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{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 25em; font-size: 95%;" cellpadding="4"
|-
|bgcolor="lightblue" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Adolf Hitler'''
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | ]
|-
| '''Date of birth'''
|], ]
|-
| '''Date of death'''
|], ]
|-
| '''Political Party'''
|] (NSDAP, i.e. the ] Party)
|- valign="top"
| '''Political positions'''
|
*'']'' (Leader) of the NSDAP (1921-1945)
*'']'' of Germany (1933-1945)
*''Führer and Reichskanzler'' (head of state) of Germany (1934-1945)
|}

{{redirect|Hitler}}
'''{{Audio|de-Adolf Hitler.ogg|Adolf Hitler}}''' (], ] &ndash; ], ]) was ] from ] and '']'' (Leader) of ] from ] until his death. He was leader of the ] (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), better known as the ] Party.

Hitler gained power in Germany ] after ]. He used ] oratory and ], appealing to economic need, ] and ] to establish an ] regime. With a restructured economy and rearmed military, Hitler pursued an aggressive foreign policy with the intention of expanding German ] ('living space') and triggered a major war in ] by invading Poland. At the height of their power, Germany and the ] occupied most of Europe, but were eventually defeated by the ] in what became known as ]. By then, Hitler's ] had culminated in the ], number of victims is commonly cited as about 11 million people, including about ] ].

In the final days of the war, at the age of 56, ] in ] in ], together with his newly wed wife, ].

==Early years==

===Childhood and heritage===

]
Hitler was born on ], ], at ], ], a small town in ], on the border with ]. He was the fourth of six children of ] (1837&ndash;1903), a ] official, and ] (1860-1907), Alois's niece and third wife. Of these six children, only Adolf and his younger sister ] reached adulthood. Alois Hitler also had a son (]) and a daughter (]) by his second wife.

His father Alois was born ] and used his mother's surname, ''Schicklgruber'', until he was 40. In ], he began using the name of his ], ], after visiting a priest responsible for ] and declaring that Georg was his father (Alois gave the impression that Georg was still alive but he was long dead). The spelling was probably changed to "Hitler" by a clerk. Later, Adolf Hitler was accused by his political enemies of not rightfully being a Hitler, but a Schicklgruber. This was also exploited in Allied ] during the Second World War when ]s bearing the phrase "Heil Schicklgruber" were ]ped over German cities.{{fact}} Adolf was legally born a Hitler, however, and was also closely related to Hiedler through his maternal grandmother, ].

Hitler was not sure who his paternal grandfather was, but it was probably either Johann Georg Hiedler or his brother ]. There have been rumours that Hitler was one-quarter ]ish and that his paternal grandmother, ], had become pregnant after working as a servant in a Jewish household in ]. During the ], the implications of these rumours along with his known family history were politically explosive, especially for the proponent of a ] ]. Opponents tried to prove that Hitler, the leader of the ] ], had Jewish or ] ancestors. Although these rumours were never confirmed, for Hitler they were reason enough to conceal his origins. ] propaganda insisted Hitler was a Jew, though more modern research tends to diminish the probability that he had Jewish ancestors. Historians such as Werner Maser and ] argue this was impossible, since the Jews had been expelled from Graz in the 15th century and were not allowed to return until well after Maria Schicklgruber's alleged ].

Because of Alois Hitler's profession, his family moved frequently, from ] to ], Lambach, ], and ]. As a young child, Hitler was reportedly a good student at the various ]s he attended; however, in ] (1900-1), his first year of ] (''Realschule'') in Linz, he failed completely and had to repeat the grade. His teachers reported that he had "no desire to work."

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

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

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

<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>

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

<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>

On ], ], his mother Klara died a painful death from ] at the age of 47. Hitler gave his share of the ]s' benefits to his younger sister ], but when he was 21 he inherited some money from an ]. He worked as a struggling painter in Vienna, copying scenes from ]s and selling his paintings to ]s and tourists (there is evidence he produced over 2000 paintings and drawings before ]). During this period, he became close friends with the musician ].

], ].]]

After the second refusal from the Academy of Arts, Hitler gradually ran out of money. By 1909, he sought refuge in a ], and by the beginning of 1910 had settled permanently into a house for poor working men. He made spending money by painting tourist postcards of Vienna scenery. Several biographers have noted that a Jewish resident of the house named Hanisch helped him sell his postcards.

It was in Vienna that Hitler first became an active anti-Semite. This was a common stance among Austrians at the time, mixing traditional religious prejudice with recent racist theories. Vienna had a large Jewish community, including many ] from ]. ''(See ].)'' Hitler was slowly influenced over time by the writings of the race ideologist and anti-Semite ] and ]s from ]s such as ], founder of the ] and ], and ], leader of the pan-Germanic ''Away from Rome!'' movement. He later wrote in his book '']'' that his transition from opposing anti-Semitism on religious grounds to supporting it on racial grounds came from having seen an ]:

<blockquote>"There were very few Jews in Linz. In the course of centuries the Jews who lived there had become ] 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 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 ]. He held them responsible for Austria's crisis. He also identified ] and especially ], which had many Jews among its leaders, as Jewish movements, merging his anti-Semitism with anti-Marxism. Blaming Germany's military defeat on the revolution, he considered Jews the culprit of Germany's military defeat and subsequent economic problems as well.

Generalising from tumultuous scenes in the parliament of multi-national Austria, he developed
a firm belief in the inferiority of the ], and especially ], which formed the basis of his political views. However, according to ], his close friend and ] at the time, he was more interested in the ]s of ] than in ].

