What was Hitler's last name at birth? Meticulous maintenance of a list of personal enemies

Adolf's father Alois, being illegitimate, until 1876 bore the surname of his mother Maria Anna Schicklgruber (German: Schicklgruber).

Five years after the birth of Alois, Maria Schicklgruber married miller Johann Georg Hiedler, who spent his entire life in poverty and did not have his own home.

In 1876, three witnesses certified that Gidler, who died in 1857, was the father of Alois, which allowed the latter to change his surname. The change in the spelling of the surname to “Hitler” was allegedly caused by a mistake by the priest when recording in the “Birth Registration Book”.

Modern researchers consider the probable father of Alois not Gidler, but his brother Johann Nepomuk Güttler, who took Alois into his house and raised him.

Adolf Hitler himself, contrary to the statement widespread since the 1920s and even included in the 3rd edition of the TSB, never bore the surname Schicklgruber.

On January 7, 1885, Alois married his relative (niece - granddaughter of Johann Nepomuk Güttler) Clara Pölzl. This was his third marriage. By this time he had a son, Alois, and a daughter, Angela, who later became the mother of Geli Raubal, Hitler's alleged mistress. Due to family ties, Alois had to obtain permission from the Vatican to marry Clara. Clara gave birth to six children from Alois, of whom Adolf was the third.

Hitler knew about the incest in his family and therefore always spoke very briefly and vaguely about his parents, although he demanded from others documentary evidence of their ancestors. Since the end of 1921, he began to constantly reassess and obscure his origins. He wrote only a few sentences about his father and maternal grandfather. On the contrary, he mentioned his mother very often in conversations. Because of this, he did not tell anyone that he was related (in a direct line from Johann Nepomuk) to the Austrian historian Rudolf Koppensteiner and the Austrian poet Robert Hamerling.

Adolf's direct ancestors, both through the Schicklgruber and Hitler lines, were peasants. Only the father made a career and became a government official.

(1889-1945) Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, Chairman (Führer) of the National Socialist Party of Germany (NSDAP) from 1921 to 1945

Adolf Schicklgruber (this is Hitler's real name) was born on April 20, 1889 in the small Austrian city of Braunau. His father, a minor customs official, died when his son was 14 years old. Adolf somehow finished school and in 1903 attempted to enter the Vienna Academy of Arts, but failed and began to earn his living by drawing advertisements and greeting cards. Having buried his mother in 1907, the young artist moved to Vienna and, after a second failure to enter the Academy, began to lead the life of a free artist.

At the same time, he developed an interest in politics and began attending various meetings of right-wing parties. Here he becomes acquainted with the then fashionable concept of pan-Germanism, which proclaimed the dominance of the German nation, and becomes its staunch supporter.

After the outbreak of World War I, Adolf Hitler receives a summons to join the Austrian army, but is declared unfit. Then he leaves for Germany and joins the army as a volunteer. At the front, he receives the rank of corporal and the Iron Cross, first class.

In 1919, Adolf Hitler was demobilized. In the fall of 1919, he joined the NSDAP, and from that time his political career began. He certainly possessed many of the qualities of an outstanding leader. Fanatically devoted to his ideas, he knew how to find contact with the audience and “ignite” them with emotional speeches.

Adolf Hitler had a unique ability to arouse unhealthy instincts among the masses and skillfully directed people's discontent against those whom he considered “enemies of the German nation.” This is how he declared communists, social democrats, and even entire countries, in particular the victorious powers - England, France and Bolshevik Russia.

In June 1921, Adolf Hitler became the leader (Führer) of the NSDAP, and from that time on, a cult of the “great leader” began to be created around him. On November 8-9, 1923, Hitler and his supporters attempted a coup. It ended in failure, and Adolf Hitler ended up in prison. Although he received a sentence of five years, he spent only nine months in prison. In conclusion, he wrote the first volume of the book Mein Kampf (My Struggle).

In December 1924, Adolf Hitler was released from prison and immediately became involved in active political activities. By 1932, his party received a parliamentary majority. On January 30, 1933, German President Hindenburg appointed Hitler Reich Chancellor. After Hindenburg's death in 1934, Adolf Hitler became President, Chancellor and Supreme Commander, combining all positions. Thus began the darkest chapter in German history - the fascist dictatorship.

Adolf Hitler's program consisted of two parts - the defeat of internal enemies and the conquest of world domination. He began with the extermination of political opponents - communists, social democrats and everyone who opposed his party. All parties except the NSDAP were banned,

Adolf Hitler's first major act was the persecution of Jews. On November 9-10, 1938, a wave of Jewish pogroms swept across Germany. Following this, Jews lost all their civil rights. This is how Hitler declared the “racial cleansing” of Germany.

At the same time, preparations for war began. Adolf Hitler repeatedly stated that he wanted not just war, but the extermination of other peoples, which he considered “inferior.” First, he annexed Austria and the Czech Republic to Germany, and in August 1939 he began World War II by capturing Poland. By the summer of 1940, Germany had conquered most of Western Europe.

