The Riseof Adolph Hitler
Ad o l f H i tl erw asbornon 20th A pri l , 1889,i n the smal lA ustri antow n of Br aunau
nearthe Germanborder.Both Hitler'sparentshad come from poor peasant
was an
families.His fatherAlois Hitler,the illegitimatesonof a housemaid,
intelligentand ambitiousman and laterbecamea seniorcustomsofficial.
Klara Hitler was Alois'third wife. Alois was twenty-threeyearsolderthanKlara
Klara and Alois had
and alreadyhadtwo childrenfrom his previousntarriages.
five childrenbut only Adolf and a yolrngersister,Paula,survivedto beconte
adults.
Alois, who was fifty-onewhen Adolf was born,was extremelykeerrfor his sonto
do well in life. Alois did haveanotherson by an earliermarriagebut he had been
to him and eventuallyendedup in prisonfor theft.Alois
a big disappointment
was a strictfatherand savaselvbeathis son if he did not do as he was told.
Hitler did extrernelywell at primaryschooland it appearedhe had a brightacademicfuturein front of him. He was
i ti es.H e rvasal soa deepl yrel i gious
p
als opopula rw i th o th e rp u p i l sa n d w a sm u chadrni redfor hi s l eadershiqual
c hildand f o r a w h i l e c o n s i d e reth
d e p o s s i bi l i tyof becomi nga monk.
Competitionwas muchtougherin the largersecondaryschooland his reactionto not beingtop of the classwas to
stoptrying. His fatherwas furiousas he had high hopesthat Hitler would follow his exampleandjoin the Austrian
civil servicewhen he left school.However,Hitler was a stubbornchild and attemptsby his parentsand teachersto
changehis attitudetowardshis studieswere unsuccessful.
to accepthi m as one of thet r
Hit lerals ol o s th i s p o p u l a ri tyw i th h i s fe l l o w pupi l s.They w ereno l ongerr,vi l l i ng
leader sA. s H i tl e r l i k e dg i v i n g o rd e rsh e s p enthi s ti me rvi thyoungerpupi l s.H e enj oyedgamesthat i nvol ved
was playingthe role of a commando
fightingand he lovedre-enacting
battlesfrorn the Boer War. His favorite,qame
rescuingBoersfrom Englishconcentration
camps.
The only teacherHitler appearedto like at secondaryschoolwas LeopoldPotsch,his historymaster.Potsch,like
P otschtol d H i tl erandhi s fel l ow pupi l sof t he
m anypeop l el i v i n g i n U p p e rA u s tri a ,w a s a GermanN ati onal i st.
the A ustri ansfor not becomi ngi nvol vedi n these
G er m anv icto ri e so v e r F ra n c ei n 1 8 7 0a n d 1871andattacked
triumphs.Otto von Bismarck,the first chancellorof the GermanEmpire.was one of Hitler'searlyhistoricalheroes.
At the ageof fifteenhe did so badly in his exarninations
that he wastold he would haveto repeatthe whole year's
rvorkagain.Hitler hatedthe ideaand managedto persuade
his motherto allow hirn to leavesclroolwithout a
secondaryeducationqualification.He celebrated
by gettingdrunk.However,he found it a hurniliatingexperience
and vowedneverto get drunk again.He kept his promiseand by the time he reachedhis thirtieshe had given up
alcoholcornpletely.
W henhe w a se i g h te e nH i tl e r re c e i v e da n i nheri tance
from hi s father' sw i l l . W i th the moneyhe movedto V ienna
when
wher ehe pl a n n e dto b e c o mea n a rt s tu d e n t.H i tl erhada hi gh opi ni onof hi s arti sti cabi l i ti esandw asshatter ed
but was
t heV iennaAc a d e m yo f Art re j e c te dh i s a p pl i cati on.
H e al soappl i edto the V i ennaS choolof A rchi tecture
not admittedbecausehe did not havea schoolleavinecertificate.