]

Hitler received a small inheritance from his father in May 1913 and moved to ]. He later wrote in '']'' that he had always longed to live in a German city. In Munich, he became more interested in architecture and the writings of ]. Moving to Munich also helped him escape ] 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 ] in August 1914, he immediately enlisted in the ]n army.

===World War I===

]

Hitler saw active service in ] and ] as a messenger for the regimental headquarters of the 16th Bavarian Reserve ] (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 ] or ]. He also drew some ]s and ] drawings for the army newspaper. His behaviour as a soldier was considered somewhat sloppy, 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 ], Second Class in December 1914 and the Iron Cross, First Class in August 1918, an honour rarely given to a ]. 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 unwillingess to leave regimental headquarters (which would have been likely in event of promotion), he was never promoted to ]. His duty station at regimental headquarters, while often dangerous, gave Hitler time to pursue his artwork. During October 1916 in northern France, Hitler was ] in the leg, but returned to the front in March 1917. He received the ] later that year, as his injury was the direct result of hostile fire.

Hitler was considered a "correct" soldier but was reportedly unpopular with his comrades because of an ] toward officers. "Respect the superior, don't contradict anybody, obey blindly," he said, describing his attitude while on trial in 1924. One fellow soldier later remarked, "we all grumbled on him and found it intolerable that we had a white raven among us." (Heiden, 1936)

On ], ], shortly before the end of the war, Hitler was admitted to a ], temporarily ] by a ] attack. Research by Bernhard Horstmann indicates the blindness may have been the result of a ] reaction to Germany's defeat. Hitler later said it was during this experience that he became convinced the purpose of his life was to save Germany. Meanwhile he was treated by a military ] and specialist in ] who reportedly diagnosed the corporal as "incompetent to command people" and "dangerously ]." His commander at the time said, "I will never promote this hysteric!" (cited from Heiden, 1937) However, historian ], referring to Hitler's experience at the front, suggests he did have at least some understanding of the military.

Two passages in '']'' mention the use of '']'':

:''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 ], although he did not become a German citizen until 1932 (the year before he took over Germany). He was shocked by Germany's ] in November 1918 even while the German army still held enemy territory. Like many other German ], Hitler believed in the '']'' ("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 ]. These politicians were later dubbed the '']''.

The ] deprived Germany of various territories, ] the ] 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, Young plan and the Hooever moratorium). Germans however perceived the treaty and especially the paragraph on the German guilt as a ], not least as it was damaging in the extreme to their pride, for example, there was an almost full demilitarisation of the armed forces, allowing Germany only 6 Battleships, no Submarines, no airforce, 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, however at the Paris peace conference, these politicians had very little choice in the matter.

==The early years of the Nazi Party==
{{main|Hitler's political beliefs}}

]

===Hitler's entry and rise===
After the war, Hitler remained in the army, which was mainly engaged in suppressing ] uprisings breaking out across Germany, including Munich (]), where Hitler returned in 1919. 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 Mayr. A key purpose of this group was to create a ] 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 ], who were deemed "]".

In July 1919, Hitler was appointed a ''V-Mann'' (''Verbindungsmann'' is the German term for a police spy) of "Aufklärungskommando" ("Intelligence Commando") of the ], for the purpose of influencing other soldiers toward similar ideas and was assigned to ] a small nationalist party, the ] (DAP). During his ], Hitler was impressed with ]'s ], ] and anti-] ideas. Here Hitler also met ], one of the early founders of the party, member of ].<ref>Joachim C. Fest, in ''The Face Of The Third Reich'' (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1970; URL accessed ],]).</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 ''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 ]. To publicize the meeting, he sent out two truckloads of Party supporters to drive around with ]s, cause a commotion and throw out ]s, their first use of this tactic. Hitler gained notoriety outside of the Party for his rowdy, ] speeches against the Treaty of Versailles, rival politicians and groups (especially Marxists) and always the Jews.

The German Workers' Party was centred in Munich which had become a hotbed of reactionary German nationalists who included Army officers determined to crush Marxism and undermine or even overthrow the young German democracy centred in Berlin. 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 ] among the DAP leadership in Munich.

The Party was run by an executive ] whose original members considered Hitler to be overbearing and even ]. To weaken Hitler's position they formed an ] with a group of socialists from ]. Hitler rushed back to Munich and countered them by tendering his ] from the Party on ], ]. 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 ]) held out at first. Meanwhile an ] ] appeared entitled ''Adolf Hitler: Is he a ]?'', attacking Hitler's lust for power and criticizing the violence-prone men around him. Hitler responded to its publication in a Munich newspaper by ] for ] 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 ], ], Adolf Hitler was introduced as ] of the Nazi 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 ]).

Hitler's beer hall ], attacking Jews, ] and ], ] and ], began attracting adherents. Early followers included ], the former air force pilot ], and the flamboyant army ] ], who became head of the Nazis' ], the ], which protected meetings and attacked political opponents. He also attracted the attention of local business interests, was accepted into influential circles of Munich society and became associated with wartime General ] during this time.

===The Hitler Putsch===
{{main|Beer Hall Putsch}}

Encouraged by this early support, Hitler decided to use Ludendorff as a front in an ] later known as the '']'' (and sometimes as ''Beerhall Putsch or Munich Putsch''). The Nazi Party had copied the Italian ] in appearance and also had adopted some programmatical points and now, in the turbulent year 1923, Hitler wanted to emulate ] "]" by staging his own "Campaign in Berlin". Hitler and Ludendorff obtained the clandestine support of ], ]'s ] ruler along with leading figures in the ] and the police. As political ]s show, Ludendorff, Hitler and the heads of the Bavarian police and military planned on forming a new government.

