Adolf Hitler Declares Himself Führer
On August 2, 1934, Adolf Hitler declared himself Führer, or supreme leader, of Germany, marking a significant turning point in the country’s political landscape. Born in Austria in 1889, Hitler's early career included service in World War I, after which he became deeply disillusioned with Germany's defeat and the punitive conditions of the Treaty of Versailles. This discontent fueled his political ambitions, leading him to transform a small political group into the powerful Nazi Party by the late 1920s. The Nazis capitalized on widespread economic woes and societal unrest, gaining substantial influence and ultimately forcing President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor in January 1933.
Following the suspicious fire at the Reichstag, Hitler used the ensuing chaos to suppress opposition and civil liberties, but his consolidation of power hinged on Hindenburg’s death. After Hindenburg passed away, Hitler merged the presidency with the chancellorship, effectively becoming the dictator of Germany. His leadership would eventually lead to catastrophic consequences, including World War II and millions of casualties, ending with Hitler's suicide in 1945 as Allied forces closed in on Berlin. Hitler's declaration as Führer not only solidified his rule but also set in motion events that would reshape Europe and the world.
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Adolf Hitler Declares Himself Führer
Adolf Hitler Declares Himself Führer
On August 2, 1934, Adolf Hitler declared himself Führer, or supreme leader of Germany. Hitler was one of history's most destructive leaders and his rise to power signaled the onset of World War II, a conflict that cost millions of lives and ended in ruinous defeat for Germany and Hitler's death by his own hand.
Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, near Linz in Austria but moved to Germany. He served with distinction in the German army during World War I but, like many Germans, was angered by Germany's defeat in that war and the humiliating terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed massive reparations and other obligations on his newly adopted homeland. Listless and dissolute, Hitler found purpose to his life in the world of reactionary postwar politics. Discovering that he had exceptional oratorical gifts, he took charge of a small organization known as the National Socialists and turned it into the massive Nazi Party by the end of the 1920s.
Hitler preached hatred against the Weimar Republic which had accepted the Treaty of Versailles and blamed various groups, such as the Jews and the communists, for the economic problems which plagued the country. By the early 1930s the Nazis had become the largest party in the German legislature, known as the Reichstag, and together with their supporters held a majority of the seats. They forced the aging president of the Weimar Republic, former General Paul von Hindenburg, to make Hitler the chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. When a fire (probably set by the Nazis), swept the Reichstag building, Hitler blamed this disaster on his opponents and used it as a pretext to suppress civil liberties and dissent. Hitler was now effectively the leader of the country but could not consolidate his control so long as Hindenburg was alive.
When Hindenburg died on August 2, 1934, Hitler declared himself Führer, taking the office of president in addition to that of chancellor and making himself dictator. The last vestiges of the old Weimar Republic were eventually swept away. Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, in Berlin the German capital, as the armies of his enemies closed in on his defeated and crumbling empire.