Hitler's Austrian Roots: How Did He Rule Germany?

Hitler was already well-known in Germany and around the world, thanks to his failed coup and subsequent trial. He had also made the party he had joined his own, changing it to suit his own ideology and holding it together with personal loyalty. However, as a convicted felon, he was unable to become a German citizen in the normal way. It is unclear whether he formally immigrated to Germany and became a citizen before becoming German Chancellor.

Hitler's name recognition in Germany and around the world

Hitler had name recognition not just in Germany, but around the world, thanks to his failed coup and subsequent trial. He had made the party he had joined his own, changing it to suit his own ideology and holding it together with personal loyalty. He had also fought for the German Army while being an Austrian citizen.

Hitler's trial for a failed coup

On 8-9 November 1923, Hitler and the Nazi Party led a coalition group in an attempt to overthrow the German government. This attempted coup d'état came to be known as the Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler and the Nazi Party aimed to seize control of the state government, march on Berlin, and overthrow the German federal government. They sought to establish a new government to oversee the creation of a unified Greater German Reich, in which citizenship would be based on race.

Hitler led around 2,000 Nazis and other Kampfbund members in a march to the Feldherrnhalle on the Ludwigstrasse. Munich law enforcement clashed with the marchers as they reached the Odeonsplatz. The shootout left 14 Nazis and four police officers dead, and put a final end to the coup in the city. Two other Nazis died in other localities. Hitler had relied on the paramilitary Kampfbund, but the lack of support from the police and locally stationed military units doomed the attempt.

Hitler escaped immediate arrest and was spirited off to safety in the countryside. After two days, he was arrested and charged with treason. For his involvement in the coup, Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for high treason, where he penned *Mein Kampf*—but he only served nine months before being released in 1924.

A five-judge panel chaired by Georg Neithardt presided over the trial of Hitler and the other putsch leaders in March 1924. Like the majority of judges during the Weimar period, Neithardt tended, in cases of high treason, to show leniency towards right-wing defendants who claimed to have acted out of sincere, patriotic motives. The putsch brought Hitler to the attention of the German nation for the first time and generated front-page headlines in newspapers around the world.

Hitler's Austrian citizenship

Hitler was an Austrian citizen, but he was also well-known in Germany and around the world. He had served in the German Army and had attempted a coup, for which he was tried. He had also built his own political party, which was based on his own ideology and held together by personal loyalty. It is unclear whether he formally immigrated to Germany and became a German citizen.

Hitler's ability to become a German citizen

Hitler was an Austrian citizen, but he was able to fight for the German Army during World War I. After the war, he remained in Germany and joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), which he eventually transformed into the Nazi Party. Hitler's fame and popularity, both in Germany and internationally, allowed him to rise within the party and gain a significant following. However, his status as a convicted felon due to his involvement in a failed coup attempt made it challenging for him to obtain German citizenship through conventional means. Despite this, Hitler's influence and power within Germany grew, eventually leading to his appointment as Chancellor in 1933.

Hitler's role in the German Army

Adolf Hitler's role in the German Army can be divided into two distinct portions of his life. The first was during World War I, when Hitler served as a Gefreiter (lance corporal) in the Bavarian Army. The second was during World War II, when he served as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) through his position as Führer of Nazi Germany.

Hitler took command of the German Army on December 19, 1941, in a major shake-up of the military high command. This was due to the German offensive against Moscow proving to be a disaster. The Soviets had established a perimeter 200 miles from the city, and the Germans couldn't break through. The harsh winter weather, with temperatures often dropping to 31 degrees below zero, had virtually frozen German tanks in their tracks. Soviet General Georgi Zhukov's counteroffensive of infantry, tanks, and planes had forced the Germans into retreat. The Germans were being beaten for the first time in the war, and the toll to their collective psyche was great.

Hitler declared himself commander-in-chief of the army, stating that he would train it "in a National Socialist way". He would compose the strategies, and the officers would follow his orders. The OKW acted in a subordinate role to Hitler's personal military staff, translating his ideas into military plans and orders, and issuing them to the three services.

During the period of its expansion under Hitler, the German Army continued to develop concepts pioneered during World War I, combining ground and air units into combined arms forces. This, coupled with operational and tactical methods such as encirclements and "battle of annihilation", led to quick victories in the initial years of World War II. This new style of warfare was described as Blitzkrieg (lightning war) for its speed and destructive power.

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