritarian and right-wing direction. This culminated, in May 1932, with the resignation of the Brüning cabinet.

Hindenburg appointed the nobleman [[Franz von Papen]] as chancellor, heading a "Cabinet of Barons". Papen was bent on authoritarian rule and, since in the Reichstag only the conservative [[German National People's Party|DNVP]] supported his administration, he immediately called for new elections in July. In these elections, the Nazis achieved their biggest success yet and won 230 seats.

The Nazis had become the largest party in the Reichstag without which no stable government could be formed. Papen tried to convince Hitler to become Vice-Chancellor and enter a new government with a parliamentary basis. Hitler however rejected this offer and put further pressure on Papen by entertaining parallel negotiations with the [[Centre Party (Germany)|Centre Party]], Papen's former party, which was bent on bringing down the renegade Papen. In both negotiations, Hitler demanded that he, as leader of the strongest party, must be Chancellor, but President Hindenburg consistently refused to appoint the "Bohemian private" to the Chancellorship.

After a [[motion of no confidence|vote of no-confidence]] in the Papen government, supported by 84% of the deputies, the new Reichstag was dissolved and new elections were called in November. This time, the Nazis lost some votes but still remained the largest party in the Reichstag.

After Papen failed to secure a majority, he proposed to dissolve the parliament again along with an indefinite postponement of elections. Hindenburg at first accepted this, but after General [[Kurt von Schleicher]] and the military withdrew their support, Hindenburg instead dismissed Papen and appointed Schleicher, who promised he could secure a majority government by negotiations with both the Social Democrats, the trade unions, and dissidents from the Nazi party under [[Gregor Strasser]]. In January 1933, however, Schleicher had to admit failure in these efforts and asked Hindenburg for emergency powers along with the same postponement of elections that he had opposed earlier, to which the President reacted by dismissing Schleicher.

===Hitler's appointment as Chancellor===

Meanwhile Papen, resentful because of his dismissal, tried to get his revenge on Schleicher by working toward the General's downfall, through forming an intrigue with the [[camarilla (history)|camarilla]] and [[Alfred Hugenberg]], media mogul and chairman of the [[German National People's Party|DNVP]]. Also involved were [[Hjalmar Schacht]], [[Fritz Thyssen]] and other leading German businessmen. They financially supported the Nazi Party, which had been brought to the brink of bankruptcy by the cost of heavy campaigning. The businessmen also wrote letters to Hindenburg, urging him to appoint Hitler as leader of a government "independent from parliamentary parties" which could turn into a movement that would "enrapture millions of people."<ref>"<cite>Die Übertragung der verantwortlichen Leitung eines mit den besten sachlichen und persönlichen Kräften ausgestatteten Präsidialkabinetts an den Führer der grössten nationalen Gruppe wird die Schlacken und Fehler, die jeder Massenbewegung notgedrungen anhaften, ausmerzen und Millionen Menschen, die heute abseits stehen, zu bejahender Kraft mitreissen.</cite>" [http://www.glasnost.de/hist/ns/eingabe.html Glasnost archives]</ref>

Finally, the President reluctantly agreed to appoint Hitler Chancellor of a coalition government formed by the [[NSDAP]] and [[German National People's Party|DNVP]]. Hitler and two other Nazi ministers ([[Wilhelm Frick|Frick]], [[Hermann Göring|Göring]]) were to be contained by a framework of conservative cabinet ministers, most notably by Papen as [[Vice-Chancellor of Germany|Vice-Chancellor]] and by Hugenberg as Minister of Economics. Papen wanted to use Hitler as a figure-head, but the Nazis had gained key positions, most notably the Ministry of the Interior. On the morning of [[January 30]], [[1933]], in Hindenburg's office, Adolf Hitler was sworn in as [[Chancellor]] during what some observers later described as a brief and simple ceremony.

===Reichstag Fire and the March elections===

Having become Chancellor, Hitler foiled all attempts to gain a majority in parliament and on that basis persuaded President Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag again. Elections were scheduled for early March, but on [[February 27]], [[1933]], the [[Reichstag fire|Reichstag building was set on fire]]. Since a [[Marinus van der Lubbe|Dutch independent communist]] was found in the building, the fire was blamed on a Communist plot to which the government reacted with the [[Reichstag Fire Decree]] of [[February 28]], which suspended basic rights, including ''[[habeas corpus]]''. Under the provisions of this decree, the [[Communist Party of Germany|German Communist Party]] and other groups were suppressed, and Communist functionaries and deputies were arrested, put to flight, or murdered. In the same month Hitler reportedly banned gay pornography, homosexual bars and bath-houses and groups that promoted "gay rights".{{fact}}<!-- <ref>Plant, Richard. ''The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals''. New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1986</ref> -->

<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Hindenburg_ernennt_Hitler.JPG|thumb|right|220px|Day of [[Potsdam]]]] -->

Campaigning continued, with the Nazis making use of paramilitary violence, anti-Communist hysteria, and the government's resources for propaganda. On election day, [[March 6]], the NSDAP increased its result to 43.9% of the vote, remaining the largest party, but its victory was marred by its failure to secure an absolute majority. Hitler had to maintain his [[coalition]] with the [[German National People's Party|DNVP]], as the coalition had a slim majority.

===The "Day of Potsdam" and the Enabling Act===

On [[21 March]], the new Reichstag was constituted itself with an impressive opening ceremony held at Potsdam's garrison church. This "Day of Potsdam" was staged to demonstrate reconciliation and union between the revolutionary Nazi movement and "Old Prussia" with its elites and virtues. Hitler himself appeared, not in Nazi uniform, but in a tail coat, and humbly greeted the aged President Hindenburg.

Because of the Nazis' failure to obtain a majority on their own, Hitler's government confronted the newly elected [[Reichstag (institution)|Reichstag]] with the [[Enabling Act of 1933|Enabling Act]] that would have vested the cabinet with [[legislative]] powers for a period of four years. Though such a bill was not unprecedented, this act was different since it allowed for deviations from the constitution. As the bill required a two-thirds majority in order to pass, the government needed the support of other parties. The position of the Catholic [[Centre Party (Germany)|Centre Party]], at this point the third largest party in the Reichstag, turned out to be decisive: under the leadership of [[Ludwig Kaas]], the party decided to vote for the Enabling Act. It did so in return for the government's oral guarantees regarding the [[Roman Catholic Church|Church]]'s liberty, the concordats signed by German states and the continued existence of the Centre Party itself.

