Adolf Hitler (born April 20, 1889, Braunau am Inn, Austria—died April 30, 1945, Berlin, Germany) was the leader of the Nazi Party (from 1920/21) and chancellor (Kanzler) and Führer of Germany (1933–45). His worldview revolved around two concepts: territorial expansion and racial supremacy. Those themes informed his decision to invade Poland, which marked the start of World War II, as well as the systematic killing of six million Jews and millions of others during the Holocaust.

Hitler’s father, Alois (born 1837), was illegitimate. For a time he bore his mother’s name, Schicklgruber, but by 1876 he had established his family claim to the surname Hitler. Adolf never used any other surname.