Dictator who built a racist war state
In summer 1942, Hitler split Army Group South, pursuing Caucasian oil and Stalingrad at the same time.
Adolf Hitler was the dictator who seized power through the Nazi Party and made racism and anti-communism principles of state rule and expansionist war. His regime organized the Holocaust and other mass killings, and bore central responsibility for the escalation of war in Europe. In the summer of 1942, he split Army Group South into Groups A and B, directing them simultaneously toward Caucasian oil and Stalingrad; the overstretched logistics and divided objectives helped lead to the encirclement and destruction of the Sixth Army. He committed suicide in Berlin in April 1945 as Germany's defeat became certain.
Career Timeline
- 1889–1918Born in Austria; served in the German Army during the First World War
- 1919Joined the German Workers' Party and entered politics
- 1921Leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party
- 1923–1924Failed Munich putsch; dictated Mein Kampf in prison
- 1933Chancellor of Germany; established Nazi dictatorship
- 1934–1945Führer and head of state; directed the Second World War
- 1942Split Army Group South into Groups A and B, directing the Stalingrad and Caucasus offensives
- 1945Committed suicide in Berlin