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Hitler and The Holocaust

At the beginning of World War I in 1914, Hitler said that he was willing to give his life for the German people. He was in the army for four years as a message carrier, and he fought at the front line against the British. The Germans ended up losing to the Allies. Hitler was very angry for a long time after Germany was defeated in 1919. After World War I, Germany was desperately trying to recover from the war. Along with this came Germany’s Great Depression. Many people were without jobs and starving. This terrible economic situation made Hitler’s rise to power possible. In desperate times like these, the people of Germany needed a way out. Hitler gave the Germans hope. Hitler decided to partly blame the Allies-England, France, and the United States-for Germany’s conditions after the war, but he also blamed others. He believed that the German army was not beaten fairly because it had been betrayed by the Jews, which he called the "evil partners" of the Allies. Hitler thought that the wealthy merchants and the international bankers, which were mostly Jews, had given all of Germany’s secrets away. Because of this, Hitler hated and helped convince others to hate the Jews.

The Treaty of Versailles effect on Hitler

Life for the German people became very difficult after the Treaty of Versailles. Germany was forced to borrow money from America in order to pay its war debt to England and France. In 1929, the United States experienced an economic depression. America was unable to keep giving money to Germany during the depression. Without the income from American loans, Germany was unable to pay debt to England and France. The result was a severe depression in Germany. German money became close to worthless. They German people were angry with the Treaty of Versailles and they felt the terms were unfair. Many Germans believed a strong leader could return their nation to greatness. In 1923 Adolf Hitler attempted to overthrow the German government. He was unsuccessful, and sent to prison for nine months. While in prison Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, which means “my struggle.” Hitler suggested that there were easy solutions to the complex problems the German people faced in the 1920s. Hitler blamed Germany’s problems on its weak government. He said Germany had lost the war because of “a stab in the back.” By January 1933, Hitler and his National Socialist party controlled Germany. Hitler became a dictator. The Nazis acted quickly against all who opposed their rule. They outlawed all other political parties. People who opposed the new way of governement were often murdered.

5 Main beliefs of Hitler

1. Jews caused Germany to lose WW1
2. Germans were the perfect race
3. Jews weren't Germans
4. The Treaty of Versailles was harsh - should be abolished
5. Everyone should be like them


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