Hit‧ler, Ad‧olf /ˈhɪtləʳ, ˈædɒlf $ ˈeɪdɑːlf/
(1889–1945) the leader of the Nazi Party in Germany from 1921. He was born in Austria and was the ‘Führer’ (=leader) of Germany from the mid-1930s until his death. Hitler is remembered as a strong, cruel leader who allowed no opposition, as an impressive public speaker, and especially for his attempts to establish a pure race of German people through a policy of anti-Semitism, as a result of which millions of Jewish people were killed in concentration camps. He started World War II by ordering his armies to enter Poland in 1939, and at first Germany was very successful because Hitler had made its armed forces strong and well-organized. He killed himself in 1945, just before Germany lost the war. His name is now sometimes used to describe someone who uses their authority in a cruel or unfair way, or someone who wants to control everything. ⇒ fascism

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