On June 22, 1941, Germany and its allies attacked the USSR. This was Adolf Hitler's biggest miscalculation and ultimately caused the collapse of the entire Nazi state. Just four years later it collapsed under the blows of the Red Army and its allies.

Adolf Hitler preferred death to surrender: he bit through an ampoule of poison and at the same time shot himself in the temple with a pistol. His body was burned, and only from the remains it was determined that they belonged to Hitler.

In his way of thinking and the nature of his actions, he was a product of his era. Historians can explain how and why a free artist became the “leader of the nation.” But there is and cannot be an excuse for the troubles and suffering that this leader brought to humanity.

The name of Adolf Hitler has been of concern to professional historians, those simply interested, fans of political battles and debates, as well as many others, for several decades now. Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that this topic has already gone beyond just curious information. Like Adolf Hitler himself, the real name of this man has long been the subject of speculation by a variety of forces. Some are trying to find his Jewish roots, then building theories about secret cooperation, about a well-thought-out initial conspiracy. For others, Hitler's real surname is a reason to denigrate the entire family of the future Fuhrer for several generations, search for physical and mental abnormalities in relatives, or simply dig through dirty laundry. At the same time, researchers have put an end to this issue quite a long time ago. Hitler's real name is already known, and if you look at it, there is no significant reason for discussion. All existing disputes are largely far-fetched. Let's try to figure it out.

What is it Hitler's real name?

The future leader of the Nazi Party was born on April 20, 1889. His father, Alois Hitler, was first a shoemaker and later a civil servant. By the way, the father’s attempt to force his son to also become a government clerk not least instilled in the latter a dislike for all kinds of conventions and strict service in general. In this regard, it is interesting that Alois lived with the surname Schicklgruber until 1876.

Hence the widespread belief that this is Hitler’s real name. However, it is not. The fact is that the father of the future Fuhrer was an illegitimate child and, until the age of 39, was forced to bear his mother’s surname, since she was not married at that time, and the father was not legally established. Five years after Alois's birth, his mother Maria Anna Schicklgruber marries poor miller Johann Hitler. Biographers of the Fuhrer believe that his probable grandfather was one of the Hitler brothers.

In 1876, witnesses confirmed that Alois's real father was Johann Hitler, which enabled the man to change his mother's surname to his father's surname.

As for Adolf, this change took place thirteen years before his birth, so he was not a Schicklgruber a single day in his life. But such a misconception is very widespread; moreover, it even crept into some quite serious sources at one time. There were indeed families in his family with such a surname, but it has completely German roots. So calling Hitler Schicklgruber is as legitimate as giving him any other surname that his distant and close relatives once bore. As far as biographers have been able to trace, Adolf Hitler's ancestors were peasants on both his father's and mother's sides. Another interesting incident with the surname “Hitler” is that for many centuries it was written down by ear by priests. For this reason, they even had slightly different spellings in the documents, and as a result, slightly different soundings of their own surnames: Gidler, Hitler, Gudler, and so on.

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in the city of Braunau am Inn, located on the border of Germany and Austria, in the family of a shoemaker. Hitler's family moved often, so he had to change four schools.

In 1905, the young man graduated from school in Linz, receiving an incomplete secondary education. Having extraordinary artistic talent, he twice tried to enter the Vienna Academy of Arts. However, in both cases, Adolf Hitler, whose biography could have turned out differently, was refused. In 1908, the young man’s mother died. He moved to Vienna, where he lived very poorly, worked part-time as an artist and writer, and was actively engaged in self-education.

World War I. NSDAP

With the outbreak of the First World War, Adolf voluntarily went to the front. At the beginning of 1914, he swore allegiance to Emperor Franz Joseph and King Ludwig III of Bavaria. During the war, Adolf received the rank of corporal and several awards.

In 1919, the founder of the German Workers' Party (DAP) A. Drexler invited Hitler to join them. After leaving the army, Adolf joined the party, taking responsibility for political propaganda. Soon Hitler managed to transform the party into a National Socialist one, renaming it the NSDAP. In 1921, a turning point occurred in Hitler’s short biography - he led the workers’ party. After organizing the Bavarian Putsch (“Beer Hall Putsch”) in 1923, Hitler was arrested and sentenced to 5 years.

Political career

Having revived the NSDAP, in 1929 Hitler created the Hitlerjungen organization. In 1932, Adolf met his future wife, Eva Braun.

In the same year, Adolf put forward his candidacy for the elections, and they began to reckon with him as an iconic political figure. In 1933, President Hidenburg appointed Hitler Reich Chancellor (Prime Minister of Germany). Having gained power, Adolf banned the activities of all parties except the Nazis and passed a law according to which he became a dictator with unlimited power for 4 years.

In 1934, Hitler took the title of leader of the Third Reich. Assuming even more power, he introduced SS security units, founded concentration camps, and modernized and equipped the army with weapons.

