APOCALYPSE, Hitler

Adolf Hitler writes in 1924: "A stronger race will drive out the weak races."

Born in a small village in Austria on April 20, 1889, he commits suicide in his Berlin bunker on April 30, 1945. No one would predict Hitler will become dictator of Germany— the Führer. A mediocre student pampered by his mother, a failed artist and a loner, he shirks military service in 1913. The experience of World War I turns Hitler into a rabid nationalist, obsessed by a vision and a mission: to save Germany. For most Germans, at first, Hitler is just a deluded crank on the margins of German political life. The turning point is the 1929 economic crisis. The desperate Germans are seeking a saviour. With Nazis and Communists fighting in the streets and fearing the "Reds," they vote in large numbers for Hitler. The young democracy is at risk and no one is left to protect it. On January 30, 1933, Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany. Members of the elite, eager for the demise of the disgraced Republic, allow this to happen, imagining they can control Hitler—a very costly mistake! A vote giving Hitler full powers, the opening of the camps, the elimination of opponents, and the persecution of Jews—a prelude to the Shoah: the Nazi dictatorship spreads its pitiless shadow over Germany. Hitler claims he wants peace, all the while preparing for war. What ensues is the Apocalypse.

Episodes :

1. The Menace
2. The Führer