The official census indicates that Adolf was born in Austria in April 1889. There is a version that his father Alois Schicklgruber was illegitimate and until the age of 14 he bore his mother’s surname. Later his mother married a certain I.G. Hidler (over time this surname changed a little), and under this surname Alois had already begun his youthful life, i.e. Adolf himself was already born into a family of full-fledged Hitlers.
The stepfather belonged to a family of Jews of Czech origin. Naturally, he had nothing to do with Adolf’s family tree. In 1928, after a series of investigations, a theory emerged that Adolf's grandfather might have been Jewish. Most opponents of Hitler's political beliefs happily supported this version, trying to discredit his personality and raise the question of his membership in the SS. Gaps in the biography of the German Fuhrer contributed to the strengthening of this theory. However, having looked up secret archives, historians came to the conclusion that there are no Jewish roots in Hitler’s family. And today this version is recognized as official, completely refuting the Jewish origin of the Fuhrer. After a detailed study of declassified documents, it was established that Hitler’s family tree included only Austrians for several generations.
Adolf Hitler (April 20 1889 1945 1933 -1945 ).
1876
Youth. First world war. At the age of 16, Hitler graduated from a real school in Linz, which did not provide a complete secondary education. Attempts to enter the Vienna Academy of Art were unsuccessful. After the death of his mother ( 1908
Leader of the NSDAP. Defeat in the war of the German Empire and the November Revolution 1918
At the end 1918 1919
Software installations of Nazism. The basic ideas of Hitler that had emerged by this time were reflected in the NSDAP program (25 points), the core of which was the following demands: 1) restoration of the power of Germany by uniting all Germans under a single state roof; 2) assertion of the dominance of the German Empire in Europe, mainly in the east of the continent in Slavic lands; 3) cleansing German territory from the “foreigners” littering it, especially Jews; 4) liquidation of the rotten parliamentary regime, replacing it with a vertical hierarchy corresponding to the German spirit, in which the will of the people is personified in a leader endowed with absolute power; 5) liberation of the people from the dictates of global financial capital and full support for small and handicraft production, creativity of persons of liberal professions.
↓Adolf Hitler (April 20 1889 , Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary - April 30 1945 , Berlin), Fuhrer and Imperial Chancellor (dictator) of Germany ( 1933 -1945 ).
Hitler was born into the family of an Austrian customs official who, before 1876 years, he adopted the surname Schicklgruber (hence the widespread belief that this is Hitler’s real surname).
Youth. First World War. At the age of 16, Hitler graduated from a real school in Linz, which did not provide a complete secondary education. Attempts to enter the Vienna Academy of Art were unsuccessful. After the death of his mother ( 1908 ) Hitler moved to Vienna, where he lived in homeless shelters and did odd jobs. During this period, he managed to sell several of his watercolors, which gave him grounds to call himself an artist. His views were formed under the influence of the extreme nationalist Linz professor Petsch and the famous anti-Semite Lord Mayor of Vienna K. Lueger. Hitler felt hostility towards the Slavs (especially the Czechs) and hatred towards the Jews. He believed in the greatness and special mission of the German nation.
On the eve of the First World War, Hitler moved to Munich, where he led his old lifestyle. In the first years of the war he volunteered for German army. He served as a private, then as a corporal, and took part in combat operations. He was wounded twice and awarded the Iron Cross of the 2nd and 1st degrees.
Leader of the NSDAP. Defeat in the war of the German Empire and the November Revolution 1918 Hitler perceived the year as a personal tragedy. He considered the Weimar Republic to be the product of traitors who “stabbed in the back” the victorious German army.
At the end 1918 year he returned to Munich and joined the Reichswehr. On behalf of the command, he was engaged in collecting compromising material on participants in the revolutionary events in Munich. On the recommendation of Captain E. Rehm (who became Hitler’s closest ally), he became a member of the so-called Munich right-wing radical organization. German Workers' Party. Quickly ousting its creators from the leadership of the party, he became the sovereign leader of the Fuhrer. On Hitler's initiative 1919 year, the party adopted a new name, the German National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (in German transcription NSDAP). In German journalism of that time, the party was ironically called “Nazi” and its supporters “Nazis.” This name stuck with the NSDAP.
Software installations of Nazism. The basic ideas of Hitler that had emerged by this time were reflected in the NSDAP program (25 points), the core of which was the following demands: 1) restoration of the power of Germany by uniting all Germans under a single state roof; 2) assertion of the dominance of the German Empire in Europe, mainly in the east of the continent in the Slavic lands; 3) cleansing German territory from the “foreigners” littering it, especially Jews; 4) liquidation of the rotten parliamentary regime, replacing it with a vertical hierarchy corresponding to the German spirit, in which the will of the people is personified in a leader endowed with absolute power; 5) liberation of the people from the dictates of global financial capital and full support for small and handicraft production, creativity of persons of liberal professions.
These ideas were outlined in Hitler’s autobiographical book “My Struggle” (Hitler A. “Mein Kampf”. Muenchen., 1933 ).
"Beer Hall Putsch" Back to top 1920 s, the NSDAP became one of the most prominent right-wing extremist organizations in Bavaria. E. Rehm stood at the head of the assault troops (German abbreviation SA). Hitler quickly became a political figure to be reckoned with, at least within Bavaria.
Towards the end 1923 years, the crisis in Germany worsened. In Bavaria, supporters of the overthrow of the parliamentary government and the establishment of a dictatorship grouped around the head of the Bavarian administration, von Kahr; an active role in the coup was assigned to Hitler and his party.
November 8 1923 Hitler, speaking at a rally in the Munich beer hall "Bürgerbraukeler", proclaimed the beginning national revolution and announced the overthrow of the government of traitors in Berlin. Top Bavarian officials, led by von Kahr, joined in this statement. At night, NSDAP assault troops began to occupy administrative buildings in Munich. However, soon von Kar and his entourage decided to compromise with the center. When Hitler led his supporters into the central square on November 9 and led them to the Feldgerenhala, Reichswehr units opened fire on them. Carrying away the dead and wounded, the Nazis and their supporters fled the streets. This episode went down in German history under the name “Beer Hall Putsch.”
In February-March 1924 The trial of the leaders of the coup took place. Only Hitler and several of his associates were in the dock. The court sentenced Hitler to 5 years in prison, but after 9 months he was released.
Hitler Reich Chancellor. During the absence of the leader, the party disintegrated. Hitler had to practically start all over again. Rem provided him with great help, beginning the restoration of the assault troops. However, a decisive role in the Revival of the NSDAP was played by Gregor Strasser, the leader of right-wing extremist movements in Northern and Northwestern Germany. By bringing them into the ranks of the NSDAP, he helped transform the party from a regional (Bavarian) into a national political force.
Meanwhile, Hitler was looking for support at the all-German level. He managed to win the trust of the generals, as well as establish contacts with industrial magnates. When are the parliamentary elections in 1930 And 1932 years brought the Nazis a serious increase in parliamentary mandates, the ruling circles of the country began to seriously consider the NSDAP as a possible participant in government combinations. An attempt was made to remove Hitler from the leadership of the party and rely on Strasser. However, Hitler managed to quickly isolate his associate and close friend and deprive him of all influence in the party. In the end, the German leadership decided to give Hitler the main administrative and political post, surrounding him (just in case) with guardians from traditional conservative parties. January 31 1933 President Hindenburg appointed Hitler Reich Chancellor (Prime Minister of Germany).
Already in the first months of his stay in power, Hitler demonstrated that he did not intend to take into account restrictions, no matter who they came from. Using the Nazi-organized burning of the parliament building (Reichstag) as a pretext, he began the wholesale “unification” of Germany. First the communist and then the social democratic parties were banned. A number of parties were forced to dissolve themselves. Trade unions were liquidated, the property of which was transferred to the Nazi labor front. Opponents new government were sent to concentration camps without trial or investigation. Mass persecution of “foreigners” began, culminating a few years later in Operation Endlözung (final solution), aimed at the physical extermination of the entire Jewish population.