The Second World War

In 1938, Hitler's troops captured Austria, and the western part of Czechoslovakia was annexed to Germany. In 1939, the conquest of Poland began, marking the beginning of World War II. In June 1941, Germany attacked the USSR, led by I. Stalin. During the first year, German troops occupied the Baltic states, Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova. In 1944, the Soviet army managed to change the course of the war and go on the offensive.

At the beginning of 1945, when the German troops were defeated, the remnants of the army were controlled from Hitler's bunker (an underground shelter). Soon Soviet troops surrounded Berlin.

April 20, 1889, the village of Ranshofen (now part of the city of Braunau am Inn), Austria-Hungary - April 30, 1945, Berlin, Germany)

Source - Wikipedia

Hitler (Schicklgruber Adolf) - the founder and central figure of National Socialism, founder of the totalitarian dictatorship of the Third Reich, leader (Führer) of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (1921-1945), Reich Chancellor of Germany (1933-1945), Fuhrer of Germany (1934-1945) ), Supreme Commander of the German Armed Forces (since December 19, 1941) in World War II. Hitler is considered the main organizer of World War II; numerous crimes of the Nazi regime against citizens of Germany and the territories it occupied are associated with his name, including Holocaust. Father - Alois Hitler (1837-1903). Mother - Clara Hitler (1860-1907), née Pölzl. Alois, being illegitimate, until 1876 bore the surname of his mother Maria Anna Schicklgruber (German: Schicklgruber). Five years after the birth of Alois, Maria Schicklgruber married miller Johann Georg Hiedler, who spent his entire life in poverty and did not have his own home. In 1876, three witnesses certified that Gidler, who died in 1857, was the father of Alois, which allowed the latter to change his surname. The change in the spelling of the surname to “Hitler” was allegedly caused by a mistake by the priest when recording in the “Birth Registration Book”. Modern researchers consider the probable father of Alois not Gidler, but his brother Johann Nepomuk Güttler, who took Alois into his house and raised him. Adolf Hitler himself, contrary to the statement widespread since the 1920s and even included in the 3rd edition of the TSB, never bore the surname Schicklgruber. On January 7, 1885, Alois married his relative (granddaughter of Johann Nepomuk Güttler) Clara Pelzl. This was his third marriage. By this time he had a son, Alois, and a daughter, Angela, who later became the mother of Geli Raubal, Hitler's alleged mistress. Due to family ties, Alois had to obtain permission from the Vatican to marry Clara. Clara gave birth to six children from Alois, of whom Adolf was the third. Hitler knew about the incest in his family and therefore always spoke very briefly and vaguely about his parents, although he demanded from others documentary evidence of their ancestors. Since the end of 1921, he began to constantly reassess and obscure his origins. He wrote only a few sentences about his father and maternal grandfather. On the contrary, he mentioned his mother very often in conversations. Because of this, he did not tell anyone that he was related (in a direct line from Johann Nepomuk) to the Austrian historian Rudolf Koppensteiner and the Austrian poet Robert Hamerling. Adolf's direct ancestors, both through the Schicklgruber and Hitler lines, were peasants. Only the father made a career and became a government official. Hitler had an attachment to the places of his childhood only to Leonding, where his parents were buried, Spital, where his maternal relatives lived, and Linz. He visited them even after coming to power.

Adolf Hitler was born in Austria, in the city of Braunau am Inn near the border with Germany on April 20, 1889 at 18:30 at the Pomeranz Hotel. Two days later he was baptized with the name Adolf. Hitler was very similar to his mother. The eyes, shape of the eyebrows, mouth and ears were exactly like hers. His mother, who gave birth to him at the age of 29, loved him very much. Before that, she lost three children. Until 1892, the family lived in Branau in the hotel "At the Pomeranian", the most representative house in the suburb. In addition to Adolf, his half-brother Alois and sister Angela lived in the family. In August 1892, the father received a promotion and the family moved to Passau. On March 24, brother Edmund (1894-1900) was born, and Adolf ceased to be the center of attention of the family for some time. On April 1, my father received a new appointment in Linz. But the family remained in Passau for another year so as not to move with the newborn baby. In April 1895, the family gathers in Linz. On May 1, Adolf, at the age of six, entered a one-year public school in Fischlgam near Lambach. And on June 25, my father unexpectedly retired early due to health reasons. In July 1895, the family moved to Gafeld near Lambach am Traun, where the father bought a house with a plot of land of 38 thousand square meters. In elementary school, Adolf studied well and received only excellent grades. In 1939 he visited a school in Fischlgam, where he learned to read and write, and bought it. After the purchase, he ordered the construction of a new school building nearby. On January 21, 1896, Adolf's sister Paula was born. He was especially attached to her all his life and always took care of her. In 1896, Hitler entered the second grade of the Lambach school of the old Catholic Benedictine monastery, which he attended until the spring of 1898. Here he also received only good grades. He sang in the boys' choir and was an assistant priest during mass. Here he first saw a swastika on the coat of arms of Abbot Hagen. Later he ordered the same one to be carved out of wood in his office. In the same year, due to his father’s constant nagging, his half-brother Alois left home. After this, Adolf became the central figure of his father's worries and constant pressure, since his father was afraid that Adolf would grow up to be the same slacker as his brother. In November 1897, the father purchased a house in the village of Leonding near Linz, where the whole family moved in February 1898. The house was located near the cemetery. Adolf changed schools for the third time and went to fourth grade here. He attended the public school in Leonding until September 1900. After the death of his brother Edmund on February 2, 1900, Adolf remained the only son of Klara Hitler. It was in Leonding that his critical attitude towards the church arose under the influence of his father’s statements. In September 1900, Adolf entered the first grade of the state real school in Linz. Adolf did not like the change from a rural school to a large and alien real school in the city. He only liked to walk the 6 km distance from home to school. From that time on, Adolf began to learn only what he liked - history, geography and especially drawing. I ignored everything else. As a result of this attitude towards his studies, he stayed for the second year in the first grade of a real school.

