Adolf Hitler - Biography - Military Leader, Dictator

Joseph Stalin - Biography - Dictator Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union for more than two decades, instituting a reign of terror while modernizing Russia and helping to defeat Nazism. Synopsis Born on December 18, 1879, in Gori, Georgia, Joseph Stalin rose to power as General Secretary of the Communist Party, becoming a Soviet dictator upon Vladimir Lenin's death. Stalin forced rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agricultural land, resulting in millions dying from famine while others were sent to camps. His Red Army helped defeat Nazi Germany during WWII. Early Life On December 18, 1879, in the Russian peasant village of Gori, Georgia, Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (later known as Joseph Stalin) was born. Joseph's mother, a devout Russian Orthodox Christian, wanted him to become a priest. Though he excelled in seminary school, Joseph left in 1899. In February 1917, the Russian Revolution began. Advertisement — Continue reading below Communist Party Leader Death and Legacy Videos Related Videos

Nazi Hunting News Courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum In the years immediately after World War II, the four Allied powers that occupied Germany -- the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union -- resolved to prosecute those individuals responsible for crimes committed against civilian populations under Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. Trials were held in domestic and international courts, the most notable of which were the 1945-46 hearings at the International Military Tribunal (IMT) in Nuremberg, Germany. Although many civilian and military leaders were apprehended and brought to justice in the years after the war, many more suspected of Nazi-era war crimes remained at large. Private groups, some led by Holocaust survivors, took it upon themselves to track down Nazi-era war criminals. The 1960 capture of Adolf Eichmann, often referred to as the "architect of the Holocaust," by two Israeli-backed groups was the most notable case.

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was the founder and leader of the Nazi Party and the most influential voice in the organization, implementation and execution of the Holocaust, the systematic extermination and ethnic cleansing of six million European Jews and millions of other non-aryans. Hitler was the Head of State, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and guiding spirit, or fuhrer, of Germany's Third Reich from 1933 to 1945. - Hitler's Early Years - World War I - Hitler Starts to Lead - Rise of the Nazi Party - Hitler As German Fuhrer - World War II - Allied Victory & Hitler's Death Early Years Born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, on April 20, 1889, Hitler was the son of a fifty-two-year-old Austrian customs official, Alois Schickelgruber Hitler, and his third wife, a young peasant girl, Klara Poelzl, both from the backwoods of lower Austria. World War I Hitler Becomes a Leader Rise of the Nazi Party Hitler As Fuhrer World War II Allied Victory and Hitler's Death

Maximilien de Robespierre - Philosopher, Government Official, Journalist, Scholar, Judge, Activist, Lawyer - Biography.com Maximilien de Robespierre was an official during the French Revolution and one of the principal architects of the Reign of Terror. Synopsis Maximilien de Robespierre was born on May 6, 1758, in Arras, France. He was a radical Jacobin leader and one of the principal figures in the French Revolution. In the latter months of 1793 he came to dominate the Committee of Public Safety, the principal organ of the Revolutionary government during the Reign of Terror, but in 1794 he was overthrown and guillotined. Early Life Maximilien Marie Isidore de Robespierre was born in Arras, France, on May 6, 1758, the oldest of four children. Entering Public Service Robespierre soon took on a public role, calling for political change in the French monarchy. At age 30, Robespierre was elected to the Estates General of the French legislature. Revolutionary or Madman? In April 1789, Robespierre was elected president of the powerful Jacobin political faction. Ironic Aftermath

History - World Wars: Nazi Propaganda Aggression as a Basic Nazi Idea: Mein Kampf [Page 644] Hitler's Mein Kampf, which became the Nazi statement of faith, gave to the conspirators adequate foreknowledge of the unlawful aims of the Nazi leadership. It was not only Hitler's political testament; by adoption it became theirs. Mein Kampf may be described as the blueprint of the Nazi aggression. Its whole tenor and content demonstrate that the Nazi pursuit of aggressive designs was no mere accident arising out of an immediate political situation in Europe and the world. A great German philosopher once said that ideas have hands and feet. A copy of Mein Kampf was officially presented by the Nazis to all newly married couples in Germany. "To the newly married couple, Friedrich Rosebrock and Else Geborene Zum Beck, with best wishes for a happy and blessed marriage. This copy of Mein Kampf, which was the 1945 edition, contains the information that the number of copies- published to date amount to 6,250,000.] [Page 646] entry into the League of Nations.

