Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was the German Chancellor (Reichskanzler) from 1933 to 1945 and Führer of Germany from 1934 until 1945. He was also the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei abbreviated NSDAP or simply Nazi Party) and is considered the effective founder of Nazism. Hitler gained power during Germany's period of crisis following World War I. Using propaganda and charismatic oratory, he appealed to the economic needs of the lower and middle classes, while sounding resonant chords of nationalism, antisemitism, and anti-communism. With the establishment of a restructured economy, a rearmed military, and a totalitarian regime, Hitler pursued an aggressive foreign policy with the intention of e...more >>xpanding German Lebensraum (living space). After the annexation of Austria and then parts of Czechoslovakia, Hitler triggered World War II by invading Poland, much of which was also annexed to form the Großd