Noah McCollum

Adolf Hitler was one of the most notorious dictators of all time. After coming
from humble beginnings as a child singing in the church choir, Hitler evolved into a man
who instigated a world war and murdered millions. He is remembered for his military
expertise and large ego, which eventually lost him the war. Hitlers early life, rise to
power and time in power show the changes he went through in his life.
Adolf Hitler was born in Braun au Am Inn, Austria, April 20, 1889. He was one
of six children and was 18 when his mother died of cancer. In 1905, Hitler dropped out
of school and was later rejected as an artist. He began to pursue politics as anti-Semitism
appealed to him. He fought in WWI, growing in the rankings all the way to corporal.
Germany, still trying to get over their defeat from the First World War fell into the
worldwide depression in the early 1930s. With a weak government and a struggling
country came the rise of Adolf Hitler. Hitler gave the people of Germany a new hope in
his convincing tone of a better life. In 1933, after appealing to the German people in a
similar way as socialism, Hitler won the election and was appointed as the Chancellor, or
the head of the German government. Hitler used propaganda, specifically against Jews to
gain support. Hitler once said, Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and
eventually they will believe it. (Hitler 1931) This statement shows the way Hitler
thought and that he was willing to say and do whatever to achieve his personal goals.
Once Hitler came to power he used it to promote his own ideas. He started with
his Anti-Semitic views by prosecuting and committing genocide against Jews. Six
million Jews were killed from 1939 to 1945 in the Holocaust. The persecution and
killing of Jews and other groups marked the beginning of World War II. Hitler began to

take over other European countries starting with Austria, Poland, and eventually France
along with many others. He gained the support of Mussolini in Italy and Hideki Tojo in
Japan. Hitler trained and controlled a very good and very advanced military, taking over
enemies through Blitzkrieg or Lightning Warfare. Hitler had in his apparatus the Tiger
tank. It was known as one of the most feared tanks in all of World War II. It featured a
88mm gun. In battle it would take multiple U.S. Sherman tanks to bring it down.
Eventually, Hitlers greed and ego led him to attack Russia, which would lose him the
war. (History.com 2016)
Hitler is known in history as one of the most brutal dictators. His desire to
conquer other countries led him to annihilate anyone who stood in his way. (United
States Holocaust Museum 2016)) Many innocent people lost their lives to Hitler and his
army as they systematically marched into surrounding countries to pursue his own will.