However on ], ] Kahr and the military withdrew their support during a meeting in the Bürgerbräu beer hall. A surprised Hitler had them ] 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 the Nazis marched from the beer hall to the Bavarian War Ministry to overthrow what they saw as Bavaria's traitorous 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 ] and contemplated ]. He was soon arrested for ] and appointed ] 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 ] ]. He was given almost unlimited amounts of time to present his arguments to the ] along with a large body of the German people, and his popularity soared when he voiced basic nationalistic sentiments shared by the public. On ], ] Hitler was sentenced to five years' imprisonment at ] for the crime of conspiracy to commit treason. Hitler received favoured treatment from the guards and had much ] from ]. While at Landsberg he dictated his political book '']'' (''My Struggle'') to his deputy ]. The book, dedicated to ] member ], was both an autobiography and an exposition of his ]. It was published in two volumes in 1925 and 1926 respectively, but did not sell very well until Hitler came to power (though by the late 1930s nearly every household in Germany had a copy of it). Meanwhile, as he was considered relatively harmless, Hitler was released in December 1924.

===The rebuilding of the party===
At the time of Hitler's release, the political situation in Germany had calmed down, which hampered Hitler's opportunities for agitation. Instead, he began a long effort to rebuild the dwindling party.

Though the ''Hitler Putsch'' had given Hitler some national prominence, his party's mainstay was still Munich. To spread the party to the north, Hitler also assimilated independent groups, such as the Nuremberg-based ''Wistrich'', led by ], who now became ] of ].

As Hitler was still banned from public speeches, he appointed ], who in 1924 had been elected to the ], as ''Reichsorganisationsleiter'', authorizing him to organise the party in northern Germany. Gregor, joined by his younger brother ] and ], 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 (1926), during which Goebbels joined Hitler.

After this encounter, Hitler centralized the party even more and asserted the '']'' 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 ], all power and ] devolved from the top down.

A key element of Hitler's appeal was his ability to convey a sense of offended national ] caused by the ] imposed on the defeated ] by the ]. Germany had lost economically important territory in Europe along with its ] and in admitting to sole responsibility for the war had agreed to pay a huge ] bill totaling 32 billion ]. 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 "] 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 ] until he had legally gained power and then to transform liberal democracy into an authoritarian dictatorship. Some party members, especially in the paramilitary ], opposed this strategy. ], Hitler's long-time associate and leader of the SA, ridiculed Hitler as "Adolphe Legalité", resigned from his post and emigrated to ].

==The road to power==
{{main|Weimar Republic}}

]

===The Brüning administration===
The political turning point for Hitler came when the ] hit Germany in 1930. The ] 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 republic found themselves unable to agree on counter-measures, their ] broke up and was replaced by a minority cabinet. The new Chancellor ], 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 ], becoming the second largest party in Germany.

]

Brüning's measure of budget consolidation and financial ] brought little economic improvement and was extremely unpopular. Under these circumstances, Hitler appealed to the bulk of German ]s, ]s and the ] who had been hard-hit by both the ] of the 1920s and the ] of the Depression. Hitler received little response from the ] working classes and traditionally Catholic regions.

Meanwhile on ], ] Hitler's ] ] was found dead in her bedroom in his Munich apartment (his half-sister ] 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 ] ] in the scheduled ]. 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 ], 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 the Republican parties, and the Communist candidate. His campaign was called "Hitler über Deutschland" (Hitler over Germany). The name had a double meaning. Besides an obvious refrence to Hitler's dictatorial intentions, it also referred to the fact that Hitler was campaigning by airplane. This was a brand new political tactic that allowed Hitler to speak sometimes in two cities in one day, which was then unheard of at the time. Hitler ran against Hindenburg, who was supported by the Republican parties, the Communist candidate came in second on both rounds, attaining more than 35% of the vote during the second one in April. Although he lost, the election established Hitler as a realistic and fresh alternative in German politics.

===The cabinets of Papen and Schleicher===
President Hindenburg, influenced by the ], 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 ] as chancellor, heading a "cabinet of barons". Papen was bent on authoritarian rule and since in the Reichstag only the conservative ] 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 ], 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 ] 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 ] 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 ]. 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 ] and ], media mogul and chairman of the ]. Also involved were ], ] 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>" </ref>

Finally, the President reluctantly agreed to appoint Hitler Chancellor of a coalition government formed by the ] and ]. Hitler and two other Nazi ministers (], ]) were to be contained by a framework of conservative cabinet ministers, most notably by Papen as ] 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 ], ], in Hindenburg's office, Adolf Hitler was sworn in as ] 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 convinced President Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag again. Elections were scheduled for early March, but before that day, the ] on February 27 under still unclear circumstances. Since a Dutch independent communist was found in the building, the fire was blamed on a Communist plot to which the government reacted with the ] of ], which suspended basic rights including '']''. Under the provisions of this decree, the ] and other groups were suppressed; Communist functionaries and deputies were arrested, put to flight or murdered.
]
Campaigning still continued, with the Nazis making use of paramilitary violence, anti-Communist hysteria and the government's resources for propaganda. On election day, 6 March, the NSDAP increased its result to 43.9% of the vote, remaining the largest party, but this success was marred by its failure to secure an absolute majority. Hence, Hitler had to maintain his ] with the ], which jointly had gained a slim majority.
===The Day of Potsdam and the Enabling Act===
On ], 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 ] with the ] that would have vested the cabinet with ] 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 ] as the largest non-Marxist party, turned out to be decisive. Under the leadership of ], the party decided to assent to the Enabling Act in return for the government's oral guarantees regarding the ]'s liberty, the concordats signed by German states and the existence of the Centre Party itself.

