Hitler's Death - Term Paper Example

Hitler’s Death In MLA Style 2 Thesis Born on April 20, 1889, Adolf Hitler was leader of the Nazi Party in 1920-1921 and Fuehrer1 of Germany in 1933-1945. His regime began in 1932, when the then German President, Hindenburg, appointed him the chancellor of the Nazi Party. Hitler coordinated, under the Third Reich, the Nazi’s Holocaust during the Second World War. His death in 1945 orchestrated different thoughts and opinions throughout the globe and became the most talked-about issue during that time. This paper will discuss five key points about the German Fuehrer’s death, which includes different theories about it that support the truth behind his demise. Death of the Fuehrer (According to the Nazis) Adolf Hitler was said to have committed suicide, alongside with his 40-hour wife, Eva Braun. He and his wife were found dead in his bunker in Berlin. According to the German Fuehrer’s allies, they were gathered approximately 50 meters from their leader’s bunker when they heard a gunshot. They immediately headed to where the sound came from and saw their leader soaking in his own blood, dripping from his right temple. The German Fuehrer and his wife took cyanide vials that caused their death, but the former followed it with a gunshot, using his 7.65 Walther pistol, in his head. The Nazi faithfuls trooped to his underground study to check his warm Last Name 3 remains slouched in a couch. (Junge & Muller, 13-19) The Soviet Union indicated that Hitler committed suicide in the bunker. The Nazis supported their claim with their evidences, which were then kept confidential by the Soviets. Hitler’s Farewell A few hours after his marriage with Eva Braun, hastily dictated his last will and Political Testament to his Secretary, Gertrud Junge on April 29, 1945 at 0400. This shows that even before his marriage with Braun, he already played the idea of committing suicide in his mind. Due to the possible storming of the Soviets to their hideout and the blatant fact that they may be held captive, he had the option of suicide in mind, which emerged not too long after his marriage with Braun. Stated in his last will are the things he wanted done after his demise, including burning his body at their barracks where he spent a great amount of his time, his possessions and art collections to be left to his house and the executor of his will, Martin Bormann. He stated that he and his wife, not named, choose death instead of humiliation. (Junge & Muller, 45-61) His Last Will was the sign of his retirement, not from his principles but from being the Fuehrer of his allies. Dictating his Last Will to this Secretary proved that his suicide was premeditated and not a spur of the moment incident. Another proof that can be considered that Hitler planned to take his life was his visit to his doctor a few days before his so-called Death on the 30th of April, 1945. He asked his doctor, remained unnamed, a reliable and fastest way to go. It was said that Hitler got the poison-and-a-bullet-in Last Name 4 the-head idea from his doctor, which was used as their support to their claim that the Fuehrer, indeed committed suicide. This claim was also strengthened by the other events claimed by the Nazis that the Fuehrer’s propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, together with his wife, killed all six of their children inside the bunker, followed by asking some of their troops to shoot them at the Chancellery. (Junge & Muller, 75-78) According to Hitler’s secretary and some other members who remained with him until the very end claimed that the Fuehrer gave them vials of cyanide as his last gift to them. They even mentioned Hitler apologizing to them for not being able to give them better gifts and advised them to use it as their option if the Soviets bombard Berlin. All these events indeed supported the Nazis’ claim that Hitler committed suicide but it is just a question of whether it was planned tactic or it just really happened. Doppelganger Issue Even if the Soviets confirmed Hitler’s death, the question whether Hitler used a double or not is no longer surprising. It will be recalled that the Fuehrer once used a double at the Valkyrie incident. What the Soviets found then was a dead man who looked like Hitler but a few inches shorter than him. Although, it was more of a delaying tactic of the Nazis to buy them time to escape and plan for a counter than a serious con since it is not far from their knowledge that the Soviets will check the validity of Hitler’s remains. The Fuehrer was known to have utilized doubles in the past, which became no surprise to the public to question the validity of his Last Name 5 remains. This issue leaves a big question mark to many hitherto although it may not seem today as essential as it was before. Statements and Facts Mismatch According to the story told by the Nazis, Hitler committed suicide with his wife, Eva Braun, by taking vials of cyanide followed by a gunshot to through the Fuehrer’s right temple. This story was confirmed by the Soviets, (Vinogradov, Pogoniĭ, & Tept︠s︡ov, 33-39) .which appeared to be different from the DNA analysis conducted by the United States. The latter said that the skull with a bullet entry point on the right temple belonged to a woman ageing approximately 26 years old, which was closer to Braun’s statistics than of Hitler’s. Considering this analysis to be accurate, the Nazis’ claim about Hitler’s death will become questionable since their story appears to mismatch the facts. Stalin remained suspicious of Hitler’s death when the missing skull fragment was found. Archaeologist Nick Bellantoni said that the skull fragment did not belong to Hitler, neither to Braun. This explains the reason behind the issue of another double Hitler used to escape. In spite of the mismatches of the data gathered from the studies of the remains of Hitler, there were some evidences that proved the Fuehrer’s death. Russian forensics dug up what was said to be Hitler’s body and examined the remains. Part of the skull was missing, which was said to be the cause of the gunshot. The remaining piece of the jaw matches the dictator’s dental records per the Nazis’ dental assistants. The body also only had only testicle that caused no suspicions to Last Name 6 question the validity of the remains. In 1970, the KGB dug up the corpse that was said to be of Hitler and secretly scattered the ashes in a river after it was cremated. The jawbone, the skull fragments and the segments of the bloodstained sofa were kept in the archives of the Soviets. Propaganda to Make a Hero Some historians doubted Hitler’s death and suggested that the Nazis orchestrated propaganda to make the Fuehrer a hero. The US also doubted the dictator’s death and speculated the he may have escaped from Berlin in 1945 and did not take his own life. These doubts were caused by the unclear showcasing of facts and mismatching data in the past. These speculation and arguments just settled when the skull fragment with a hole caused by a gunshot was put on display in Moscow in 2000. (Vinogradov, Pogoniĭ, & Tept︠s︡ov, 88-91) Conclusion Speculations, arguments, doubts and questions arose regarding the validity of the death of the most famous dictator to date, Adolf Hitler. Different analysis were conducted and different results were obtained from these studies the issue still had been going on for a while until the skull fragment was displayed in Moscow a little over a decade ago. Although it may seem still a little vague to some today, it is no longer a question whether Hitler is dead or alive but just the truth behind his death. Considering his recorded condition before the 30th of April in 1945, he would unlikely survive a decade after that. So whether he escaped from the ruins of Berlin or not, he is, for the lack of better term, ‘dead’, by now. Works Cited Junge, Gertraud, and Melissa Müller. Until the Final Hour: Hitlers Last Secretary. New York: Arcade Pub, 2004. Print. Vinogradov, V K, I︠A︡ F. Pogoniĭ, and N V. Tept︠s︡ov.Hitlers Death: Russias Last Great Secret from the Files of the Kgb. London: Chaucer, 2005. Print. Read More