Download The Rise Of Adolf Hitler

ADOLF HITLER
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What led to Adolf Hitler’s
rise to power and the
Nazis ruling Germany?
A DICTATOR IS BORN
♂ Adolf Hitler
was born in
Braunau am
Inn, near Linz,
Austria on
April 20, 1889
KLARA and ALOIS:
THE PARENTS OF A
MONSTER
HITLER AS A YOUTH
LEFT: Hitler at age 13
BELOW: Hitler, part of
a church choir group
Adolf was an
intelligent child, but a
poorly performing
student, both of
Adolf’s parents died
when he was a
teenager, leaving him
with a modest
inheritance; Adolf
sought to become an
artist
THE YEARS IN VIENNA
In January 1908, the 19
year old Adolf moved to
the city of Vienna, the
capital of Austria
In Vienna, Adolf is
exposed to culture and
life in a big city
Adolf tries to enter the
Academy of Arts, but is
rejected; his audition
painting was deemed
not good enough
THE ACADEMY OF
ARTS IN VIENNA
SAMPLES OF HITLER’S ART
This 1914 painting is titled:
"The Courtyard of the Old Residency
in Munich."
A 1914 painting:
"Ruins of a Cloister in
Messines."
ONE OF HITLER’S GREAT LOVES:
THE MUSIC OF RICHARD WAGNER
♫Adolf enjoyed the opera music of
Richard Wagner, whose stirring music
glorified Germany and often had
warlike themes (such as “Ride of the
Valkyries”)
♫ Wagner’s music had a profound
effect on the young Adolf Hitler
GERMAN COMPOSER
RICHARD WAGNER
FIRST EXPOSURE TO POLITICS
GEORG VON SCHOENERER
KARL LUEGER
Galician Jews are present in Vienna. As with much of Europe, there are
anti-Semitic feelings in Vienna (it was Adolf’s first exposure to antiSemitism). The politics of Georg von Schoenerer (an anti-Semite) and
Vienna’s mayor, Karl Lueger (who said the public would do without
freedoms for security), would have an influence on young Hitler.
POLITICIZATION
OF HITLER
It is while living in Vienna
that Adolf first learns of
the ideas of mystical
German nationalism and
the “Aryan ideal”; these
ideas would shape the
Nazi ideology decades
later, as exemplified in
this 1930s poster
THE FRUSTRATED ARTIST
Adolf is rejected a second time by the
Vienna Academy of Arts in November 1908.
Hitler then earns his living as a street
artist, making drawings and sketches for
tourists and trying to sell them.
His inheritance money dwindled away
quickly, and soon Adolf found himself living
in various homeless shelters in Vienna.
A
FUGITIVE
 Adolf was supposed to serve in
the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s
army when he turned 20 years
old, but he avoided military
service. He was a fugitive from
the Austrian police.
 His motivation was not
cowardice: Hitler hated the
Austrian monarchy and did not
want to serve in a heavily
multi-ethnic army alongside
Jews, Czechs, Poles,
Hungarians, Slovaks, and other
groups he deemed “inferior.”
When World War I
breaks out, Adolf
Hitler finds a
purpose; he
volunteers to be a
soldier for the
country he
adored: Germany
WARTIME SERVICE
 Hitler served as a dispatch
runner (messenger) on the
Western Front, carrying
messages from headquarters
to the trenches by bicycle.
 It was often a dangerous
assignment; Hitler was
wounded twice in one week in
1916 and sent to Germany to
recover.
 Awarded medals for bravery
(including the Iron Cross), he
returned to fight in 1917.
When the Great War ends in 1918, the Treaty of Versailles left
Germany with huge war debts to pay; many restrictions were
forced upon the defeated Germany by the victorious Allies
Germany felt humiliated and thought they were singled out
unfairly as the only power to start World War I
AN ANGRY YOUNG MAN
 Adolf Hitler never forgot
the humiliation that
Germany was served at the
hands of the Allies.
 Hitler was outraged by
the actions taken to punish
Germany after the war.
 This outrage was shared
with many Germans,
especially the soldiers of
World War I.
Corporal Hitler (right) with two fellow German
soldiers, one of whom is missing a leg
HITLER’S LIFE TAKES A
FATEFUL TURN
As he recovered at a Stettin hospital
from eye injuries suffered in an Allied
poison gas attack in Ypres, Hitler heard
about Germany’s defeat. His reaction:
“The burning in my eyes
could not match the hate
burning in my heart. From
that moment, I knew I
should enter politics.”
