Adolf Hitler: From Rise to Fall
Adolf Hitler: From Rise to Fall
Adolf Hitler: From Rise to Fall
Adolf Hitler is one of the most prominent figures who influenced twentieth-century history. He was born in 1889 in Austria, later moved to Germany, and served in World War I before entering politics after the war ended.
Hitler joined the Nazi Party and, over several years, consolidated his influence by exploiting the economic and political crises that Germany experienced. In 1933 he was appointed chancellor, and he then worked to transform the country into a dictatorial system controlled by the Nazi Party.
His government pursued an extensive policy of military expansion, and the invasion of Poland in 1939 was one of the key events that led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe. During the war the Nazi regime was responsible for widespread crimes, including the Holocaust and the persecution and killing of millions of people.
With the advance of Allied and Soviet forces into Germany in 1945, the Nazi regime collapsed. On 30 April 1945 Hitler committed suicide inside his bunker in Berlin; days later the war in Europe ended and Nazi rule fell.
Hitler's experience continues to be studied today to understand how dictatorial regimes rise, and the effects of political extremism, war and propaganda on states and societies.
