Hitler began his life as an aspiring artist. He was unsucessful in his artistic endeavors, however, and eventually enlisted in the German army during World War I. He was wounded, and received two Iron Crosses. In 1919, he founded the Nazi party. He unsucessfully attempted to overthrow the Bavarian government in 1923. His resulting prison term gave him the opportunity to articulate his political philosophy in his book, Mein Kampf. In 1933, he seized power and began the immediate rearmament of Germany. Hitler also instituted a series of anti-semitic policies, that eventually led to the annihilation of six million Jews in Europe. He single- handedly led Germany into World War II. Until the end of the war and the final Russian assault on Berlin, Hitler maintained strict control over all aspects of the German military.