Youth
At the age of 13, when Adolf was in the second grade of a real school in Linz, his father unexpectedly died on January 3, 1903. Despite the continuous disputes and strained relationships, Adolf still loved his father and sobbed uncontrollably at the grave. At his mother’s request, he continued to go to school, but finally decided for himself that he would be an artist, and not an official, as his father wanted. In the spring of 1903 he moved to a school dormitory in Linz. I began to attend classes at school irregularly. Angela got married on September 14, 1903, and now only Adolf, his sister Paula and his mother’s sister Johanna Pölzl remained in the house with her mother. When Adolf was 15 years old and finishing the third grade of a real school, on May 22, 1904, his confirmation took place in Linz. During this period, he composed a play, wrote poetry and short stories, and also composed a libretto for Wagner's opera based on Wieland's legend and an overture. He still went to school with disgust, and most of all he disliked the French language. In the fall of 1904, he passed the exam in this subject the second time, but they made him promise that he would go to another school in the fourth grade. Gemer, who at that time taught Adolf French and other subjects, said at Hitler’s trial in 1924: “Hitler was undoubtedly gifted, albeit one-sidedly. He hardly knew how to control himself, he was stubborn, self-willed, capricious and hot-tempered. diligent." Based on numerous evidence, we can conclude that already in his youth Hitler showed pronounced psychopathic traits. In September 1904, Hitler, fulfilling this promise, entered the state real school in Steyr in the fourth grade and studied there until September 1905. In Steyr he lived in the house of the merchant Ignaz Kammerhofer at Grünmarket 19. Subsequently, this place was renamed Adolf Hitlerplatz. On February 11, 1905, Adolf received a certificate of completion of the fourth grade of a real school. The "excellent" grade was given only in drawing and physical education; in German, French, mathematics, shorthand - unsatisfactory, in the rest - satisfactory. On June 21, 1905, the mother sold the house in Leonding and moved with the children to Linz to Humboldt Street 31. In the autumn of 1905, Hitler, at the request of his mother, with great reluctance, began to attend school in Steyr again and retake exams to obtain a certificate for the fourth grade. At this time, he was diagnosed with a serious lung disease, and the doctor advised his mother to postpone his schooling for at least a year and recommended that he never work in an office in the future. Adolf's mother picked him up from school and took him to Spital to see his relatives. On January 18, 1907, the mother underwent a complex operation (breast cancer). In September, when his mother's health improved, 18-year-old Hitler went to Vienna to take the entrance exam to a general art school, but failed the second round of exams. After the exams, Hitler managed to get a meeting with the rector. At this meeting, the rector advised him to take up architecture, since it was obvious from his drawings that he had an aptitude for it. In November 1907, Hitler returned to Linz and took over the care of his hopelessly ill mother. On December 21, 1907, his mother died, and on December 23, Adolf buried her next to his father.

In February 1908, after settling matters related to the inheritance and arranging pensions for himself and his sister Paula as orphans, Hitler left for Vienna. A friend of his youth, Kubizek, and other comrades of Hitler testify that he was constantly at odds with everyone and felt hatred for everything that surrounded him. Therefore, his biographer Joachim Fest admits that Hitler's anti-Semitism was a focused form of hatred that had previously raged in the dark and finally found its object in the Jew. In September 1908, Hitler made a second attempt to enter the Vienna Academy of Art, but failed in the first round. After the failure, Hitler changed his place of residence several times, without telling anyone new addresses. He avoided serving in the Austrian army. He does not want to serve in the same army with the Czechs and Jews, to fight “for the Habsburg state,” but at the same time he was ready to die for the German Reich. He got a job as an “academic artist”, and from 1909 as a writer. In 1909, Hitler met Reinhold Hanisch, who began to successfully sell his paintings. Until mid-1910, Hitler painted a lot of small-format paintings in Vienna. These were mostly copies of postcards and old engravings, depicting all sorts of historical buildings in Vienna. In addition, he drew all kinds of advertisements. In August 1910, Hitler told the Vienna police station that Hanisch had hidden part of the proceeds from him and stolen one painting. Ganish was sent to prison for seven days. From that time on, he sold his paintings himself. His work brought him such a large income that in May 1911 he refused the monthly pension due to him as an orphan in favor of his sister Paula. In addition, in the same year he received most of the inheritance of his aunt Johanna Peltz. During this period, Hitler began to intensively educate himself. Subsequently, he was free to communicate and read literature and newspapers in the original French and English. During the war, he liked to watch French and English films without translation. He was very well versed in the armaments of the armies of the world, history, etc. At the same time, he developed an interest in politics.

