Adolf Hitler was the German Chancellor from 1933 to 1945 and Führer of Germany from 1934 until 1945. He was also the leader of the National Socialist German Workers 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 expanding German ''Lebensraum'' . This triggered World War II when Germany annexed Austria and the Czech lands and invaded Poland, much of which was also annexed to form the ''Großdeutschland Reich'' . Although Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers occupied most of Europe at their zenith, they were eventually defeated by the Allies. By the More »