Adolf Hitler | |
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1938 portrait
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Führer of Germany | |
In office 2 August 1934 – 30 April 1945 |
|
Deputy |
Rudolf Hess (1933–41) |
Preceded by |
Paul von Hindenburg (as President) |
Succeeded by |
Karl Dönitz (as President) |
Chancellor of Germany | |
In office 30 January 1933 – 30 April 1945 |
|
President |
Paul von Hindenburg (until 1934) |
Deputy |
Franz von Papen (1933–34) |
Preceded by | Kurt von Schleicher |
Succeeded by | Joseph Goebbels |
Führer of the National Socialist German Workers' Party |
|
In office 29 June 1921 – 30 April 1945 |
|
Deputy | Rudolf Hess |
Preceded by |
Anton Drexler (as Chairman) |
Succeeded by |
Martin Bormann (as Party Minister) |
Personal details | |
Born |
Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary |
20 April 1889
Died | 30 April 1945 Berlin, Nazi Germany |
(aged 56)
Cause of death | Gunshot wound (suicide) |
Citizenship |
|
Political party | National Socialist German Workers' Party (1921–45) |
Other political affiliations |
German Workers' Party (1920–21) |
Spouse(s) |
Eva Braun (29–30 April 1945) |
Parents |
|
Occupation | Politician |
Religion | See: Religious views of Adolf Hitler |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | German Empire |
Service/branch | Bavarian Army |
Years of service | 1914–20 |
Rank |
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Unit |
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Battles/wars | World War I |
Awards |
Adolf Hitler (German: [ˈadɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ]; 20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was a German politician who was the leader of the Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; NSDAP), Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and Führer ("Leader") of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator of the German Reich, he initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and was central to the Holocaust.
Hitler was born in Austria, then part of Austria-Hungary, and raised near Linz. He moved to Germany in 1913 and was decorated during his service in the German Army in World War I. He joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), the precursor of the NSDAP, in 1919 and became leader of the NSDAP in 1921. In 1923 he attempted a coup in Munich to seize power. The failed coup resulted in Hitler's imprisonment, during which he dictated the first volume of his autobiography and political manifesto Mein Kampf ("My Struggle"). After his release in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, anti-semitism, and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. Hitler frequently denounced international capitalism and communism as being part of a Jewish conspiracy.