Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria. Adi, as he was known in his youth, spent his childhood in Austria. His father, Alois, retired from civil service in 1895, when Hitler was only six, which created a tense, strict atmosphere at home. When Hitler was 13, his father passed away and his mother, Klara, had to care for Hitler and his siblings by herself. Times were tough for the Hitler household. In 1905, at age 16, Adolf quit school and never returned.
Hitler dreamed of becoming an artist, so in 1907 he applied to the painting school at the Vienna Academy of Art. He did not pass the entrance exam. In 1908 he again tried to apply to the Vienna Academy of Art but this time was not even allowed to take the test. Two months later, his mother passed away from breast cancer.
During this period of time, Hitler started to dabble in politics and became especially influenced by pan-Germanism. To avoid military service in the Austrian army, he moved to Munich, Germany in May 1913 but as soon as World War I broke out, he asked for and received special permission to serve in the Bavarian-German army.
Adolf quickly proved to be a courageous soldier. By December 1914, he was awarded the Iron Cross, in October 1916 he was wounded by a grenade splinter, and in August 1918 he was awarded the Iron Cross .
After the war, many in Germany felt betrayed by the German government for their sudden and unexpected surrender. The subsequent inflation made even finding a job and day-to-day living difficult for the average German citizen.
In 1919, Hitler was working for an army organization in which he checked-up on burgeoning local political groups. Hitler believed that he could provide a stronger government that would bring strength and prestige back to Germany. So, on November 9, 1923, he attempted a coup of the government. It failed and Hitler was sentenced to imprisonment. Though he only served nine months of his term. Once he was released, he continued on his road to ultimate power. By July 1932, Hitler had enough support to run for president of Germany, though he lost the election to Hindenburg. However, on January 30, 1933, Hindenburg appointed Hitler as chancellor of Germany. Within a year and a half, Hitler was able to take over both the positions of president and chancellor and combine them into one position of supreme leader, the Fuhrer.
After legally gaining power in Germany, Hitler quickly began solidifying his position by putting those that disagreed with him into concentration camps. He created massive amounts of propaganda that strengthened German pride by blaiming all their problems on Communists and Jews. Hitler was able to annex Austria in 1938 without a single battle. But when he had his forces enter Poland in August 1939, the world could no longer stand aside and just watch — World War II began.
During the beginning of World War II, the German war machine seemed unstoppable. However, the tide turned at the Battle of Stalingrad in the beginning of 1943. As the Allied Army got closer to Berlin, Hitler continued to control his regime from the safety of an underground bunker. Soon, even that was no longer safe. After writing his last will and political testament on April 29, 1945, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide on April 30, 1945.
