Transcript Adolf Hitler, Der Fuhrer

Adolf Hitler, Der Fuhrer
A Bit of Background
 Born in Braunau am Inn, Austria on April
20th, 1889l
 His family was working-peasant class
 His father dies in 1903 (leaving Hitler as
head of the household) and his mother 1907
(of very painful cancer)
Background Continued
 Hitler dreamed of being an artist, but is rejected
twice by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.
 Hitler attempts to join the Army in Austria and is
declared “unfit”.
 Hitler volunteers for a Bavarian unit in Germany.
Hitler is shot in the leg and blinded by mustard
gas.
 In a military hospital and after the defeat of WWI,
Hitler begins to place the blame with the Jews.
Hitler’s Political Life
 In 1919, Hitler joins the German Workers’ Party
and is placed in charge of propaganda.
 Hitler becomes a featured speaker at political meetingshe railed against the Treaty of Versailles and blames
Germany’s problems again on the Jews.
 The swastika becomes the symbol of the party.
 In 1921, Hitler rises to become leader of the
Workers’ Party and renames it the Nazi Party.
 He takes advantage of the terrible economic
situation and social unrest in Germany after WWI.
Hitler’s Political Life cont….
 Attempts to lead a revolt (Beer Hall Putsch, 1923)
and is imprisoned where he writes Mein Kampf.
 Propaganda (lead by Joseph Goebbels) helps
convert many Germans to the Nazi Party and
many elections take place.
 With Nazi power dramatically rising, President
von Hindenburg appoints Hitler as Chancellor on
Jan. 30th, 1933.
Hitler as he is appointed Chancellor
Hitler Gains Power
 In an attempt to pass an “Enabling Act”, a
vote is forced in the Reichstag.
 By a vote of 441 to 84, the act was passed
and this officially ended democracy in
Germany.
 By March of 1933, Hitler had become
dictator of Germany, legally, through the
democratic process.
Hitler In Power
 Under Hitler, the state, not the individual was
supreme.
 From birth, one existed to serve the state and obey
the dictator. Those who disagreed were disposed
of. Many intellectuals spoke out against Hitler or
left Germany.
 Rallies, parades and propaganda continue and
there is a mixture of fear and optimism.
 Hitler as dictator, can focus on the issue that got
him into politics-hatred of Jews. The first boycott
was April 1, 1933.