Hitler's personal (real and potential) rivals in the party (and outside it) did not escape repression. On June 30, he personally took part in the destruction of SA leaders who were suspected of disloyalty to the Fuhrer. The first victim of this massacre was Hitler's longtime ally, Rehm. Strasser, von Kahr, former Reich Chancellor General Schleicher and other figures were physically destroyed. Hitler acquired absolute power over Germany.
World War II. To strengthen the mass base of his regime, Hitler carried out a number of measures designed to gain popular support. Unemployment was sharply reduced and then eliminated. Large-scale humanitarian aid campaigns have been launched for people in need. Mass, cultural and sports celebrations, etc. were encouraged. However, the basis of the policy of the Hitler regime was preparation for revenge for the lost First World War. For this purpose, industry was reconstructed, large-scale construction began, and strategic reserves were created. In the spirit of revenge, propaganda indoctrination of the population was carried out. Hitler committed gross violations of the Treaty of Versailles, which limited Germany's military efforts. The small Reichswehr was transformed into a million-strong Wehrmacht, restored tank troops and military aviation. The status of the demilitarized Rhine Zone was abolished. With the connivance of the leading European powers, Czechoslovakia was dismembered, the Czech Republic was absorbed, and Austria was annexed. Having secured Stalin's approval, Hitler sent his troops into Poland. IN 1939 the year the Second World War began. Having achieved success in military operations against France and England and conquered almost the entire western part of the continent, 1941 Hitler turned his troops against the Soviet Union. The defeats of the Soviet troops at the first stage of the Soviet-German war led to the occupation by Hitler's troops of the Baltic republics, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and part of Russia. A brutal occupation regime was established in the occupied territories, which killed many millions of people. However, from the end 1942 years, Hitler's armies began to suffer defeats. IN 1944 year Soviet territory was liberated from occupation, fighting was approaching the German borders. Hitler's troops were forced to retreat in the west as a result of the offensive of the Anglo-American divisions that landed in Italy and on the coast of France.
Suicide of the Fuhrer. IN 1944 year, a conspiracy was organized against Hitler, the purpose of which was his physical elimination and the conclusion of peace with the advancing allied forces. The Fuhrer was aware that the complete defeat of Germany was inevitably approaching. April 30 1945 year, in surrounded Berlin, Hitler, together with his partner Eva Braun (whom he had married the day before), committed suicide.
Adolf Hitler(German: Adolf Hitler [ˈaːdɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ]; April 20, 1889, the village of Ranshofen (now part of the city of Braunau am Inn), Austria-Hungary - April 30, 1945, Berlin, Germany) - the founder and central figure of National Socialism, founder totalitarian dictatorship of the Third Reich, leader ( Fuhrer) National Socialist German Workers' Party (1921-1945), Reich Chancellor (1933-1945) and Fuhrer (1934-1945) of Germany, Supreme Commander of the German Armed Forces (from December 19, 1941) in World War II.
Hitler's expansionist policy became one of the main reasons for the outbreak of World War II. His name is associated with numerous crimes against humanity committed Nazi regime both in Germany itself and in the territories it occupied, including the Holocaust. The International Military Tribunal found the organizations created by Hitler (SS, Security Service (SD) and Gestapo) and the leadership of the Nazi Party itself criminal.
Etymology of the surname
According to the famous German philologist and onomastics specialist Max Gottschald (1882-1952), the surname “Hitler” ( Hitlaer, Hiedler) was identical to the surname Hütler(“keeper”, probably “forest ranger”, Waldhütler).
Pedigree
Father - Alois Hitler (1837-1903). Mother - Clara Hitler (1860-1907), née Pölzl.
Alois, being illegitimate, until 1876 bore the surname of his mother Maria Anna Schicklgruber (German: Schicklgruber). Five years after the birth of Alois, Maria Schicklgruber married miller Johann Georg Hiedler, who spent his entire life in poverty and did not have his own home. In 1876, three witnesses certified that Gidler, who died in 1857, was the father of Alois, which allowed the latter to change his surname. The change in the spelling of the surname to “Hitler” was allegedly caused by a mistake by the priest when recording in the “Birth Registration Book”. Modern researchers consider the probable father of Alois not Gidler, but his brother Johann Nepomuk Güttler, who took Alois into his house and raised him.
Adolf Hitler himself, contrary to what has been widespread since the 1920s and came from the suggestion of a candidate of historical sciences, associate professor and senior researcher at the Institute general history USSR Academy of Sciences V.D. Kulbakin, even in the 3rd edition of the TSB statement, never bore the surname Schicklgruber.
On January 7, 1885, Alois married his relative (great-niece of Johann Nepomuk Güttler) Clara Pölzl. This was his third marriage. By this time he had a son, Alois, and a daughter, Angela, who later became the mother of Geli Raubal, Hitler's alleged mistress. Because of family ties Alois had to get permission from the Vatican to marry Clara.
Hitler knew about the incest in his family and therefore always spoke very briefly and vaguely about his parents, although he demanded from others documentary evidence of their ancestors. Since the end of 1921, he began to constantly reassess and obscure his origins. He wrote only a few sentences about his father and maternal grandfather. On the contrary, he mentioned his mother very often in conversations. Because of this, he did not tell anyone that he was related (in a direct line from Johann Nepomuk) to the Austrian historian Rudolf Koppensteiner and the Austrian poet Robert Hamerling.
Adolf's direct ancestors, both through the Schicklgruber and Hitler lines, were peasants. Only the father made a career and became a government official.
Hitler had an attachment to the places of his childhood only to Leonding, where his parents were buried, Spital, where his maternal relatives lived, and Linz. He visited them even after coming to power.
Childhood
Adolf Hitler was born in Austria, in the city of Braunau am Inn near the border with Germany on April 20, 1889 at 18:30 at the Pomeranz Hotel. Two days later he was baptized with the name Adolf. Hitler was very similar to his mother. The eyes, shape of the eyebrows, mouth and ears were exactly like hers. His mother, who gave birth to him at the age of 29, loved him very much. Before that, she lost three children.
Until 1892, the family lived in Braunau in the Hotel U Pomeranz, the most representative house in the suburb. In addition to Adolf, his half-brother Alois and sister Angela lived in the family. In August 1892, the father received a promotion and the family moved to Passau.
On March 24, brother Edmund (1894-1900) was born, and Adolf ceased to be the center of attention of the family for some time. On April 1, my father received a new appointment in Linz. But the family remained in Passau for another year so as not to move with the newborn baby.
In April 1895, the family gathers in Linz. On May 1, Adolf, at the age of six, entered a one-year public school in Fischlgam near Lambach. And on June 25, my father unexpectedly retired early due to health reasons. In July 1895, the family moved to Gafeld near Lambach am Traun, where the father bought a house with a plot of land of 38 thousand square meters. m.
IN elementary school In Fischlgam, Adolf studied well and received only excellent marks. In 1939, he visited this school and bought it, and then ordered the construction of a new school building nearby.
On January 21, 1896, Adolf's sister Paula was born. He was especially attached to her all his life and always took care of her.
In 1896, Hitler entered the second grade of the Lambach school of the old Catholic Benedictine monastery, which he attended until the spring of 1898. Here he also received only good grades. He sang in the boys' choir and was an assistant priest during mass. Here he first saw a swastika on the coat of arms of Abbot Hagen. Later he ordered the same one to be carved out of wood in his office.
In the same year, due to his father’s constant nagging, his half-brother Alois left home. After this Adolf became central figure paternal worries and constant pressure, since his father was afraid that Adolf would grow up to be the same slacker as his brother.
In November 1897, the father purchased a house in the village of Leonding near Linz, where the whole family moved in February 1898. The house was located near the cemetery.
Adolf changed schools for the third time and went to fourth grade here. He attended the public school in Leonding until September 1900.
After the death of his brother Edmund on February 2, 1900, Adolf remained the only son of Klara Hitler.
Hitler (in the center) with classmates. 1900
It was in Leonding that he developed a critical attitude towards the church under the influence of his father's statements.
In September 1900, Adolf entered the first grade of the state real school in Linz. Adolf did not like the change from a rural school to a large and alien real school in the city. He only liked to walk the 6 km distance from home to school.
