Early Life
Born in Austria, Hitler fought for Germany during WWI. The bitter experience of losing the war shaped the rest of his life. As the leader of the Nazi party during the 1920s he unsuccessfully attempted a coup d’etat in 1923 and was put in prison. While in prison, he organized his political agenda in his book Mein Kampf, which made him very popular throughout the country. Appointed Chancellor (leader) of Germany in 1933, he turned the country into a one party dictatorship almost immediately.