Adolf Hitler neither finished school
nor had any vocational training. He occasionally lived
in homeless shelters or on the street. He refused to pursue a regular job. To this day, it seems inexplicable
that he could come to power. Out of nowhere, Hitler became the Führer,
leader of the German Reich. One of the most powerful men
of the 20th century who brought the world
to the brink of disaster, and death to millions of people. The nation worshiped him
and followed him blindly into the abyss. During his lifetime,
he kept his origins and his life secret. No one should know how or who he was. Hitler's contemporaries
from his birth to his death flesh out the picture. Who was Hitler? On June 30th, 1903,
the 72-year-old Kaiser Franz Joseph I visits Braunau am Inn
to celebrate its 700th birthday. In a historical coincidence, this border town to Bavaria,
of all places, is the origin of the oldest film footage
shot by an Austrian cinematographer. In the late '80s of the last century, my parents lived
in this small town in the Inn, which is Bavarian by blood
and Austrian by nationality. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. The Customs Inspector Alois Hitler,
and his family, occupy a small apartment on the top floor
of the Pommer Hotel in Braunau. At Easter time on April 20th, 1889,
at about 6:30 in the evening, Adolf Hitler is born. Parish register, Braunau. Adolfus Hitler, born on April 20th,1889,
at 6:30 in the evening. Baptized on April 22nd
at 3:15 by Ignaz Probst. To begin with,
there is this picture of little Adolf from the year 1889,
a few months after his birth. One thing worthy of note
in this first picture of Hitler is the close resemblance
of Adolf to his mother. August Kubizek,
a childhood friend of Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler is the third
of the couple's six children. He and his younger sister, Paula, are the only ones
to survive beyond childhood. The mother is 28 years old
at the time of birth. The father is 51. Klara Hitler is related to Alois Hitler. She's her husband's second cousin. When Hitler is three years old,
his father is transferred to a new post and decides to move
into an apartment in Passau on the German side of the border. Adolf Hitler lives with his family
in Bavaria for three years until 1895. Actually, Hitler didn't speak
a typical Austrian dialect. August Kubizek. In my youth, German was the dialect
spoken in Lower Bavaria. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. The oldest film recording
made in Austria-Hungary was shot by foreigners,
the Lumière brothers. It shows Vienna,
the capital of a multinational empire, in the year 1896. In old Austria,
you could travel without a passport from the Mediterranean, over the Alps,
way into the East, the West and the North. Oskar Kokoschka, painter and writer. Hitler's ancestry from lower Austria, as well as a total of 21 years
spent in upper Austria and Vienna, do not suffice to make him an Austrian
in the sense of a citizen of that nation. Kurt Schuschnigg,
an Austrian Chancellor from 1934 to 1938. Austrians who spoke
about the nation before 1938 meant the national culture
that extended beyond their borders, which is what Austrian man
is also identified with. This cultural nation is Germany. Transporting a locomotive
through the streets of Chemnitz, sixteen workhorses pull the locomotive
as the factory has no rail connection. The majority of German-speaking Austrians feel close links to the Germans
in Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria and the smaller federal states already united
in a partly industrialized Reich. He was a grumpy, reticent old man, and like a lot of political free spirits
at the time, a stern German nationalist. Josef Mayrhofer,
farmer in the village of Leonding by Linz. A visit to his parent's grave. His school friends say his mother
was loving and kind-hearted. The father cold, silent and strict. Joseph Goebbels, diary, July 22nd, 1938. I never loved my father, but feared him all the more. Adolf Hitler, table talk, recorded by his secretary,
Christa Schroeder. My brother Adolf
provoked my father to such extremes that he was beaten every day. Paula Hitler, later Paula Wolf. In June 1939, Eva Braun films the small farm
in the village of Hafeld, Upper Austria, that Hitler's father leases
after retiring early in 1895. On May 1st, 1895, Hitler starts school
in a one-room schoolhouse in the neighboring village of Fischlham. In the year 1897,
Hitler's father sells the farm in Hafeld. The family lives temporarily
in the small town of Lambach. In 1898, the Hitler family moves
to the village of Leonding, near Linz. Here, Hitler's father
buys property number 61, including 1,900 square meters of land. After five years at elementary school,
in 1900, Adolf Hitler, aged 11, begins secondary school
in the city of Linz. Adolf Hitler has to repeat his first year
at secondary school due to poor grades. I remember the scrawny, pale boy, who commuted every day
between Linz and Leonding fairly well. He was definitely talented
on the one hand, but was not in control of himself. He was considered rebellious and he didn't work hard. Dr. Eduard Humer, Hitler's French teacher. The quiet life