In May 1913, Hitler, at the age of 24, moved from Vienna to Munich and settled in the apartment of tailor and shop owner Joseph Popp on Schleisheimer Street. Here he lived until the outbreak of the First World War, working as an artist. On December 29, 1913, the Austrian police asked the Munich police to establish the address of the hiding Hitler. On January 19, 1914, the Munich criminal police brought Hitler to the Austrian consulate. On February 5, 1914, Hitler went to Salzburg for an examination, where he was declared unfit for military service.

Participation in the First World War
On August 1, 1914, World War I began. Hitler was delighted by the news of the war. He immediately applied to Ludwig III for permission to serve in the Bavarian army. The very next day he was asked to report to any Bavarian regiment. He chose the 16th Bavarian Reserve Regiment ("List's Regiment", after the commander's surname). On 16 August he was enlisted in the 6th Reserve Battalion of the 2nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment No. 16, an all-volunteer unit. On September 1, he was transferred to the 1st company of the Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 16. On October 8, he swore allegiance to the King of Bavaria and Emperor Franz Joseph. In October 1914 he was sent to the Western Front and took part in the Battle of Ysère on October 29, and at Ypres from October 30 to November 24. On November 1, 1914, he was awarded the rank of corporal. On November 9, he was transferred as a liaison officer to regiment headquarters. From November 25 to December 13, he took part in trench warfare in Flanders. On December 2, 1914 he was awarded the Iron Cross, second degree. From December 14 to 24 he participated in the battle in French Flanders, and from December 25, 1914 to March 9, 1915 - in positional battles in French Flanders. In 1915 he took part in the battles of Nave Chapelle, La Bassé and Arras. In 1916, he participated in reconnaissance and demonstration battles of the 6th Army in connection with the Battle of the Somme, as well as in the Battle of Fromelles and the Battle of the Somme itself.

In April 1916 he met Charlotte Lobjoie. Wounded in the left thigh by a grenade fragment near Le Bargur in the first Battle of the Somme. I ended up in the Red Cross hospital in Beelitsa. Upon leaving the hospital (March 1917), he returned to the regiment in the 2nd company of the 1st reserve battalion. In 1917 - the spring battle of Arras. Participated in battles in Artois, Flanders, and Upper Alsace. On September 17, 1917 he was awarded the Cross with Swords for military merit, III degree. In 1918 he took part in the great battle in France, in the battles of Evreux and Montdidier. On May 9, 1918, he was awarded a regimental diploma for outstanding bravery at Fontane. On May 18, he received the wounded insignia (black). From May 27 to June 13 - battles near Soissons and Reims. From June 14 to July 14 - positional battles between Oise, Marne and Aisne. In the period from July 15 to 17 - participation in offensive battles on the Marne and in Champagne, and from July 18 to 29 - participation in defensive battles on Soissonne, Reims and Marne. He was awarded the Iron Cross, First Class, for delivering reports to artillery positions in particularly difficult conditions, which saved the German infantry from being shelled by their own artillery. August 21-23, 1918 - participation in the battle of Monsey-Bap. On August 25, 1918, Hitler received a service award, III class. According to numerous testimonies, he was careful, very brave and an excellent soldier. 15 October 1918 gassing near La Montaigne as a result of a chemical shell exploding nearby. Eye damage. Temporary loss of vision. Treatment in the Bavarian field hospital in Udenard, then in the Prussian rear hospital in Pasewalk. While being treated in the hospital, he learned about the surrender of Germany and the overthrow of the Kaiser, which became a great shock for him.