On ], the Reichstag assembled in a replacement building under extreme turbulent circumstances. Some ] 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 ] denounced the Act in his speech. At the end of the day, all parties except the ] voted in favour of the bill. The ] was dutifully renewed every four years, even through ].

===Removal of remaining limits===
With this combination of legislative and ] power, Hitler's government further suppressed the remaining political ]. The ] and the ] were banned, while all other political parties dissolved themselves. ] were merged with employers' federations into an organisation under Nazi control and the autonomy of state governments was abolished.

].]]

Hitler also used the ] paramilitary to push Hugenberg into resigning and proceeded to politically isolate Vice Chancellor Papen. As the SA's demands for political and military caused much anxiety among the populace in general and especially among the military, Hitler used allegations of a plot by the SA leader ] to purge the paramilitary force's leadership during the ]. Opponents unconnected with the ] were also ], notably ] and former Chancellor ].

Soon after, president ] died on ] ]. 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 swore their military ] not to the state or the constitution but to Hitler personally. In a mid-August ] these acts found the approval of 90% 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}}

] Hitler's populist-nationalist (Völkisch) image.]]

Having secured supreme political power, Hitler went on to gain their support by ] most Germans he was their saviour from the Depression, the Communists, the Versailles Treaty, and the Jews along with other "undesirable" ]. The ] that he created lasted twelve years in total.

===Economics and culture===
Hitler oversaw one of the greatest expansions of ] 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 ] rate was cut substantially, mostly through arms production and sending women home so that men could take their jobs. Given this, claims that the ] achieved near ] are at least partly artifacts of propaganda from the ]. Much of the financing for Hitler's reconstruction and rearmament came from currency manipulation by ], including the clouded credits through the ]. The negative effects of this ] were offset in later years by the acquisition of foreign ] from the treasuries of conquered nations.

Hitler also oversaw one of the largest ] improvement campaigns in German history, with the construction of dozens of ]s, ]s, ]s and other civil works. Hitler's ] 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-war years despite a 25% increase in the cost of living ].

Hitler's government ] ] on an immense scale, with ] 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 WWII. In 1936 Berlin hosted the ], which were opened by Hitler and ] to demonstrate ] superiority over all other races. '']'', the movie about the games and documentary propaganda films for the German Nazi Party were directed by Hitler's personal filmmaker ].

Although Hitler made plans for a '']'' (] 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 ] of Britain.

Hitler contributed to the design of the ] that later became the ], and charged ] with its construction.<ref>Robert Wistrich,<cite>Who's Who in Nazi Germany </cite>(New York: Routledge, 2002), p. 193.</ref>

===Repression===
] (left)]]

The ''Gestapo-SS complex'' (the ] and ] organizations) were primarily responsible for ] in the Nazi state. This was implemented not only against political enemies such as communists but also against perceived "asocials" such as habitual ]s and the work-shy along with "racial enemies," mainly Jews.

The racial policies of Nazi Germany during the early to mid-1930s included the harassment and persecution of Jews through legislation, restrictions on civil rights and limiting their economic opportunities. Under the 1935 ] Jews lost their German citizenship and were expelled from government employment, their professions and most forms of economic activity. To indicate their Jewishness, Jews were forced to adopt a second name and had their papers stamped with a big red "J". The policy was successful in causing the ] of many thousands but nevertheless turned increasingly violent in the mid to late 1930s. In 1938 a ] orchestrated by ] and endorsed by Hitler called ] destroyed many Jewish businesses and ]s and resulted in about 100 deaths. Between November 1938 and September 1939 more than 180,000 Jews fled Germany and the Nazis seized whatever property they left behind. From 1941 Jews were required to wear a yellow ] in public. Throughout the 1930s the Propaganda Ministry disseminated anti-Semitic propaganda.

===Rearmament and new alliances===
] and Hitler.]]
In March 1935 Hitler repudiated the ] by reintroducing ] in Germany. He set about building a massive military machine, including a new Navy (the '']'') and an Air Force (the '']''). The enlistment of vast numbers of men and women in the new military seemed to solve ] problems but seriously distorted the economy. For the first time in a generation, Germany's armed forces were as strong as those of her neighbour, ].

In March 1936 Hitler again violated the ] by reoccupying the ] in the ]. When ] and France did nothing, he grew bolder. In July 1936 the ] began when the military, led by General ], rebelled against the elected ] government of ]. Hitler sent troops to support Franco and Spain served as a testing ground for Germany's new armed forces and their methods, including the bombing of undefended towns such as ], which was destroyed by the Luftwaffe in April 1937, prompting ]'s famous ] painting (see ]).

An ] was declared between Germany and Italy by ], ] of ] ] ] on ], ]. This ] was later expanded to include ], ], ] and ]. They were collectively known as the ]. Then on ], ], at the ], Adolf Hitler held a secret meeting and stated his plans for acquiring "living space" (]) for the German people.

===The Holocaust===
{{main|Holocaust}}

], chief of the ]]]

Between 1939 and 1945 the SS, assisted by ] governments and recruits from ] 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>" ; FAQs About The Holocaust, Yad Vashem (URL accessed on ], ])<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>" ; ''Holocaust Encyclopedia'', ] (URL accessed on ], ]).</ref>, in ]s, ]s and mass ]s, or through less systematic methods elsewhere. Besides being gassed to death, many also died of ] and ] while working as ]. Along with Jews, non-Jewish ] (over 3 million of whom died), alleged ]s or political opposition, members of resistance groups, ], ] ] and ], ], the physically ] and mentally ], ] ], ], anti-Nazi ], ], and ] ]s were killed. This industrial-scale ] in Europe is referred to as the ] (the term is also used by some ]s in a narrower sense, to refer specifically to the unprecedented destruction of European Jewry in particular).