enjoyed by the Hitler family on this little patch of land
only lasted a few years. The head of the family died unexpectedly
of a heart attack in January 1903. Max Zilzer, Leonding,
the Führer's hometown. Alois Hitler leaves his modest savings
to his four surviving children, Alois and Angela,
from the second of his three marriages, and Adolf and Paula. This inheritance is to be paid out
when they come of age. The quiet cemetery of Leonding
was his final resting place. His widow moved to the nearby city of Linz for better educational opportunities
for her children. Max Zilzer. In 1904, Klara Hitler
has to send her son Adolf, who, due to bad grades, is again in danger
of not moving up a class to the state secondary school
in Steyr, 40 kilometers away. Look at my school grades. I had bad marks in German. That idiot of a professor
spoiled the German language for me. I would never be able
to write a proper letter. Adolf Hitler,
in the Führer's headquarters,1943. Last grades at secondary school in Steyr. Diligence: inconsistent. German: insufficient. Geography and History: sufficient. Mathematics: insufficient. Physics: satisfactory. Freehand drawing: commendable. Sport: excellent. I don't have a photograph of Adolf Hitler
during the years of our friendship. There probably aren't any photos
of Hitler during this period. Everything that could be said
about images of Hitler as a young man has already been said
were it not for the drawing by a classmate from the fourth grade
of junior high school in Steyr. By chance, this drawing,
done in 1905, was preserved. The boy could only draw profiles. Nevertheless, there was something peculiarly fascinating
about this pencil sketch. August Kubizek. After nine years, Adolf Hitler
finishes school without graduating. For the following three years,
he lives in Linz on his mother's pension, not really doing anything. All of his relatives
considered him worthless. A person who shied away
from any gainful employment from the start. August Kubizek. Adolf Hitler talks to his mother
into allowing him to travel to Vienna. He wants to apply for an admission
to the general painting class at the Academy of Fine Arts. From early in the morning
to late at night, I ran from one sightseeing attraction
to the next. The buildings were the only things
that fascinated me. All of Ring Street affected me
like a spell from the Arabian Nights. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. From 1904 to 1908, I was Adolf Hitler's only friend in Linz
and thereafter in Vienna. August Kubizek. Hitler, who later,
in the opinion of a few art experts, was not entirely untalented,
manages to pass the first selection, but is turned down after the second. Adolf Hitler, born in Braunau,
Upper Austria on April 20th, 1889. German, Catholic, few faces,
test drawing: unsatisfactory. Classification list
of the general painting class. When Adolf Hitler,
disappointed by the rejection, returns to his family
in Linz after eight weeks, Klara Hitler
is struck down by a serious illness. She's suffering from a swelling. Nowadays, it would be diagnosed as cancer. For several months, Adolf Hitler devotedly
takes care of his mother at home. Dr. Bloch, well-loved by all,
was the Hitler family physician. August Kubizek. To a great degree,
the boy lived in his own world. I have no idea what dreams he dreamt. Dr. Eduard Bloch,
a Jewish physician of the Hitler family. Klara Hitler dies
on the night of December 21st, 1907, surrounded by her family. The death of our mother
had a great effect on me and Adolf. We were very attached to our mother. When she died, Adolf stopped coming home. Paula Hitler, Adolf Hitler's sister. In contrast to what
Hitler's sister Paula claims later, Adolf Hitler remains in Linz several weeks
after the death of his mother. He never tells his family,
or his friend Kubizek that he failed the admissions test
the previous year. Apparently,
he was having some really bad days. He was easily irritated and gave me short shrift
when I started to talk about my studies. August Kubizek. In the spring of 1908, Adolf Hitler begins living
the life of a wastrel in the Metropolis. Vienna was the most thorough education
in my life. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. The small inheritance that was diligently
managed by his guardian had to cover both the cost of living
and his studies. He may have been able
to supplement his income through the sale of drawings
and paintings. August Kubizek. For the next months, there is no trace
of Hitler's activities in Vienna. He has broken off contact with his family, and he fails the second entrance test
at the Art Academy. He begins to copy
street views of Vienna from books, and then sells them as postcards. I was a young, inexperienced man
without any means of support. Forced to get by on my own, the few kronen, often only cents
from the proceeds of my work, were barely enough
to pay for my bed and board. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. Hitler's share of his father's inheritance
is paid out on April 20th,1913, his 24th birthday. Hitler met Rudolf Häusler
in a men's hostel. With him, he wants to move
to the German city of Munich. He was just full of praise for this city. At the same time,