Creation of the NSDAP
Hitler considered the defeat of the German Empire in the war and the November Revolution of 1918 to be the product of traitors who “stabbed in the back” the victorious German army. In early February 1919, Hitler volunteered to serve as a guard at a prisoner of war camp located near Traunstein, not far from the Austrian border. About a month later, the prisoners of war - several hundred French and Russian soldiers - were released, and the camp and its guards were disbanded. On March 7, 1919, Hitler returned to Munich, to the 7th Company of the 1st Reserve Battalion of the 2nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment. At this time, he had not yet decided whether he would be an architect or a politician. In Munich, during the stormy days, he did not bind himself to any obligations, he simply observed and took care of his own safety. He was stationed at Max Barracks in Munich-Oberwiesenfeld until the day von Epp and Noske's troops drove the communist Soviets out of Munich. At the same time, he gave his works to the prominent artist Max Zeper for evaluation. He handed over the paintings to Ferdinand Steger for imprisonment. Steger wrote: "...an absolutely extraordinary talent." From June 5 to June 12, 1919, his superiors sent him to an agitator course (Vertrauensmann). The courses were intended to train agitators who would conduct explanatory conversations against the Bolsheviks among soldiers returning from the front. Far-right views prevailed among the lecturers; among others, lectures were given by Gottfried Feder, the future economic theorist of the NSDAP. During one of the discussions, Hitler made a very strong impression with his anti-Semitic monologue on the head of the propaganda department of the 4th Bavarian Reichswehr Command, and he invited him to take on political functions throughout the army. A few days later he was appointed education officer (confidant). Hitler turned out to be a bright and temperamental speaker and attracted the attention of listeners. The decisive moment in Hitler's life was the moment of his unshakable recognition by supporters of anti-Semitism. Between 1919 and 1921, Hitler intensively read books from Friedrich Kohn's library. This library was clearly anti-Semitic, which left a deep mark on Hitler's beliefs. On September 12, 1919, Adolf Hitler, on instructions from the military, came to the Sterneckerbräu beer hall for a meeting of the German Workers' Party (DAP), founded in early 1919 by mechanic Anton Drexler and numbering about 40 people. During the debate, Hitler, speaking from a pan-German position, won a landslide victory over the supporter of Bavarian independence and accepted the offer of the impressed Drexler to join the party. Hitler immediately made himself responsible for party propaganda and soon began to determine the activities of the entire party. Until April 1, 1920, Hitler continued to serve in the Reichswehr. On February 24, 1920, Hitler organized the first of many large public events for the Nazi Party in the Hofbräuhaus beer hall. During his speech, he proclaimed the twenty-five points drawn up by him, Drexler and Feder, which became the program of the Nazi Party. The "Twenty-Five Points" combined pan-Germanism, demands for the abolition of the Treaty of Versailles, anti-Semitism, demands for socialist reforms and a strong central government. At Hitler's initiative, the party adopted a new name - the German National Socialist Workers' Party (in German transcription NSDAP). In political journalism they began to be called Nazis, by analogy with the socialists - Soci.

In July, a conflict arose in the leadership of the NSDAP: Hitler, who wanted dictatorial powers in the party, was outraged by the negotiations with other groups that took place while Hitler was in Berlin, without his participation. On July 11, he announced his withdrawal from the NSDAP. Since Hitler was at that time the most active public politician and the most successful speaker of the party, other leaders were forced to ask him to return. Hitler returned to the party and on July 29 was elected its chairman with unlimited power. Drexler was left the post of honorary chairman without real powers, but his role in the NSDAP from that moment sharply declined. For disrupting the speech of the Bavarian separatist politician Otto Ballerstedt, Hitler was sentenced to three months in prison, but he served only a month in Munich's Stadelheim prison - from June 26 to July 27, 1922. On January 27, 1923, Hitler held the first congress of the NSDAP; 5,000 stormtroopers marched through Munich.

"Beer putsch"
By the beginning of the 1920s. The NSDAP became one of the most prominent organizations in Bavaria. Ernst Rehm stood at the head of the assault troops (German abbreviation SA). Hitler quickly became a force to be reckoned with, at least within Bavaria. In 1923, a crisis broke out in Germany, the cause of which was the French occupation of the Ruhr. The Social Democratic government, which first called on the Germans to resist and plunged the country into an economic crisis, and then accepted all the demands of France, was attacked by both the right and the communists. Under these conditions, the Nazis entered into an alliance with the right-wing conservative separatists who were in power in Bavaria, jointly preparing an attack against the Social Democratic government in Berlin. However, the strategic goals of the Allies differed sharply: the former sought to restore the pre-revolutionary Wittelsbach monarchy, while the Nazis sought to create a strong Reich. The leader of the Bavarian right, Gustav von Kahr, proclaimed a state commissar with dictatorial powers, refused to carry out a number of orders from Berlin and, in particular, to disband the Nazi units and close the Völkischer Beobachter. However, faced with the firm position of the Berlin General Staff, the leaders of Bavaria (Kahr, Lossow and Seiser) hesitated and told Hitler that they did not intend to openly oppose Berlin for the time being. Hitler took this as a signal that he should take the initiative into his own hands. On November 8, 1923, at about 9 o'clock in the evening, Hitler and Erich Ludendorff, at the head of armed stormtroopers, appeared at the Munich beer hall "Bürgerbräukeller", where a meeting was taking place with the participation of Kahr, Lossow and Seiser. Upon entering, Hitler announced the “overthrow of the government of traitors in Berlin.” However, the Bavarian leaders soon managed to leave the beer hall, after which Carr issued a proclamation dissolving the NSDAP and the storm troopers. For their part, the stormtroopers under the command of Röhm occupied the ground forces headquarters building at the War Ministry; there they, in turn, were surrounded by Reichswehr soldiers. On the morning of November 9, Hitler and Ludendorff, at the head of a 3,000-strong column of stormtroopers, moved towards the Ministry of Defense, but on Residenzstrasse their path was blocked by a police detachment that opened fire. Carrying away the dead and wounded, the Nazis and their supporters fled the streets. This episode went down in German history under the name “Beer Hall Putsch.” In February - March 1924, the trial of the leaders of the coup took place. Only Hitler and several of his associates were in the dock. The court sentenced Hitler for high treason to 5 years in prison and a fine of 200 gold marks. Hitler served his sentence in Landsberg prison. However, after 9 months, in December 1924, he was released.