On [[23 March]], the Reichstag assembled in a replacement building under extremely turbulent circumstances. Some [[Sturmabteilung|SA men]] served as guards within while large groups outside the building shouted slogans and threats toward the arriving deputies. Kaas announced that the Centre would support the bill amid "concerns put aside.", while Social Democrat [[Otto Wels]] denounced the Act in his speech. At the end of the day, all parties except the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democrats]] voted in favour of the bill. The [[Enabling Act of 1933|Enabling Act]] was dutifully renewed by the Reichstag every four years, even through World War II.

===Removal of remaining limits===

With this combination of legislative and [[executive (government)|executive]] power, Hitler's government further suppressed the remaining political [[Opposition (politics)|opposition]]. The [[Communist Party of Germany|KPD]] and the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]] were banned, while all other political parties dissolved themselves. [[Trade Union|Labour unions]] were merged with employers' federations into an organisation under Nazi control and the autonomy of German state governments was abolished.

[[Image:Hitler-triumph.JPG|thumb|200px|right|Adolf Hitler in ''[[Triumph of the Will]]''.]]

Hitler also used the [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] paramilitary to push Hugenberg into resigning and proceeded to politically isolate Vice Chancellor Papen. As the SA's demands for political and military power caused much anxiety among the populace in general and especially among the military, Hitler used allegations of a plot by the SA leader [[Ernst Röhm]] to purge the paramilitary force's leadership during the [[Night of the Long Knives]]. Opponents unconnected with the [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] were also [[Murder|murdered]], notably [[Gregor Strasser]] and former Chancellor [[Kurt von Schleicher]].

Soon after, president [[Paul von Hindenburg]] died on [[2 August]] [[1934]]. Rather than holding new presidential elections, Hitler's cabinet passed a law proclaiming the presidency dormant and transferred the role and powers of the head of state to Hitler as ''Führer und Reichskanzler'' (leader and chancellor). Thereby Hitler also became supreme commander of the military, which then swore their military [[oath]] not to the state or the constitution but to Hitler personally. In a mid-August [[plebiscite]], these acts found the approval of 84.6%<ref>Fest, Joachim, ''Hitler'' (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1974), pp. 476.</ref> of the electorate. Combining the highest offices in state, military and party in his hand, Hitler had attained supreme rule that could no longer be legally challenged.

==The Third Reich==

{{main|Nazi Germany}}

[[Image:Jugend um hitler.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Photographs like the one on the cover of [[Heinrich Hoffmann]]'s book of photography were used to [[Promotion (marketing)|promote]] Hitler's populist-[[nationalist]] (Völkisch) image.]]

Having secured supreme political power, Hitler went on to gain their support by [[Persuasion|convincing]] most Germans he was their saviour from the Depression, the [[Communists]], the [[Versailles Treaty]], and the [[Jew]]s, along with other "undesirable" [[minority group|minorities]].

===Economics and culture===

Hitler oversaw one of the greatest expansions of industrial production and civil improvement Germany had ever seen, mostly based on debt flotation and expansion of the military. Nazi policies toward women strongly encouraged them to stay at home to bear children and keep house. In a September 1934 speech to the National Socialist Women's Organization, Adolf Hitler argued that for the German woman her “world is her husband, her family, her children, and her home,” a policy which was reinforced by the bestowing of the Cross of Honor of the German Mother on women bearing four or more babies. The [[unemployment]] rate was cut substantially, mostly through arms production and sending women home so that men could take their jobs. Given this, claims that the [[Economy of Germany|German economy]] achieved near [[full employment]] are at least partly artifacts of [[propaganda]] from the [[era]]. Much of the financing for Hitler's reconstruction and rearmament came from currency manipulation by [[Hjalmar Schacht]], including the clouded credits through the [[Mefo bills]]. The negative effects of this [[inflation]] were offset in later years by the acquisition of foreign [[gold]] from the treasuries of conquered nations.

[[Image:Hitler Blondi Berghof.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Another popular photo theme was Hitler and his dog [[Blondi]], here seen at the terrace of the [[Berghof (Hitler)|Berghof]].]]

Hitler also oversaw one of the largest infrastructure-improvement campaigns in German history, with the construction of dozens of [[dam]]s, [[autobahn]]s, [[railroad]]s, and other civil works. Hitler's [[Policy|policies]] emphasised the importance of family life: men were the "breadwinners", while women's priorities were to lie in bringing up children and in household work. This revitalising of industry and infrastructure came at the expense of the overall standard of living, at least for those not affected by the chronic unemployment of the later Weimar Republic, since wages were slightly reduced in pre-World-War-II years, despite a 25% increase in the cost of living [[The rise and fall of the third reich|(Shirer 1959)]]. [[Labourer]]s and [[farmer]]s, the traditional voters of the NSDAP, saw their standards of living increase however.

Hitler's government [[Sponsorship|sponsored]] [[architecture]] on an immense scale, with [[Albert Speer]] becoming famous as the first architect of the Reich. While important as an Architect in implementing Hitler's classicist reinterpretation of German culture, Speer would prove much more effective as armaments minister during the last years of World War II. In 1936, Berlin hosted the [[1936 Summer Olympics|summer Olympic games]], which were opened by Hitler and [[Choreography|choreographed]] to demonstrate [[Aryan]] superiority over all other races, achieving mixed results. ''[[Olympia (film)|Olympia]]'', the movie about the games and other documentary propaganda films for the German Nazi Party were directed by Hitler's personal filmmaker [[Leni Riefenstahl]].

Although Hitler made plans for a ''[[Breitspurbahn]]'' ([[broad gauge]] railroad network), they were pre-empted by World War II. Had the railroad been built, its gauge would have been three metres, even wider than the old [[Great Western Railway]] of Britain.

Hitler contributed slightly to the design of the car that later became the [[Volkswagen Beetle]], and charged [[Ferdinand Porsche]] with its design and construction.<ref>[[Robert S. Wistrich]],<cite>Who's Who in Nazi Germany </cite>(New York: Routledge, 2002), p. 193.</ref> Production was also deferred due to the war.

===Rearmament and new alliances===

{{main|Axis Powers|Tripartite Treaty|}}

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:JapanItalyGermanyPact.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Axis Powers signing with [[Saburo Kurusu]] ([[Japan]]'s Ambassador to Germany), [[Galeazzo Ciano]] ([[Italy]]'s Foreign Minister) and Adolf Hitler.]] -->

In March 1935, Hitler violated the [[Treaty of Versailles]] by reintroducing [[conscription]] in Germany, building a massive military machine, including a new Navy (''[[Kriegsmarine]]'') and an Air Force (''[[Luftwaffe]]''). The enlistment of vast numbers of men and women in the new military seemed to solve [[unemployment]] problems, but seriously distorted the economy. For the first time in 20 years, Germany's armed forces were as strong as [[France]]'s.

