The Life Of Heinrich Himmler

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The Life Of Heinrich Himmler

When one thinks of the most evil and powerful person through history, one often thinks of Adolf Hitler. However, most of the feats accomplished by Hitler would have been impossible without the help of his lesser known right-hand man, Heinrich Himmler. Deemed “the second most powerful man in Germany during World War II” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum), he helped Hitler carry out his brutal genocide of the Jewish religion. Heinrich Himmler played an extremely important role in the Holocaust.

On October 7, 1900, Gebhard, a school teacher and principal, and Anna Himmler, a stay at home mom and devoted Roman Catholic, welcomed their second child, Heinrich Luitpold Himmler, into their Bavarian middle-class family in Munich, Germany. (New World Encyclopedia) Weighing only six pounds at birth, Himmler faced many health issues throughout his childhood. (Butler 32) Not only did he have an extremely had time gaining and maintaining weight, he also suffered from terrible eyesight and constant illness. As a result, Himmler was unable to leave the house as often as he wished. (New World Encyclopedia) Since he didn’t have many friends, he focused his free time on helping others by running errands and doing chores around their houses. Over time, he built up a tolerance to the illnesses that constantly infected him and began to venture outside the house more. (Butler 32) Around this time, in 1913, Himmler’s family moved from Munich to Landshut, after his father, Gebhard, accepted a job as an assistant principal of a school in the Landshut area. After the move, Himmler began to focus on his studies. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)

From a young age, Himmler was curious about the...

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...with the Allies in order to save his own life. When the Allies refused to settle, Himmler knew he had to leave the country to protect himself. Despite continuously assuring his men he would take all responsibility for all of their actions, the Western Allies found Himmler trying to flee the country dressed in a Secret Field Police uniform and forged papers claiming his name was Heinrich Hitzinger. On May 20, 1945, Himmler was captured and turned over to the British army, to whom he eventually confessed his identity. While undergoing a body search, he bit down on a cyanide capsule he had hidden in his mouth in case he was captured. On May 23, 1945, Himmler was pronounced dead. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)

The life of Heinrich Himmler is the perfect example of what happens when hatred and prejudice overpowers one’s conscience and morals.

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