One of the issues that Holocaust deniers frequently bring up is the idea that Hitler himself may not have been “aware” of the Holocaust. This is an idea that arises from the complexity of the Nazi state. It is true that Hitler himself organized the inner workings of the Third Reich to be very complicated, and ensured that all of his different henchmen and lieutenants were always receiving orders that set them at odds with each other.

Many people realize that Nazi Germany was an oppressive, dangerous place that was full of paranoia. While some people were able to “fly under the radar” and avoid trouble with the authorities, no one was ever safe. Jewish people were constantly under threat of deportation and summary execution, either in the streets or in the death camps. However, this destructive culture was not limited to Jewish people and other Holocaust victims.

For many years after the Holocaust, it was difficult to get a good sense of who Hitler was as a person and how someone like him could have led Germany down the path to unprecedented destruction. The reason why is because the country of Germany was divided between the East German and West German states, which were highly contentious. When the Nazis were in retreat near the end of World War II, they burned and destroyed as many records as they possibly could.

Adolf Hitler caused the deaths of millions of people. Around 11 million prisoners and refugees died as a result of his Holocaust, and a total of 50 million people are estimated to have died during WWII and the Holocaust. As much evil as he committed, Hitler died unceremoniously in an underground bunker in Berlin. He shot himself in the head with his Walther PPK 7.65.

Few names evoke such strong emotions and reactions as Adolf Hitler. As the leader of the Nazi party and the Fuhrer of Germany from 1934 to 1945, he started a war that would engulf the globe and ordered the slaughter of six million Jewish men, women, and children.