adolf hitler - kenmore-town of tonawanda school district · •adolf hitler was born on april 20,...
TRANSCRIPT
Adolf Hitler
In the beginning…
• Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889
in a small town in Austria.
• He did poorly in school and dropped out.
• In 1907, Hitler moved to Vienna, Austria,
where he wanted to go to art school. He
was not good enough to get accepted into
the school.
Hitler in WWI
• In 1913, Hitler moved to Germany and
joined the army.
• Army records show that he took
dangerous assignments in WWI and was
awarded medals for bravery.
Weimar Republic
• When Germany lost WWI, the weak
Weimar government signed the unfair
Treaty of Versailles which blamed
Germany for the war.
• Hitler started attending meetings of the
German Workers Party (Nazi Party) to
express his anger over the treaty.
A great speaker
• Hitler worked his way up to a leadership
role in the Nazi party.
• He made speeches in which he promised
the people what they wanted: jobs, a
better economy, and a country that
would once again be great.
• He spoke loudly and was very dramatic
and grew large crowds.
Beer Hall Putsch
• In 1923, Hitler tried to overthrow the
government and failed.
• He was arrested, tried and found guilty of
treason. While in prison, he wrote Mein
Kampf (My Struggle/Fight) which
outlined his evil plan for Germany.
• Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s loss
of WWI.
Mein Kampf
• Nazi Ideology- belief system
• Extreme nationalism, racism and anti-
Semitism (prejudice against Jews).
• German’s were a superior “master race”
of Aryans, or light-skinned Europeans.
• Germany needed to expand its borders,
lebensraum (living space).
• He was released from jail after 9 months.
Nazi Hope
• Some people saw the Nazi swastika as a
symbol of hope for Germany’s future
and a way of getting respect.
• When the German economy declined even
further during the world depression of the
1930’s, Hitler attracted even more
followers with his promises of jobs and
financial security.
Chancellor Hitler
• The Nazi party became the largest political
party in Germany.
• In 1933, Hitler was VOTED IN as
chancellor (prime minister) of Germany.
• “I will use democracy to destroy
democracy”.
The Third Reich (Reign)
• Once Hitler was in charge, he quickly
began to take control of more and more
aspects of German life, TOTALITARIAN
STATE.
• He gave his friends and supporters
government jobs and took control of the
police and the military.
• Elite, black-uniformed SS troops (storm
troopers) enforced the Fuhrer’s will.
• The Gestapo, or secret police, rooted
out opposition.
Propaganda
• The Nazis indoctrinated young people with their beliefs in the Hitler Youth (like Boy Scouts for Nazis). They taught racism and the need to destroy the Jews. On hikes and camping trips the Hitler Youth pledged absolute loyalty to Germany.
• Women should stay home and have healthy babies (except for the poor women who were needed in the factories).
Atheism
• Hitler despised Christianity as weak and
a tool of the Jews to control the Aryans.
• He wanted to replace Christianity with
the Nazi beliefs.
• Hitler preserved capitalism but brought
big business and labor under government
control.
• The standard of living increased.
• Hitler militarized and prepared for war.
Nuremberg Laws
1935
• Jews were prohibited from:
• Marrying non-Jews
• Attending or teaching at German schools
• Having a government job
• Practicing law or medicine
• Publishing books.
• Nazis beat and robbed Jews.
• Albert Einstein fled the country.
Kristallnacht
• Night of the Broken Glass
• November 9 and 10, 1938
• Nazi led mobs attacked Jewish
communities all over Germany.
• They smashed windows, looted shops,
and burned synagogues.
• Jews were beaten in the streets.
Concentration Camps
• Hitler had detention centers built to house
the “enemies of the state” (Jews,
homosexuals, disabled, disloyal).
Hitler with Eva Braun
Failed assassination plot at the
Wolf’s Lair