From that time on, Adolf began to learn only what he liked - history, geography and especially drawing; I didn't notice everything else. As a result of this attitude towards his studies, he stayed for the second year in the first grade of a real school.
Youth
When 13-year-old Adolf was in the second grade of a real school in Linz, his father unexpectedly died on January 3, 1903. Despite the continuous disputes and strained relationships, Adolf still loved his father and sobbed uncontrollably at the grave.
At his mother’s request, he continued to go to school, but finally decided for himself that he would be an artist, and not an official, as his father wanted. In the spring of 1903 he moved to a school dormitory in Linz. I began to attend classes at school irregularly.
On September 14, 1903, Angela got married, and now only Adolf, his sister Paula and his mother’s sister Johanna Pölzl remained in the house with her mother.
When Adolf was 15 years old and finishing the third grade of a real school, his confirmation took place on May 22, 1904 in Linz. During this period, he composed a play, wrote poetry and short stories, and also composed a libretto for Wagner's opera based on Wieland's legend and an overture.
He still went to school with disgust, and most of all he disliked French. In the fall of 1904, he passed the exam in this subject the second time, but they made him promise that he would go to another school in the fourth grade. Gemer, who at that time taught Adolf French and other subjects, said at Hitler’s trial in 1924: “Hitler was undoubtedly gifted, albeit one-sidedly. He almost did not know how to control himself, he was stubborn, self-willed, wayward and hot-tempered. Wasn't diligent." Based on numerous evidence, we can conclude that already in his youth Hitler showed pronounced psychopathic traits.
In September 1904, Hitler, while performing given promise, entered the state real school in Steyr in the fourth grade and studied there until September 1905. In Steyr he lived in the house of the merchant Ignaz Kammerhofer at Grünmarket 19. Subsequently, this place was renamed Adolf Hitlerplatz.
On February 11, 1905, Adolf received a certificate of completion of the fourth grade of a real school. The “excellent” grade was given only in drawing and physical education; in German, French, mathematics, shorthand - unsatisfactory; in other subjects - satisfactory.
On June 21, 1905, the mother sold the house in Leonding and moved with the children to Linz at 31 Humboldt Street.
In the autumn of 1905, Hitler, at the request of his mother, reluctantly began to attend school in Steyr again and retake the exams to obtain a certificate for the fourth grade.
At this time, he was diagnosed with a serious lung disease - the doctor advised his mother to postpone his schooling for at least a year and recommended that he never work in an office in the future. Adolf's mother picked him up from school and took him to Spital to see his relatives.
On January 18, 1907, the mother underwent a complex operation (breast cancer). In September, when his mother's health improved, 18-year-old Hitler went to Vienna to surrender entrance examination to a general art school, but did not pass the second round of exams. After the exams, Hitler managed to get a meeting with the rector, from whom he received advice to take up architecture: Hitler’s drawings testified to his abilities in this art.
In November 1907, Hitler returned to Linz and took charge of caring for his hopelessly ill mother. On December 21, 1907, Klara Hitler died, and on December 23, Adolf buried her next to her father.
In February 1908, after settling matters related to the inheritance and obtaining pensions for himself and his sister Paula as orphans, Hitler left for Vienna.
A friend of his youth, Kubizek, and other comrades of Hitler testify that he was constantly at odds with everyone and felt hatred for everything that surrounded him. Therefore, his biographer Joachim Fest admits that Hitler's anti-Semitism was a focused form of hatred that had previously raged in the dark and finally found its object in the Jew.
In September 1908, Hitler made a second attempt to enter the Vienna Academy of Art, but failed in the first round. After the failure, Hitler changed his place of residence several times, without telling anyone new addresses. He avoided serving in the Austrian army. He did not want to serve in the same army with the Czechs and Jews, to fight “for the Habsburg state,” but at the same time he was ready to die for the German Reich. He got a job as an “academic artist”, and from 1909 as a writer.
In 1909, Hitler met Reinhold Hanisch, who began to successfully sell his paintings. Until mid-1910, Hitler painted a lot of small-format paintings in Vienna. These were mostly copies of postcards and old engravings, depicting all sorts of historical buildings in Vienna. In addition, he drew all kinds of advertisements. In August 1910, Hitler told the Vienna police station that Hanisch had hidden part of the proceeds from him and stolen one painting. Ganish was sent to prison for seven days. From that time on, Hitler himself sold his paintings. His work brought him such a large income that in May 1911 he refused the monthly pension due to him as an orphan in favor of his sister Paula. In addition, in the same year he received most of inheritance from his aunt Johanna Pölzl.
During this period, Hitler began to intensively educate himself. Subsequently, he was free to communicate and read literature and newspapers in the original French and English. During the war, he liked to watch French and English films without translation. He was very well versed in the armaments of the armies of the world, history, etc. At the same time, he developed an interest in politics.
In May 1913, Hitler, at the age of 24, moved from Vienna to Munich and settled in the apartment of tailor and shop owner Joseph Popp on Schleißheimer Straße. Here he lived until the outbreak of the First World War, working as an artist.
On December 29, 1913, the Austrian police asked the Munich police to establish the address of the hiding Hitler. On January 19, 1914, the Munich criminal police brought Hitler to the Austrian consulate. On February 5, 1914, Hitler went to Salzburg for an examination, where he was declared unfit for military service.
Participation in the First World War
On August 1, 1914, the First World War began. Hitler was delighted by the news of the war. He immediately applied to King Ludwig III of Bavaria to receive permission to serve in the Bavarian army. The very next day he was asked to report to any Bavarian regiment. He chose the 16th Bavarian Reserve Regiment (“Liszt’s Regiment”, after the commander’s surname).
On 16 August he was enlisted in the 6th Reserve Battalion of the 2nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment No. 16 (Königlich Bayerisches 16. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment), consisting of volunteers. On September 1, he was transferred to the 1st company of the Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 16. On October 8, he swore allegiance to King Ludwig III of Bavaria and Emperor Franz Joseph.
In October 1914 he was sent to the Western Front and on October 29 participated in the Battle of Ysère, and from October 30 to November 24 at Ypres.
On November 1, 1914, he was awarded the rank of corporal. On November 9, he was transferred as a liaison officer to regiment headquarters. From November 25 to December 13, he took part in trench warfare in Flanders. On December 2, 1914 he was awarded the Iron Cross, second degree. From December 14 to 24 he participated in the battle in French Flanders, and from December 25, 1914 to March 9, 1915 - in positional battles in French Flanders.
In 1915 he took part in the battles of Nave Chapelle, La Bassé and Arras. In 1916, he participated in reconnaissance and demonstration battles of the 6th Army in connection with the Battle of the Somme, as well as in the battle of Fromelles and the Battle of the Somme itself. In April 1916 he met Charlotte Lobjoie. Wounded in the left thigh by a grenade fragment near Le Bargur in the first Battle of the Somme. I ended up in the Red Cross hospital in Belitz near Potsdam. Upon leaving the hospital (March 1917), he returned to the regiment in the 2nd company of the 1st reserve battalion.
In 1917 - the spring battle of Arras. Participated in battles in Artois, Flanders, and Upper Alsace. On September 17, 1917, he was awarded the Cross with Swords for military merit, III degree.
In 1918 he took part in the spring offensive in France, in the battles of Evreux and Montdidier. On May 9, 1918, he was awarded a regimental diploma for outstanding bravery at Fontane. On May 18, he received the wounded insignia (black). From May 27 to June 13 - battles near Soissons and Reims. From June 14 to July 14 - positional battles between Oise, Marne and Aisne. In the period from July 15 to 17 - participation in offensive battles on the Marne and Champagne, and from July 18 to 29 - participation in defensive battles in Soissonne, Reims and Marne. He was awarded the Iron Cross, First Class, for delivering reports to artillery positions in particularly difficult conditions, which saved the German infantry from being shelled by their own artillery.