he didn't forget the large beer gardens and radishes, et cetera. Housemate of Hitler's in 1912. I had arrived in this town as a boy
and departed as a quiet and serious man. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. The main reason for leaving Austria is probably that the later
commander-in-chief, Adolf Hitler, wants to get out
of doing military service. On Saturday, May 24th, 1913, Hitler and Häusler
gave notice of departure to the police but don't state
where they planned to live. In Munich, Adolf Hitler has found the city
that is to become the center of his life. He does, however, remain an outsider. His inheritance helps him build
an uncertain yet adequate existence on the fringe of society. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon
in spring. Someone knocked on the door
and I answered it. It was a young man
wanting to see the room we were renting. I showed it to him
and we reached to an agreement. Frau Anna Popp, landlady,
Schleißheimer Straße, 34. Adolf Hitler and Rudolf Häusler
rent a room together from the tailor, Popp at 34 Schleißheimer Straße
near the district of Schwabing. The younger generation that we belong to
didn't know anything about war, but were intoxicated by foreign wars. We had no real idea what war was. Adolf's father had never been a soldier. Now and again, old men would talk
about Königgrätz and Custoza. August Kubizek. Diary, Monday, June 29th, 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand,
the heir apparent to the Austrian throne, has been killed along with his wife. The scum of moral turpitude. Henrietta Schneider, born in 1872,
housekeeper, East Prussia. The incident triggers a war in the Balkans
that grows to become a world war. For me, those hours were release
from the annoying emotions of the youth. I'm not ashamed to say today
that I was overwhelmed with enthusiasm, fell to my knees
and thanked the heavens with all my heart that they had given me
the good fortune to live in this era. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. On August 2nd, 1914, the day after Germany
declares war on Russia, there was a big patriotic rally
in Odeonsplatz in front of the Feldherrnhalle. Heinrich Hoffmann
photographs the ceremony. Years later, in an enlargement,
he discovers a face among the masses, which is presumably Hitler's. On August 5th, 1914, I enlisted in the Army
on a request to His Majesty and entered
the First Bavarian Infantry Regiment. I was deferred for several days, then transferred
to the Second Infantry Regiment and finally assigned
to the Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment, number 16 on August 16th. Adolf Hitler, outline of my person. For the first time in his life,
Adolf Hitler wears uniform. In the early morning hours
of October 21st, 1914, Hitler's regiment sets out
from Munich station in a westerly direction. Shortly after the first combat mission
of the List Regiment, Hitler is promoted to lance corporal. He would reject further promotions
during the course of the war. This would have involved
an attachment to other Army units, and Hitler would have lost the camaraderie
and security of the regimental family. For the first time, Hitler
was part of a bigger community. With that came the order and structure that spared him
the daily struggle to survive. Fritz Wiedemann, Lieutenant. As of November 9th,
Hitler is deployed as a dispatch runner and assigned to the regimental staff. In the eyes of many soldiers
in the trenches, the staff orderlies
behind the immediate front are privileged cowards. Whenever death was on the prowl,
a certain something attempted to rebel and appeared to the weak body
in the guise of reason and was in fact only cowardice
that was behind this disguise, trying to seduce the individual. By the winter of 1915, '16,
this battle was already decided for me. The will itself had finally become
my complete master. Now fate could put me to the test
without me losing my nerves. A young war volunteer
had become an old soldier. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. Hitler is respected by his comrades
at regimental headquarters, but he remains an outsider. In five of six photos
showing Hitler with his comrades, he's either standing
or sitting to one side. Hitler is wounded
by British artillery shrapnel on October 5th, 1916, and is taken to the Red Cross Hospital
in Beelitz, south of Berlin. By March 1st, 1917, he's back running despatches
in the regimental staff. In the following months,
he participates in combat activities. On August 4th, 1918, Hitler is awarded
the Iron Cross First Class, the highest military honor that soldiers of his rank
in the Imperial German Army can receive. The nomination was submitted
by a Jewish officer, Lieutenant Hugo Gutmann. I never got out of Hitler, the reason
for his fanatical hatred of Jews. The experience with Jewish officers
during the World War couldn't have contributed to this. Fritz Wiedemann, Lieutenant. On the night of October 13th, Hitler's war service ends
in a heavy British barrage. Mustard gas was used
on a hill south of the city of Werwick. On October 13th, we came under several hours
of artillery fire with gas shells. Already around midnight,
