Adolf Hitler - Getty Images

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) was the leader of Germany from 1933 to 1945. Appointed chancellor in January 1933, by August 1934 Hitler had declared himself Führer – the leader of Germany. As leader of the Nazi party Hitler launched the Second World War in 1939 and is responsible for the death of millions of people, including an estimated six million Jewish people in the Nazi genocide. Hitler believed in a superior Aryan race and thought that Jews and Communists posed a danger to Germany and had to be destroyed. He laid out his anti-Semitic views in his book Mein Kampf. Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin on 30 April 1945

A composite image shows German SS officer Gottlob Berger on the left and British officer George Lascelles on the right. Colditz Castle, where Lascelles was held as a prisoner of war during the Second World War, looms in the background.

Second World War

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Hitler against a backdrop of stars and UFOs

Second World War

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It's a black and white image of a group of soldiers holding a swastika flag

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The death of Adolf Hitler. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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An older man wearing round glasses, a bow tie, and an academic-style robe stands behind a cluster of microphones, delivering a public speech

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Churchill vs Stalin: did this one speech cause the Cold War?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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"We shall never surrender": 14 quotes that have defined the past century. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A photo collage featuring three images. On the top left is a black and white photograph of a group of men and women pulling an aeroplane. On the bottom left is a black and white photograph of five men, three in military uniform, standing outside a hut that is advertising fish and chips. On the right is an image of a large group of soldiers walking through a city, holding large flags.

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Fascism? No thanks! Why Britain rejected extremism in the 1930s. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Did Hitler have sexual relations with Eva Braun? What my research reveals about the Führer's love life. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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A poster showing a black and white photo of Hitler with a young blond boy in the foreground

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Hitler's war on words: how the Nazis used art to bolster their murderous regime. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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I've just been inside a Nazi monster's mansion – and what I found there was deeply haunting. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Did Hitler have a secret Jewish grandfather? Our DNA research has solved the mystery. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Research into Adolf Hitler's DNA has thrown up some extraordinary insights into the Nazi dictator’s private life. (Images by Getty Images)

Second World War

“We analysed Hitler’s DNA – and what we discovered made us gasp”

Hermann Göring in his office at the Reichstag, where he served as a leading figure of the Nazi regime. As Hitler’s deputy and head of the Luftwaffe, Göring wielded immense power during the Third Reich, later facing prosecution for war crimes at Nuremberg.

Second World War

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Terror in the deep: how Hitler's U-boats pushed Britain to the brink. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

On This Day

Historical anniversariesJune

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Second World War

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Adolf Hitler and his lover, Eva Braun, relaxing in Berchtesgaden in 1942. The Nazi leader’s private life was more ‘normal’ than some accounts have suggested (Photo by akg-images)

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“We need to understand the Nazis as human beings”: Richard J Evans on the motivations of Hitler’s followers. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Video podcastWhy did people kill for Hitler?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A dummy Bofors gun and crew in north Africa – among the ploys used to deceive Axis intelligence about the true location of massed Allied forces before the battle of El Alamein. (Photo by Alamy)

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Dudley Clarke: the spy who hoodwinked Hitler. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

20th Century

Josef Stalin: the paranoid dictator who forged the Soviet Union into a superpower

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What if Hitler hadn't sent the Wehrmacht into the Soviet Union?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black and white photo of Adolf Hitler standing by a car and wearing a coat, looking towards the camera.

20th Century

How the Munich Beer Hall Putsch set Hitler on his road to power

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