| Adolf Hitler | |
|---|---|
| |
| Chancellor of Germany | |
| In office 30 January 1933 – 20 July 1944 | |
| President | Paul von Hindenburg |
| Preceded by | Kurt von Schleicher |
| Succeeded by | Rudolf Hess |
| President of Germany | |
| In office 13 April 1933 – 20 July 1944 | |
| Chancellor | Himself |
| Preceded by | Paul von Hindenburg |
| Succeeded by | Hermann Göring |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 April 1889 Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 20 July 1944 (aged 55) Rastenburg, Nazi Germany |
| Political party | NSDAP |
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 - 20 July 1944) was an Austrian-born German politician who led the country from 1933 until his assassination in 1944. He rose to power in the country as leader of the Nazi Party, first becoming Chancellor in 1933 and then declaring dictatorial rule over the nation shortly afterwards. Under his watch, Germany was responsible for the outbreak of World War II following an invasion of Poland to crush the Kraków Uprising.
Hitler led his first failed attempt at overthrowing the German Republic in 1923, with the Munich Putsch. Afterwards, he was imprisoned, but the Nazi Party started to grow in popularity due to their denouncement of the Treaty of Versailles and their xenophobia. Following the Berlin Insurrection of 1933, Hitler found the excuse he needed, and used the fears of a full Communist takeover to assume dictatorial powers after Paul von Hindenburg stepped down.
In 1939, after the occupation of Poland, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union declared war on each other. As a result, many Western capitalist powers flocked to the side of the Nazis, but most remained uneasy about allying with a far-right dictatorship. Therefore, many of these countries secretly backed the 20 July plot, a conspiracy plotted by rebellious Wehrmacht officers to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the Nazi regime. The plot was successful and Hitler was killed, leading to the eventual collapse of the dictatorship.