The rise and fall of Nazi Germany Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The rise and fall of Nazi Germany - Term Paper Example Before investigating how Nazis rose to power in Germany, it is important to understand the person who was instrumental in the rise of the Nazi and the Third Reich to power in Germany. In this regard, Adolf Hitler remains the most important person in the history of Germany since he defined the history of the country and that of the world. Born Adolphus Hitler â€Å"on April 20, 1889, in the small Austrian town of Braunau located at the border between Austria and Germany,† Hitler was the fourth child of his parents and the first child to live beyond two years (Giblin 4). Importantly, no one expected such an unlikely figure would become the successor to President Hindenburg since his parents were peasants although they lived a middle-class life. Nonetheless, Hitler’s upbringing and place of birth were instrumental in his quest of having Germany and Austria, two German-speaking nations, become one republic and joining each other in a single Reich. At the age of thirty-five years, Hitler sat in a German prison and dictated the book that became the blueprint for the Third Reich and his rise to power in Germany. Titled the Mein Kampf, the book starts with an outline of the important role that his birthplace of Braunau played in shaping his philosophy about uniting the two nations into a single Reich. In this case, the book starts with his narration of the important factor played by Hitler’s place of birth with Hitler noting that: Today it seems to me providential that fate should have chosen Braunau am Inn as my birthplace.... In this case, the book starts with his narration of the important factor played by Hitler’s place of birth with Hitler noting that: Today it seems to me providential that fate should have chosen Braunau am Inn as my birthplace. For this little town lies on the boundary between two German states which we of the younger generation at least have made it our life-work to reunite by every means at our disposal. . . This little city on the border seems to me the symbol of a great mission. (qtd. in Shirer 6). In effect, the introduction to Hitler’s blueprint outlined his desire to see Austria and German become one Reich. In effect, this contributed to his desire to join the army and fight the coalition of the British, Russians, and the French in the First World War. After Hitler’s discharge from military service on March 20, 1920, he left the military at a time when his star in German politics was on the rise. Hitler knew how to give moving speeches and he used this abi lity to his advantage in order to gain followers. In the same year, Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party and changed the name of the party the same year in order to have the party sound more impressive than it sounded. In effect, the party became the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), which people just shortened to the Nazi Party with the party starting its way to prominence in German politics (Giblin 29). Through moving and passionate speeches, Hitler managed to grow the membership of the Nazi Party to more than 3,000 members by the January 1921 (Giblin 30). In line with this, Hitler was able to make the people realize the importance of ensuring that Germany’s leadership was strong and did