Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 - December 18, 1951) was an Austrian politician known for serving as the Chancellor of Austria from 1941 until 1947, when he was defeated in the postwar general election. As head of the War Government of Austria, Hitler had near-dictatorial powers during World War II and is widely credited with the Austrian victory in the war. Following his failure to secure an electoral mandate with his Worker's Party in 1947, Hitler died in 1951 at the conclusion of his battle with Parkinson's and other ailments. He remains the only Chancellor to not have gained power either as the successor of a party leader victorious in a general election or having led a party to victory in a general election himself. His death led to decades of infighting on the Austrian right between tra