Early Life and Background

• Born in Austria in 1889

• Fought in World War I

• Joined German Workers' Party, later renamed National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party)

Path to Power

• Became leader of the Nazi Party in 1921

• Attempted coup in 1923 (Beer Hall Putsch)

• Imprisoned, wrote Mein Kampf outlining his ideology

Political Rise

• Capitalized on economic chaos and resentment post-World War I

• Used propaganda and charismatic speeches to gain support

• Appointed Chancellor in 1933

Consolidation of Power

• Enacted totalitarian policies

• Eliminated political opposition

• Enforced anti-Semitic laws and policies

Timeline of events that helped Hitler gain power

• 1933

  • Hitler becomes chancellor

  • He leaves the LoN and the disarmament conference

  • Nazi Germany began secretly rearming

• 1934

  • Failed attempt at Anschluss where Mussolini stopped Hitler because he thought Hitler was not ready (which was true)

• 1935

  • Britain, France and Italy formed the Stresa Pact against Nazi Germany. This was useless in the end

  • Hitler reintroduced conscription

  • Hitler has a rally to show he rearmed

  • The Saar Plebiscite happened where Hitler won with over 90% of the votes

• 1936

  • Hitler and Mussolini signed the Rome-Berlin Axis

  • Nazi Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact

  • Hitler started to support Franco’s nationalists in the Spanish Civil War

  • Hitler exploited the Abyssinia Crisis to remilitarize the Rhineland

• 1937

  • The Spanish city of Guernica was bombed by the Luftwaffe

• 1938

  • Successful Anschluss

  • Munich Conference where Britain, France, Italy and Germany carved up Czechoslovakia and decided what Hitler will take (The Sudetenland)

  • The invasion of Czechoslovakia was easier for Hitler than he expected, he didn’t need to fire a bullet. He broke the Munich Agreement, and invaded the hole country

• 1939

  • The Nazi-Soviet Pact was an agreement between Germany and USSR where they decided not to invade each other for 10 years and secretly carved up Poland between one another

  • After the invasion of Czechoslovakia, Britain and France got rid of the policy of appeasement and decided to give guarantee to Poland that if Germany invades, the will declare war on Germany

  • Invasion of Poland

  • Britain and France declare war on Nazi Germany