On August 25, 1918, Hitler received a service award, III class. According to numerous testimonies, he was careful, very brave and an excellent soldier. Hitler's colleague in the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, Adolf Meyer, cites in his memoirs the testimony of another colleague, Michael Schleehuber, who characterized Hitler as " good soldier and an impeccable comrade." According to Schleehuber, he “never saw” Hitler “in any way feel discomfort from service or shy away from danger,” nor did he hear “anything negative” about him during his time in the division.
October 15, 1918 - gas poisoning near La Montaigne as a result of the explosion of a chemical shell near it. Eye damage causes temporary loss of vision. Treatment in the Bavarian field hospital in Udenard, then in the psychiatric department of the Prussian rear hospital in Pasewalk. While being treated in the hospital, he learned about the surrender of Germany and the overthrow of the Kaiser, which became a great shock for him.
Creation of the NSDAP
Hitler considered the defeat of the German Empire in the war and the November Revolution of 1918 to be the product of traitors who “stabbed in the back” the victorious German army.
In early February 1919, Hitler volunteered to serve as a guard at a prisoner of war camp located near Traunstein, not far from the Austrian border. About a month later, the prisoners of war - several hundred French and Russian soldiers - were released, and the camp and its guards were disbanded.
On March 7, 1919, Hitler returned to Munich, to the 7th Company of the 1st Reserve Battalion of the 2nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment.
At this time, he had not yet decided whether he would be an architect or a politician. In Munich, during the stormy days, he did not bind himself to any obligations, he simply observed and took care of his own safety. He remained in Max Barracks in Munich-Oberwiesenfeld until the day the troops of von Epp and Noske drove the communist Soviets out of Munich. At the same time, he gave his works to the prominent artist Max Zeper for evaluation. He handed over the paintings to Ferdinand Steger for imprisonment. Steger wrote: “...an absolutely extraordinary talent.”
On April 27, 1919, as stated in Hitler’s official biography, he encountered a detachment of Red Guards on a Munich street who intended to arrest him for “anti-Soviet” activities, but “using his carbine,” Hitler avoided arrest.
From June 5 to June 12, 1919, his superiors sent him to an agitator course (Vertrauensmann). The courses were intended to train agitators who would conduct explanatory conversations against the Bolsheviks among soldiers returning from the front. Far-right views prevailed among the lecturers; among others, lectures were given by Gottfried Feder, the future economic theorist of the NSDAP.
During one of the discussions, Hitler made a very strong impression with his anti-Semitic monologue on the head of the propaganda department of the 4th Bavarian Reichswehr Command, and he invited him to take on political functions throughout the army. A few days later he was appointed education officer ( confidant). Hitler turned out to be a bright and temperamental speaker and attracted the attention of listeners.
The decisive moment in Hitler's life was the moment of his unshakable recognition by supporters of anti-Semitism. Between 1919 and 1921, Hitler intensively read books from Friedrich Kohn's library. This library was clearly anti-Semitic, which left a deep mark on Hitler's beliefs.
On September 12, 1919, Adolf Hitler, on instructions from the military, came to the Sterneckerbräu beer hall for a meeting of the German Workers' Party (DAP) - founded in early 1919 by mechanic Anton Drexler and numbering about 40 people. During the debate, Hitler, speaking from a pan-German position, won a landslide victory over the supporter of Bavarian independence. The performance impressed Drexler great impression and he invited Hitler to join the party. After some reflection, Hitler decided to accept the offer and at the end of September 1919, after leaving the army, he became a member of the DAP. Hitler immediately made himself responsible for party propaganda and soon began to determine the activities of the entire party.
On February 24, 1920, Hitler organized the first of many great public events parties. During his speech, he proclaimed the twenty-five points drawn up by him, Drexler and Feder, which became the party program. The “Twenty-Five Points” combined pan-Germanism, demands for the abolition Treaty of Versailles, anti-Semitism, demands socialist transformations and a strong central government. On the same day, at the suggestion of Hitler, the party was renamed NSDAP (German: Deutsche Nationalsozialistische Arbeiterpartei - German National Socialist Workers' Party).
In July, a conflict arose in the leadership of the NSDAP: Hitler, who wanted dictatorial powers in the party, was outraged by the negotiations with other groups that took place while Hitler was in Berlin, without his participation. On July 11, he announced his withdrawal from the NSDAP. Since Hitler was at that time the most active public politician and the most successful speaker of the party, other leaders were forced to ask him to return. Hitler returned to the party and on July 29 was elected its chairman with unlimited power. Drexler was left the post of honorary chairman without real powers, but his role in the NSDAP fell sharply from that moment on.
For disrupting the speech of the Bavarian separatist politician Otto Ballerstedt) Hitler was sentenced to three months in prison, but he served only a month in Munich's Stadelheim prison - from June 26 to July 27, 1922. On January 27, 1923, Hitler held the first NSDAP congress; 5,000 stormtroopers marched through Munich.
"Beer putsch"
By the early 1920s, the NSDAP had become one of the most prominent organizations in Bavaria. Ernst Röhm stood at the head of the assault troops (German abbreviation SA). Hitler quickly became a force to be reckoned with, at least within Bavaria.
In January 1923, a crisis broke out in Germany, caused by the French occupation of the Ruhr. The government, led by the non-party Reich Chancellor Wilhelm Cuno, called on the Germans to passive resistance, which led to great economic damage. The new government, led by Reich Chancellor Gustav Stresemann, was forced to accept all French demands on September 26, 1923, and as a result was attacked by both the right and the communists. Anticipating this, Stresemann ensured that President Ebert declared a state of emergency in the country from September 26, 1923.
On September 26, the conservative Bavarian cabinet declared a state of emergency in the state and appointed right-wing monarchist Gustav von Kara as commissioner of the state of Bavaria, giving him dictatorial powers. Power was concentrated in the hands of a triumvirate: Kara, the commander of the Reichswehr forces in Bavaria, General Otto von Lossow, and the chief of the Bavarian police, Hans von Seißer. Kahr refused to admit that the state of emergency introduced in Germany by the President was valid in relation to Bavaria and did not carry out a number of orders from Berlin, in particular, to arrest three popular leaders of armed groups and close the organ of the NSDAP Völkischer Beobachter.
Hitler was inspired by the example of Mussolini's march on Rome; he hoped to repeat something similar by organizing a march on Berlin and turned to Kahr and Lossow with a proposal to undertake a march on Berlin. Kar, Lossow and Seiser were not interested in carrying out a meaningless action and on November 6 informed “ German Confederation struggle”, in which Hitler was the leading political figure, that they do not intend to be drawn into hasty actions and will themselves decide on their actions. Hitler took this as a signal that he should take the initiative into his own hands. He decided to take von Kara hostage and force him to support the campaign.
On November 8, 1923, at about 9 o'clock in the evening, Hitler and Erich Ludendorff, at the head of armed stormtroopers, appeared at the Munich beer hall "Bürgerbräukeller", where a meeting was taking place with the participation of Kahr, Lossow and Seiser. Upon entering, Hitler announced the “overthrow of the government of traitors in Berlin.” However, the Bavarian leaders soon managed to leave the beer hall, after which Kahr issued a proclamation dissolving the NSDAP and the storm troopers. For their part, stormtroopers under the command of Ryom occupied the headquarters building ground forces in the War Ministry; there they, in turn, were surrounded by Reichswehr soldiers.
On the morning of November 9, Hitler and Ludendorff, at the head of a 3,000-strong column of stormtroopers, moved towards the Ministry of Defense, but on Residenzstrasse, their path was blocked by a police detachment that opened fire. Carrying away the dead and wounded, the Nazis and their supporters fled the streets. This episode went down in German history under the name “Beer Hall Putsch.”
In February - March 1924, the trial of the leaders of the coup took place. Only Hitler and several of his associates were in the dock. The court sentenced Hitler for high treason to 5 years in prison and a fine of 200 gold marks. Hitler served his sentence in Landsberg prison. However, after 9 months, on December 20, 1924, he was released.
