Throughout the 20th century many people influenced the world for better or worse. However, one man completely changed history even for those living today. This man was Adolf Hitler. He was an anti-Semitic and anti-Marxist dictator who dominated Europe into believing that Jews were the root of all evil. Adolf Hitler is one of the most influential figures of the 20th century because his reign and military leadership of Germany led to World War II, he killed millions of Jews trying to perfect humanity through the Holocaust, and his efforts to dominate the world influenced history forever. Adolf Hitler Hitler was born on April 20, 1989 in Braunau-am Inn, near the Austrian-German border. Hitler dropped out of school at the age of 16 with the hope of becoming an artist in Vienna. However, his goal of becoming an artist failed and he spent time in Vienna listening to Karl Laager's ideas, particularly his belief in anti-Semitism. he joined the German army at the beginning of the First World War. During this time, Hitler served in the Bavarian Regiment, rose to the rank of corporal, was primarily a message courier, and narrowly escaped death on several occasions. When Germany surrendered, Hitler was outraged and wanted to continue fighting. In 1919, Hitler joined the Nationalist Socialist German Workers' Party (which later became the Nazi Party) and was in charge by 1921. In 1923, they attempted to overthrow the German government and Hitler served a 9-month prison sentence. In 1933, Hitler had the support of the German people and was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg and the Nazis had the most power in Parliament. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/adolf_hitler http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007431 http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/ riseofhitler/... ... middle of paper ......nges influences in the world we see today. As you can see, Adolf Hitler is one of the most influential figures of the 20th century because he killed millions of people of the Jews who sought to perfect humanity through the Holocaust, his reign and military leadership of Germany led to World War II , and his efforts to dominate the world influenced history forever. Used brutal methods to wipe out the Jews. He used his military power to start World War I. His efforts lead to many changes that still impact our world today. The outcomes of the war still exist today, such as the dispute in Israel, the creation of the United Nations, and the awareness of protecting people's rights. Hitler's reign in Germany resulted in many horrific incidents; but we used his actions as a way to improve our world by preventing people like him from coming to power. Battle of the Department of Defense