American History

World War II and Adolf Hitler
Introduction
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in the small town of Braunau Am Inn in Austria. His parents were Customs official, Klara and Alois Hitler. He became a German politician and went on to be the head of the National Socialist German Workers Party or better known as the Nazi Party. From 1933 to 1945 he held the position as Chancellor of Germany and ruled the country in a dictatorship manner.
He was a known veteran of the First World War and he joined the pioneer of the Nazi Party (DAP) in 1919 and went on to become leader of the NSDAP by the year 1921. In 1923, Hitler led a failed coup in Munich known as the Beer Hall Putsch. He was imprisoned because of such attempt and it was that time that he wrote his book. He acquired support from his writing as he promoted anti-Semitism, German nationalism, anti-communism, and anti-capitalism with compelling rhetoric and propaganda. In 1933, he became chancellor and transformed Germany into a single-party dictatorship founded on the despotic as well as tyrannical principles of National Socialism. Hitlers actions and policies led to the declaration of France and United Kingdom of war against the country. This led to the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe. Because of the Nazi Regime of Hitler and his genocidal policy, about 11 million people were killed and more than 6 million Jews were annihilated throughout the Holocaust.
For three years Germany together with the Axis powers had conquered most of Northern Africa, East as well as Southeast Asia, and Europe with Hitler being a major key player. Hitler and his mistress got married as the days of war came to an end and they both committed suicide.

World War I era
During the 16th Bavarian Reserve Regiment, Adolf Hitler served Belgium and France. He became a Gefreiter by the end of the war (a private first class in terms of the American armies and a lance corporal in British terms). He was frequently exposed to the adversarys fire as he served as a runner on the Western Front. He was a participant of some of the most important battles of the West including the First Battle of Ypres, Battle of Arras, Battle of the Somme, as well as the Battle of Passchendaele.

In October 1914, the Battle of Ypress took place which was known in Germany as the Massacre of the Innocents having about 40,000 killed in a span of 20 days and even the infantry division that Hitler belonged to lost about 200 men by December that year. This incident made Hitler become withdrawn and detached as the war continued. Adolf Hitler was recognized for the bravery he had shown during the years of war. In 1914, he got the Iron Cross, Second Class, recognition, and 4 years later the Iron Cross, First Class. These are honors not often given to someone of his rank (Gefreiter).

Early years in power
Adolf Hitlers power and glory began in September 1919 when he became a member of DAP or Deutsche Arbeiterpartei which later on became more popularly known as the Nazi party. The party was an anti-Marxist and was formed throughout the aftermath of the World War I period. His rose to power began in the initial years of the Nazi party from 1919-1923 due to his substantial skills in promotion, organization, and public speaking.

Germany was consistently aggressive during the World War I for more than four years (1914-1918). After the First World War, Hitler went back to Munich. For the period of 1918-1919 he was on a steady but comparatively insignificant assignment but he was in due course enlisted by the Armys Political Department. His great skills in public speaking and his open and intense anti-Semitism impressed an army officer and gave him a promotion making him an education officer. This gave him more opportunities to give public speeches which greatly contributed to his acquisition of power.
In one meeting, Hitler again used his tremendous skills in oratory impressing Anton Drexler, the DAP (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) founder. He gave Hitler a political pamphlet and later on invited him to be a member of their party. Hitler attended the committee meeting that was part of the invitation. His initial thoughts were that the party was too disorganized and mixed-up. Their membership process was messed up and this led Hitler to a consideration that he could be of great influence to the party as it was not totally established. Two days after that particular meeting, he decided to become a member of DAP, making him the 55th member. Adolf Hitler was named to be the leader of propaganda by 1920 because of his talents that were recognized by the heads of the party. On February 20, the party became known as Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP and Hitler began to transform it. By July 28, 1921, Hitler became in full control of the party ousting Drexler.