On the way to power
Hitler - speaker, early 1930s
During the absence of the leader, the party disintegrated. Hitler had to practically start everything from scratch. Rem provided him with great help, beginning the restoration of the assault troops. However, a decisive role in the revival of the NSDAP was played by Gregor Strasser, the leader of right-wing extremist movements in North and North-West Germany. By bringing them into the ranks of the NSDAP, he helped transform the party from a regional (Bavarian) into a national political force.
In April 1925, Hitler renounced his Austrian citizenship and was stateless until February 1932.
In 1926, the Hitler Youth was founded, the top leadership of the SA was established, and the conquest of “red Berlin” by Goebbels began. Meanwhile, Hitler was looking for support at the all-German level. He managed to win the trust of some of the generals, as well as establish contacts with industrial magnates. At the same time, Hitler wrote his work Mein Kampf.
In 1930-1945 he was Supreme Fuhrer of the SA.
When parliamentary elections in 1930 and 1932 brought the Nazis a significant increase in parliamentary mandates, the ruling circles of the country began to seriously consider the NSDAP as a possible participant in government combinations. An attempt was made to remove Hitler from the leadership of the party and rely on Strasser. However, Hitler managed to quickly isolate his associate and deprive him of all influence in the party. In the end, the German leadership decided to give Hitler the main administrative and political post, surrounding him (just in case) with guardians from traditional conservative parties.
In February 1932, Hitler decided to put forward his candidacy for the election of Reich President of Germany. On February 25, the Minister of the Interior of Braunschweig appointed him to the post of attaché at the Braunschweig representative office in Berlin. This did not impose any official duties on Hitler, but automatically gave him German citizenship and allowed him to participate in elections. Hitler took public speaking and acting lessons from opera singer Paul Devrient, and the Nazis launched a massive propaganda campaign, including Hitler becoming the first German politician to travel by plane for election campaigning. In the first round on March 13, Paul von Hindenburg received 49.6% of the votes, and Hitler came in second with 30.1%. On April 10, in a repeat vote, Hindenburg won 53%, and Hitler - 36.8%. Third place was taken both times by the communist Thälmann.
On June 4, 1932, the Reichstag was dissolved. In the elections held on July 7, the NSDAP won a landslide victory, gaining 37.8% of the vote and receiving 230 seats in the Reichstag instead of the previous 143. The Social Democrats received second place - 21.9% and 133 seats in the Reichstag.
On November 6, 1932, early elections to the Reichstag were held again. This time the NSDAP lost two million votes, gaining 33.1% and winning only 196 seats instead of the previous 230.
However, 2 months later, on January 30, 1933, President Hindenburg relieved von Schleicher of this post and appointed Hitler Reich Chancellor.
Reich Chancellor and Head of State
Power grab
"Potsdam Day" - a solemn ceremony on March 21, 1933 on the occasion of the convening of the new Reichstag
With his appointment to the post of Reich Chancellor, Hitler had not yet received power over the country. Firstly, any laws in Germany could only be passed by the Reichstag, and Hitler’s party did not have a seat in it required quantity votes. Secondly, within the party itself there was opposition to Hitler in the person of the stormtroopers and their leader Ernst Röhm. And finally, thirdly, the head of state was the president, and the Reich Chancellor was just the head of the cabinet, which Hitler had yet to form. However, in just a year and a half, Hitler removed all these obstacles and became an unlimited dictator.
On February 27 (less than a month after Hitler was appointed chancellor), a fire occurred in the parliament building - the Reichstag. Official version of the incident stated that the Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe, who was captured while putting out the fire, was to blame. It is now considered proven that the arson was planned by the Nazis and directly carried out by stormtroopers under the command of Karl Ernst.
Hitler announced a conspiracy of the Communist Party to seize power and the very next day after the fire presented Hindenburg with two decrees: “On the defense of the people and the state” and “Against the betrayal of the German people and the machinations of traitors to the motherland,” which he signed. The decree “On the Protection of the People and the State” abolished seven articles of the constitution, limited freedom of speech, press, meetings and rallies; allowed viewing of correspondence and wiretapping of telephones. But the main result of this decree was a system of uncontrolled detention in concentration camps called “protective arrest.”
Taking advantage of these decrees, the Nazis immediately arrested 4 thousand prominent members of the Communist Party - their main enemy. After this, new elections to the Reichstag were announced. They took place on March 5 and at them Nazi Party received 43.9% of the vote and 288 seats in the Reichstag. The decapitated Communist Party lost 19 seats. However, even this composition of the Reichstag could not satisfy the Nazis. Then a special decree prohibited Communist Party Germany, and the mandates that should have gone to communist deputies following the election results (81 mandates) were cancelled. In addition, some SPD deputies who opposed the Nazis were arrested or expelled.
And already on March 24, 1933, the new Reichstag adopted the Law on Emergency Powers. According to this law, the government, headed by the Reich Chancellor, was given the authority to publish state laws(previously only the Reichstag could do this), and Article 2 stated that laws issued in this way may contain deviations from the constitution.
On June 30, 1934, the Gestapo staged a massive pogrom against SA stormtroopers. More than a thousand people were killed, among them the stormtrooper leader Ernst Röhm. Many people who had nothing to do with the SA were also killed, in particular Hitler's predecessor as Reich Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and his wife. This pogrom went down in history as the Night of the Long Knives.
On August 2, 1934, at nine o'clock in the morning, German President Hindenburg died at the age of 86. Three hours later it was announced that, in accordance with a law passed by the cabinet the day before the death of the president, the functions of chancellor and president were combined in one person and that Adolf Hitler had assumed the powers of head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The title of president was abolished; From now on, Hitler was to be called Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor. Hitler demanded that all personnel of the armed forces swear allegiance not to Germany, not to the constitution, which he violated by refusing to call an election for Hindenburg's successor, but to him personally.
On August 19, a referendum was held in which these actions were approved by 84.6% of the electorate.
Domestic policy
Under Hitler's leadership, unemployment was sharply reduced and then eliminated. Large-scale humanitarian aid campaigns have been launched for people in need. Mass cultural and sports celebrations were encouraged. The basis of the policy of the Hitler regime was preparation for revenge for the lost First World War. For this purpose, industry was reconstructed, large-scale construction began, and strategic reserves were created. In the spirit of revanchism, propaganda indoctrination of the population was carried out.
First the communist and then the social democratic parties were banned. A number of parties were forced to declare self-dissolution. Trade unions were liquidated, the property of which was transferred to the Nazi labor front. Opponents of the new government were sent to concentration camps without trial or investigation.
Anti-Semitism was an important part of Hitler's domestic policy. Mass persecution of Jews and Gypsies began. On September 15, 1935, the Nuremberg Racial Laws were adopted, depriving Jews of civil rights; In the fall of 1938, a pan-German Jewish pogrom (Kristallnacht) was organized. The development of this policy a few years later was Operation Endlözung (final solution to the Jewish question), aimed at the physical destruction of the entire Jewish population. This policy, which Hitler first declared back in 1919, culminated in the genocide of the Jewish population, a decision about which was made already during the war.
The beginning of territorial expansion
Shortly after coming to power, Hitler announced Germany's withdrawal from the military clauses of the Treaty of Versailles, which limited Germany's war effort. The hundred-thousand-strong Reichswehr was transformed into a million-strong Wehrmacht, tank troops were created and military aviation was restored. The status of the demilitarized Rhine Zone was abolished.
In 1936-1939, Germany, under the leadership of Hitler, provided significant assistance to the Francoists during the Spanish Civil War.
At this time, Hitler believed that he was seriously ill and would soon die, and began to rush to implement his plans. On November 5, 1937, he wrote a political will, and on May 2, 1938, a personal will.
In March 1938, Austria was annexed.
In the fall of 1938, according to Munich Agreement, part of the territory of Czechoslovakia was annexed - the Sudetenland.
Time magazine, in its January 2, 1939 issue, called Hitler "the man of 1938." The article dedicated to the “Man of the Year” began with Hitler’s title, which, according to the magazine, reads as follows: “Führer of the German people, Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, Navy & Air Force, Chancellor of the Third Reich, Herr Hitler". The final sentence of the rather lengthy article proclaimed:
To those following the final events of the year, it seemed more than likely that the Man of 1938 could make 1939 an unforgettable year.