In March 1936, Hitler again violated the Treaty by [[Remilitarization of the Rhineland|reoccupying]] the [[demilitarized zone]] in the [[Rhineland]]. When [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and France did nothing, he grew bolder. In July 1936, the [[Spanish Civil War]] began when the military, led by General [[Francisco Franco]], rebelled against the elected [[Popular Front (Spain)|Popular Front]] government. Hitler sent troops to support Franco and Spain served as a testing ground for Germany's new forces and their methods, including the bombing of undefended towns such as [[Gernika]] in April 1937, prompting [[Pablo Picasso]]'s famous [[eponym|eponymous]] [[Guernica painting]].

[[Image:Hitler Mannerheim Ryti.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Hitler in [[Finland]]]]

An [[Axis Powers|Axis]] was declared between Germany and Italy by [[Galeazzo Ciano]], [[foreign minister]] of [[Fascist]] [[dictator]] [[Benito Mussolini]] on [[October 25]], [[1936]]. [[Tripartite Treaty]] was then signed by [[Saburo Kurusu]] of [[Imperial Japan]], Adolf Hitler of [[Nazi Germany]] and Galeazzo Ciano of [[Fascist Italy]] in [[September 27]], [[1940]] and was later expanded to include [[Hungary]], [[Romania]] and [[Bulgaria]]. They were collectively known as the [[Axis Powers]]. Then on [[November 5]], [[1937]], at the [[Reich Chancellory]], Adolf Hitler held a secret meeting and stated his plans for acquiring "living space" ([[Lebensraum]]) for the German people.

===The Holocaust===

{{main|Holocaust}}

One of the foundations of Hitler's and the NSDAP's social policies was the concept of [[racial hygiene]]. This was applied with varying degrees of rigourousness to different groups of society, but constituted in essence the same application of the brutal and crude concept of [[social Darwinism]] to all the different kinds of victims. Between 1939 and 1945, the SS, assisted by [[collaborationist]] governments and recruits from [[Military occupation|occupied]] countries, systematically killed about 11 million people, including about 6 million Jews<ref>"<cite>There is no precise figure for the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust. The figure commonly used is the six million quoted by Adolf Eichmann, a senior SS official. Most research confirms that the number of victims was between five to six million.</cite>" [http://www1.yadvashem.org/about_holocaust/faqs/answers/faq_3.html How many Jews were murdered in the Holocaust? How do we know? Do we have their names?]; FAQs About The Holocaust, Yad Vashem (URL accessed on [[January 3]], [[2006]])<br />"<cite>Between 1942 and 1944, Nazi Germany deported millions more Jews from the occupied territories to extermination camps, where they murdered them in specially developed killing facilities</cite>" [http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/index.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005143 The Holocaust]; ''Holocaust Encyclopedia'', [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum]] (URL accessed on [[January 3]], [[2006]]).</ref>, in [[concentration camp]]s, [[ghetto]]s and mass [[execution]]s, or through less systematic methods elsewhere. Besides being gassed to death, many also died of [[starvation]] and [[disease]] while working as [[slave labour]]ers (sometimes benefiting private German companies in the process, because of the low cost of such labour). Along with Jews, non-Jewish [[Poland|Poles]] (over 3 million of whom died), alleged [[communism|communists]] or political opposition, members of resistance groups, resisting [[Roman Catholics]] and [[Protestantism|Protestants]], [[homosexuality|homosexuals]], [[Roma (people)|Roma]], the physically

[[Disability|handicapped]] and mentally [[retarded]], [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses and the Holocaust|Jehovah's Witnesses]], anti-Nazi [[clergy]], [[trade union|trade unionists]], and [[psychiatric]] [[patient]]s were killed. This industrial-scale [[genocide]] in Europe is referred to as [[the Holocaust]] (the term is also used by some [[author]]s in a narrower sense, to refer specifically to the unprecedented destruction of European Jewry). One of the biggest and most important [[concentration camps]] is Auschwitz.

The massacres that led to the coining of the word "[[genocide]]" (the ''[[Final Solution|Endlösung der jüdischen Frage]]'' or "Final Solution of the Jewish Question") were planned and ordered by leading Nazis, with [[Heinrich Himmler|Himmler]] playing a key role. While no specific order from Hitler authorizing the mass killing of the Jews has surfaced, there is documentation showing that he approved the ''[[Einsatzgruppen]]'' and the evidence also suggests that in the fall of 1941 Himmler and Hitler agreed in principle on mass extermination by gassing. During [[interrogation]]s by Soviet [[intelligence officer]]s declassified over fifty years later, Hitler's [[valet]] [[Heinz Linge]] and his military [[aide]] Otto Gunsche said Hitler had "pored over the first [[blueprint]]s of [[gas chamber]]s."

To make for smoother [[cooperation]] in the implementation of this "Final Solution", the [[Wannsee conference]] was held near Berlin on [[January 20]], [[1942]], with fifteen senior officials participating, led by [[Reinhard Heydrich]] and [[Adolf Eichmann]]. The records of this meeting provide the clearest evidence of planning for the Holocaust. On [[February 22]], Hitler was recorded saying to his associates, "we shall regain our health only by eliminating the Jews".

==World War II==

{{main|World War II}}

===Opening moves===

[[Image:Antonescu_and_hitler.jpg|right|thumb|Hitler with [[Romania|Romanian]] leader [[Ion Antonescu]] (far left).]]

On [[March 12]], [[1938]], Hitler pressured his native [[Austria]] into [[unification]] with Germany (the [[Anschluss]]) and made a triumphal entry into [[Vienna]]. Next, he intensified a crisis over the German-speaking [[Sudetenland]] districts of [[Czechoslovakia]]. This led to the [[Munich Agreement]] of September 1938, which authorized the annexation and immediate military occupation of these districts by Germany. As a result of the summit, Hitler was ''[[Time Magazine|TIME]]'' magazine's [[Man of the Year]] for 1938.<ref>''TIME'' magazine (January 2, 1939), [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,760539-1,00.html "Man of the Year"], ''time.com</ref> [[United Kingdom|British]] [[prime minister]] [[Neville Chamberlain]] hailed this agreement as "Peace in our time", but by giving way to Hitler's military demands Britain and France also left Czechoslovakia to Hitler's mercy. Hitler ordered Germany's army to enter [[Prague]] on [[March 10]] [[1939]] and from [[Prague Castle]] proclaimed Bohemia and Moravia a German [[Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia|protectorate]].