Hitlers aggression was brought to the party. They disrupted meetings of their opponents, caused chaos  disturbance, causing the imprisonment of Hitler for some months. Hitler also began to form two organizations between 1922 and 1923. These are Jungstum and Jugendubnd, two unions that are bound to have great importance. Because of Hitlers continuous rebellion, Hitler was convicted and imprisoned for five years. In prison, he began to contemplate about a lot of things particularly his political tactics. It was during this time that he was able to write his first book entitled Mein Kampf or My Struggle.
Adolf Hitler was released on December 20, 1924 from prison and assured that he would continue to get hold of political power but this time only by lawful and constitutional ways or means.

The Nazi Party during the May 1928 German elections only gained an overall vote of 2.63 of 810,127 votes. Because of these results, Adolf Hitler was determined to spread the goals of their party to the German people. He felt that the Germans werent fully aware of their partys objectives and aims. Hitler wrote his second book in order to lay out the word of the Nazi party. By the end of that year, the Nazi party has about 130,000 members and the following year, the Nazi party had a representative to the Presidential elections by the name of Erich Ludendorff. Ludendorff got 1.1 of the total votes or 280,000 total votes. He was the lone aspirant to gain fewer than a million votes. The street fights grew extremely brutal and violent. After the Rotfront (Communist party) interrupted Hitlers speech the SA (Storm battalion or division) went into the streets and executed two spectators. The SA on August 25, 1928, crashed a Rotfront gathering, as the tension between the two groups continued to heat up. The battle between the two went on for the following years resulting to more political violence and deaths.
The Nazi party had never been a power player in Germanys election as they were only the 9th smallest party before the Great Depression hit the country in 1930. The new Chancellor then, Heinrich Brning, coming from the Roman Catholic Centre Party, slowly but surely lost the majority in the parliament, thus the Brning administration needed to use the presidents emergency decrees. A premature election in September 1930 paved the way for the Nazi party to garner 18 of the vote equivalent to 108 seats in the parliament, making them second to the largest party in the chamber.

Hitler meant to run as president in the scheduled elections against President Pal Von Hindenburg, only with one problem. Hitler was Austrian born and still had not acquired German citizenship, not until the 25th of February as the interior minister of the Brunswick appointed Hitler as administrator for the states delegation making him a citizen of Brunswick. Their effort was not enough to win, but it showed that Hitler is a possible choice in German politics.

The president, after heavy thinking, reluctantly appointed Hitler Chancellor of the coalition government materialized by both NSDAP and DNVP. Still with the appointment of Papen as Vice-Chancellor and other conservative cabinet, the Nazis are contained to their framework. Hitler stopped any attempts by his adversaries to form a majority body in the parliament. Hitler planned to dissolve Reichstag once again and there was a scheduled election for March, but February 27, 1933 came, and the Reichstag building was set ablaze. A Dutch independent communist was the victim to this incident and the government reacted by suspending basic rights, habeas corpus included, to blame the fire to communists. The Nazis maximized their opportunity as campaigns continued, using anti-communist propaganda  paramilitary violence. The NSDAP garnered 43.9 of the votes during Election Day, March 6, to remain the largest party in the nation. But still without having absolute majority, their victory was blemished, as they need to maintain a coalition with the DNVP.

Hitler eagerly met with the newly-elected Reichstag with an act that would give the cabinet (and of course Hitler himself) legislative powers for a period of four years. The Enabling Act would allow deviation from the constitution but only after winning 23 majority in the Reichstag. Thus, the government needed some help of other parties for the votes. The Centre Party would prove to be the deciding element as they carried the Enabling Act. In return, the government guaranteed the Churchs liberty and the existence of the Party, through oral assurances. With this in motion, the Enabling Act was agreed upon by every party except the Social Democrats on March 23rd, and in combination with the Reichstag Fire Decree legally transformed Hitlers government as dictatorship.

Now having both legislative and executive power, Hitler finished off the opposition. The Social Democratic Party, SDP, was marked off illegal and other parties were forced into dissolving. After only less than 4 months, July the 14th, the Nazi Party was declared the only legal party in Germany. All notable opposition to Hitler was one by one murdered. And with the death of the President Pal von Hindenburg, Hitlers cabinet, capitalizing on the moment, passed a law transferring the role and power of the President to Hitler. Although with major inconsistencies with the constitution, and technicality that barred Hitler for making any actions with regards to the Presidency, no one dared to object. With the Presidency finally on his hands, Hitler was now the most powerful man in Germany.