The massacres that led to the coining of the word "]" (the '']'' or "]") were planned and ordered by leading Nazis, with ] 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 '']'' and the evidence also suggests that sometime in the fall of 1941 Himmler and Hitler agreed in principle on mass extermination by gassing. During ]s by Soviet ]s declassified over fifty years later, Hitler's ] ] and his military ] Otto Gunsche said Hitler had "pored over the first ]s of ]s."

To make for smoother intra-governmental ] in the implementation of this "Final Solution" to the "Jewish question", the ] was held near Berlin on ], ], with fifteen senior officials participating, led by ] and ]. The records of this meeting provide the clearest evidence of central planning for the Holocaust. Days later, on ], Hitler was recorded saying to his closest associates, "we shall regain our health only by eliminating the Jew".

==World War II==
===Opening moves===
<!-- missing images ]
] from the ] on the announcement of the ] of his native Austria to Germany.]] -->
] ].]]
] ally ] (far left).]]

On ], ], Hitler pressured his native ] into ] with Germany (the ]) and made a triumphal entry into ]. Next, he intensified a crisis over the German-speaking ] districts of ]. This led to the ] of September 1938, which authorized the annexation and immediate military occupation of these districts by Germany. As a result of the summit, Hitler was '']'' magazine's ] in 1938. ] ] ] 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 ] on ] ] and from ] proclaimed Bohemia and Moravia a German ]. After that, Hitler was claiming territories ceded to ] under the ]. Britain had not been able to reach an agreement with the ] for an alliance against Germany, and, on ], ], Hitler concluded a secret ] (the ]) with ] on which it was likely agreed that the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany would partition Poland. On ], 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 ], Soviet forces invaded eastern Poland.

After conquering Western Poland by the end of September, Hitler built up his forces much further during the so-called '']''. In April 1940, he ordered German forces to march into ] and ]. In May 1940, Hitler ordered his forces to attack ], conquering the ], ] and ] in the process. France ] on ], ]. This series of victories convinced his main ally, ] of Italy, to join the war on Hitler's side in May 1940.

], whose defeated forces had evacuated France from the coastal town of ], continued to fight alongside Canadian forces in the ]. After having his overtures for peace systematically rejected by the British Government, now led by ], Hitler ordered ]s on the British Isles, leading to the ], a ] of the planned German invasion. The attacks began by pounding the ] airbases and the ] stations protecting South-East England. However, the ] failed to defeat the ] by the end of October 1940. Air superiority for the invasion, code-named ], could not be assured and Hitler ordered bombing raids to be carried out on British cities, including ] and ], mostly at night.

===Path to defeat===
On ], ], Hitler gave the signal for three million German troops to attack the ], breaking the ] he had concluded with Stalin less than two years earlier. This invasion, code-named ], seized huge amounts of territory, including the ] states, ], and ], along with the ] and destruction of many Soviet forces. German forces, however, were stopped short of ] in December 1941 by the Russian ] and fierce Soviet resistance (see ]), and the invasion failed to achieve the quick triumph over the Soviet Union which Hitler had anticipated.

Hitler's declaration of war against the ] on ], ], (which arguably was called for by Germany's treaty with ]) set him against a coalition that included the world's largest empire (the ]), the world's greatest industrial and financial power (the ]), and the world's largest army (the ]).

In May 1942 ], one of the highest ] officers and one of Hitler's favorite subordinates, was ]. Hitler reacted by ordering brutal reprisals, including the massacre of ].

In late 1942, German forces under ] ] were defeated in the ], thwarting Hitler's plans to seize the ] and the ]. In February of 1943, the lengthy ] ended with the complete encirclement and destruction of the German ]. 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 ] and Germany's military and economic position deteriorated. Hitler's health was deteriorating too. His left hand started shaking uncontrollably. The biographer ] believes he suffered from ]. Other conditions that are suspected by some to have caused some (at least) of his symptoms are ] ] and ].

Hitler's ally ] was overthrown in 1943 after ], an American and British invasion of Sicily. Throughout 1943 and 1944, the ] steadily forced Hitler's armies into retreat along the ]. On ], ] the Western allied armies landed in northern France in what was the largest ] operation ever conducted, ]. Realists in the German army knew defeat was inevitable and some officers plotted to remove Hitler from power. In July 1944 one of them, ], planted a ] at Hitler's military headquarters in ] (the so-called ]), but Hitler narrowly escaped death. He ordered savage reprisals, resulting in the executions of more than 4,000 people (sometimes by starvation in solitary confinement followed by slow ]). The main resistance movement was destroyed although smaller isolated groups such as ] continued to operate.

===Defeat and death===
{{main|Hitler's death}}

By the end of 1944, the ] had driven the last German troops from Soviet territory and began charging into Central Europe. The ] were also rapidly advancing into Germany. The Germans had lost the war from a military perspective, but Hitler allowed no ] 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 ] on March 19 1945, ordering the destruction of what remained of German industry, communications and transport. However, ] who was in charge of that plan didn't carry it out. (The ] for postwar Germany, promulgated by the Allies, aimed at a similar deindustrialization, but also failed to carry it out.)

In April 1945 Soviet forces were at the ]. Hitler's closest lieutenants urged him to flee to ] or Austria to make a last stand in the mountains, but he seemed determined to either live or die in the capital. ] leader ] tried on his own to inform the Allies (through the ] ] Count ]) that Germany was prepared to discuss surrender terms. Meanwhile ] 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, declaring them traitors.