After that, Hitler claimed German grievances relating to the [[Free City of Danzig]] and the [[Polish Corridor]], that Germany had ceded under the [[Treaty of Versailles|Versailles Treaty]]. Britain had not been able to reach an agreement with the [[Soviet Union]] for an alliance against Germany, and, on [[August 23]], [[1939]], Hitler concluded a secret [[non-aggression pact]] (the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact]]) with [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] on which it was likely agreed that the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany would partition Poland. On [[September 1]], Germany invaded the western portion of Poland. Britain and France, who had guaranteed assistance to Poland, declared war on Germany. Not long after this, on [[September 17]], Soviet forces invaded eastern Poland.

Britain and France, who had guaranteed assistance to Poland, declared war on Germany on [[September 3]], but did not go to the offensive. During this so-called ''[[Phony War]]'', Hitler built up his forces much further. In April 1940, he ordered German forces to march into [[Denmark]] and [[Norway]]. In May 1940, Hitler ordered his forces to attack [[France]], conquering the [[Netherlands]], [[Luxembourg]] and [[Belgium]] in the process. France [[Surrender|surrendered]] on [[June 22]], [[1940]]. This series of victories convinced his main ally, [[Benito Mussolini]] of Italy, to join the war on Hitler's side in May 1940.

[[United Kingdom|Britain]], whose defeated forces had evacuated France from the coastal town of [[Dunkirk, France|Dunkirk]], continued to fight alongside Canadian forces in the [[Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)|Battle of the Atlantic]]. After having his overtures for peace systematically rejected by the defiant British Government, now led by [[Winston Churchill]], Hitler ordered [[bombing raid]]s on the British Isles, leading to the [[Battle of Britain]], a [[prelude]] of the planned German invasion. The attacks began by pounding the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] airbases and the [[radar]] stations protecting South-East England. However, the [[Luftwaffe]] failed to defeat the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] by the end of October 1940. Air superiority for the invasion, code-named [[Operation Sealion]], could not be assured and Hitler ordered bombing raids to be carried out on British cities, including [[London]] and [[Coventry]], mostly at night.

===Path to defeat===

[[Image:AH Raeder Kriegsmarine.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Hitler with Großadmiral [[Erich Raeder]].]]

On [[June 22]], [[1941]], Hitler gave the signal for three million German troops to attack the [[Soviet Union]], breaking the [[non-aggression pact]] he had concluded with Stalin less than two years earlier. This invasion, code-named [[Operation Barbarossa]], seized huge amounts of territory, including the [[Baltic region|Baltic]] states, [[Belarus]], and [[Ukraine]], along with the [[encirclement]] and destruction of many Soviet forces. German forces, however, were stopped short of [[Moscow]] in December 1941 by the Russian [[General Winter|winter]] and fierce Soviet resistance (see [[Battle of Moscow]]), and the invasion failed to achieve the quick triumph over the Soviet Union which Hitler had anticipated.

Hitler's declaration of war against the [[United States]] on [[December 11]], [[1941]] four days after the [[Empire of Japan]]'s [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], [[Hawaii]], [[USA]] set him against a coalition that included the world's largest empire (the [[British Empire]]), the world's greatest industrial and financial power (the [[United States|USA]]), and the world's largest army (the [[Soviet Union]]).

In May 1942, [[Reinhard Heydrich]], one of the highest [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] officers and one of Hitler's favorite subordinates, was [[Operation Anthropoid|assassinated by British-trained Czech operatives in Prague]]. Hitler reacted by ordering brutal reprisals, including the massacre of [[Lidice]].

In late 1942, German forces under [[Field Marshal|Feldmarschall]] [[Erwin Rommel]] were defeated in the [[Second Battle of El Alamein|second battle of El Alamein]], thwarting Hitler's plans to seize the [[Suez Canal]] and the [[Middle East]]. In February 1943, the lengthy [[Battle of Stalingrad]] ended with the complete encirclement and destruction of the German [[German Sixth Army|6th Army]]. Both defeats were turning points in the war, although the latter is more commonly considered primary. From this point on, the quality of Hitler's military judgment became increasingly [[erratic]] and Germany's military and economic position deteriorated. Hitler's health was deteriorating too. His left hand started shaking uncontrollably. The biographer [[Ian Kershaw]] and [[University of Miami|UM]] neurology head Abraham Lieberman<ref>[http://www.med.miami.edu/communications/som_news/index.asp?id=12School of Medicine in the News], [[University of Miami]]</ref> believes he suffered from [[Parkinson's disease]]. Other conditions that are suspected by some to have caused some (at least) of his symptoms are [[methamphetamine]] [[addiction]] and [[syphilis]].

Italians overthrew Hitler's ally, [[Benito Mussolini]], in 1943 after [[Operation Husky]], an American and British invasion of [[Sicily]]. Throughout 1943 and 1944, the [[Soviet Union]] steadily forced Hitler's armies into retreat along the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|eastern front]]. On [[June 6]], [[1944]], the Western allied armies landed in northern France in what was the largest [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious]] operation ever conducted, [[Operation Overlord]]. Realists in the German army knew defeat was inevitable and some officers plotted to remove Hitler from power. In July 1944 one of them, [[Claus von Stauffenberg]], planted a [[bomb]] at Hitler's military headquarters in [[Rastenburg]] (the so-called [[July 20 Plot]]), but Hitler narrowly escaped death. He ordered savage reprisals, resulting in the executions of more than 4,900 people<ref>Shirer, William L., ''Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'', ch. 29, ''The Allied Invasion of Western Europe and the Attempt to Kill Hitler'' lists 4,980.</ref> (sometimes by starvation in solitary confinement followed by slow [[strangulation]]). The main resistance movement was destroyed although smaller isolated groups such as [[Die Rote Kapelle]] continued to operate.

===Defeat and death===

{{main|Death of Adolf Hitler}}

[[Image:Stars & Stripes & Hitler Dead2.jpg|left|thumb|Cover of US newspaper ''[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|The Stars and Stripes]]'', May 1945.]]