Being the Head of State, Hitler became the Supreme commander of the Armed Forces, and instead of the soldiers and sailors doing the traditional loyalty oath, it turned to an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler. Hitler then forced his War Minister Werner von Blomberg after evidences that his new wife had a criminal past this was prior to removing several positions in the Armed Forces. But to the surprise by many, Hitler, announced that he will be assuming the command of the Armed Forces, taking over Blombergs old post  being the Commander  in  chief of the Armed Forces, giving Hitler the ultimate power in Germany.

Nazi Germany government
Germany was known as the Third Reich or Nazi Germany under the rule and regime of Adolf Hitler together with his Nazi party. This period was from 1933 until 1945. In order to keep up with the political syncretism that fascism practices, the German economy during the Third Reich was a mix of central-planning measures and free market. As soon as the Nazi Germany government began, the most critical matters were looked into and one of those was the rate of national unemployment which stood at about 30 during that time. Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, an economist  President of the Reichsbank as well as Minister of Economics had plans on the economic policies of the country. Schacht has been instrumental with the reindustrialization and redevelopment of the Nazi Germany, lending a hand to Adolf Hitler.

Germany under Hitlers rule had severe state intervention in the economy and enormous rearmament policy. These actions by Hitler and his party nearly resulted to a full employment in Germany during the 1930s period. The real income of Germans dropped by about 25 in 1933 to 1938 and the right to strike, collective bargaining, as well as trade unions were all abolished. Laborers were stripped of their rights to quit. In 1935, the government introduced labor books and it laborers needed the consent of their past employed before getting another job. The government under Hitler also dominated the business and private investment sector. The large companies and those companies that have extreme profit taxes were then became exempted from paying of dues or taxes on profits

By 1937, Schacht was replaced by Hermann Goring as Minister of Economics. Goring proposed a four-year plan for Germany that was said to establish the countrys autonomy for war. This was introduced and suggested to be done within four years by means of fixing prices and wages, restraining foreign importations, stock dividends were also limited to only 6 on book capital, etc. The Nazi Germany deemed that it was important for the strategic goals to be accomplished no matter at what cost just like the economy of the Soviet. Hence, synthetic rubber factories, programmed textile mills, steel mills, etc. were rapidly constructed. The four-year plan by Goring was discussed during Hitler and his foreign policy and military leaders meeting. They were planning about war and when the Second World War began in 1939, the four-year plan was to expiry by 1940. Because of the burdens that Germany took during the war, a war economy was established in Germany. This was spearheaded by Albert Speer as he took over the ministry command of Germanys economics. This war economy of Nazi Germany needed large-scale or extensive employment, and forced laborers were the solution. In order to acquire the number of slaves needed by the Third Reich economy, the Nazis abducted people in about 20 European nations, taking approximately 12 million people. The Nazi government aimed to create an entirely totalitarian state. The totalitarian disposition of the Nazi party was one of its most significant principles. Hitler and the Nazis asserted that all the immense accomplishments in the past that Germany and the German people had were all connected with the beliefs and ideals of National Socialism. Different propagandas recognized the consolidation of the principles, values, and successes of the Nazi regime to their leader, Adolf Hitler. Hitler is deemed to be Germanys intellect and savior.

In order to fully implement a totalitarian state, the Nazi government used acts of aggression and violence against democrats, communists, leftists, Jews, and other minority groups that are in opposition. The Nazi Germany supported the idea of a Greater Germany and considered that the merging of the Germanic individuals into a single state or country was a fundamental pace that will lead to Germanys success. This was the beginning of Hitler and Germanys desire for expansion by conquering long-lost lands and territories with tremendous number of non-German people like parts of Poland and Austria. Hitler and the Nazi decided that the Eastern Europe would be inhabited by the Slavic population and ethnic Germans, who are under the Nazi racial standard, would be taken into the Reich. Population and territories that dont fit the racial benchmark were to be utilized as cheap labor force or they will be deported.