GERMANY AFTER THE GREAT WAR
(1919-1923)
Many Germans were
disillusioned after the
defeat in the Great War
and hated the democratic
government that took
power after WWI (the
Weimar Republic)
An anti-Communist poster
Ex-soldiers like Hitler felt
that they had been
“stabbed in the back” by
Jews and Communists
back home in Germany;
they felt that they had not
been defeated on the
battlefield
Extremist groups like
the Nazis gained
popularity by saying
that they would not
obey the Treaty’s terms
and would restore
Germany’s glory
A SOLDIER WITHOUT A WAR
 After the war, Hitler remained in the German
Army; he acted as a “mole” and spied on various
organizations suspected of being communist
 From the military leaders, Hitler learned of the
Germans’ destiny as the “master race” and of
the “economic conspiracy” of the world’s Jews
against the Fatherland
 Hitler, now 30 years old, also discovered while at
Munich that he had a flair for public speaking,
delivering several passionate speeches at the
local university and transfixing audiences
PARTY MEMBER #55
Continuing his work as amole, a group Hitler spied on was the
German Workers’ Party; this group was anti-Bolshevik as well as
anti-Semitic
Hitler agreed with the party’s views and became a member in 1920
Later on, he became a party leader, recruiting many German
soldiers from his barracks; Hitler’s goal was to seize the German
Workers’ Party and reshape it to his own ends
THE NAZI PARTY
With Hitler becoming its new leader, the German Workers’ Party
later became the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (in
German: Nazional Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei). The
party’s name was abbreviated as NSDAP and shortened to “Nazi”
THE SWASTIKA
NAZI USE OF THE SWASTIKA
 The swastika is an ancient
symbol that has been used for
over 3,000 years by many
cultures, representing life,
strength, and good luck.
 German nationalists in the
mid-nineteenth century began
to use the swastika; this made
it seem the Germans had a
long history with ancient
Aryans (a culture that used
the swastika)
NAZI USE OF THE SWASTIKA
 What better image to use as a
new political party's symbol?
The swastika suggested that
the Nazis were connected with
ancient tradition
 For Hitler, the new flag had
to be "a symbol of our own
struggle" as well as "highly
effective on a poster." The
simple yet strong swastika fit
the Nazis’ needs perfectly.
THE MUNICH BEER HALL PUTSCH
 Viewing the Weimar Republic as
weak and ready to be taken down,
Hitler plotted a putsch (takeover) of
Germany
 After they marched into a
Munich beer hall (where a political
meeting was taking place), Hitler’s
stormtroopers were met with a hail
of bullets from the Bavarian police
 18 Nazis were killed. Most of
the others were arrested.
 Apprehended shortly after the
failed putsch, Adolf Hitler was put
on trial.
HITLER ON TRIAL FOR SEDITION
In February 1924, Hitler
was brought to trial.
The trial was a political
circus: the judge was
sympathetic to Hitler and
allowed him to express his
political views.
Hitler and several of his fellow Nazis during a break in the trial
Charged of treason against the
unpopular Weimar Republic, Hitler
proclaimed: “There is no such
thing as treason against the
traitors of 1918.”
Hitler made statements
during the trial that made
him well-known nationally
and increased his
popularity with Germans.
MEIN KAMPF: “MY STRUGGLE”
 Hitler received a light sentence and
only served 9 months in a minimum
security prison. He spent most of his
time writing his autobiography.
 Mein Kampf expressed Hitler’s beliefs
 Two of the major issues he addressed
in Mein Kampf were:
1. Lebensraum (“living space”): Germany
must take over other countries,
especially Russia, for the use of the
German “master race”.
2. Anti-Semitism: inferior races, especially
the Jews, must be destroyed.
“Ballots, not bullets.”
The failure of the Beer Hall
Putsch demonstrates to Hitler
that power needs to be
achieved through legal means,
not violent overthrow.
When Hitler leaves prison,
the Nazis have a new approach
to gaining political power:
getting votes
When the Great Depression
hits Germany, desperate,
starving people were willing to
give the Nazis their votes
When times are bad…
…people turn to extremes for answers
The Nazis’
Power
Increases
CHANCELLOR HITLER
 The aging
German President
Paul von Hindenburg
appoints Hitler as
chancellor in
January 1933.
Hitler’s power was increasing (over one million
members of the Nazi Party and 400,000 men in his
private army), so Hindenburg thought to contain the
Nazis by offering Hitler a position in the government.
CHANCELLOR HITLER
When Hindenburg dies of
old age, Chancellor Hitler
takes the President’s role
and power as well.
Combining the titles of
president and chancellor,
Adolf Hitler becomes Der
Fuhrer (The Leader)
GAINING POWER
Using violent tactics
against political
opponents and telling
the German people
what they wanted to
hear, Hitler increased
his power.
Once he cemented
his position as Der
Fuhrer, Hitler used his
power to turn Germany
into a totalitarian state.