some of us dropped out, including some comrades permanently. In the morning, I too experienced pain
that grew stronger every 15 minutes. At 7:00 o'clock, I staggered
and stumbled back with burning eyes, taking my last message of the war with me. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. After treatment in a mobile Army hospital,
Adolf Hitler is transported to the Prussian Reserve Hospital
in Pasewalk, Western Pomerania. He's been on the front
for 42 of the 51 months of the war. Hitler remains in Pasewalk for 28 days,
during which the world changes. In the military hospital in Pasewalk, Adolf Hitler and the other patients
learn that a revolution has taken place, the monarchy abdicated,
and the ceasefire being concluded. I hadn't cried since the day I stood
by my mother's grave. Now I couldn't stop myself. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. Like everything else in Mein Kampf,
this portrayal is a stylization and must be doubted. We don't know whether it was Hitler's will
or merely a coincidence that influenced his future course
from then on. On November 21st, 1918,
Adolf Hitler returns to Munich. He tries to evade demobilization
and remain a soldier. There are clashes between supporters
of the workers' councils and parliamentary democracy
in the state capital. The social democratic majority
allows right-wing volunteer groups, the so-called Freikorps, to break the power
of the workers' councils. Letter to Clara and Fritz Hesse. The volunteer corps
made an excellent impression. Without them,
we would have been finished in Bavaria. Rudolf Hoess,
a student and member of the Freikorps. Adolf Hitler keeps his distance
from the revolutionary forces, but also from their right-wing opponents. During this period,
Hitler grows more radical. He is under the influence
of Army officers like Karl Mayr, the head of the Intelligence Battalion. When I met him for the first time, he came across as a tired stray dog
looking for an owner. Karl Mayr, captain of the Reichswehr. Karl Mayr also finances patriotic parties
like the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, the German Workers' Party, which is founded in Munich
on January 5th, 1919, mainly by a group of railwaymen. On September 12th, 1919, Hitler, who has, in the meantime,
been demobbed, is sent to spy
on the German Workers Party by Mayr, who also provides financial support. During the discussion,
a professor spoke about separatist views. A second speaker then took the floor and in short, powerful words,
demolished the professor. It was Adolf Hitler. Michael Lotter,
Secretary of the German Workers' Party. One day I had the opportunity
to talk to a large audience and what I had always instinctively felt
without knowing it turned out to be true. I could speak in public. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. In the second half of September 1919,
Hitler joins the German Workers' Party and participates regularly
in its meetings. Among the various right-wing
radical organizations, the NSDAP was by no means the strongest, but it was the most active
and cohesive group. Its significance is solely the result
of the effect of Hitler as a speaker. Ernst Hanfstaengl, son of a publisher,
acquaintance of Adolf Hitler from 1920. On February 24th, 1920, Hitler speaks for the first time
in front of more than a thousand people at the Hofbräuhaus. He also announces
the 25-point Party Program, which is formally valid
for a quarter of a century until the demise of the NSDAP. First, we demand the unification
of all Germans in a greater Germany based on the right
of self-determination of the people. Second, we demand equal rights
for the German people in respect to other nations
and the abrogation of the peace treaties of Versailles
and Saint-Germain. Third, we demand land and territory
for the sustenance of our people and settlement of our surplus population. Fourth, only a national comrade
can be a citizen. Only those of German blood
can be national comrades, regardless of creed. Consequently, no Jew
can be a national comrade. A few days later, they changed their name
from the German Workers' Party to the National Socialist
German Workers' Party or NSDAP. Hitler was the party
and the party was Hitler. Ernst Hanfstaengl. Because right now, here in Munich, a movement is starting so strong that all young, powerful,
and healthy forces are attracted to it. It is the National Socialist
German Workers' Party. To make it absolutely clear,
we are anti-Semites. Elise Pogh, Elise Hess from 1921,
a member of the NSDAP. A letter to her former college teacher. When the first party congress is held,
the Augsburg SA is well represented. At this first public presentation, I get the impression
that this has a substance. We are not alone. The idea of the fatherland is growing. Tarl Walle, Augsburg, former SA member. The German economy collapses. On August 1923, hyperinflation sets in. Everything is getting worse. Famine, a loaf of bread is 140 billion. Then reduced again to 80 billion. Famine, famine everywhere. Käthe Kollwitz, painter and sculptress. The national associations
overestimate their own strength and believe that parliamentary democracy
