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World War One

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

• Hitler was born and raised in Austria.
• As a child his upbringing was not always happy, but he later wrote about how close he was to his mother.
• He wanted to become an artist and tried to enter art school in Vienna, but was rejected.
• In Vienna, Hitler spent time as a vagrant (drifting from place to place) and in boarding houses.
• He left Vienna and went to Germany in order to avoid military service.
• However, when World War One started, Hitler was caught up in the excitement and joined the army.
• Many of his early experiences influenced what he wrote in his book, Mein Kampf.

Adolf Hitler fought in the German army during World War One. He was badly wounded twice and won two Iron Crosses for bravery. Germany’s surrender in November 1918 was a shock to him and had a profound effect on his political views. Like many other German people at the time, he felt they had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by politicians:

• Many Germans hated the government for signing the armistice in November 1918 - and called them the 'November Criminals'.
• Many people were led to believe that Jews in the army and government had encouraged the surrender.
• The German government also signed the Treaty of Versailles, which blamed and punished Germany for starting the war. As many German families had lost their men during the war, this was especially hard to bear.

The German Workers' Party and the start of the Nazis

With World War One over, Hitler returned to Munich and set on a path that eventually led him to become the leader of the Nazi party.

• 1919 – Hitler joined the German Worker’s Party (DAP), a right-wing group led by Anton Drexler.
• 1920 – Hitler became the Party’s leading public speaker and propagandist.
• 1920 – The group changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) – or Nazis for short.
• 1921 – Hitler was elected Party Chairman and leader of the Nazis.