Racism and as well as racialism, were significant features of Hitlers government in the society. The combined ideologies of anti-Communist and anti-Semitism that Hitler used for governing Germany manifested itself through the displacement, imprisonment, and methodical execution of about 11 to 12 million people in the middle of the Second World War. Approximately half of those people massacred were Jews in that historic incident known as the Holocaust. The other casualties of the Nazi government were consisting of social outcasts, communists, political adversaries, religious nonconformists such as Freemasons and Jehovahs witnesses, homosexuals, and freethinkers.

Social policies
Adolf Hitlers regime had the perhaps the most commanding anti-tobacco movement in the world. Hitlers government provided full support on anti-tobacco research and scientists in Germany were able to establish how tobacco smoke could lead to cancer. After the war, the research concerning the threats of tobacco was stopped and it was only in the 1950s and 1960s that these dangers of cigarette smoking were rediscovered by English and American scientists. It was also under Hitlers rule when Germany became the first country to offer a benefit for those suffering from diseases due to asbestos like lung cancer. As it is a work-related illness, people suffering from it were entitled for reparation.

Hitlers health policies were commendable. Mercury and lead were made sure to be removed from products used by consumers. The German women were encouraged to go through regular checkups for breast cancer. Water supplies were also sanitized as part of the public-health campaign of the Nazi government.

On the education sector, Hitlers government focused on culture, geography, population policies, racial biology, and physical fitness. Jewish professors, teachers, and other officials in schools were expelled from the educational system of Germany because of the Anti-Semitic policy. Environmental policies were also implemented such as the Reich Nature Protection Act which aimed to control or restrain air pollution, and manage as well as protect the forests of the country.

Hitlers social welfare programs centered on providing the people opportunities for employment and assuring that a minimum living standard for the Germans is to be implemented. Hitlers administration also produced programs in order to give the people entertainment such as traveling cinemas, festivals and vacation trips. Hitler also established the Hitler Youth Organization and National Labour Service, with both having obligatory or compulsory memberships. Architectural projects were embarked on as well in order to give the German citizens more assistance. The Autobahn was a major project by Hitlers government as it was the first ever freeway system built in the whole world.

The Nazi government was also in support of the wildlife, zoos, and animal rights. Several measures and policies were implemented to make sure their protection as prioritize. Adolf Hitler himself was a strong supporter of animal rights and protection. The government made tremendous efforts in banning the hunting of animals in the country. Although laws were implemented for animal protection, there were loopholes in the enforcement of such laws. The Nazi government was said to have numerous animal experiments during that time and they disbanded quite a few unofficial groups that were advocates of animal protection and environmentalism.

Hitler was against the feminist movement during his regime as he and his administration believed that it was led by Jewish women. The Nazi government encouraged and promoted a patriarchal social order where German women should though of nothing but her husband, children, and home. In Hitlers viewpoint, these women who took important jobs away from the men as the Great Depression were currently felt, resulted in a bad way for the German economy since women were paid lower than what men during those times earned. Hitler was very firm on his opposition against women working and he encouraged them to simply stay at their homes. Hitlers administration made it clear that the womens role during that time were purely to be submissive to men and bear children. Women were also disapproved of by the Nazi government in taking higher education classes. Abortion was considered illegal during Hitlers government and abortionists were given death penalties for their actions. Hitler was also against the use of contraceptives believing that these are violations of womanhood and motherhood.

Early political success and World War II
Hitler was in a dilemma whether he would continue the long Sino-German alliance or create a new alliance with its adversary that time, Japan. Over the 20 years or so that the China had been an ally of the Germans, there had been several interaction between them from the economic, political and even military standpoint. The military was inclined to continuing the alliance they have built over the years with China. Notably, two men who are heavily favoring the relation of China and Germany, Blomberg and Neurath, were dismissed by Hitler by the early 1938. Hitler was backed up by the advice of his Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, to create a new alliance with the more modern and more powerful Japan. When February 1938 came, Hitler denounced the relation with China and announced the German recognition of Manchukuo, Manchuria. Additionally, Hitler announced in the same address to the Reichstag that the country renounce all of its claims to the former colonies in the South East currently held by Japan. Adding to insult, Hitler ordered promptly the halt of any shipment of arms to China, terminating the support of Germany to China with its war against Japan. China responded with also stopping all the Sino-German economic agreements that helped Germany for raw materials such as tungsten in making their arms. Thus, Germany was forced to use its narrow supply of foreign exchange to gather raw materials from the international market.

