Hitler, Adolf#

b. Braunau am Inn (Upper Austria), April 20, 1889, d. Berlin (Germany, suicide), April 30, 1945; grew up without regular education, lived in miserable conditions working as an assistant to construction workers and "painter" in Vienna, in 1913 went to Munich to evade Austrian military service, but joined the Bavarian army during World War I. 1921 became leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), in 1923 made his first attempt to seize power in a notorious coup. Was arrested and during his imprisonment wrote "Mein Kampf", in which he attempts to justify his political stance. 1925 gave up Austrian citizenship and remained stateless until 1932 when he was awarded German citizenship. On Jan. 30, 1933 became head of the German government (Reich Chancellor) and in 1934 became president (Reich President), from then on united the offices of party leader, head of government and head of state in "Fuehrer und Reichskanzler" (Leader and Reich Chancellor); established a dictatorship and carried out an extremely aggressive foreign policy (annexation of Austria and of Sudetenland, invasion of Czechoslovakia) and on September 1, 1939 started ( Second World War). Two attempts to assassinate him, on Nov. 9, 1939 and July 20, 1944 failed.

Developed his own anti-bourgeois and anti-Semitic ideology based on principles of racialism and power; these views had their origin in political events and in the tendencies of Pan-Germanic movements in Austria (G. Ritter* von Schoenerer) ( Deutschnationale Bewegung). He bears the main responsibility for the organised genocide of the Jews, for murdering political dissidents and for mass murders by his task force on the eastern front.

Sources: M. Domarus, H. Reden und Proklamationen 1932-45, 1965; H. Saemtl. Aufzeichnungen 1905-1924, 1980; H. Reden, Schriften, Anordnungen 1925-33, 2 vols., 1992/94.

Literature#