is at an end. Interview with the Daily Mail newspaper
October 2nd, 1923. If a Mussolini were to appear in Germany, then the people
would fall on their knees and worship him more than Mussolini
has ever been worshipped. Adolf Hitler. A large revolt from the right in Bavaria
with Ludendorff at its head. Henrietta Schneider,
District L, East Prussia. Report of the regional government
of Upper Bavaria. Munich, November 9th, 1923. The day before yesterday, Hitler promised General Von Lossow
and Colonel von Seisser personally that he would not undertake anything. The answer to this word of honor
was given last night when, with pistol in hand. Hitler extorted a declaration
in favor of a national dictatorship from General State Commissioner Von Kahr. General Von Lossow
and Colonel Von Seisser. At the same time, the ministers present were taken into custody
by Hitler's people. Hitler presents his suggestions
for new governments in Berlin and Munich and mentions Erich Ludendorff
as Führer and chief with dictatorial power over the German National Army. He asks the already drunken audience, ''Do you accept this solution
for the German question'' ''of a greater German state?'' Then as the crowd shouts its agreement,
Hitler proclaims, ''Morning will either find us
with a national government in Germany'' ''or find us dead.'' The revolt is intended
to put Munich and Bavaria in the hands of the revolutionaries, and then, with a march on Berlin
to topple the democratic system. The Putschists are counting on defections
from the army in Bavaria and the Bavarian police. This, however, failed to materialize. On the morning of November 10th,
2,000 revolutionaries, some armed, marched from the Bürgerbräukeller
beer hall through the center of town to Ludwigstraße at at Odeonsplatz. Ten years later, Munich, November 9th, 1933. Amateur film of a tradition that actually dates
from the year of the seizure of power, the annual march of the old fighters
of the NSDAP to the Feldherrnhalle. Leading the column, as in 1923,
are Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering. We retreated to Café Stefani. People soon came in saying there had been
a skirmish on the Odeonsplatz and the enormous crowd of Hitler men
turned and ran away from the state police. Oskar Maria Graf, writer, From My life. On November 12th, 1923, Adolf Hitler is sent
to the fortress prison in Landsberg. He is given cell number seven. The leaders of the Putsch
are put on trial for high treason in the main lecture theater
of the Central War School on February 26th, 1924. Report of the Württemberg emissary,
March 13th, 1924. I attended one of the hearings myself
and I was upset to see how the observers, who you could clearly see,
were mostly from circles close to Hitler, used every opportunity
to show their support for the accused. Karl Moser von Filseck. Hitler delivering his defense plea. Letter to Clara and Fritz Hess. Hitler's final statement enclosed. It is one of the best,
most powerful speeches he has ever given. Even those in the courtroom
who weren't friendly to Hitler were deeply moved. Rudolf Hess, a student. The verdict is handed down
on April 1st, 1924. All of the accused,
with the exception of Ludendorff, are found guilty. In his 13 months in Landsberg prison, Adolf Hitler begins the transcript
of a manifesto that portrays
his alleged journey through life and his development as a politician, and sets out his worldview. I decided not only to clarify the goals
of our movement, but also to draw a picture
of its development. With that, I also had the chance to give a representation
of my own development. Adolf Hitler, foreword to Mein Kampf. The biographical parts of his book are, to a great extent,
exaggerated and unverified. However, his political goals
are deadly serious. His view of the world is voluntaristic. He sees it as he wants to see it. Hitler's political gospel is derived
from a primitive Darwinian idea of a struggle for existence. It reflects the permanent fight
for survival of all against all transferred from nature to human society. This struggle is, in his view,
a selection process in which so-called high quality races
have a better chance of survival. At its head is supposedly a white person
of the Nordic race of Aryans, the founders of culture. Like most anti-Semites before him,
Hitler believes in a Jewish race disguised as a religious community. He sees Jews in history as being parasites
in the bodies of other nations, and as contaminates
of the blood of the Aryan race. For hours, the black-haired Jew boy
waits to ambush the unsuspecting girl whom he pollutes with his blood,
and thus steals her from her people. With the same hidden agenda,
destroying the hated White race with the inevitable
resulting bastardization. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. In another chapter, Hitler drafts plans
for territorial living space for his Aryan-German people. We are stopping
the endless German movement southwards and turning our gaze
towards the land in the East. If today we speak of new land in Europe, we can primarily only have in mind Russia
and her vassal border states. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. Diary, January 14th, 1925. At the end of the month, Hitler wants to call