By the end of 1944, the [[Red Army]] had driven the last German troops from Soviet territory and began entering Central Europe. The [[Western Allies|western allies]] were also rapidly advancing into Germany. The Germans had lost the war from a military perspective, but Hitler allowed no negotiation with the Allied forces, and as a consequence the German military forces continued to fight. Hitler's stubbornness and defiance of military realities also allowed the continued mass killing of Jews and others to continue. He even issued the [[Nero Decree]] on [[March 19]] [[1945]], ordering the destruction of what remained of German industry, communications and transport. However, [[Albert Speer]], who was in charge of that plan, did not carry it out. (The [[Morgenthau Plan]] for postwar Germany, promulgated by the Allies, aimed at a similar deindustrialization.)

In April 1945, Soviet forces were at the [[Battle of Berlin|outskirts of Berlin]]. Hitler's closest lieutenants urged him to flee to [[Bavaria]] or Austria to make a last stand in the mountains, but he seemed determined to either live or die in the capital. [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] leader [[Heinrich Himmler]] tried on his own to inform the Allies (through the [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[diplomat]] Count [[Folke Bernadotte]]) that Germany was prepared to discuss surrender terms. Meanwhile [[Hermann Göring]] sent a telegram from Bavaria in which he argued that since Hitler was cut off in Berlin, as Hitler's designated successor he should assume leadership of Germany. Hitler angrily reacted by dismissing both Himmler and Göring from all their offices and the party and declared them traitors.

After intense [[Urban warfare|street-to-street combat]], when Soviet troops were spotted within a block or two of the [[Reich Chancellory]] in the city centre, Hitler committed suicide in the [[Führerbunker]] on [[April 30]] [[1945]] by means of a self-delivered shot to the head (it is likely he simultaneously bit into a [[cyanide]] ampoule). Hitler's body and that of [[Eva Braun]] (his long-term mistress whom he had married the day before) were put in a bomb crater, partially burned with [[gasoline]] by Führerbunker aides and hastily buried in the Chancellory garden as Russian shells poured down and Red Army infantry continued to advance only two or three hundred metres away. He also had his dog [[Blondi]] poisoned around the same time.

When Russian forces reached the Chancellory, they found his body and an autopsy was performed using dental records (and German dental assistants who were familiar with them) to confirm the identification. To avoid any possibility of creating a potential shrine, the remains of Hitler and Braun were repeatedly moved, then secretly buried by [[SMERSH]] at their new headquarters in [[Magdeburg]]. In April 1970, when the facility was about to be turned over to the East German government, the remains were reportedly exhumed, thoroughly [[Cremation|cremated]], and the ashes finally dumped unceremoniously into the [[Elbe]]. According to the Russian Federal Security Service, a fragment of human skull stored in its archives and displayed to the public in a 2000 exhibition came from the remains of Hitler's body uncovered by the Red Army in Berlin, and is all that remains of Hitler; however, the authenticity of the skull has been challenged by many historians and researchers.

At the time of Hitler's death, most of Germany's infrastructure and major cities were in ruins and he had left explicit orders to complete the destruction. Millions of Germans were dead with millions more wounded or homeless. In his [[Will (law)|will]], he dismissed other Nazi leaders and appointed Grand [[Admiral]] [[Karl Dönitz]] as ''[[Reichspräsident]]'' (President of Germany) and [[Joseph Goebbels|Goebbels]] as ''[[Reichskanzler#Reichskanzler|Reichskanzler]]'' (Chancellor of Germany). However, Goebbels and his wife Magda committed suicide on [[1 May]] [[1945]]. On [[7 May]] [[1945]], in [[Rheims]], France, the German armed forces [[Unconditional surrender|surrendered unconditionally]] to the [[Western Allies]] and on [[8 May]] [[1945]], in Berlin to the [[Soviet Union]] thus [[End of World War II in Europe|ending the war in Europe]] and with the creation of the [[Allied Control Council]] on [[5 June]] [[1945]], the Four Powers assumed "supreme authority with respect to Germany." Adolf Hitler's proclaimed ''Thousand Year Reich'' had lasted 12 years.

==Legacy==

[[Image:Mahnstein.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Outside the building in [[Braunau am Inn]] where Adolf Hitler was born is a [[Hitler birthplace memorial stone|memorial stone]] warning of the horrors of World War II.]]

Since the defeat of Germany in World War II, Hitler, the Nazi Party and the [[Consequences of German Nazism|results of Nazism]] have been regarded in most of the world as synonymous with [[evil]]. Historical and [[Hitler in popular culture|cultural portrayals of Hitler]] in the west are, by virtually universal consensus, condemnatory.

The copyright of Hitler's book ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' in Europe is claimed by the Free State of [[Bavaria]] and will expire in 2015. Reproductions in Germany are generally authorized only for scholarly purposes and in heavily commented form. The situation is however unclear; Werner Maser (whom Theodor Heuss proposed to publish "Mein Kampf" as a weapon against Nazi Ideology) comments that intellectual property cannot be confiscated and so, it still would lie in the hands of Hitler's nephew, who, however, does not want to have anything to do with Hitler's legacy. This situation lead to contested trials, eg., in Poland and Sweden. "Mein Kampf", however, is published in the USA, as well as in other countries such as Turkey and Israel, by publishers with various political positions.

The display of [[swastika]]s or other [[Nazi symbolism|Nazi symbols]] is prohibited in Germany and political extremists are generally under surveillance by the [[Verfassungsschutz]], one of the federal or state-based offices for the protection of the constitution.

There have been instances of public figures referring to Hitler's legacy in neutral or favourable terms, particularly in [[South America]], the [[Islamic World]] and parts of Asia. Future [[Egypt|Egyptian]] President [[Anwar Sadat]] wrote favourably of Hitler in 1953.<ref>[http://hebrewcatholic.org/salvationisfromt.html (Review, Excerpts)] Schoeman, Roy. "Salvation Is from the Jews: The Role of Judaism in Salvation History", Ignatius Press 2004. ISBN 0-89870-975-X</ref> [[Bal Thackeray]], leader of the right-wing [[Shiv Sena]] party in the [[India]]n state of the [[Maharashtra]], declared in 1995 that he was an admirer of Hitler.<ref>[http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/95/0922/nat5.html Portrait of a Demagogue] AsiaWeek's interview with Bal Thackeray</ref> Much of the positive or neutral attitude towards Hitler may partly be because many of these countries were colonies of Allied Powers who were fighting Hitler-led Germany.

{{further|[[Consequences of German Nazism]] and [[Neo-Nazism]]}}

==Hitler's religious beliefs==

{{main|Adolf Hitler's religious beliefs}}

Adolf Hitler was brought up in his family's religion by his [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] parents, but as a school boy he began to reject the Church and Catholicism. After he had left home, he never attended [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] or received the [[Sacrament]]s.

