Who was is power in Germany?
Adolf Hitler was in power in Germany in the 1930s.
What do you know about this ruler?
I know that when Hitler was growing up, his father was incredibly strict and could be very unreasonable with Hitler, Hitler's mum would always stick up for Hitler and give him lots of love and compassion.
Hitler's father had another son from a previous marriage who was arrested for theft.
That's supposedly the reason why his father so strict.
Also his dad was in his 50s when Hitler was born.
He died when Hitler was only 13.
Hitlers school life wasn't quite that good either. Hitler didn't have very many friends at school, apparently he was "argumentative" and "bad-tempered", and was also known to be very "lazy" when it came to lessons.
After Hitler's dad past away, Hitler became especially lazy because he had no-one pushing him to do school work because his mum just wanted him to be happy so she didn't make him.
After Hitler had finished all his school,
He came out with no qualifications.
Hitler had a dream of becoming an artist.
When he finished school he went to Vienna to try and pursue his dream. However, when he was 18, his mum died of cancer.
Witnesses say that he'd sit there for hours watching his mum's dead body, painting her.
Back in Vienna the Academy Of Art there rejected his application because "he had no leaving school certificate".
He managed to convince himself that the Jewish were evil.
He believed that the professor at the art academy was Jewish, that why he didn't get in, he believed that the doctor who was caring for his ill mum was Jewish and that's why she died.
When he'd clear the snowy paths of people's walk-throughs, he thought all of the people living in that nice part of town were Jewish.
In 1910, Hitler managed to convince himself that Jews were evil, he had a strong hatred for them.
After a few years of Hitler being a doss and living a house full of tramps painting post cards, Hitler tried to get away from that life by joining the Austrian Army in February 1914.
As he failed his medical, he didn't get in.
However, come August of 1914, WW1 was declared so Hitler crossed over the border to the German Army, did his medical- which was a lot more brief, but was deemed "fit" enough to join.
During in WW1 Hitler's main job was a regimental runner, which exposed him to open fire. The job was to send messages to the officers behind the front line, then go back the with orders the officers gave.This showed his bravery, he got the HIGHEST reward for bravery, which was an iron cross.
At the end of the war, Hitler was convinced Germany was winning, however, right at the end of the was Hitler was involved in a gas attack-(mustard gas) and was in hospital for the rest of it.
While he was getting better, Germany surrendered.
Hitler was nothing but angry and embarrassed.
Because of Germany's surrender, Hitler then convinced himself, again, that it was the Jew's fault they did.
After the First World War, Hitler then became a V-man. This job consisted of going to as many different political parties and finding out if they were left wing, right wing or centre politics.
In 1919, Hitler went to visit the German Workers Party, their name meant that it was socialist leaning to its "workers".
What it really was, was an anti-communist, anti-Semitic, right winged nationalist party.
Hitler joined this party of only 40 other members, as that is just what he believed in himself.
Not long of him joining, he became the propaganda officer.
Early in 1920, the party changed its name to "National Socialist German Workers" (NSDAP), their enemies called it "Nazi".
Hitler wrote the party's "beliefs".
In 1920, they wrote in a leaflet, blaming over 300 bankers and financiers all around the world for "dictating" policies.
This annoyed some of the Germans, so they joined the Nazi party and put their "skills" together to ruin other parties meetings.
The Nazi used violence as often to prove their point.
By 1923 National Socialist German Workers' Party got 56,000 members and had many other supporters, because of the awful economy conditions.
A few year later from that (1930), the Nazi's were getting 6.5 million votes!
The presidential elections in 1932, Hitler came second place.
In 1933, the President; Hindenburg was forced to make Hitler the Chancellor, because he was so popular.
In 1934, after Hindenburg's death, Hitler's power was "secured".
Hitler made an alliance with Russia in 1939, call the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, as well as one with Italy called the Pact of Steel.
At the beginning on September, Hitler invaded Poland, which started World War 2.
In the following April (1940), Denmark and Norway joined. France did shortly too.
Even though Hitler had an alliance with Russia, Hitler still invaded there in 1941.
It was known to be one of the biggest mistakes he's made. His troops were not prepared for the Russian winters and they didn't have all the supplies they needed.
in 1943, they started their long retreat.
In 1945, Hitler commited suicide, with his long-term girlfriend; Eva Braun.
There are rumours that they got married last minute.
Germany surrendered not long after this happened.
What was happening in Chicago in the 1920-30s?
It started in 1929 and finished 1939.
It started when Wall Street went into panic and wiped out millions of investors, shortly after the stock market crash in October 1929.
After that, millions of people start losing their jobs and becoming unemployed because companies started laying off workers.
By 1933, 13-15 million people were unemployed!- and nearly half of the banks had failed all over America.
It wasn't until just after 1939, when WW2 kicked off and that was got American's industry sorted out.
In the Great Depression, alcohol was illegal.
However, Chicagoans "refused" to stop the alcohol from flowing.
So, as a result in this, speakeasies started popping up all round the place. Hidden, of course. They were mainly ran by gangsters, hitmen etc.
the speakeasies would be hidden in basements, back rooms and soda shops.
There were some speakeasies that were not quite as discreet as others.
Like Green Mill Cocktail Lounge- in Uptown, where music and alcohol flowed openly, this place had Al Capone's support and was partly owned by the gangster, Jack "Machine Gun" McGurn.
Bugs Moran ran another speakeasie, Halligan's. Down the road from there, Marge's Still was making Gin in the upstairs bath.