Maximilien de Robespierre | French revolutionary Alternative title: Maximilien-François-Marie-Isidore de Robespierre Robespierre, Maximilien deThe Granger Collection, New York Maximilien de Robespierre, in full Maximilien-François-Marie-Isidore de Robespierre (born May 6, 1758, Arras, France—died July 28, 1794, Paris), radical Jacobin leader and one of the principal figures in the French Revolution. Robespierre was the son of a lawyer in Arras. Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler was born on 20th April, 1889, in the small Austrian town of Braunau near the German border. Both Hitler's parents had come from poor peasant families. His father Alois Hitler, the illegitimate son of a housemaid, was an intelligent and ambitious man and was at the time of Hitler's birth, a senior customs official in Lower Austria. Alois had been married before. In 1873 he had married Anna Glasl, the fifty-year-old adopted daughter of another customs collector. According to Ian Kershaw, the author of Hitler 1889-1936 (1998): "It is unlikely to have been a love-match. Klara Polzl, Hitler's mother, left home at sixteen to to join the household of her second cousin, Alois Hitler. Franziska saw Klara as a potential rival and insisted that she left the household. The first of the children of Alois's third marriage, Gustav, was born in May 1885, to be followed in September the following year by a second child, Ida, and another son, Otto, who died only days after his birth. Dr.

History - World Wars: The Rise of Adolf Hitler Ivan IV | tsar of Russia Alternative titles: Ivan Grozny; Ivan the Terrible; Ivan Vasilyevich Ivan IV: Ivan IV destroying the heathen godsMansell/Time Life Pictures/GettyImages Ivan IV, Russian in full Ivan Vasilyevich, byname Ivan the Terrible, Russian Ivan Grozny (born August 25, 1530, Kolomenskoye, near Moscow [Russia]—died March 18, 1584, Moscow), grand prince of Moscow (1533–84) and the first to be proclaimed tsar of Russia (from 1547). His reign saw the completion of the construction of a centrally administered Russian state and the creation of an empire that included non-Slav states. Ivan engaged in prolonged and largely unsuccessful wars against Sweden and Poland, and, in seeking to impose military discipline and a centralized administration, he instituted a reign of terror against the ... (100 of 1,941 words)

Muslims and Jews in History The historical interaction of Judaism and Islam started in the seventh century with the origin and spread of Islam in the Arabian peninsula. Judaism and Islam share a common origin in the Middle East through Abraham, and there are many shared aspects between the two religions in their fundamental religious outlook, structure, jurisprudence and practice. At the heart of the two faiths is a monotheistic vision which resists any compromise on the idea of the transcendence and unity of God who is envisaged as just and merciful and who has revealed a way of life in accordance with these values for the benefit of human society. Islam and Judaism do not have clergy who by virtue of sacrament are separate from the rest of the community. Religious authority is essentially a function of individual mastery of the religious sources to be able to guide the community in accordance with their teachings. Muslims regard Jews and Christians as "People of the Book".

History of Germany: Primary Documents - EuroDocs Flag of Germany EuroDocs > History of Germany: Primary Documents Chronological History of Germany Germany in Late Antiquity Medieval Germany Renaissance, Reformation and Early Modern Germany Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Germany Germany: World War I and Weimar Republic Germany: National Socialism and World War II Germany Divided and Reunified Other Sources for German History German Sources by Topic German Constitutions and Legal Documents German Local and Regional History Sources Historic German Newspapers and Journals Online Other Collections Relevant to German History EuroDocs Creator: Richard Hacken, European Studies Librarian,Harold B.

Ivan the Terrible - Tsar/Tsarina, Prince - Biography.com Ivan the Terrible, or Ivan IV, was the first tsar of all Russia. During his reign (1533-1584), Ivan acquired vast amounts of land through ruthless means, creating a centrally controlled government. Synopsis The grandson of Ivan the Great, Ivan the Terrible, or Ivan IV, acquired vast amounts of land during his long reign (1533-1584), an era marked by the conquest of the khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberia. Early Life The first tsar of all Russia, Ivan the Terrible, or Ivan IV, had a complex personality. The grandson of Ivan the Great, Ivan the Terrible was born Ivan Chetvyorty Vasilyevich on August 25, 1530, in the Grand Duchy of Muscovy, Russia, to members of the Rurik dynasty. The court intrigue and constant danger that Ivan was exposed to while growing up molded much of his ruthless and suspicious nature. Tsar of Muscovy In 1547, Ivan IV was crowned tsar of Muscovy. In 1552 and 1556, Ivan's armies crushed the Tartar khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan, respectively. Reign of Terror

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (German: [ˈadɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ]; 20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the leader of the Nazi Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP); National Socialist German Workers Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and Führer (leader) of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As effective dictator of Nazi Germany, Hitler was at the centre of World War II in Europe, and the Holocaust. Hitler was a decorated veteran of World War I. Hitler actively sought Lebensraum ("living space") for the German people. Under Hitler's leadership and racially motivated ideology, the Nazi regime was responsible for the genocide of at least 5.5 million Jews and millions of other victims whom he and his followers deemed Untermenschen ("sub-humans") and socially undesirable. Early years Ancestry Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, Sr. (1837–1903), was the illegitimate child of Maria Anna Schicklgruber. Childhood and education World War I