When after intense ] Soviet troops were spotted within a block or two of the ] in the city centre, Hitler committed suicide in the ] on ] ] by means of a self-delivered shot to the head (it is likely he simultaneously bit into a ] ampoule). Hitler's body and that of ] (his long-term mistress whom he had married the day before) were put in a bomb crater, partially burned with ] 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.

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 ] at their new headquarters in ]. In April 1970, when the facility was about to be turned over to the East German government, the remains were reportedly exhumed, thoroughly ], and the ashes finally dumped unceremoniously into the ].

==Legacy==
"''I would have preferred it if he'd followed his original ambition and become an architect.''"
&mdash; ], Hitler's younger sister, during an interview with a U.S. intelligence operative in late 1945.

At the time of Hitler's death most of Germany's ] 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 ] he dismissed other Nazi leaders and appointed Grand ] ] as '']'' (President of Germany) and ] as '']'' (Chancellor of Germany). However, Goebbels and his wife Magda committed suicide on ] ]. On ] ], in ], the German armed forces ] ] and with the creation of the ] on ] ], the Four Powers assumed "supreme authority with respect to Germany." Adolf Hitler's proclaimed ''Thousand Year Reich'' had lasted 12 years.

Since the defeat of Germany in World War II, Hitler, the Nazi Party and the ] have been regarded in most of the world as synonymous with ]. Historical and ] in the west are almost uniformly negative, sometimes neglecting to mention the adulation the German people bestowed on Hitler during his lifetime, and the vast majority of present-day Germans share a negative view of Hitler.

The copyright of Hitler's book '']'' is held by the Free State of ] and will expire in 2015. Reproductions in Germany are generally authorized only for scholarly purposes and in heavily commented form. The display of ]s or other ] is prohibited in Germany and political extremists are generally under surveillance by the ], one of the federal or state-based offices for the protection of the constitution.

There have been instances of public figures referring to his legacy in neutral or favourable terms, particularly in ], the ] and parts of ]. Future ] President ] wrote favourably of Hitler in 1953. ], leader of the right-wing ] party in the ]n state of the ], declared in 1995 that he was an admirer of Hitler.

{{further|] and ]}}

==Hitler's religious beliefs==
<!-- <ref></ref> -->
Adolf Hitler was raised as a ] by his parents, as was customary where he grew up. According to historian Bradley F. Smith, Hitler's father, though nominally a Catholic, was a ],<ref>"Closely related to his support of education was his tolerant skepticism concerning religion. He looked upon religion as a series of conventions and as a crutch for human weakness, but, like most of his neighbors, he insisted that the women of his household fulfill all religious obligations. He restricted his own participation to donning his uniform to take his proper place in festivals and processions. As he grew older Alois shifted from relative passivity in his attitude toward the power and influence of the institutional Church to a firm opposition to "clericalism," especially when the position of the Church came into conflict with his views on education." - Bradley F. Smith: ''Adolf Hitler: His Family, Childhood and Youth'' Stanford/California, 1967 p.27</ref> while his mother was a devoted Catholic.<ref>Historian Bradley F. Smith: "Alois insisted she attend regularly as an expression of his belief that the woman's place was in the kitchen and in church....Happily, Klara really enjoyed attending services and was completely devoted to the faith and teachings of Catholicism, so her husband's requirements worked to her advantage. "Bradley F. Smith: ''Adolf Hitler: His Family, Childhood and Youth'' Stanford/California, 1967 p.42</ref>

Hitler's religious beliefs changed over the years, and as they have to be gathered from his public and private statements, which present a discrepant picture, they are disputed. In public statements, Hitler frequently spoke positively about the Christian heritage of German culture and his belief in Christ. For example, on March 23, 1933, he addressed the Reichstag: <blockquote><cite>"The National Government regards the two Christian confessions '''(i.e. Catholicism and Protestantism)''' as factors essential to the soul of the German people. ... We hold the spiritual forces of Christianity to be indispensable elements in the moral uplift of the German people."</cite><ref> quoted by Dennis Barton..</ref></blockquote> About his own religious stance, he said: <blockquote>"<cite>I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so.</cite>"<ref>cited by ], ''Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography'', New York: Anchor Publishing, 1992, p. 507 ISBN 0385420536.</ref>.</blockquote> Hitler’s private statements were more mixed. There are negative statements about Christianity reported by Hitler’s intimates, Goebbels, Speer, and Bormann.<ref>The collection called ''Table Talk'' is questioned by some, but most historians consider it a useful, though not a wholly reliable, source. Ian Kershaw alludes to the questionable nature of Table Talk as a historical source; see his Hitler 1889-1936 Hubris London, 1998, xiv. Richard Carrier goes further contending that certain portions of Table Talk, especially those regarding Hitler's alleged hatred of Christianity, are outright inventions: see his "Hitler's Table Talk, Troubling Finds" German Studies Review26:3 (forthcoming 2003). However, although Kershaw recommends treating the work with caution, he does not suggest dispensing with it altogether. (The Holy Reich, p. 253)</ref>. Joseph Goebbels, for example, notes in a diary entry in 1939: “The Führer is deeply religious, but deeply anti-Christian. He regards Christianity as a symptom of decay.” Albert Speer reports a similar statement: “You see, it’s been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn’t we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? The Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?<ref> Steigmann-Gall, pp. 252-253; Albert Speer, <cite>Inside the Third Reich, </cite> Orion Pub., 1997 ISBN 1857992180, p. 96.</ref> Though Hitler spoke against traditional Christianity in general, he in fact may have been referring to Catholicism, according to Steigmann-Gall. In any event, "No matter how much he vituperated against Christianity or the churches, Hitler gave no indication that he was now agnostic or atheistic: He displayed a continued attachment to a belief in God."<ref>Richard Steigmann-Gall, ''The Holy Reich'' p.255</ref>

