Biography of Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As leader of the Nazi Party, he started World War II by invading Poland in 1939 and was responsible for the Holocaust, the murder of about six million Jews and millions of other people. His rule is considered one of the darkest chapters in human history. This Adolf Hitler biography is written for history students and exam preparation, and explains his early life, rise to power, the war, his crimes, his defeat and death, with timeline, practice questions and FAQs.

Adolf Hitler Biography at a Glance (Quick Facts)

Who Was Adolf Hitler?

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and dictator. He built a one-party police state, took away the freedoms of the German people, and followed an extreme policy of racism and aggression. His policies caused World War II, in which more than 70 million people died, and the Holocaust. Studying his life is important to understand the dangers of hatred, dictatorship and war.

Adolf Hitler Early Life and Family

Birth and Childhood

Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 in the Austrian town of Braunau am Inn, the fourth of six children of Alois Hitler, a customs official, and Klara Pölzl. His father was strict, and Hitler often quarrelled with him. His father died in 1903, and his mother died of cancer in 1907.

Failure as an Artist

Hitler wanted to become an artist. He was refused admission twice, in 1907 and 1908, to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He lived in poverty in Vienna and Munich, selling small paintings. During these years his hatred of Jews and of democracy developed, influenced by extreme nationalist ideas of the time.

World War I

When World War I broke out in 1914, Hitler joined a Bavarian regiment of the German army and served as a message runner on the Western Front. He was wounded and received the Iron Cross for bravery. He was in hospital when Germany surrendered in November 1918, and he blamed Jews and politicians for the defeat, which was untrue. The Treaty of Versailles (1919) added to his anger.

Rise of the Nazi Party

In 1919 Hitler joined a small German Workers’ Party in Munich, which he soon led and renamed the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party). He became its leader in 1921 and was a gifted but dangerous public speaker. In November 1923 he led the Beer Hall Putsch, an unsuccessful attempt to seize power in Munich. He was sentenced to five years in prison, served about nine months at Landsberg, and wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle), which set out his racist ideas.

Becoming Chancellor (1933)

The Great Depression of 1929 brought mass unemployment and anger in Germany, and the Nazi Party grew in votes. On 30 January 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler Chancellor. After the Reichstag fire in February 1933 and the Enabling Act of March 1933, Hitler took dictatorial powers, banned other parties and trade unions, and ended democracy. When Hindenburg died in August 1934, he combined the posts of President and Chancellor and called himself the Führer (leader).

Nazi Rule Before the War

• Opponents were jailed or killed, and the Gestapo (secret police) and SS were used for terror.
• The Nuremberg Laws (1935) took away the rights of Jews.
• Kristallnacht (November 1938) saw attacks on Jewish shops, homes and synagogues.
• Germany re-armed in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
• In 1938 Germany annexed Austria (Anschluss) and, after the Munich Agreement, took the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.

World War II (1939–1945)

Hitler signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union in August 1939 and invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, after which Britain and France declared war on Germany. German forces quickly conquered Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and France in 1939–1940. In June 1941 he attacked the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa), which proved to be a mistake. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Germany declared war on the USA. The German army lost the battle of Stalingrad in 1943 and the Allies landed in Normandy on 6 June 1944 (D-Day). Germany was pressed from the east and the west.

The Holocaust

The Nazi regime systematically killed about six million Jews in the Holocaust, using ghettos, mass shootings and death camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka and Sobibor. Millions of others, including Roma, disabled people, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, political opponents and others, were also killed. The Holocaust is recognised as a crime against humanity and genocide. The Nuremberg Trials after the war punished many Nazi leaders.

Defeat and Downfall

In July 1944 a group of army officers tried to kill Hitler with a bomb, but he survived. By April 1945, Soviet troops had reached Berlin. Germany was in ruins, and Hitler stayed in his underground bunker in Berlin.

How Did Adolf Hitler Die? (Death Reason)

On 29 April 1945, Hitler married his long-time companion Eva Braun in the bunker. On 30 April 1945, as Soviet troops fought close to the bunker, Hitler died by suicide, and Eva Braun also died. Their bodies were burnt outside the bunker. Germany surrendered unconditionally on 7–8 May 1945, ending the war in Europe.

Lessons from History

The history of Hitler teaches that extreme nationalism, racism, hate speech and the destruction of democratic institutions can lead to disaster. After the war, the United Nations (1945) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) were created to prevent such crimes. Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed on 27 January, the date when Auschwitz was liberated in 1945.

Important Facts About Adolf Hitler

• He was not German by birth; he was born in Austria and became a German citizen only in 1932.
• The swastika was used as the symbol of the Nazi Party.
• His allies in the war were Italy under Mussolini and Japan, known as the Axis Powers.
• The Allies against him included Britain, the Soviet Union, the USA and France.

Adolf Hitler Timeline (Year-Wise History)

Adolf Hitler Biography: Important Points for SSC and Other Exams

• Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria.
• He became leader of the Nazi Party in 1921 and wrote Mein Kampf in prison.
• He became Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933.
• He invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, which started World War II.
• The Holocaust killed about six million Jews.
• The Axis Powers were Germany, Italy and Japan.
• He died on 30 April 1945 in Berlin.

Practice Questions (with Answers)

Key Takeaways

• Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria.
• He became leader of the Nazi Party in 1921 and wrote Mein Kampf in prison.
• He became Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933.
• He invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, which started World War II.
• The Holocaust killed about six million Jews.

Adolf Hitler Biography: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Who was Adolf Hitler?

Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, who started World War II and was responsible for the Holocaust.

Q2. When and where was Hitler born?

He was born on 20 April 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary.

Q3. Who were the parents of Hitler?

His father was Alois Hitler and his mother was Klara Pölzl.

Q4. What is Mein Kampf?

It is a book written by Hitler in 1925–26, setting out his political and racist ideas.

Q5. How did Hitler come to power?

He used the economic crisis and anger over the Treaty of Versailles, won support for the Nazi Party and was appointed Chancellor in 1933, after which he took dictatorial powers.

Q6. What started World War II?

The German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the war.

Q7. What was the Holocaust?

It was the Nazi genocide in which about six million Jews and millions of others were murdered.

Q8. Who were the Axis Powers?

Germany, Italy and Japan.

Q9. How did Hitler die?

He died by suicide on 30 April 1945 in his bunker in Berlin.

Q10. Whom did Hitler marry?

He married Eva Braun on 29 April 1945, a day before his death.

Q11. When did World War II end in Europe?

Germany surrendered on 7–8 May 1945.

Q12. Why do students study Hitler?

To understand the causes of World War II and the dangers of dictatorship, racism and hatred.