Adolf Hitler (20th April 1889 - 3rd August 1978) was an Austrian dictator who served as the leader of the Nazi Party in two countries (Germany, then Austria) from 1921 to 1974. He was also Chancellor of the German Empire from 1933 to 1943, and the Austrian Chancellor from 1945 to 1974. His reign over both countries was controversial to say the least, as racial persecution and genocide were commonplace in both Nazi Germany and Austria during his time as Chancellor in either country. He is also well-revered for nearly causing a Second World War with his actions in Czechoslovakia and Poland in the late 1940s, and for his flight to Nazi-occupied Austria in 1944, where he soon manipulated his way into power.
Note: This biography only details Hitler's events after 1939 in this timeline. Any events before this are not included.
Hitler's Germany: 1939-43[]
Following the halted German invasion of Poland, Hitler moved his attentions further away from Europe and closer towards former German colonies in Africa. Over the course of November and December 1939, Nazi troops marched into and took over Rwanda and Burundi, both former members of German East Africa. However, the German occupation of Burundi was swiftly brought to an end when Hitler chose to invade Yugoslavia. Outraged by the powerful force that was sweeping across Eastern Europe, and feeling threatened for his own country's safety, Josef Stalin responded to this invasion by declaring war on Germany. Hitler did not want to cause conflict with the USSR so soon, and instead decided to appeal to the League of Nations for help. Later that week, delegates from the UK, France and Germany all met with Stalin in Moscow to find a way of ending the crisis. The Soviet government were initially unwilling to cooperate, given that Hitler openly stated that he would target the USSR, but Stalin soon realised he could not count on Allied support. As soon as this realisation was made, Stalin agreed to hold talks with Hitler. After three weeks of conversing between the two leaders, the Treaty of Moscow was signed, creating a ceasefire to the 'war'. A Second World War was prevented, but the reputation of the Soviet Union appeared to be in tatters, and Hitler only seemed to want to take advantage of the civil war on the verge of erupting.
In March 1940, British filmmakers managed to smuggle their way across the Soviet border into Belarus. The film that came out of this visit, 'Radiation Genocide', is now one of the best-known documentaries ever made. This film uncovered the fact that Belarusian children were being exposed to nuclear radiation, in order to test the limits of the human body. The League of Nations severed all ties with the USSR following the release of the film and all trade with Soviet businessmen was halted. Hitler, shocked by the footage he had seen, declared the events in the USSR as 'the most monstrous event of the 20th century', and vowed to free the country from Soviet rule. This culminated in the agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union in April 1940, which allowed Germany to take control of Belarus, in order to end the troubles of the Soviet Union. However, Stalin's problems were only just beginning, as in December later that year, Ukraine were the next Soviet state to want independence. Stalin did not want this, and decided to kill the thousands in uprising against his government in the Ukraine. The Ukrainian government then declared a breakaway from the Soviet Union, and declared war in order to ensure their independence. Hitler refused to cooperate with Ukraine, as their leaders were Communist. However, following two months of fighting between Soviet and Ukrainian troops, Ukraine forced the USSR into surrendering, before declaring themselves a member of the Nazi Empire. Once again, Hitler had prevailed over his critics, but there were few good days to come.
Resignation and exile from Germany[]
In May 1943, members of the German Workers Party campaigned for the right to vote. This protest soon turned after Hitler denounced their requests. The SS reacted by executing key members of the Workers Party, with leader Lukas Moller fleeing into nearby France, where he would expose the horrors occurring in the Nazi empire. Hitler was no longer trusted in Europe as a result of Moller's revelations. He slowly lost power in Germany, as reformed associate Heinrich Himmler wanted to begin a campaign of democracy in the country, and could not trust Hitler to follow through on these plans. This eventually led to Hitler's resignation as Chancellor on the 14th November 1943. Himmler took charge of the Nazi Empire, but revealed his true beliefs the next day to public outrage. He then announced the split of Germany into two separate democratic republics, North Germany, awarded to Russia as a way of compensation for previous grievances (also agreed in Nazi-Soviet pact of 1938), and the Deutsch Republic, which he invited Lukas Moller to govern over. Hitler was then made a wanted war criminal and was exiled into nearby Austria, which was unaffected by the German reforms.