A brief summary of Hitler's life.

Hitler was spoiled by his mother, and beaten by his civil servant father. His father died when Hitler was in his early teens, and Hitler’s mother supported him until she died, a few years later. He was a mediocre student, probably more from lack of interest than lack of ability, but reasonably popular. With his mother’s death, Hitler was on his own. He became an indigent vagrant, eventually supporting himself modestly as a painter of street scenes, living in charity rooming houses. Eventually, with the coming of WWI he signed up, and, in his first infantry engagement, his entire battalion was wiped out, other than himself. This experience, combined with his ability to survive suicide missions as a messenger, gave him a sense of divine protection, and divine mission. Having survived WWI almost unscathed, and having received an Iron Cross first class for bravery, he was able to secure employment with the military authorities. He discovered a talent for public speaking. With the unsuccessful communist Spartacist uprising in 1919, his nascent antisemitism became inflamed, as a result of Jewish involvement in this plot. The authorities felt a need for a Hitler’s speaking ability in this uncertain period, and, he became more important. Eventually, he built up the Nazi Party, as a major political force. He tried to take over Bavaria in 1923, but, his attempt was crushed by the Weimar authorities. It wasn’t until the Great Depression that Germans were desperate enough to support the Nazis, and put them into power. Hitler made himself all powerful dictator, and showed some political brilliance in systematically building up the German economy, and taking over Austria, and Czechoslovakia. However, Britain and France had had enough, and when he invaded Poland, they declared war. During this period, Hitler was living the life of a very rich man, enjoying a life of luxury and power. When he invaded Russia, Hitler bit off more than he could chew, and his situation became progressively more desperate as the US joined the fight against him. Hitler aged rapidly trying to control the situation. He was injured badly by a failed assassination attempt less than a year before the end of the war. And, when he finally committed suicide at the end of the war, he was a broken man.