Adolf Hitler, the embodiment of evil for the 20th century, was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary (present-day Austria). A frustrated artist with dreams of grandeur, Hitler’s path to infamy began after serving in the German army during World War I. Germany’s defeat and the subsequent political and economic turmoil left a fertile ground for the rise of extremism.
Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party) in 1921. He skillfully exploited the anxieties and resentments of the German people, using charismatic oratory and scapegoating tactics to gain power. His ideology, a toxic mix of racism, nationalism, and anti-Semitism, fueled his expansionist ambitions. Appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Hitler quickly consolidated power, becoming the Führer (absolute leader) in 1934. His regime plunged the world into World War II, a conflict responsible for the deaths of tens of millions. The systematic extermination of six million Jews, alongside millions of others deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime, stands as a horrific testament to Hitler’s genocidal policies. Cornered by Allied forces as the war neared its end, Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker on April 30, 1945, leaving behind a legacy of destruction and hate that continues to cast a long shadow.