In contrast to other Nazi leaders, Hitler did not adhere to ] ideas, ] or ] and even ridiculed such beliefs in private. Drawing on ] and some branches of theologically liberal Protestantism, Hitler advocated what he termed ], purged of everything that he found objectionable. Hitler never directed his attacks on Jesus himself, but viewed traditional Christianity as a corruption of the original ideas of Jesus<ref>Richard Steigmann-Gall, ''The Holy Reich'', Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 257, 260</ref>, who Hitler thought of as an ] opponent of the ].<ref>Richard Steigmann-Gall, The Holy Reich p. 260 </ref> In 1927 he said: "My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God's truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter."<ref>Cited in Norman H. Baynes, <cite>The Speeches of Adolf Hitler: April 1922-August 1939,</cite> Vol. 1, New York: Oxford University Press, 1942, pp. 19-20 ISBN 0598758933.</ref><ref>In a speech delivered on 12 April 1922, Munich</ref>Hitler did not believe in a "remote, rationalist divinity" but "in one providential, active, deity."<ref>Richard Steigmann-Gall, ''The Holy Reich'', Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 26</ref>. In Hitler's belief God created a world in which different races fought each other for survival along ] lines. He often referred to "Providence" guarding and guiding the "Aryan race", supposedly the bearer of civilisation, in its fight against the Jews, supposedly the enemies of all civilisation.

As some branches of liberal Protestantism also had similar views, Hitler demonstrated a preference for Protestantism over Catholicism.<ref>Steigmann-Gall, p.84</ref> His views were supported by the ] movement, but rejected by the ]. According to Steigmann-Gall, Hitler regretted that "the churches had failed to back him and his movement as he had hoped."<ref>Steigmann-Gall, p.260</ref>, stating according to Albert Speer: "Through me the Protestant Church could become the established church, as in England”.

Hitler as a child admired the pomp of Catholic ritual and the hierarchical organisation of the clergy. Later, he drew on these elements, organizing his party along hierarchical lines and including liturgical forms into events or using phraseology taken from hymns.<ref>Michael Rissmann, p. 96.</ref>. Because of these liturgical elements, Hitler's Messiah-like status and the ideology's all-encompassing nature, the Nazi movement is sometimes termed a "]".<ref>Especially Eric Voegelin: <cite>Political Religions, </cite> (Edward Mellen Press, 1986) ISBN 0889467676, advocated such a classification. Discussion at Rissmann, p. 191-197.</ref> Hitler himself, however, deplored the idea that Nazism was in any way a religion. He never renounced his belonging to the Catholic church, and ] claims Hitler remained a member of the Catholic church until his suicide.<ref>], <cite>]</cite>, p. 96</ref>

==Medical health==
{{main|Adolf Hitler's medical 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 ], ]s, ], tremors on the left side of his body, ], ] and a strongly suggested addiction to ].

==Hitler's family==
{{main|Hitler (disambiguation)}}

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

The most prominent, and longest-living direct descendants of Adolf Hitler's father, Alois, was his nephew ]. With his wife Phyllis, he eventually moved to ] and had four sons. None of William Hitler's children have yet had any children of their own; by some reports, this is by mutual agreement, to put an end to the Hitler ].

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.

]
] by Hitler]]
*], mistress and then wife
*], father
*], mother
*], sister
*], half-brother
*], sister-in-law
*], nephew
*], half-sister
*], grandmother
*], presumed grandfather
*], maternal great-grandfather, presumed great uncle and possibly Hitler's true paternal grandfather
*], niece and rumoured mistress

===The origin of the name "Hitler"===
There are two theories about the origin of the name "Hitler":
*(1) From ] ''Hittler'' and similar, "one who lives in a hut", "shepherd".
*(2) From ] ''Hidlar'' and ''Hidlarcek'' and similar.

==People associated with Hitler==
{{main articles|] and ]}}

*], Adolf Hitler's secretary.
*], sister of philosopher ] and Hitler supporter.
*], Hitler's lawyer and later senior Nazi official in occupied Poland.
*], Minister of Propaganda.
*], Commander of the Luftwaffe, founder of the Gestapo.
*], Hitler's deputy as party leader, best known for his flight to Scotland to negotiate peace in 1941.
*], chief of the Reich Main Security Office (including the ])
*], leader of the SS, key figure in the Holocaust and the "Final Solution".
*], official photographer from 1920 to 1945.
*], military officer, knew Hitler since 1923.
*], military Field Marshal during World War II.
*], close friend and roommate in Vienna
*], friend and filmmaker who documented the Nazi party.
*], military Field Marshal during World War II.
*], leader of the SA and internal critic, killed in the ] (1934).
*], Hitler's personal architect, Minister of armaments. Close friend to Hitler.
*], famous architect who served before Speer.
*], head of the Wagner family and close friend of Hitler's.

==Trivia==
*Hitler's given name, "Adolf", comes from the ] for "noble ''wolf''" (''adal'', "nobility" + ''wolf'', "wolf").<ref></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 (]: New York, 1972)</ref> The names of his various ] scattered throughout ] ('']'' in ], ''Wolfsschlucht'' in ], "Werewolf" in ], etc.) seem to reflect this.

*A nickname for Hitler used by German soldiers was ''Gröfaz'', a derogatory acronym for ''Größter Feldherr aller Zeiten'' ("Greatest War Lord of all Time"), a title initially publicized by Nazi ] after the surprisingly quick ].

*During the early 20th century, ''Adolf'' was a popular name for German Jews. After World War II many survivors who had been born with this name changed it and the popularity of the name decreased dramatically.<ref></ref>

*Hitler had spent years evading ] on ] from sales of ''Mein Kampf''. He owed the German government 405,000 Reichmarks (equivalent to $8 million at 2004 exchange rates) by the time he took power and the tax ] was cancelled.

