The Rise of Hitler

From the very beginning of his life Hitler was a very unique individual. He was a loner and
with aspirations of becoming an artist. Hitler applied to a school of arts but was not accepted. He
was homeless for a while before moving into a home for men that were poor. Hitler developed an
interest in anti- Semitisms and modeled his speeches after Lueger, a powerful politician that
knew how to use propaganda to gain popularity (Gavin, 1996).
On August 3, 1914, Hitler joined the German army. Hitler was a good soldier receiving, the
Iron Cross 1st Class in August 1918. He was temporarily blinded in October 1918, by a gas
attack. The war ended on November 10,1918 and Hitlers journey to power begin. Hitler joined
the German Workers Party. He was dedicated to the Party and membership increased
tremendously (Gavin, 1996).
The membership reached 3,000 by the end of 1920. Hitler changed the German
Workers'
Party to the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche
Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) also known as the, Nazis. Under Hitler leadership the Party continued
to grow by November 1923, the members had increased to 55,000 followers, becoming one of
the largest organizations. On November 23, 1923, Hitler and the Nazi party staged the Nazi
Revolution at beer hall (Gavin, 1996).
The Nazi Revolution was unsuccessful. Hitler was tried for treason, which allowed him to
become internationally known through the press. During the trial Hitler admitted to wanting to
over throw the government, explaining the reasons behind his treason. He was sentenced to five
years in prison, being eligible for parole in six months. He was released after nine months, with a
book he had written called, Mein Kampf (Gavin, 1996).
Hitler emerged from prison with a new plan to overtake Germanys government. The Nazi

party organized itself like a government itself. A boys club was created that was similar to the
Boys Scouts, called the Hitler Jugend, or Hitler Youth consisting of boys aged 15 to 18. There
were also organizations created for women, girls, and boys ages 10 to 15. The Great Depression
led to the unraveling of Germanys government, leaving an opening for Hitler to take over
(Gavin, 1996).
The people were looking for answers and were willing to listen to any suggestions. The Nazi
party and Hitler started a campaign. On September 14, 1930, the Nazis received 6,371,000 votes,
which allowed them to have 107 seats in the German Reichstag. This made them the second
largest political party in Germany. Hitler ran for president but was not successful. Hitler became
chancellor on January 30, 1933, enabling him to create the German government he dreamed of
(Gavin, 1996).

Reference

Gavin, P. (1996 10 July). The Rise of Hitler. Retrieved from

http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/index.htm