In later life, Hitler's religious beliefs present a discrepant picture: In public statements, he frequently spoke positively about the [[Christianity|Christian]] heritage of German culture and belief in [[Christ]]. Hitler’s private statements, reported by his intimates, are more mixed, showing Hitler as a religious man but also critical of Christianity. However, in contrast to other Nazi leaders, Hitler did not adhere to [[esoteric]] ideas, [[occultism]], or [[neo-paganism]], and ridiculed such beliefs in his book ''[[Mein Kampf]]''. Rather, Hitler advocated a "[[Positive Christianity]]", a belief system purged from what he objected to in traditional Christianity, and reinvented Jesus as a fighter against the Jews.{{fact}}

Hitler believed in a [[Social darwinism|Social Darwinist]] struggle for survival between the different races, among which the "Aryan race" - guided by "Providence" - was supposed to be the torchbearers of civilization and the Jews as enemies of all civilization. Whether his anti-semitism was influenced by older Christian ideas remains disputed.

Among Christian denominations, Hitler favoured Protestantism, which was more open to such reinterpretations. At the same time, he made use of some elements of the Catholic Church's hierarchical organisation, liturgy and phraseology in his politics.

==Health and sexuality==

{{main|Adolf Hitler's medical health}}

===Health===

Hitler's alleged health problems in his later years have long been the subject of debate, and he has variously been suggested to have suffered from [[irritable bowel syndrome]], [[skin lesion]]s, [[irregular heartbeat]], tremors on the left side of his body due to [[Parkinson's disease]], [[syphilis]], and a strongly suggested addiction to [[methamphetamine]].

Most of Hitler's biographers have characterized him as a [[vegetarian]] who abstained from eating meat, beginning in the early 1930s until his death (although his actual dietary habits appear inconsistent and are sometimes hotly disputed). There are reports of him disgusting his guests by giving them graphic accounts of the slaughter of animals in an effort to make them shun meat. A fear of cancer (which his mother died from) is the most widely cited reason, though many authors also assert Hitler had a profound and deep love of animals. He did consume dairy products and eggs, however. [[Martin Bormann]] constructed a large greenhouse close to the [[Berghof (Hitler)|Berghof]] (near [[Berchtesgaden]]) in order to ensure a steady supply of fresh fruits and vegetables for Hitler throughout the war. Personal photographs of Bormann's children tending the greenhouse survive and, by 2005, its foundations were among the only ruins visible in the area which were directly associated with Nazi leaders. For more information on this topic, see [[vegetarianism of Adolf Hitler]].

Hitler was also a dedicated non-smoker and promoted aggressive anti-smoking campaigns throughout Germany. He reportedly promised a gold watch to any of his close associates who quit (and actually gave a few away). Several witness accounts relate that, immediately after his suicide was confirmed, many officers, aides, and secretaries in the Führerbunker lit cigarettes.<ref>[[John Toland (author)|John Toland]], <cite>Adolf Hitler</cite>, p. 741</ref>

Contrary to popular accounts, there seems to be some evidence Hitler did not abstain entirely from [[alcohol]]. After the war, an interrogation in the [[USSR]] of his valet [[Heinz Linge]] could indicate that Hitler drank champagne now and then with [[Eva Braun]].{{fact}}

===Sexuality===

Hitler presented himself to his public as a man without an intimate domestic life, dedicated to his political "mission". He is known to have had a fiancée, [[Mimi Reiter]] in the 1920s, and to have later had a mistress, [[Eva Braun]]. He had a close bond with his niece [[Geli Raubal]], which many commentators have claimed was sexual.<ref>Rosenbaum, R., "Was Hitler 'unnatural'", ''Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of his Evil'', Macmillan, 1998, pp.99-117.</ref> All three women attempted suicide during their relationship with him, a fact which has led to speculation that Hitler may have had unusual sexual fetishes, such as [[urolagnia]], as was claimed by [[Otto Strasser]]. Reiter, the only one to survive the Nazi regime, denies this.<ref>Rosenbaum, op. cit., p.116</ref> During the war and afterwards [[psychoanalysis|psychoanalysts]] offered numerous inconsistent psycho-sexual explanations of his pathology. More recently [[Lothar Machtan]] has argued in his book ''[[The Hidden Hitler]]'' that Hitler was homosexual, while others argue that he was largely [[asexuality|asexual]].

==Hitler's family==

{{main|Hitler (disambiguation)}}

Paula Hitler, the last living member of Adolf Hitler's immediate family, died in 1960.

The most prominent, and longest-living direct descendants of Adolf Hitler's father, Alois, was Adolf's nephew [[William Patrick Hitler]]. With his wife Phyllis, he eventually moved to [[Long Island, New York]] and had four sons. None of William Hitler's children have yet had any children of their own.

Over the years various investigative reporters have attempted to track down other distant relatives of the Führer; many are now alleged to be living inconspicuous lives and have long since changed their last name.

[[Image:Hitlerfamilytree.png|thumb|570px|center|Adolf Hitler's [[genealogy]].]]

[[Image:Evabrown-by-Hitler.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Sketch of [[Eva Braun]] by Hitler.]]

*[[Eva Braun]], mistress and then wife

*[[Alois Hitler]], father

*[[Klara Hitler]], mother

*[[Paula Hitler]], sister

*[[Alois Hitler, Jr.]], half-brother

*[[Bridget Dowling]], sister-in-law

*[[William Patrick Hitler]], nephew

*[[Heinz Hitler]], nephew

*[[Angela Hitler|Angela Hitler Raubal]], half-sister

*[[Maria Schicklgruber]], grandmother

*[[Johann Georg Hiedler]], presumed grandfather

*[[Johann Nepomuk Hiedler]], maternal great-grandfather, presumed great uncle and possibly Hitler's true paternal grandfather

*[[Geli Raubal]], niece and rumoured mistress

==People associated with Hitler==

{{main|List of Nazi Party leaders and officials|List of former Nazis influential after 1945}}

*[[Martin Bormann]], Adolf Hitler's secretary.

*[[Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche]], sister of philosopher [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] and Hitler supporter.

*[[Hans Frank]], Hitler's lawyer and later senior Nazi official in occupied Poland.

*[[Joseph Goebbels]], Minister of Propaganda.

*[[Hermann Göring]], Reichsmarschall, Commander of the Luftwaffe, founder of the Gestapo.

*[[Rudolf Hess]], Hitler's deputy as party leader, best known for his flight to Scotland to negotiate peace in 1941.

