Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who served as dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. He rose to power as leader of the Nazi Party, becoming Chancellor in 1933 and Führer in 1934. A central figure in World War II, his regime initiated the invasion of Poland, triggering the conflict. He was also the architect of the Holocaust, responsible for the systematic genocide of six million Jews and millions of other victims. His rule was marked by totalitarian control, virulent antisemitism, and the pursuit of racial supremacy, culminating in his suicide in 1945.