THE REICHSTAG FIRE
Within a disaster
lay an
opportunity for
Hitler… an
opportunity to
eliminate his
worst political
enemies:
the
Communists
ELIMINATING POLITICAL ENEMIES
On February 27, 1933, a “feeble minded” Dutch
Communist named Martinus van der Lubbe set the
Reichstag (Germany’s government) building on fire
Hitler used this fire as a reason outlaw the
Communist Party and arrest their leaders
With the Enabling Act, the Reichstag gave Hitler
dictatorial powers because of this “crisis”
CONSPIRACY: The Nazis may have helped start the
fire in the Reichstag building
Hitler used his new powers to outlaw all other
political parties and abolish trade unions
Hitler was now “Der Fuhrer” both in name
and in fact
ELIMINATING RIVAL NAZIS
June 30, 1934: “The Night of the Long Knives”
Hitler’s black-shirted SS murderers killed over 1000 Nazis who
were seen as threats to Hitler’s power in the Nazi Party
THE THIRD REICH
The Nazis identified their rule as the successor to the
Holy Roman Empire (the First Reich) and the Bismarckcreated German Empire of 1871 (the Second Reich)
The Nazis called their new empire the
“Third Reich”
PURIFYING GERMAN CULTURE
Ideas thought to be “un-German” were outlawed. As a result,
book burnings took place all over Germany. (May 1933)
“They that start by burning books will end by burning men.”
German-Jewish poet Heinrich Heine, 1821
THE WILL OF THE FUHRER
As Fuhrer, Hitler’s personal views on every aspect of German
life (art, culture, the role of women, family, genetics, politics,
Social Darwinism, economics, foreign policy, military strategy)
was rigorously imposed on the German nation.
RAISING NAZI CHILDREN
The Third Reich carefully
subverted the German
educational system to mold
children into loyal Nazis
School curriculum taught Nazi
beliefs: history courses
blamed Communists and Jews
for Germany’s problems
Teachers had to join the Nazi
Teachers Association; those
who didn’t were fired
Biology courses taught
the “science” of Aryan
racial superiority
Geography courses focused
on lebensraum (living space)
VICIOUS ANTI-SEMITISM
Hitler’s racial views were
put in everything
Germans read or saw
In this German children’s
book, a pious mother
teaches her little son,
The children’s book “Der Giftpilz”
(The Poisonous Mushroom)
“The Jew is the
most poisonous
mushroom in
existence.”
HITLER’S FIERY SPEECHES
One of the greatest
weapons in Hitler’s arsenal
as he battled for power was
his ability to deliver
apocalyptic and convincing
speeches
He made a science out of
rousing crowds into a frenzy
The crowds would react as
if Hitler were a quasiMessiah, come to bring
glory to Germany
HITLER’S FIERY SPEECHES
Hitler’s speeches would begin calmly. He would speak
slowly and quietly, his voice muted and emotionless.
HITLER’S FIERY SPEECHES
Hitler would closely watch the audience, looking for the right
time to turn on the emotion and rouse the crowd.
HITLER’S FIERY SPEECHES
Hitler’s voice would rise as he spat out accusations
against Germany’s “enemies”.
HITLER’S FIERY SPEECHES
Usually, his speech would become enraged. As his
speeches went on, Hitler would be gesturing furiously,
shaking with anger, and covered with sweat.
HITLER’S FIERY SPEECHES
Hitler would whip his audiences into a frenzy, pausing his speeches
as the crowds would salute him and thunder with applause and
cries of “Sieg Heil!”, which means “Hail Victory!”
“If the international Jewish
financiers in and outside Europe
should succeed in plunging the
nations once more into a world
war, then the result will not be
the Bolshevizing of the Earth,
and thus the victory of Jewry,
but the annihilation of the
Jewish race in Europe!"
Adolf Hitler on January 30, 1939
HITLER’S FIERY SPEECHES
Many of Hitler’s
techniques in delivering
speeches were learned
in his church-going
days: the power of the
reiteration of key
phrases, massed voices
chanting and singing,
the splendor of ritual
and ceremony, and the
use of powerful
symbols.
THE POWER OF REITERATION
A commonly repeated phrase Hitler would use to hold sway over
his audiences was “One People! One Empire! One Leader!”
It also made for effective propaganda on various posters.
THE ADULATION OF HITLER
The devotion many
Germans felt to Adolf
Hitler was profound.
That devotion is
apparent in this poster.
Hitler appears larger
than life, being cast as a
robust Aryan knight.
Hitler loved to show off the might of his rebuilt
Germany, staging huge rallies and military parades
This Nazi propaganda poster reads,
“Behind the
enemy powers:
the Jew”
Concentration camps were set up to enslave and
exterminate the thousands upon thousands of
“undesirables”, especially Jews
The slogan that
crowned the
gates at the
camps displays a
false promise:
“Arbeit Macht
Frei”
“Work Sets
You Free”
The reality was that you would not be set free, but
exterminated. Hitler and the Nazi party labeled the
mentally ill, communists, Gypsies, homosexuals and
Jews as subspecies of the human race.
These dead bodies are being burned to get rid of “evidence”.
Cruel (and often deadly) medical experiments were performed on
young boys and girls of the concentration camps.
“Angel of Death”
Dr. Josef Mengele
Gold and silver teeth were extracted and collected from
gassed prisoners, then melted down for profit
Adolf Hitler quickly became the most powerful and
feared man in Europe. But about as swiftly, his
empire crashed and burned around him.
CREDIT WHERE
IT IS DUE
Originally created by
Eric Zastrow
Modified and
revamped by
Christopher J.
Jaskowiak
Special thanks to
Professor Scott
Masters for some
images and facts