The British Ambassador Sir Neville Henderson, on behalf of the British government, presented a proposal to Hitler regarding an international consortium to reign over greatly of Africa. The British would even give the leading role in this domination over Africa but only in exchange that Germany would never resort to war for change in the frontiers. Hitler did not want an international consortium to govern that of Central Africa and that he wanted the former German African colonies to be returned to Reich. But actually, Hitler rejected the British offer for he was more interested in Lebensraum in Easter Europe. Additionally, Hitler claimed that it was shameful that Britain would impose such conditions on German conduct in spare of a territory in Africa. It was outrageous in that the British signified German conduct as the price of a piece of Africa. Hitler ended the conversation by telling the British that he would choose to wait 2 decades for the return of former colonies than to accept their offer.  The proposal and the meeting ultimately pushed both sides to dispute.

As Hitler is known to be influential both inside and outside of Germany, he used his charm and pressured Austria into merging their military to enter Vienna on 14 March, 1938. Then, Hitler built up the crisis over the Sudetenland districts of Czechoslovakia, obviously wanting to control the German-speaking district. A one-day conference was held in Munich on 30 September 1938. This was attended by Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain and Daladier that would result to the Munich Agreement  giving Hitler his demands by giving control over the Sudetenland districts to Germany. With the ending of the meeting, Chamberlain and Hitler signed a testament to Anglo-German friendship. Hitlers efforts on the European Domination are starting slowly but surely. Hitler even won the TIME Man of the Year for 1938  an evidence of Hitlers lasting international impression and somewhat charm.

Hitler believed that Poland needed to be neutralized or become a satellite state. Primarily the German forces expected Poland to become a satellite state but by March 1939 the demands of the Germans have been declined and rejected by Poland.  Because the Poles refuse to be in cooperation with Hitler, he decided to target Poland and ordered for its destruction. After confirming from a foreign minister that neither France nor Britain would be on Polands side, Hitler ordered a mobilization in opposition to Poland. In August 1939, Hitler proposed a non-aggression pact to which Joseph Stalin accepted. The two leaders had agreed to partition Poland in the pact. Hitler had difficulties thinking of how and when to battle the Western powers and keep the Britain out of way. But his aim to invade Poland remained nonetheless. Hitler postponed the supposed August 25 attack into September 1 when the Anglo-Polish alliance was signed in response to Germanys pact with the Soviet. It was on September 1, 1939 when Germany attacked and invaded Western Poland, and 2 days after, on September 3, Britain and France declared war against Germany. Soviet invaded the other side of Poland (Eastern) on September 17.

After Poland was invaded, Germany also attacked Norway and Denmark. The German forces also invaded France and eventually conquering Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Because of Hitlers victories, Italy joined forces with Hitler and on June 22, 1940, France finally surrendered. The war against Britain continued and then Germany continued invading other territories including Greece and Yugoslavia. On June 22, 1941, Hitler and the German forces broke the non-aggression pact and invaded the Soviet Union. In 1943, Mussolini and the Italian forces surrendered and the Soviet Union powerfully forced Hitler and the German forces to retreat.

Death  Legacy
Hitler had an attempted assassination in July 1944 when a bomb was planted in his headquarters. Hitler was able to escape the attempted killing. Adolf Hitler died in April 1945 when he committed suicide. He took his life together with his mistress by cyanide poisoning and gunshot. He did so in order to avoid the Soviet forces that were out to capture him. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party may have been regarded as gravely immoral but nonetheless they made history with Nazism. He was indeed a great man who changed Germany in a major way. His personality and skill gave him immeasurable power that gave historical life to Germany.