Original text(English)
To those who watched the closing events of the year it seemed more than probable that the Man of 1938 may make 1939 a year to be remembered.
Third Reich in 1939. The so-called blue color indicates "Old Reich"; blue - lands annexed in 1938; light blue - Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
In March 1939, the remaining part of the Czech Republic was occupied, turned into a satellite state of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (Slovakia remained formally independent), and part of the territory of Lithuania, including Klaipeda (Memel region), was annexed. After this, Hitler presented territorial claims to Poland (first on the provision of an extraterritorial road to East Prussia, and then on holding a referendum on the ownership of the “Polish Corridor”, in which people living in this territory as of 1918 would have to take part). The latter demand was clearly unacceptable for Poland's allies - Great Britain and France - which could serve as the basis for the brewing of a conflict.
World War II
These claims met with sharp rebuff. On April 3, 1939, Hitler approved a plan for an armed attack on Poland (Operation Weiss).
On August 23, 1939, Hitler concluded a Non-Aggression Pact with the Soviet Union, a secret annex to which contained a plan for dividing spheres of influence in Europe. On August 31, an incident was staged in Gleiwitz, which served as a pretext for the attack on Poland on September 1. It marked the beginning of World War II. Having defeated Poland during September, Germany occupied Norway, Denmark, Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium in April-May 1940 and invaded France. In June, Wehrmacht forces occupied Paris and France capitulated. In the spring of 1941, Germany, under the leadership of Hitler, captured Greece and Yugoslavia, and on June 22 attacked the USSR. Defeats of Soviet troops at the first stage of the Great Patriotic War led to the occupation by German and allied troops of the Baltic republics, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and the western part of the RSFSR. A brutal occupation regime was established in the occupied territories, which killed many millions of people.
However, from the end of 1942 German armies began to tolerate major lesions both in the USSR (Stalingrad) and in Egypt (El Alamein). The following year, the Red Army launched a broad offensive, while Anglo-American troops landed in Italy and took it out of the war. In 1944, Soviet territory was liberated from occupation and the Red Army advanced into Poland and the Balkans; at the same time, Anglo-American troops landed in Normandy and liberated most of France. With the beginning of 1945, hostilities were transferred to the territory of the Reich.
Attempts on Hitler
The first unsuccessful attempt on Adolf Hitler's life took place in 1930 at the Kaiserhof Hotel. When Hitler came down from the podium after speaking to his supporters, an unknown person ran up to him and tried to spray poison in his face from a homemade shooting pen, but Hitler’s guards noticed the attacker in time and neutralized him.
- On March 1, 1932, a group of four unknown people in the vicinity of Munich fired at the train in which Hitler was traveling to give a speech to his supporters. Hitler was not injured.
- On June 2, 1932, a group of unknown people fired from a road ambush at a car with Hitler in the vicinity of the city of Stralsund. Hitler was again unharmed.
- On July 4, 1932, unknown assailants fired at a car carrying Hitler in Nuremberg. Hitler received a tangential wound to his arm.
During 1933 - 1938, 16 more attempts were made on Hitler's life, which ended in failure, including December 20, 1936 German Jew And former member"Black Front" Helmut Hirsch was going to plant two homemade bombs at the headquarters of the NSDAP in Nuremberg, where Hitler was supposed to arrive on a visit. However, the plan failed because Hirsch was unable to bypass the guards. On December 21, 1936, he was arrested by the Gestapo, and on April 22, 1937, he was sentenced to death penalty. Hirsch was executed on June 4, 1937
- On November 9, 1938, 22-year-old Maurice Bavo was going to shoot Hitler from a distance of 10 meters with a 6.5 mm Schmeisser semi-automatic pistol during a parade dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch. However, Hitler at the last moment changed the plan and went along opposite side streets, as a result Bavo was unable to carry out his plans. Later, he also tried to obtain a personal meeting with Hitler using a false letter of recommendation. However, he spent all the money and at the beginning of January 1939, he decided to leave for Paris without a ticket. On the train he was detained by Gestapo officers. On December 18, 1939, the court sentenced Bovo to death by guillotine, and on May 14, 1941, the sentence was carried out.
- On October 5, 1939, along the route of Hitler’s motorcade in Warsaw, members of the SPP planted 500 kilograms of explosives, but unknown reason the bomb didn't go off.
- On November 8, 1939, in the Munich beer hall "Bürgerbräu", where Hitler spoke every year to NSDAP veterans, Johann Georg Elser, a former member of the Union of Red Front Soldiers, the militant organization of the KPD, mounted an improvised explosive device with a clock mechanism in the column, in front of which there was usually a platform for leader. As a result of the explosion, 8 people were killed and 63 were injured, but Hitler was not among the victims. Limiting himself to a brief greeting to those gathered, he left the hall seven minutes before the explosion, as he had to return to Berlin. That same evening, Elser was captured at the Swiss border and, after several interrogations, confessed to everything. As a “special prisoner” he was placed in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, then transferred to Dachau. On April 9, 1945, when the Allies were already close to the concentration camp, Elser was shot by order of Himmler.
- On May 15, 1942, a group of people attacked Hitler's train in Poland. Several of the Fuhrer's guards were killed, as were all the attackers. Hitler was not injured.
- On March 13, 1943, during Hitler's visit to Smolensk, Colonel Henning von Treskow and his adjutant, Lieutenant von Schlabrendorff, planted a bomb in a gift box with brandy on Hitler's plane, in which the explosive device did not go off.
- March 21, 1943, during Hitler's visit to the exhibition of captured Soviet military equipment in Berlin, Colonel Rudolf von Gersdorff was supposed to blow himself up along with Hitler. However, the Fuhrer left the exhibition ahead of schedule, and Gersdorff barely had time to disarm the fuse.
- On July 14, 1944, British intelligence agencies were planning to carry out Operation Foxley. According to the plan, the best British snipers were supposed to shoot Hitler during his visit to the Berghof mountain residence in the Bavarian Alps. The plan was not finally approved and its implementation did not take place.
- On July 20, 1944, a conspiracy was organized against Hitler, the purpose of which was his physical elimination and the conclusion of peace with the advancing Allied forces. The bomb killed 4 people, but Hitler survived. After the assassination attempt, he was unable to stand on his feet all day, as more than 100 fragments were removed from them. In addition, his right arm was dislocated, the hair on the back of his head was singed and his eardrums were damaged. He became temporarily deaf in his right ear.
Death of Hitler
There is no doubt that Hitler shot himself.Dr. Matthias Uhl
With the arrival of the Russians in Berlin, Hitler was afraid that the Reich Chancellery would be bombarded with sleeping gas shells, and then they would put him on display in Moscow, in a cage.Traudl Junge
According to the testimony of witnesses questioned as Soviet authorities counterintelligence, and the corresponding Allied services, on April 30, 1945, in Berlin, surrounded by Soviet troops, Hitler, together with his wife Eva Braun, committed suicide, having previously killed his beloved dog Blondie. In Soviet historiography, the point of view has become established that Hitler took poison ( potassium cyanide, like most Nazis who committed suicide). However, according to eyewitnesses, he shot himself. There is also a version according to which Hitler, having taken an ampoule of poison into his mouth and bit into it, simultaneously shot himself with a pistol (thus using both instruments of death).
According to witnesses from among the service personnel, even the day before, Hitler gave the order to deliver cans of gasoline from the garage (to destroy the bodies). On April 30, after lunch, Hitler said goodbye to people from his inner circle and, shaking their hands, together with Eva Braun, retired to his apartment, from where a shot was soon heard. Shortly after 15:15 (according to other sources 15:30), Hitler's servant Heinz Linge, accompanied by the Fuhrer's adjutant Otto Günsche, Goebbels, Bormann and Axmann, entered the Fuhrer's apartment. Dead Hitler sat on the sofa; a blood stain was spreading on his temple. Eva Braun lay nearby, with no visible external injuries. Günsche and Linge wrapped Hitler's body in a soldier's blanket and carried it out into the garden of the Reich Chancellery; after him they carried out Eve’s body. The corpses were placed near the entrance to the bunker, doused with gasoline and set on fire.
