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Reading Log

Hitler’s Background prior to international Importance.

Hitler fought in World War 1 as a corporal, and was convinced at the end of that war that Germany had been betrayed and were unfairly treated in defeat. After the war he joined the Germans workers party, the D.A.P which later would become the Nazi party. In 1921 he became leader of the now National Socialist German Workers Party. On November 9 1923 he led the unsuccessful beer hall putsch in Munich and was imprisoned. During his time in prison he wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) which later became the Nazi party’s political manifesto.


He was released 9 months into his imprisonment and rejoined the Nazi party. He formed a protection squad which later was known as the Schutzstaffel or SS. In the elections of May 20 1928 the Nazi party received just 3% of votes. By 1930 they had become the second largest party in Germany. In the elections of 1932 Hindenburg was re-elected as president but Hitler received 13,418,547 votes (36.8%) a massive increase in a 4 year period.


On January 30 1933, at the invitation of President Hindenburg, Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. In the general election of that year the Nazis secured 44% of the vote. Following the Reichstag fire an Enabling law was passed which allowed the Nazi’s to rule unopposed. Hitler also used these laws to take action against his political rivals, mainly the communists. Later that year he banned the communist party and by July 14 the Nazi’s were the only official party. On August 2 1934 President Hindenburg died and Hitler declared himself Fuehrer.

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