for the re-establishment of the National Socialist
German Workers' Party. The only thing to do. Joseph Goebbels. Hitler's remaining sentence of three years, 333 days,
21 hours and 50 minutes is waived, according to the pedantically
exact court records. On February 27th, 1925,
Hitler re-establishes the party. In the first round of elections
for German president on March 29th, 1925, Erich Ludendorff
is the candidate of the NSDAP and other nationalistic groups. He only receives 1.1 percent of the votes. When Paul von Hindenburg enters the race
in the second round of voting, Hitler orders his party to support
the aging 77-year-old army General. Hitler and Ludendorff
go their separate ways. Hitler is now the sole leader
of the National Camp. Diary, April 26th, 1925, Hindenburg is elected. Is he the man
that Germany needs at this time? Is he not too old, too easy to influence? Bella Fromm, German-Jewish journalist. From 1924 onwards,
the German economy recovers. This leads to the five golden years
of the Weimar Republic. Looking back on it now, I see the mad whirl
of this Berlin of 1928 and '29 as a kind of Pompeii reveal
on the eve of the Vesuvian eruption. Sefton Delmer, correspondent
of the Daily Express in Berlin. The Nazis hated culture itself because it is essentially international
and therefore subversive of nationalism. Christopher Isherwood,
a British-American writer. In the 1920s, Berlin was ahead of everything
that was known as new in our field. It had everything. Reinhardt's Great Theater,
great film studios, great films, the most beautiful bars
and restaurants, including gay bars. Berlin was productive
and rich with ideas, rich in ideals, and at the same time practical,
a combination never achieved before. Marlene Dietrich,
an actress and singer, memoirs. Art was no longer a mere ornament of life,
but rather its immediate expression. Cubism, futurism, expressionism, whatever you want to call it, this is how we were. This was our world. So shaken and shocked
that everything was upside down. Surrealism? Of course, what else? Vicki Baum, writer and journalist. Despite the lack of political success,
the party stages spectacular rallies. First in Munich and Weimar, then from 1927 onwards,
exclusively in Nuremberg. Diary, Nuremberg, August 4th, 1929. A stampede of people
that exceeds our wildest hopes. Outside, the drums are already booming. Torchlight processions are endlessly long. Joseph Goebbels, NSDAP leader of Berlin. The party conventions are without question
Hitler's personal work. Just as he was involved in building the SA
from the smallest details of the uniforms to the color of the collar patches, he concerned himself with the planning
of the party conventions, right down to the decorations
in the Congress Hall. Albert Krebs, NSDAP leader, Hamburg. Through the city, a triumphant procession. Everyone cheering and throwing flowers. March past almost four hours. A sea of joy and flowers. Joseph Goebbels, diary. The continuing fragmentation
of the party landscape is advantageous for the rise of the NSDAP. In elections,
they win more and more support from the splinter and protest parties. After imprisonment in Landsberg, Hitler becomes the sole leader
of the Nationalist Movement. He feels chosen by destiny to show Germany
the way to national salvation. Although the party
remains unsuccessful at the polls, and membership increases only slowly, the personality cult
around Hitler is growing. This Führer cult holds
the National Socialist Movement together across ideological divisions
and personal differences. Between 1925 and 1929,
Hitler's small political movement is marked by activism, dynamism,
enthusiasm, youthfulness and strength. Nearly 60% of new party members
are under 30 years old. Street processions, press promotions
and propaganda tours into the provinces created an atmosphere
of activism and tension. There were countless clashes
and wounded people, even dead people left in the square. Horst Wessel, autobiography. On February 1930, one of the casualties
would be the Berlin student, Horst Wessel. For the last time,
the call to arms is sounded! For the fight, we all stand prepared. Soon, Hitler's banners will fly over all streets. The time of bondage will last
but a little while. With diligence, through learning,
and I must say by starvation, slowly, the specter of Asian Bolshevism systematically implemented
by the Versailles Treaty. I once made the decision,
better knowledge now to override. On November 16th, 1928, for the first time after the ban on public speaking
in Prussia has been lifted, Hitler speaks
in the Sportpalast in Berlin, allegedly in front of 18,000 supporters. For the first time,
he uses an electroacoustic sound system, speaking into a microphone. For the first time,
his words are clearly understood in every corner of a large space. Thirteen years regime, and as a result, just a pile of ruin,
wherever we look in Germany. We confess to install just one party
instead of all the parties, that party knows only Germany. Hail! Hail! National comrades, victory or defeat, the middle class is in destitute, the finances, so it is typically German
to posses 30 parties.