*[[Reinhard Heydrich]], chief of the Reich Main Security Office (including the [[Gestapo]])

*[[Heinrich Himmler]], leader of the SS, key figure in the Holocaust and the "Final Solution".

*[[Heinrich Hoffmann]], official photographer from 1920 to 1945.

*[[Alfred Jodl]], military officer, knew Hitler since 1923.

*[[Wilhelm Keitel]], military Field Marshal during World War II.

*[[August Kubizek]], close friend and roommate in Vienna

*[[Leopold Poetsch]], Hitler's [[anti-Semitic]] school teacher

*[[Leni Riefenstahl]], friend and filmmaker who documented the Nazi party.

*[[Erwin Rommel]], the famous "Desert Fox", a highly skilled Field Marshal during World War II who was forced to commit suicide after being implicated in a plot against Hitler.

*[[Ernst Röhm]], leader of the SA and internal critic, killed in the [[Night of the Long Knives]] (1934).

*[[Albert Speer]], Hitler's personal architect, Minister of armaments. Close friend to Hitler.

*[[Paul Troost]], famous architect who served before Speer.

*[[Winifred Wagner]], head of the Wagner family and close friend of Hitler's.

==Miscellany==

{{toomuchtrivia}}

*A nickname for Hitler used by German soldiers was ''Gröfaz'', a derogatory and/or sarcastic abbreviation for ''Größter Feldherr aller Zeiten'' ("Greatest War Lord of all Time"), a title initially publicized by Nazi [[propaganda]] after the surprisingly quick [[Battle of France|fall of France]]. Nicknames by others were more disparaging. General [[George S. Patton]] referred to Hitler as "that paper-hanging son of a bitch!", after Hitler's habit of going over wall maps with his staff. Some within his staff called him "carpet eater", after seeing him fly into a rage so intense that it left him on the floor gripping the carpet with his teeth and fists{{fact}}.

*Hitler did not like women to wear [[cosmetics]], since they contained animal by-products, and frequently teased his mistress [[Eva Braun]] about her habit of wearing makeup.<ref>[[Hugh Trevor-Roper]] (ed.), <cite>Hitler's Table Talk, 1941-1944</cite>, section 66</ref>

*Hitler's wearing of the [[toothbrush moustache]] has caused it to fall out of popular use{{fact}}.

*He almost never wore a uniform to social engagements, which he attended frequently whenever in Berlin during the 1930s. When he did wear uniforms, they were tailored and understated compared to those of other prominent Nazis who often wore elaborate uniforms with extensive decorations and medals.

*According to the 2001 documentary ''[[The Tramp and the Dictator]]'', the [[Charlie Chaplin]] parody/satire ''[[The Great Dictator]]'' was not only sent to Hitler, but an eyewitness claimed he did see it.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/tramp-and-the-dictator.shtml The Tramp and the Dictator]. BBC. ''Accessed [[June 22]] [[2006]].''</ref> Chaplin has been quoted as saying, "I'd have given anything to know what he thought of it."

*Hitler's favourite film is variously credited as being ''[[King Kong]]'' (1933) or ''[[The Lives of a Bengal Lancer]]'' (1935) and his favourite opera was [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''[[Rienzi]]'', of which he claimed to have seen over 40 performances. {{cn}}

*In the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Radio]] series [[the Bradshaws]], many references are made to Hitler, mostly because Audreys uncle, [[The Bradshaws#Uncle Wally one-ball|Uncle wally one-ball]] has only one [[Testicle]] (in an [[urban legend]] it is said that Hitler had only one testicle).

==Hitler in various media==

{{commonscat|Adolf Hitler}}

{{seealso|Hitler in popular culture}}

===Movie clip===

{{multi-video start}}

{{multi-video item|filename=Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden.ogg|title=Hitler at Berchtesgaden |description= Video clips of Hitler at his mountain retreat in [[Berchtesgaden]], [[Germany]].|format=[[Theora]]}}

{{multi-video end}}

===Speeches and talk by Hitler===

{{main|List of Adolf Hitler speeches}}

Hitler was a gifted [[orator]] who captivated many with his beating of the lectern and growling, emotional speech. Authentic though they may seem, Hitler's speeches were full of propaganda and rhetoric, used to touch a spot with his audience as a way to persuade them. While his early speeches were rather amateurish, over time Hitler perfected his delivery by rehearsing in front of mirrors and carefully choreographing his display of emotions with the message he was trying to convey.<ref>[http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/machtrede.htm The Power of Speech] by A. E. Frauenfeld. Calvin College</ref><ref>[http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/ahspeak.htm The Führer as a Speaker] by Dr. Joseph Goebbels. Calvin College</ref>

===Recording of Hitler in private conversation===

Hitler visited Finnish [[Field Marshal]] [[Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim|Mannerheim]] on his 75th birthday on the [[June 4]] [[1942]]. During the visit an engineer of the Finnish broadcasting company [[YLE]], Thor Damen, recorded Hitler and Mannerheim in a private conversation, something which had to be done secretly as Hitler never allowed recordings of him off-guard.[http://www.hs.fi/english/article/1076153999513] Today the recording is the only known recording of Hitler not speaking in an official tone. The recording captures 11 and a half minutes of the two leaders in private conversation.[http://www.yle.fi/elavaarkisto/?s=s&g=1&ag=3&t=22&a=376] Hitler speaks in a slightly excited, but still intellectually detached manner during this talk (the speech has been compared to that of the working class). The majority of the recording is a monologue by Hitler. In the recording, Hitler admits to underestimating the Soviet Union's ability to conduct war (some English transcripts exist [http://www.wargamer.com/articles/bdvisit2.asp] [http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=88528&sid=b157dd8635d95881d5da965bd53ce87a]).

*[http://www.yle.fi/elavaarkisto/?s=s&g=1&ag=3&t=22&a=376 Recording on the YLE Internet Archieve]

===Films===

During Hitler's reign, he appeared in and was involved to varying degrees with a series of films by the pioneering filmmaker [[Leni Riefenstahl]]:

*''[[Der Sieg des Glaubens]]'' (''The Victory of Faith'', 1933).

*''[[Triumph of the Will|Triumph des Willens]]'' (''Triumph of the Will'', 1934), co-produced by Hitler.

*''[[Tag der Freiheit|Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht]]'' (''Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces'', 1935).

*''[[Olympia (film)|Olympia]]'' (1938).

Hitler was the central figure of the first three films, that focused on the [[Nuremberg rally|party rallies]] of the respective years and are considered propaganda films, and features prominently in the ''Olympia'' film. Whether the latter is a propaganda film or a mere documentation is controversial, but it nonetheless perpetuated and spread the propagandistic message of the 1936 [[Olympic Games]], depicting Nazi Germany as a prosperous and peaceful country.