On May 5, 1945, the corpses were found on a piece of blanket sticking out of the ground by a group of guards of Senior Lieutenant A. A. Panasov and fell into the hands of SMERSH. General K.F. Telegin headed the government commission to identify the remains. Colonel of the Medical Service F.I. Shkaravsky headed the expert commission for examining the remains. Hitler's body was identified with the help of Käthe Heusermann (Ketty Goiserman), Hitler's dental assistant, who confirmed the similarity of the dentures presented to her at the identification with Hitler's dentures. However, after returning from Soviet camps, she recanted her testimony. In February 1946, the remains, identified by the investigation as the bodies of Hitler, Eva Braun, the Goebbels couple - Joseph, Magda and their six children, as well as two dogs, were buried at one of the NKVD bases in Magdeburg. In 1970, when the territory of this base was to be transferred to the GDR, at the proposal of Yu. V. Andropov, approved by the Politburo, the remains were dug up, cremated to ashes and then thrown into the Elbe (according to other sources, the remains were burned in a vacant lot near the city Schönebeck 11 km from Magdeburg and thrown into the Biederitz River). Only dentures and part of Hitler's skull with a bullet entry hole (discovered separately from the corpse) were preserved. They are stored in Russian archives, like the side arms of the sofa on which Hitler shot himself, with traces of blood. In an interview, the head of the FSB archive said that the authenticity of the jaw was proven by a number of examinations international level. Hitler's biographer Werner Maser expresses doubts that the discovered corpse and part of the skull actually belonged to Hitler. In September 2009, researchers from the University of Connecticut, based on the results of their DNA analysis, stated that the skull belonged to a woman less than 40 years old. Representatives of the FSB issued a refutation of this statement.
However, there is also a popular urban legend that the corpses of Hitler’s doubles and his wife were found in the bunker, and the Fuhrer himself and his wife allegedly fled to Argentina, where they lived peacefully until the end of their days. Similar versions are put forward and proven even by some historians, including the British Gerard Williams and Simon Dunstan. However, the scientific community rejects such theories.
Beliefs and habits
According to most biographers, Hitler was a vegetarian from 1931 (from the suicide of Geli Raubal) until his death in 1945. Some authors argue that Hitler only limited himself in eating meat.
He also had a negative attitude towards smoking; in Nazi Germany, a fight against this habit was launched. One day, when Hitler went on vacation, those who remained began to play cards and smoke. Suddenly Hitler returned. Eva Braun's sister threw a burning cigarette into an ashtray and sat on it, since Hitler forbade smoking in his presence. Hitler noticed this and decided to joke. I approached her and asked her to explain the rules of the game in detail. In the morning, Eva, having learned everything from Hitler, asked her sister “how are you doing with the blisters from burns on your butt.”
Hitler was morbidly meticulous about cleanliness. He was terrified of people with runny noses. Didn't tolerate familiarity.
He was an uncommunicative person. He considered others only when he needed them and did what he considered right. In letters I was never interested in the opinions of others. He liked to use foreign words. I read a lot, even during the war. According to personal doctor von Hasselbach, he made sure to work through at least one book every day. In Linz, for example, he signed up for three libraries at once. First, I leafed through the book from the end. If he decided that a book was worth reading, he read it in parts, only what he needed.
- Hitler dictated his speeches “in one breath,” directly to the typist. According to eyewitnesses, he delayed the dictation until last minute; Before dictation I walked back and forth for a long time. Then Hitler began to dictate - actually give a speech - with outbursts of anger, gesticulation, etc. The two secretaries barely had time to take notes. Later he worked for several hours, correcting the printed text.
- The last filming of Hitler during his lifetime was made on March 20, 1945 and published in the film magazine “Die deutsche Wochenschau” dated March 22, 1945. In it, in the garden of the Reich Chancellery, Hitler walks around the line of distinguished members of the Hitler Youth. The last known photograph taken during his lifetime was apparently taken shortly before his birthday on April 20, 1945. In it, Hitler, accompanied by his adjutant chief Julius Schaub, inspects the ruins of the Reich Chancellery.
- Anophthalmus hitleri- a beetle named after Hitler and made rare due to its popularity among neo-Nazis.
- Hitler's personal weapon was the Walther PPK pistol.
- Being supreme commander in chief armed forces Germany, Hitler remained in military rank corporal.
- A store named after Hitler has opened in the Gaza Strip. Customers say they also like the store because it is named after the man who “hated Jews more than anyone else.”
The image of Adolf Hitler in cinema
Artistic
The image of Hitler is reflected in numerous feature films. In some of them he plays a key role, in particular: “Hitler: The Last Ten Days”, “Bunker”, “Hitler: The Devil Rising”, “My Struggle” and others.
Documentary
- “Hitler and Stalin: Twin Tyrants” (English Time watch. Hitler and Stalin: Twin Tyrants) is a documentary film filmed in 1999.
- “Time scale. The Making of Adolf Hitler" (English Time watch. Те Making of Adolf Hitler) is a documentary film made by the BBC in 2002.
- "Adolf Hitler. The Path to Power" is a 3-part documentary film by Edward Radzinsky, filmed in 2011.
Adolf Hitler is without a doubt one of the most controversial and hated figures in world history, and for good reason. His beliefs, opinions and ideals led humanity to war, which caused widespread death and destruction. However, he is an integral part (albeit negative) of the history of this planet, so we should better understand what personality traits a person possessed, capable of such monstrous things as Hitler. Let's hope that by looking into the past and studying the terrible person that was Hitler, we can prevent a man like him from rising to power. So, we present to your attention twenty-five facts about Hitler that you might not know.
25. Hitler married Eva Braun and committed suicide the next day
For many years, Hitler refused to marry Braun for fear of how it would affect his image. However, he decided to do this when the Germans were promised defeat. Hitler and Braun married in a civil ceremony. Their bodies were discovered the next day. Hitler shot himself, and Brown died from a cyanide capsule.
24. Hitler had a contentious relationship with his niece
When Geli Raubal, Hitler's niece, was studying medicine, she lived in Hitler's apartment in Munich. Later, Hitler became very possessive and domineering towards her. Hitler even forbade her from doing anything without his knowledge after he heard rumors about her relationship with his personal driver. Upon return after short meeting In Nuremberg, Hitler found the body of his niece, who apparently shot herself with his pistol.
23. Hitler and the Church
Hitler wanted the Vatican to recognize his power, so in 1933 the Catholic Church and German Reich signed an alliance under which the Reich was guaranteed the protection of the Church, but only if they remained committed exclusively religious activities. This agreement, however, was violated, and the Nazis continued to engage in anti-Catholic activities.
22. Own version Nobel Prize Hitler
After the Nobel Prize was banned in Germany, Hitler developed his own version- German National Award in the field of Art and Science (German National Prize for Art and Science). Ferdinand Porsche was one of the honorees for being the man who created the world's first hybrid car and the Volkswagen Beetle.
21. Hitler's collection of Jewish artifacts
Hitler originally intended to create a "Museum of an Extinct Race", in which he wanted to house his collection of Jewish artifacts.
20. Elevator cables at the Eiffel Tower
When Paris fell to German control in 1940, the French cut the elevator cables Eiffel Tower. This was done deliberately to force Hitler to climb the ladder to the top. However, Hitler decided not to climb the tower so as not to have to overcome more than a thousand steps.
19. Hitler and the women's cosmetics industry
Initially, Hitler planned to simply close the cosmetics industry in order to free up funds in the conditions war economy. However, in order not to disappoint Eva Braun, he decided to close it gradually.
18. American genocide of Native Americans
Hitler often praised the "effectiveness" of the American genocide of Native Americans.
17. Hitler and art
Hitler had artistic inclinations. When he moved to Vienna in the 1900s, Hitler initially thought of pursuing a career in the arts. He even applied to enter the Academy fine arts in Vienna (Vienna’s Academy of Art), but was rejected due to his “unsuitability for painting.”
