Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria, of German desc
ent. His father Alois was the illegitimate son of Maria Anna Schicklgruber. In middle age Alois t
ook the name Hitler from his paternal grandfather. After two wives had died Alois married his foste
r daughter, Klara Poelzi, a Bavarian, 23 years younger than he. She became Adolf's mother. Adolf w
as raised as a spoiled child by his doting mother. It was she who protected him from the wrath of hi
s father. He consistently failed in his schooling only to grow up a half educated young man, untra
ined for any trade or profession, seemingly doomed to failure. His father wanted Adolf to study fo
r a government position. But as young Adolf wrote later "the thought of slaving in a office made m
e ill...not to be master of my own time." Adolf filled most of his school hours with daydreams of
becoming a painter. His one school interest was history, especially that of Germans. When his teac
hers spoke of Germany his attention increased. When Adolf was twelve years old and faced with repea
ting a year in school, Adolf announced he wanted to be an artist and no longer needed to go to scho
ol. His father was adamant and shouted "Artist, no! Never as long as I live!" According to Adolf's
sister Paula, he was a "scrubby little rogue" who constantly ridiculed the civil-service career of h
is father, who whipped him daily. Hitler's teachers in grammer school remembered him as arrogant,
ill-tempered, willful. One of them wrote"At the same time he demanded the unqualified subservience
of his fellow peers, fancying himself in the role of a leader, and of course playing many small har
mless pranks."
On January 3, 1903, Adolf's father died of a lung hemmorage at the age
of 65. The next year at the technical school he had been attending, his performance continued to d
ecline. Adolf knew he would never graduate from the school. His schooling days were over.
In 1905, Klara and her family moved to the city of Linz, where Adolf became something of a da
ndy. He would sleep late and spend most of his time reading. Beholden to no one and without any cl
ose friends, he would stroll about town with his walking cane either making sketches of buildings or
attending one of Wagner's opera.
In 1906, Hitler made his first trip to Vienna, where
for six weeks he stayed with relatives and spent his time joyfully exploring what the capital had t
o offer. On his return, he decided to take up the piano and take up lessons. In January 1907, howe
ver, he had to quit lessons when his mother became quite ill with breast cancer. The family moved i
nto smaller quarters to help pay for an operation, and Adolf spent several months attending her need
s. He was very close to his mother and her suffreing affected him greatly.
During tha
t time Adolf went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and took the entrance examination. Of the 1
12 who took the test, only 28 passed, and Hitler was not on the list. Not able to face his family,
he decided to stay in Vienna and enjoy all that it had to offer. At the end of the year he received
word that his mother was dying and he rushed home to be with her. On December 21, Klara Hitler di
ed at the age of 47.
Hitler made a living as a laborer in the building trades and by p
ainting cheap post cards. He often slept in parks and ate in free soup kitchens. These humbling ex
periences inflamed his discontent. He hated Austria as "a patchwork nation" and looked longingly ac
ross the border at energetic, powerful Germany. He wrote,"I was convinced that the State was sure to
obstruct every really great German and to support...everything un-German...I hated the motley colle
ction of Czechs, Ruthenians, Poles, Hungarians, Serbs, Croates, and above all that ever-present fung
oid growth--Jews."
In 1912 Hitler left Vienna for Munich, a "true German town." There
he drifted from job to job as carpenter, architecht's draftsman and watercolorist.
At
the outbreak of WWI in 1914, he gave up his Austrian citizenship to enlist in the 16th Bavarian infa
ntry regiment. He would not fight for Austria, "but I was ready to die at any time for my people(Ger
mans)."
His political career began in 1919 (at the end of WWI) when he became Member N
o. 7 of the midget German Labor Party. Discovering his own powers of oratory, Hitler soon became th
e party's leader changed its name to the National Socialist German Labor Party, and wrote its anti-S
emitic, anti-democratic, authoritarian program. Outlawed in many German districts, the National Soc
ialist Party nevertheless climbed steadily in membership. In 1920 he changed it's name to Nationals
ozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Worker's party), abbreviated to Naz
i. By 1923 the Nazis had grown strong enough in Munich to try and seize the government. They starte
d the "Beer Hall Putsch," so-called because Hitler and his henchmen tried to take over the reins of
government at a meeting that was held in a beer hall. The attempt failed and Hitler was convicted o
f treason and sentenced to five years in prison. The Bavarian government commuted the term to eight
months. While in prison, Hitler, aided by the loyal Rudolf Hess, began his book "Mein Kampf." In
1927 Hitler was forbidden to speak publicly in either Bavaria or Saxony. Then a world-wide depressi
on plunged Germany again into poverty and unemployment, and the Nazis began to gain votes. Not unti
l 1929 did National Socialism win its first absolute majority in a city election. In 1928 on ,the p
arty continued to gain electorial strength. In Reichstag elections of 1928 it polled 809,000 votes.
Two years later 6,401,016 Germans voted for National Socialist deputies while in 1932 the vote was
13,732,779. While still short of a majority, the vote was nevertheless impressive proof of the pow
er of the man and his movement.
By 1930 Hitler had the support of many industrialists
and the military caste. In 1933 President Paul Von Hindenburg appointed him Chancellor of the Third
Reich. As chancellor Hitler began to turn the Reich inside out. Unemployment was solved by a far
reaching program of public works and an intense re-armament program, including a huge standing army;
enforced labor in the service of the State (the German Labor Corps) and by putting political enemie
s and Jewish, Communist and Socialist jobholders in concentration camps.