On the way to power

During the absence of the leader, the party disintegrated. Hitler had to practically start everything from scratch. Rem provided him with great help, beginning the restoration of the assault troops. However, a decisive role in the revival of the NSDAP was played by Gregor Strasser, the leader of right-wing extremist movements in Northern and Northwestern Germany. By bringing them into the ranks of the NSDAP, he helped transform the party from a regional (Bavarian) into a national political force. In April 1925, Hitler renounced his Austrian citizenship and was stateless until February 1932. In 1926, the Hitler Youth was founded, the top leadership of the SA was established, and the conquest of “red Berlin” by Goebbels began. Meanwhile, Hitler was looking for support at the all-German level. He managed to win the trust of some of the generals, as well as establish contacts with industrial magnates. At the same time, Hitler wrote his work “My Struggle”. In 1930-1945 he was Supreme Fuhrer of the SA. When parliamentary elections in 1930 and 1932 brought the Nazis a significant increase in parliamentary mandates, the ruling circles of the country began to seriously consider the NSDAP as a possible participant in government combinations. An attempt was made to remove Hitler from the leadership of the party and rely on Strasser. However, Hitler managed to quickly isolate his associate and deprive him of all influence in the party. In the end, the German leadership decided to give Hitler the main administrative and political post, surrounding him (just in case) with guardians from traditional conservative parties. In February 1932, Hitler decided to put forward his candidacy for the election of Reich President of Germany. On February 25, the Minister of the Interior of Braunschweig appointed him to the post of attaché at the Braunschweig representative office in Berlin. This did not impose any official duties on Hitler, but automatically gave him German citizenship and allowed him to participate in elections. Hitler took lessons in public speaking and acting from the opera singer Paul Devrient, the Nazis organized a huge propaganda campaign, in particular, Hitler became the first German politician to make campaign trips by plane. In the first round on March 13, Paul von Hindenburg received 49.6% of the votes, and Hitler came in second with 30.1%. On April 10, in a repeat vote, Hindenburg won 53%, and Hitler - 36.8%. Third place was taken both times by the communist Thälmann. On June 4, 1932, the Reichstag was dissolved. In the elections the following month, the NSDAP won a landslide victory with 37.8% of the vote and 230 seats in the Reichstag, up from the previous 143. The Social Democrats received second place - 21.9% and 133 seats in the Reichstag. On November 6, 1932, early elections to the Reichstag were held again. The NSDAP received only 196 seats instead of the previous 230. On December 3, 1932, Kurt von Schleicher was appointed Reich Chancellor.

Reich Chancellor and Head of State, Domestic Policy

The beginning of territorial expansion

Shortly after coming to power, Hitler announced Germany's withdrawal from the military clauses of the Treaty of Versailles, which limited the German war effort. The hundred-thousand-strong Reichswehr was transformed into a million-strong Wehrmacht, tank troops were created and military aviation was restored. The status of the demilitarized Rhine Zone was abolished. In 1936-1939, Germany under the leadership of Hitler provided significant assistance to the Francoists during the Spanish Civil War. At this time, Hitler believed that he was seriously ill and would soon die. He began to rush to implement his plans. On November 5, 1937, he wrote a political will, and on May 2, 1938, a personal will. In March 1938, Austria was annexed. In the autumn of 1938, in accordance with the Munich Agreement, part of Czechoslovakia - the Sudetenland (Reichsgau) - was annexed. Time magazine, in its January 2, 1939 issue, called Hitler "the man of 1938." The article dedicated to the “Man of the Year” began with Hitler’s title, which, according to the magazine, reads as follows: “Fuhrer of the German people, Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, Navy & Air Force, Chancellor of the Third Reich , Herr Hitler". The final sentence of the rather lengthy article proclaimed: To those who followed the final events of the year, it seemed more than likely that the Man of 1938 could make the year 1939 unforgettable. In March 1939, the remaining part of Czechoslovakia was occupied, turned into a satellite state of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and part of the territory of Lithuania near Klaipeda (Memel region) was annexed.