16. Hitler's family circle
Hitler grew up in an authoritarian family environment. His father, who was an Austrian customs official, was famous for his severity and temper. It was also noted that Hitler adopted many of his father's personality traits.
15. Why Hitler was disappointed by Germany's surrender in World War I
While Hitler was recovering from a gas attack during World War I, he learned that an armistice had been reached, signaling the end of the war. This announcement angered Hitler and gave rise to his belief that the Germans had been betrayed by their own leaders.
14. The general who refused to commit suicide
When it became obvious that the Germans were about to be defeated at the Battle of Stalingrad, Hitler expected the leader of his army to commit suicide. However, the general noted: "I am not going to kill myself because of this bohemian corporal" and surrendered in 1943.
13. Why he didn't like football
Hitler later developed a dislike for football because Germany's victory over other nations could not be guaranteed, no matter how hard they tried to manipulate or adjust the results.
12. Present full name Hitler
Hitler's father changed his name in 1877. Otherwise people would have difficulty pronouncing Hitler's full name - Adolf Schicklgruber.
11. Hitler's Honorary Aryans
It was discovered that one of Hitler's close friends and personal drivers was Jewish origin. For this reason, key officials in Hitler's party recommended his expulsion from the SS. However, Hitler made an exception for him and even his brothers, considering them "honorary Aryans".
10. Hitler's "Noble Jew"
Hitler had his own way of paying debts of gratitude. When he was still a child, his family could not afford the expensive services of a professional doctor. Fortunately, the Jewish-Austrian doctor never charged him or his family for medical services. When Hitler came to power, the doctor enjoyed the “eternal gratitude” of the Nazi leader. He was released from the concentration camp. He was also provided with adequate protection and received the title of “noble Jew.”
9The Lawyer Who Cross-Examined Hitler
At the beginning of its political career Hitler was called as a witness. He was questioned by a Jewish lawyer named Hans Litten, who cross-examined Hitler for three hours. During the Nazi rule, this Jewish lawyer was arrested. He was tortured for five years until he finally committed suicide.
8. Hitler as a Disney fan
Hitler loved Disney. He even described Snow White as one of the best films in the world at that time. In fact, Hitler's sketches of the Timid Dwarf, Doc, and Pinocchio were discovered.
7. Hitler's funeral
His body was buried four times before it was finally cremated and his ashes scattered to the wind.
6. Hitler's Mustache Shape
Hitler originally had a long, curled mustache. During World War I, he trimmed his mustache, changing the shape to his famous toothbrush style. According to him, the bushier mustache prevented him from properly securing the gas mask.
5. Loan from Mercedes-Benz
While Hitler was imprisoned, he managed to write an application for a loan to buy a car to a local Mercedes-Benz dealer. Many years later, this letter was discovered at a flea market.
4. What did his mustache mean to Hitler?
It is believed that Hitler wore a mustache because he thought it made his nose look smaller.
3. A souvenir for a successful Olympian from Hitler
Jesse Owens, a successful Olympian, was surprised to receive a gift from Hitler after his successful performance at the 1936 Olympic Games. President Roosevelt did not even send a telegram to Owens to congratulate him on his achievement.
2. Hitler as a wounded infantryman
During World War I, Hitler was an infantryman who was wounded at the height of the war. Surprisingly, Hitler evoked mercy and sympathy from the British soldier.
1. Hugo Jaeger was personal photographer Hitler
Throughout all the turmoil, Jaeger remained very loyal to Hitler. To avoid criminal liability for his association with Hitler, the photographer decided to hide his photographs of the Nazi leader. However, in 1955, he eventually sold the photographs to Life Magazine for a lot of money.
A person who changed the course of history, for good or bad, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that he changed. For millions of people, especially for people from the USSR, Adolf Hitler is a monster, a sadist and almost Satan himself, but for many people in Germany he is the best thing that happened in their lives. At first glance, this seems paradoxical, but by comparing the position of Germany in which it was after the First World War and before the Second World War, one can understand those people who followed Hitler to conquer all of Europe. Where did this “monster” come from for some, and “savior” for others? The biography of Adolf Hitler is not particularly different from others.
Adolf was born on April 20, 1889 in the city of Braunau am Inn, Austria. His father, Alois Hitler, was a simple shoemaker, and his mother, Clara Schicklgruber, was a peasant woman. Later, my father began working in the customs service. Naturally, Adolf Hitler’s parents did not have any nationalist ideas, they were only interested in the immediate day, and they did not need any politics.
In 1905 Adolf Hitler graduated from school in Linz with incomplete secondary education. After school, Hitler tried to enter the Vienna Art School, but he failed.
In 1908 Adolf Hitler's mother died. After the death of his mother, Adolf moved to Vienna, where he lived without money - he lived in homeless shelters and worked part-time wherever possible.
Neither before school nor after graduation did Adolf Hitler’s parents pay attention to his political views, so it is not surprising that Adolf’s worldview was formed under the influence of a professor at the Lin School. It was thanks to the efforts of the professor that Adolf Hitler began to hate Slavic people and Jews.
In 1913 Adolf moves to Munich. In his new place, he continues to lead his meager lifestyle. In the first month of the war, Hitler volunteered for the army. His desire was noted by the leadership and he was promoted to corporal, and a little later he became a messenger at the headquarters of the Sixteenth Bavarian Reserve Regiment. During the entire War, Adolf Hitler was wounded twice and was awarded the Iron Cross of the 1st and 2nd degrees for his service. After the war, Adolf Hitler outlined his ideas and thoughts in the book “My Struggle”.
In 1923 a crisis began in Germany, active political struggle, which Hitler also got involved in. November 8, 1923 Adolf spoke at a rally in a Munich beer hall, where he called for the overthrow of the government. He was supported by the majority of Bavarian officials. November 9, 1923 Hitler led his comrades to the Feldgerenhala, and naturally, the military opened fire on them, which led to the escape of the Nazis. This incident went down in history as the “Beer Hall Putsch.”
In 1932 Hitler had a mistress, Eva Braun, who later became his wife (April 29, 1945). Hitler was not a monogamist, therefore, it is not surprising that before Eva he had a lot of other women. True, for women, these relationships with Hitler were usually the last in their lives; Gestapo employees physically destroyed former lovers the Fuhrer, so as not to tarnish his reputation.
1933 On January 31, Adolf Hitler was appointed Prime Minister of Germany (Reich Chancellor). As soon as the Fuhrer came to power, he showed everyone that he did not intend to take anyone into account. In order to begin the “unification” of Germany, Hitler set fire to the Reichstag. Subsequently, using this arson as an excuse to eliminate political parties. As a result of such manipulation, Adolf Hitler achieved complete personal power - on political arena there was simply no one left to compete with him. Immediately after the destruction of his opponents, Hitler began to exterminate people who were not true Germans, especially the Jews.
Naturally, the common people did not like this, and Hitler clearly understood this, so he took a number of actions aimed at improving the condition of ordinary citizens of the country. The first and most important thing Hitler did was eliminate unemployment. Next goal Adolf Hitler took revenge for his loss in the First World War. To achieve his goal, Hitler violated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which limited the size of the German army and its military industry. The revival of German power began.
The first victims of Hitler's plan were Czechoslovakia and Austria. After their fall, Adolf Hitler received Joseph Stalin's consent to take over Poland.
1939 Hitler began to take over Poland. The Second World War began. Until 1941 Germany was doing well - Hitler managed to capture almost all of western territory continent. June 22, 1941 Adolf Hitler broke the treaty with Stalin and attacked the USSR. The first year of the Soviet Union's losses were terrible - the Baltic states, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova were occupied. At the end of 1944. Soviet troops managed to turn the tide of the war, and German troops began to suffer one defeat after another. In 1944 the entire territory of the USSR was liberated from the invaders. The war was nearing its end, the action moved to German territory, and a second front opened thanks to Anglo-American troops landing on the coast of France. Hitler began to realize that the war was lost. April 30, 1945 Adolf Hitler committed suicide with his wife Eva Braun.
Now many people believe that Hitler staged his murder and fled Germany. Whether this is true or not, no one will ever know.
