We have all grown up learning about the horrific events of the Holocaust. In fact, there is probably not one child, who by the age of 15-years-old has not already been educated about this tragic event in history and the ultimate, political villain, the mastermind behind it all, Adolf Hitler. Born on April 20th, 1889, it was not long before Hitler became a man whom many consider the personification of pure evil and hatred. While Hitler's early years and journey into power are events that should not be ignored, it was not until he walked into the presidential office to become chancellor in January, 1933 that one of the most tragic events in history was about to take place.
When Hitler took office, the government of Germany was at a complete standstill. People were without jobs, without food, scared and desperate for help and relief. After swearing into office on January 30th, 1933, Hitler was greeted with loud cheers and applauses by Nazis and other supporters who believed in him. And while many believed that Hitler would be of some benefit to them, specifically the military who believed that he would follow through with his promise and tear up the Treaty of Versailles, thus expanding the Army and bringing back its former glory, essentially everyone underestimated him and very few could have ever imagined the decisions and regulations he was about to enforce.
Within weeks, Hitler became the absolute dictator of Germany. For starters, he made sure that the German democratic republic "went down in flames" and in February 1933, the Nazis designed a plan to burn the Reichstag building, ending democracy once and for all. Hitler's plan was simple: he wanted to legally establish himself as dictator as quickly as possible, thus passing whatever laws he desired and making them all perfectly legal at the same time.
Eventually, police officials that were considered loyal to the republic were replaced with Nazi officials who were loyal to Hitler and to Hitler alone. In addition, police officials were also ordered not to interfere with anything that the Nazi's were doing. Therefore, this meant that if anyone was being beaten, harassed, ridiculed or even murdered at the hands of a Nazi, no one was allowed to help them, leaving the victim essentially with no one then to turn to for help.
Eventually, the Nazis stopped all other political activity that went against Hitler and his reign. Meetings and publications of non-Nazi parties were no longer permitted and ultimately, anyone who even attempted to campaign against the Nazis was tortured and often killed; the act of protesting against the Nazis was illegal.
On March 5th, 1933, shortly after the elections, the Nazis systematically began to take over the state governments throughout Germany. Old army barracks and abandoned factories were used as prisons for €˜political enemies' in which they endured harsh discipline and beatings and some were even tortured to death. This was the start of the Nazi concentration camps.
Then, on March 23, Hitler succeeded in doing what he had dreamed to do all along: democracy in Germany ended and the German Democratic Republic was legally destroyed. At this time, the absolute leadership of Hitler reigned true and under him, "the State, not the individual, was supreme". From the moment of one's birth, they existed to serve the State and obey the rules of Hitler and those who did not, were simply disposed of. And, for his first time as a dictator, Hitler slowly began to turn his attention to a group of individuals he hated and who were essentially the reason he joined politics in the first place: the Jews.
In April 1933, Jews were banished from government jobs and universities and a boycott of Jewish shops and stores was established. Jews were eventually classified as "subjects" and no longer as individuals or human beings, they were under Nazi rule and there was no escaping it. Jews were harassed and not permitted to shop in certain stores and many were unable to hold certain professions. Concentration camps were set up to contain Jews, Communists, Gypsies, homosexuals and others. These camps were established for only one purpose: to kill men, women and children. More than 6 million Jews were killed in gas chambers throughout the camps and millions of others died of malnutrition, disease, and coarse mistreatment.
There is no denying that Adolf Hitler was a tyrant and is responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent people. He committed countless acts of violence and commanded his followers to commit atrocities and murders against mankind that many of us cannot even imagine. Hitler, without question, will forever be remembered as the ultimate villain throughout history. He killed people beyond the Jewish genocide, causing the deaths of millions of people across Europe and much of the world. Ultimately, he stripped innocent people of their dignity, pride and most importantly, their life.
Here is a short clip that recaps some of the events that occurred throughout Hitler’s time in office from 1933 to 1945.
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