After this, Hitler made territorial claims to Poland (first - about the provision of an extraterritorial road to East Prussia, and then - about holding a referendum on the ownership of the "Polish Corridor", in which people living in this territory as of 1918 would have to take part ). The latter demand was clearly unacceptable for Poland's allies - Great Britain and France - which could serve as the basis for the brewing of a conflict.

The Second World War

These claims are met with sharp rebuff. On April 3, 1939, Hitler approved a plan for an armed attack on Poland (Operation Weiss). August 23, 1939 Hitler concludes a Non-Aggression Pact with the Soviet Union, a secret annex to which contained a plan for dividing spheres of influence in Europe. On September 1, the Gleiwitz incident occurred, which served as the pretext for the attack on Poland (September 1), which marked the beginning of World War II. Having defeated Poland during September, Germany occupied Norway, Denmark, Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium in April-May 1940 and broke through the front in France. In June, Wehrmacht forces occupied Paris and France capitulated. In the spring of 1941, Germany, under the leadership of Hitler, captured Greece and Yugoslavia, and on June 22 attacked the USSR.

The defeats of the Soviet troops at the first stage of the Soviet-German war led to the occupation of the Baltic republics, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and the western part of the RSFSR by German and allied troops. A brutal occupation regime was established in the occupied territories, which killed many millions of people. However, from the end of 1942, the German armies began to suffer major defeats both in the USSR (Stalingrad) and in Egypt (El Alamein). The following year, the Red Army launched a broad offensive, while the Anglo-Americans landed in Italy and took it out of the war. In 1944, Soviet territory was liberated from occupation and the Red Army advanced into Poland and the Balkans; at the same time, Anglo-American troops landed in Normandy and liberated most of France. With the beginning of 1945, the fighting was transferred to the territory of the Reich.

The first unsuccessful attempt on Hitler's life occurred on November 8, 1939 in the Munich beer hall "Bürgerbräu", where he spoke every year to veterans of the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany. Carpenter Johann Georg Elser built a homemade explosive device with a clock mechanism into the column in front of which the leader's platform was usually installed. As a result of the explosion, 8 people were killed and 63 injured. However, Hitler was not among the victims. The Fuhrer, this time limiting himself to a brief greeting to those gathered, left the hall seven minutes before the explosion, as he had to return to Berlin. That same evening, Elser was captured at the Swiss border and, after several interrogations, confessed to everything. As a "special prisoner" he was placed in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, then transferred to Dachau. On April 9, 1945, when the Allies were already close to the concentration camp, Elser was shot by order of Himmler.

In 1944, the July 20 plot was organized against Hitler, the purpose of which was his physical elimination and the conclusion of peace with the advancing Allied forces. The bomb killed 4 people, but Hitler survived. After the assassination attempt, he was unable to stand on his feet all day, as more than 100 fragments were removed from his legs. In addition, his right arm was dislocated, the hair on the back of his head was singed and his eardrums were damaged. I became temporarily deaf in my right ear. He ordered the execution of the conspirators to be turned into humiliating torture, filmed and photographed. Subsequently, I personally watched this film.

Death of Hitler

There is no doubt that Hitler shot himself. With the arrival of the Russians in Berlin, Hitler was afraid that the Reich Chancellery would be bombarded with sleeping gas shells, and then he would be paraded in Moscow in a cage." Traudl Junge

According to the testimony of witnesses interrogated by both Soviet counterintelligence agencies and the corresponding Allied services, on April 30, 1945, in Berlin surrounded by Soviet troops, Hitler and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide, having previously killed their beloved dog Blondie. In Soviet historiography, the point of view has been established that Hitler took poison (potassium cyanide, like most Nazis who committed suicide), however, according to eyewitnesses, he shot himself. There is also a version according to which Hitler, having taken an ampoule of poison into his mouth and bit into it, simultaneously shot himself with a pistol (thus using both instruments of death). According to witnesses from among the service personnel, even the day before, Hitler gave the order to deliver cans of gasoline from the garage (to destroy the bodies). On April 30, after lunch, Hitler said goodbye to people from his inner circle and, shaking their hands, together with Eva Braun, retired to his apartment, from where the sound of a shot was soon heard. Shortly after 15:15, Hitler's servant Heinz Linge, accompanied by his adjutant Otto Günsche, Goebbels, Bormann and Axmann, entered the Fuhrer's apartment. Dead Hitler sat on the sofa; a blood stain was spreading on his temple. Eva Braun lay nearby, with no visible external injuries. Günsche and Linge wrapped Hitler's body in a soldier's blanket and carried it out into the garden of the Reich Chancellery; after him they carried out Eve’s body. The corpses were placed near the entrance to the bunker, doused with gasoline and burned. On May 5, the bodies were found by a piece of blanket sticking out of the ground and fell into the hands of the Soviet