Believing h
imself on the road to world conquest, in 1941 Hitler made himself a Personal Commander of the Army a
nd, in 1942, Supreme War Lord. However, on July 20, 1944, a group of officers, dismade by his "intu
itive" military failures, set off a bomb in his office. He escaped with only a nervous shock.
What Adolf Hitler " Company did to Germany in less than six years was applauded wildly and
ecstatically by most Germans. He lifted the nation from post-War defeatism. Under the swastika Ge
rmany was unified. He was no ordinary dictator. What he did to the German people in that time left
civilized men and women aghast. Civil rights and liberties disappeared. Opposition to the Nazi reg
ime had become tantamount to suicide or worst. Free speech and free assembly were anachronisms. The
reputations of the once-vaunted German centres of learning vanished. Education had been reduced t
o a National Socialist catechism.
Nazi propaganda had made Hitler a symbol of strength
and national virtue. He had won German citizenship in 1930 only by the scheming of Nazi henchmen,
yet he was hailed as the ideal German leader. He had become idolized by young Germans, whom he had
betrayed by his creed, "the entire work of education is branding the race feeling into the hearts an
d brains of youth."
Covering his unsavory and cruel character, propaganda built a lege
nd of his ascetic habits and selfless devotion to Germany. Some of this legend vanished when his lo
ng, secret association with Eva Braun was revealed. He married her in April 1945, just before he com
mitted suicide in the ruined Reichschancellery. Hitler was declared dead officially Oct. 25, 1956,
after his remains had been definitely identified.adolf hitler born april braunau austria german desc
ent father alois illegitimate maria anna schicklgruber middle alois took name hitler from paternal g
randfather after wives died alois married foster daughter klara poelzi bavarian years younger than b
ecame adolf mother adolf raised spoiled child doting mother protected from wrath father consistently
failed schooling only grow half educated young untrained trade profession seemingly doomed failure
father wanted study government position young wrote later thought slaving office made master time fi
lled most school hours with daydreams becoming painter school interest history especially that germa
ns when teachers spoke germany attention increased when twelve years faced with repeating year schoo
l announced wanted artist longer needed adamant shouted artist never long live according sister paul
a scrubby little rogue constantly ridiculed civil service career whipped daily hitler teachers gramm
er remembered arrogant tempered willful them wrote same time demanded unqualified subservience fello
w peers fancying himself role leader course playing many small harmless pranks january died lung hem
morage next year technical been attending performance continued decline knew would never graduate fr
om schooling days were over klara family moved city linz where became something dandy would sleep la
te spend most time reading beholden without close friends would stroll about town with walking cane
either making sketches buildings attending wagner opera made first trip vienna where weeks stayed re
latives spent joyfully exploring what capital offer return decided take piano take lessons january h
owever quit lessons when mother became quite breast cancer family moved into smaller quarters help o
peration spent several months attending needs very close suffreing affected greatly during that went
academy fine arts vienna took entrance examination took test only passed list able face family deci
ded stay vienna enjoy that offer year received word dying rushed home december klara died made livin
g laborer building trades painting cheap post cards often slept parks free soup kitchens these humbl
ing experiences inflamed discontent hated austria patchwork nation looked longingly across border en
ergetic powerful germany wrote convinced state sure obstruct every really great german support every
thing german hated motley collection czechs ruthenians poles hungarians serbs croates above ever pre
sent fungoid growth jews left munich true town there drifted carpenter architecht draftsman watercol
orist outbreak gave austrian citizenship enlist bavarian infantry regiment fight austria ready peopl
e germans political career began member midget labor party discovering powers oratory soon party lea
der changed name national socialist labor party anti semitic anti democratic authoritarian program o
utlawed many districts national socialist nevertheless climbed steadily membership changed name nati
onalsozialistische deutsche arbeiterpartei national socialist worker abbreviated nazi nazis grown st
rong enough munich seize government they started beer hall putsch called because henchmen tried take
over reins government meeting held beer hall attempt failed convicted treason sentenced five years
prison bavarian commuted term eight months while prison aided loyal rudolf hess began book mein kamp
f forbidden speak publicly either bavaria saxony then world wide depression plunged germany again in
to poverty unemployment nazis began gain votes until socialism first absolute majority city election
continued gain electorial strength reichstag elections polled votes later germans voted deputies wh
ile vote while still short majority vote nevertheless impressive proof power movement support many i
ndustrialists military caste president paul hindenburg appointed chancellor third reich chancellor t
urn reich inside unemployment solved reaching program public works intense armament program includin
g huge standing army enforced labor service state corps putting political enemies jewish communist j
obholders concentration camps believing himself road world conquest himself personal commander army
supreme lord however july group officers dismade intuitive military failures bomb office escaped onl
y nervous shock what company less than applauded wildly ecstatically most lifted nation post defeati
sm under swastika unified ordinary dictator what people left civilized women aghast civil rights lib
erties disappeared opposition nazi regime become tantamount suicide worst free speech free assembly
were anachronisms reputations once vaunted centres learning vanished education been reduced catechis
m nazi propaganda symbol strength virtue citizenship scheming henchmen hailed ideal leader become id
olized young whom betrayed creed entire work education branding race feeling into hearts brains yout
h covering unsavory cruel character propaganda built legend ascetic habits selfless devotion some th
is legend vanished long secret association braun revealed married april just before committed suicid
e ruined reichschancellery declared dead officially after remains been definitely identifiedEssay, e
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