The Rise of Adolf Hitler and the History of the Holocaust

The Rise of the Nazi Party and Hitler’s Early Leadership

The emergence of the Nazi Party was deeply rooted in the political climate following World War I, where the Weimar Government was accused of being 'stabbed in the back' after the German defeat. In September $1919$, Adolf Hitler joined the Nazi Party. Due to his talent as a highly effective public speaker, he quickly rose through the ranks and became the organization’s leader in $1921$. The party sought to challenge the existing government directly, which culminated in their attempt to seize power during an uprising in $1923$ known as the Beer Hall Putsch.

The Beer Hall Putsch and the Publication of Mein Kampf

The failed coup attempt during the Beer Hall Putsch led to Hitler’s arrest. He was sentenced to $5$ years in prison for his role in the uprising; however, he was released after serving just $9$ months of his sentence. During his period of incarceration, Hitler authored his book, Mein Kampf (My Struggle). This work was heavily documented with his anti-Semitic ideas and political ideology, serving as a blueprint for his future actions. Following his release, the advent of the Great Depression in $1929$ caused a massive worldwide economic crash, which Hitler viewed and utilized as a significant opportunity to gain political leverage in Germany.

Strategies for Control and the Path to Chancellorship

Hitler placed extreme importance on the use of propaganda to manipulate public opinion. He traveled extensively throughout Germany, delivering numerous speeches to win widespread support. To enforce his influence and maintain order through intimidation, Hitler formed his own private army known as the 'Brownshirts' (SA). The Brownshirts were used aggressively to disrupt the meetings of political opponents, intimidate potential voters, and promote Nazi policies and ideas through force. Through these political and paramilitary tactics, Hitler was ultimately appointed as the Chancellor of Germany in January $1933$.

Consolidation of Power and the Move to Dictatorship

In February $1933$, just one month after Hitler became Chancellor, the Reichstag building (the German Parliament) was destroyed by fire. Hitler exploited this event to pass the Enabling Act, a piece of legislation that granted him complete control over all laws passed in the country. To eliminate internal dissent, Hitler took drastic action in June $1934$ by sending his SA members to kill other leading members of the Nazi Party, an event that became known as the Night of the Long Knives. When President Hindenburg died in August $1934$, Hitler acted within only $1$ hour to declare himself Führer, or 'leader.' This act officially completed his transition from a democratic official to a total dictator.

Racial Ideology and the Persecution of the Jewish Population

Nazi ideology was built on the concept of the superiority of the Aryan race. This was contrasted against other groups, such as African-Americans, exemplified by the mention of Jesse Owens’ performance for the USA. The Holocaust began as a period of systematic persecution as soon as Hitler took power. Jewish citizens were immediately restricted in their movements and fired from professional jobs. Their shops were forcibly closed, and they were stripped of their possessions. On the $9\text{th}$ of November $1938$, an event called Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass) occurred, during which Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were violently attacked. Following this, many Jews were relocated into ghettos, the largest of which was the Warsaw Ghetto, where high numbers of people died due to starvation and disease before they could be sent to death camps.

The Wannsee Conference and the Final Solution

In January $1942$, a meeting was held in Wannsee to coordinate the systematic genocide of the Jewish people. This became known as the Wannsee Conference, where the 'Final Solution of the Jewish Question' was devised. This clinical phrase was used by members of the Nazi Party to describe their plan to murder every Jewish person in Europe. The resulting genocide led to the deaths of $6$ million Jews. While resistance occurred in various ways—both violent and non-violent, including efforts by those in ghettos to maintain education—the Nazi regime established labor and death camps to carry out their plans. The most notorious of these camps was Auschwitz, located near Kraków, Poland, where a vast number of people were murdered.