*Most of Hitler's biographers have characterized him as a ] who abstained from eating meat beginning in the early 1930s until his death (although his actual dietary habits are sometimes hotly disputed). A fear of cancer (which his mother died from) is the most widely cited reason. He did consume dairy products and eggs. ] constructed a large greenhouse close to the ] (near ]) 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 ].

*Contrary to popular legend, there is some evidence Hitler did not abstain entirely from ]. During post war interrogation in the ] his valet ] indicated Hitler drank champagne now and then with ].

*Hitler was an avid 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 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></ref><ref>], <cite>Adolf Hitler</cite>, p. 741</ref>

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

*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.

*At dinner he was known to complain about the quality of popular music in Germany, then hum a hit song with his own improvements.{{fact}}

*In response to a shortage of servants during the war, Hitler is reported to have said, "I create whole divisions out of nothing! And I can't get a few more serving wenches for the Berghof? Organise it now!"

==Hitler in various media==
:''See also: ]''

===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 ], ].|format=]}}
{{multi-video end}}

===Propaganda films===
During Hitler's reign, he appeared in and was involved to varying degrees with a series of propaganda films by the pioneering filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. They were:
*'']'' (''The Victory of Faith'', 1933)
*'']'' (''Triumph of the Will'', 1934)
*'']'' (''Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces'', 1935)
*'']'' (1938)

Out of the four films, Hitler was the star of the first three and was prominently featured in the fourth (Olympia), and he served as a co-producer on one (Triumph of the Will).

===Documentaries===
* '']'' (1974) is a famous ] series which contains much information about Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, including an interview with his secretary, ].
* ''Adolf Hitler's Last Days'', from the BBC series "Secrets of World War II" tells (obviously) the story about Hitler's last days.
*'']'' (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===
* '']'' (1973) is a movie depicting the days leading up to Adolf Hitler's death, starring Sir Alec Guinness.
* '']'' (1978) by James O'Donnell, describing the last days in the ] from ] to ]. Made into the TV movie '']'' (1981), starring Anthony Hopkins.
* '']'' (2003) is a two-part TV series about the early years of Adolf Hitler and his rise to power (up to 1933). Stars ].
* '']'' (2004) is a German movie about the last days of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, starring ]. This film is partly based on the autobiography of ], a favorite secretary of Hitler's. In 2002 Junge said she felt great guilt for "...liking the greatest criminal ever to have lived."
*'s ''(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.
*] is a 2002 ], that depicts a friendship between art dealer Max Rothman (who is Jewish) and a young Adolf Hitler as a failed painter in ].

===Bibliography===
{{main|List of Adolf Hitler books}}
Many books have been written about Adolf Hitler with his life and legacy thoroughly researched. See ] for an extensive ], containing also a list of works authored by Hitler.

===Speeches and talk by Hitler===
{{main|List of Adolf Hitler speeches}}
Hitler was a gifted ] who captivated many with his beating of the podium and growling speech. Authentic though they may seem, Hitler's speeches were often full of propaganda, used to merely touch a spot with his audience as a way to persuade them to his perspective. His actions many times did not reflect his intentions as presented in his public addresses and discourses.

Further, the archives of the Finnish ] broadcasting company contain an audio tape segment of a Hitler conversation with Finnish Marshal ] and other officers which may be the only known recording of Hitler speaking in a conversational tone of voice rather than with the intense delivery he used for official speeches. It was secretly recorded by Finnish intelligence agents when Hitler unexpectedly flew to Finland to congratulate Marshall Mannerheim on his 75th birthday on ] ]. Swiss actor ] is said to have studied the eleven-minute recording extensively while preparing for his portrayal of Hitler in the 2004 ] nominated German film '']''.

==See also==
{{further|]}}

==References==
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
<div style="font-size:90%"><references/></div>

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Adolf Hitler}}
*
* How Hitler has been viewed over the years.
* (full text)
*
*
*{{imdb name|id=0386944|name=Adolf Hitler}}
* written by Dr. Henry A. Murray for the wartime ]
* - Watch color footage of Hitler during WWII
*
* argues that Hitler was not a Christian.
* argues that Hitler was a Christian

{{start box}}
{{succession box | before = ] | title = ] | years = 1921&ndash;1945 | after = None}}
{{succession box | before = ] | title = ] | years = 1930&ndash;1945 | after = None}}
{{succession box | before = ] | title = ]<sup>(a)</sup> | years = 1933&ndash;1945 | after = ]}}
{{succession box | before = ] (as President) | title = ]<sup>(a)</sup> | years = 1934&ndash;1945 | after = ] (as President) }}
{{succession box | before = ]| title = ]| years = 1941&ndash;1945 | after = ]}}
{{succession footnote| marker=<sup>(a)</sup>| footnote=The Presidency and the Chancellorship were combined 1934-1945 in the office of Führer und Reichskanzler}}

{{end box}}
{{Adolf Hitler}}
{{Template:Bunker}}

<!-- Metadata: see ] -->

{{Persondata
|NAME=Hitler, Adolf
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=] of the National Socialist German Workers Party; ] of Germany
|DATE OF BIRTH=] ]
|PLACE OF BIRTH=], ]
|DATE OF DEATH=] ]
|PLACE OF DEATH=], ]
}}

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{{Link FA|el}}
{{Link FA|es}}
{{Link FA|he}}
{{Link FA|nl}}
{{Link FA|no}}
{{Link FA|pt}}

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Revision as of 00:07, 6 May 2006

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