*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0386944/ IMDb: Adolf Hitler]

===Documentaries===

* ''[[The World at War]]'' (1974) is a famous [[Thames Television]] series which contains much information about Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, including an interview with his secretary, [[Traudl Junge]].

* ''Adolf Hitler's Last Days'', from the BBC series "Secrets of World War II" tells the story about Hitler's last days during World War II.

*''[[Im toten Winkel|Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary]]'' (2002) is an exclusive 90 minute interview with Traudl Junge, Hitler's final trusted secretary. Made by Austrian Jewish director André Heller shortly before Junge's death from lung cancer, Junge recalls the last days in the Berlin bunker. Clips used in ''Downfall''.

===Dramatizations===

* ''[[Hitler: The Last Ten Days]]'' (1973) is a movie depicting the days leading up to Adolf Hitler's death, starring Sir Alec Guinness.

* ''[[The Bunker]]'' (1978) by James O'Donnell, describing the last days in the [[Führerbunker]] from [[1945-01-17]] to [[1945-05-02]]. Made into the TV movie ''[[The Bunker#Movie|The Bunker]]'' (1981), starring Anthony Hopkins.

* ''[[Hitler: The Rise of Evil]]'' (2003) is a two-part TV series about the early years of Adolf Hitler and his rise to power (up to 1933). Stars [[Robert Carlyle]].

* ''[[Der Untergang]]'' ''(Downfall)'' (2004) is a German movie about the last days of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, starring [[Bruno Ganz]]. This film is partly based on the autobiography of [[Traudl Junge]], a favorite secretary of Hitler's. In 2002 Junge said she felt great guilt for "...liking the greatest criminal ever to have lived."

*[http://www.syberberg.de Hans-Jürgen Syberberg]'s [http://www.german-cinema.de/archive/film_view.php?film_id=404 ''Hitler - Ein Film aus Deutschland''] ''(Hitler, A Film From Germany)'', 1977. Originally presented on German television, this is a 7-hour work in 4 parts: The Grail; A German Dream; The End Of Winter's Tale; We, Children Of Hell. The director uses documentary clips, photographic backgrounds, puppets, theatrical stages, and other elements from almost all the visual arts, with the "actors" addressing directly the audience/camera, in order to approach and expand on this most taboo subject of European history of the 20th century.

*[[Max (film)|''Max'']] is a 2002 [[Drama movie]], that depicts a friendship between art dealer Max Rothman (who is Jewish) and a young Adolf Hitler as a failed painter in [[Vienna]].

===Further reading===

{{main|List of Adolf Hitler books}}

Many books have been written about Adolf Hitler with his life and legacy thoroughly researched. See [[List of Adolf Hitler books|this list]] for an extensive [[annotated bibliography]] of books related to Adolf Hitler.

==See also==

{{further|[[:Category:Adolf Hitler]]}}

==References==

{{reflist|2}}

==External links==

{{sisterlinks|Adolf Hitler}}

*[http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/hitler/lectures.html Comprehensive lectures on the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party]

*[http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/projects/hitler/hitler.htm Portrayals of Hitler Project] How Hitler has been viewed over the years.

*[http://www.bytwerk.com/gpa/hitler2.htm Photographs of Adolf Hitler]

*{{imdb name|id=0386944|name=Adolf Hitler}}

*[http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/library/donovan/hitler 1943 Psychological Profile of Hitler] written by Dr. Henry A. Murray for the wartime [[Office of Strategic Services]] [1943 OSS Archives, DD247.H5 M87 1943]

*[http://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/movies/hitler_color Color Footage of Hitler] - Watch color footage of Hitler during WWII

*[http://www.mondopolitico.com/library/meinkampf/introduction.htm Hitler's ''Mein Kampf''] (full text)

*[http://www.yle.fi/elavaarkisto/?s=s&g=1&ag=3&t=22&a=376 Finnish Broadcasting Company recording of Adolf Hitler speaking in Mannerheim's birthday] The world's only recording of Adolf Hitler's natural speech. More of the subject: [http://www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/docs/Mannerheim/recording_040642.html]

{{s-start}}

{{s-off}}

{{s-bef | before=[[Anton Drexler]]}}

{{s-ttl | title=[[National Socialist German Workers Party|Leader of the NSDAP]] | years=1921&ndash;1945}}

{{s-aft | rows=2 | after=None}}

{{s-bef | before=[[Franz Pfeffer von Salomon]]}}

{{s-ttl | title=[[Oberste SA-Führer|Leader of the SA]] | years=1930&ndash;1945}}

{{succession box | before = [[Kurt von Schleicher]] | title = [[Chancellor of Germany]]^(a) | years = 1933&ndash;1945 | after = [[Joseph Goebbels]]}}

{{succession box | before = [[Paul von Hindenburg]] (as President) | title = [[Führer|''Führer und Reichskanzler'']]^(a)| years = 1934&ndash;1945|after = [[Karl Dönitz]] (as President) }}

{{succession box | before = [[Walther von Brauchitsch]]| title = [[Oberkommando des Heeres|Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres (Army Commander)]]| years = 1941&ndash;1945 | after = [[Ferdinand Schörner]]}}

{{succession footnote| marker=^(a)| footnote=The offices of Head of State and of Chancellor were combined 1934-1945 in the office of Führer und Reichskanzler}}

{{end box}}

{{GermanChancellors}}

{{Cabinet Hitler}}

{{Adolf Hitler}}

{{Final occupants of the Führerbunker}}

<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->

{{Persondata

|NAME=Hitler, Adolf

|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=

|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[Führer]] of the National Socialist German Workers Party; [[Reichskanzler]] of Germany

|DATE OF BIRTH=[[April 20]] [[1889]]

|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Braunau am Inn]], [[Austria]]

|DATE OF DEATH=[[April 30]] [[1945]]

|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Berlin]], [[Germany]]

}}

{{Naruto characters}}

[[Category:1889 births|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:1945 deaths|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:Adolf Hitler| ]]

[[Category:Hitler family|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:Chancellors of Germany|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:Nazi leaders|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:German military leaders|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:German anti-communists|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:World War II political leaders|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:Time magazine Persons of the Year|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:Wagnerites|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:Austrian Germans|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:German political writers|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:German vegetarians|Hitler, Adolf]]

[[Category:German veterans of World War I|Hitler, Adolf]]

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[[Category:Military personnel who committed suicide|Hitler, Adolf]]

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