Summary
Highlights
After World War I, Hitler worked as an army informant, tasked with infiltrating new political parties. He joined the German Workers' Party, which he found aligned with his extreme beliefs. He quickly rose through the ranks, renamed it the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers' Party), and gave it a new image. The Nazis promised to restore Germany's glory by undoing the Treaty of Versailles and uniting ethnic Germans, while also promoting an 'Aryan' race and stripping Jews of citizenship.
The Nazi party formed a paramilitary wing, the SA (Storm Detachment), which grew significantly as unemployed trained soldiers joined. Germany's post-WWI democratic government printed excessive money to pay reparations, leading to hyperinflation. By 1923, the German mark was virtually worthless. This economic hardship, exacerbated by the French occupation of the Ruhr, fueled public anger.
In November 1923, Hitler attempted a revolution, marching on Munich, but his coup failed. He was tried for treason but received a lenient sentence of five years (serving nine months) due to sympathetic judges. During his imprisonment, he wrote 'Mein Kampf'. This event and trial brought him national fame, though the Nazi party only received about 2% of the vote in the 1928 election.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 led America to recall loans from Germany, plunging the country into a severe economic crisis. Widespread unemployment and poverty caused Germans to turn to political extremes – either communism or Nazism. Hitler capitalized on this, using propaganda to portray himself as Germany's savior. The Nazis gained increasing popularity, becoming the largest party in the German parliament by 1932.
Hitler ran for president but lost to Paul von Hindenburg. Despite this, as leader of the largest party, he demanded the chancellorship. Hindenburg initially hesitated due to Hitler's racism, but was eventually persuaded by industry leaders and conservative politician von Papen, who believed they could control Hitler. Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933.
Shortly after becoming chancellor, the Reichstag building was set on fire. Hitler blamed communists, leading to an emergency decree and the imprisonment of political opponents in concentration camps. After Hindenburg's death, Hitler introduced a law allowing him to make all future laws independently. With political opponents in prison and the SA intimidating others, this law passed, making Hitler a dictator within two months.
The SA's leader wanted to replace the German Army, which displeased the military. To secure the army's loyalty, Hitler orchestrated 'The Night of the Long Knives' in June 1934, murdering Rohm and many SA officers, along with personal enemies. Up to 200 people were killed. The army then pledged allegiance to Hitler, solidifying his absolute control.
Freedoms were suspended. Jews faced boycotts and eventually extermination in concentration camps. Hundreds of thousands were forcibly sterilized. The Hitler Youth indoctrinated young people, training boys for combat and teaching girls their purpose was to bear 'pure Aryan' children. Disagreeing with Hitler or failing to use the Nazi greeting could lead to imprisonment in a concentration camp.
Hitler's extreme ideology, antisemitism, and desire for vengeance for Germany's WWI defeat, coupled with the political movement that treated him like a god, transformed him into a megalomaniac. His aggressive foreign policies would soon lead to World War II.