1. Adolf Hitler
Führer of Germany

2. Adolf Hitler

3. Adolf Hitler Dictator of Germany (1933-1945)
World War I Veteran and Domestic Spy
Creator of “Nazism”
Master of spirit control through nationalism
Elimination of racial/ethnic minorities
Development of national pride

4. Childhood Born in Austria (4/20/1889) Baptized Catholic
Abusive father – who is said to be half Jewish.
High school dropout
Denied admission to the Imperial Art Academy twice
Lived off inheritance from his dead father
Listened to anti-Semitic lectures
Semitic = relating to or denoting a family of languages that includes Hebrews, Arabic and Aramaic and certain ancient languages such as Phoenician and Akkadian, constituting the main subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic family.

5. Youth Angry Veteran: Moved to Munich, Germany Joined the Army for WWI
Ran notes and got gassed
Earned rank of corporal
Awarded two “Iron Cross” medals for bravery
Blamed Jews and the Weimar Republic (which called for the ceasefire and surrender) for Germany’s loss

6. Rise to Power Hired by the army to spy on “domestic threats”
Spied on then joined and led the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (“Nazi” for short)
Copied Mussolini’s Fascists
“Brown Shirts” Gang
Adopts the swastika to tie his ideas to pre-history

7. Rise to Power
Wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) while in prison for the Beer Hall Putsch. He argued that:
“Aryans” (blonde hair, blue eyes) were genetically superior and should rule the world. Here’s how!
Need to gain living space for population growth “Lebensraum”
Need to eliminate Communism and Judaism
Need to eliminate or enslave “inferior or subhuman races”
Need to get revenge for the Treaty of Versailles

8. Rise to Power Inflation, Depression, Desperation:
Weimar Republic Seen as a Failure…
…because it agreed to T. of V. and printed money to pay bills
(1920s)
Great Depression Stops Recovery…
…and made more people sad, angry, and unemployed
(1929)
Nazi Party Offers an Alternative…
…that spoke to the people’s desperate desire for action
(1932)
Nazi Party Gains Popularity

9. Appeal of Hitler
Germany was in the midst of an economic depression with hyper-inflation
Hitler was a WW I hero who talked about bringing glory back to the “Fatherland”
He promised the rich industrialists that he would end any communist threat in Germany
Constantly blamed Jews for Germany’s problems, not the German people.
Hitler was an excellent public speaker.
POWER

10. Use of Power Paranoid: Used Multiple Organizations to Maintain Control
German Names
Translations (Nicknames)
Purpose
(Focus)
Sturm Abteilung
(SA)
Storm Troopers (Brown Shirts)
Attack opponents of the Nazi Party with violence
Schutzstaffel
(SS)
Protection Squad
Protect Hitler from political rivals and violence
Gestapo
Secret Police
Enforce immediate obedience to the laws with violence

11. National > Individual
Maintenance of Power
Totalitarian:
Body
Mind
Spirit
Control of the government and enforcement of laws and punishments
Propaganda
(Posters and films, ex: “Triumph of the Will”)
Eliminate religious, ethnic and political minorities (Holocaust)
Control of the economy and decisions about natural resources and work
Censorship
(Book Burnings)
(Gov. Controlled Media)
New flag, logo and symbols to represent Germany
Beating and killing opponents through SS, SA, Gestapo
Indoctrination
Hitler Youth (Boys)
League of German Girls
National > Individual
identity

12. The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit svastika, which means “good fortune” or “well-being."
In the beginning of the twentieth century the swastika was widely used in Europe. It had numerous meanings, the most common being a symbol of good luck and auspiciousness (promise of something good). However, the work of Schliemann soon was taken up by völkisch movements, for whom the swastika was a symbol of “Aryan identity” and German nationalist pride
To this day it is a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. It is a common sight on temples or houses in India or Indonesia.

15. Fascism in Europe Rises reading packet
What are some characteristics of Fascism (there are more than 5)?
What type of people would support fascism?
How are Mussolini and Hitler similar?
Why did Germans at first support Hitler?
What is Kristallnacht?
Why did, “many Europeans saw dictatorship as the only way to prevent instability?”