Hit lerwash u mi l i a te db y th e s etw o re j e c ti ons
andcoul dnot bri nghi msel fto tel l hi s rnotherw hathad happ ened.
Insteadhe continuedto live in Viennapretendinghe was an art student.
so
I n 1909Hit l e rs h o u l dh a v ere g i s te refo
d r mi l i taryservi ce.H e w asunw i l l i ngto serveA ustri a,w hi chhe despised,
he ignoredhis call-uppapers.It took four yearsfor the authoritiesto catchup with him. When he had his medical
examinationfor the Austro-Hungarian
Army in I 9 l4 he rvasrejectedas being:"Unfit for combatantand auxiliary
duty - too weak.Unableto beararnrs."
The outbreakof the First World War providedhim with an opportunityfor a freshstart.It was a chancefor him to
H i tl ercl ai medthatw henhe
countri es.
bec om einv o l v e di n p ro v i n gth a tGe rrn a n ywas superi orto otherE ,uropean
heardthe newsof war: "l was overcomervith impetuousenthusiasm,
and falling on my knees,wholehearledly
thankedHeaventhat I had beengrantedthe happiness
to live at this time. Rejectingthe ideaof fighting for Austria,
Hitler volunteered
for the GermanArmy. In timesof war medicalexaminations
are not so rigorous.
Hitler liked being in the army. For the first time he was part of a groupthat was fightingfor a comrnongoal. Hitler
alsoliked the excitementof fighting in a war. Althoughfairly cautiousin his actions,he did not mind riskinghis life
and impressed
his commandingofficersfor volunteeringfor dangerous
missions.
His f e l l o w s o l d i e rsd e s c ri b e d
h i m a s " odd" and " pecul i ar"One
.
sol di erfrom hi s regi ment,H ansMen d,clainr edt hat
Hitler was an isolatedfigurewho spentlong periodsof time sittingin the cornerholdinghis headin silence.Then all
of a sudden,Mend claimed,he wouldjump up and nrakea speech.Theseoutburstswere usllallyattackson Jewsand
Marxistswho Hitler clainredwere underminingthe war effort.
job as it involvedcarryingmessages
Hitler was given thejob of dispatch-runner.
It was a dangerous
from regimental
headquarters
to the front-line.On one day alone,threeout of eightof the regiment'sdispatch-runners
were killed.
For the first time sincehe was at primaryschoolHitler was a success.
Hitler won five ntedalsincludingthe prestigiouslron Crossduringthe First World War. His conrmandingofficer
wrote: "As a dispatch-runner,
he hasshowncold-bloodedcourageand exernplaryboldness.Underconditionsof
greatperil, when all the communicationlineswerecut. the untiringand fearlessactivityof Hitler madeit possible
for importantmessages
to go through".
Althoughmuch decoratedin the war. Hitler only reachedthe rank of corporal.This was probablydue to his
eccentricbehaviorand the fearthatthe othersoldiersmi.qhtnot obeythe man they consideredso strange.
I n O c to b e r1 9 1 8 ,H i tl e rw a sb l i n d e di n a B ri ti shmustardgasattack.H e w as senttoa mi l i taryhospi talandgr adually
recoveredhis sight.While he was in hospitalGermanysurrendered.
Hitler went into a stateof deepdepression,
and
had periodswherthe coLrldnot stopcrying.He spentmostof his time turnedtowardsthe hospitalwall refusingto
talk to anyone.OnceagainHitler'seffortshad endedin failure.
A f t er th e rv a rH i tl e rw a s s ta ti o n e d
i n Muni ch,the capi talof B avari a.W hi l e H i tl erw as i n Muni ch,the capit alof
Bavaria,Kurt Eisner,leaderof the Independent
SocialistParty,declaredBavariaa SocialistRepublic.Hitler was
appa l l e db y th e re v o l u ti o nAs
. a G e rmanN ati onal i sthe di sagreed
w i th the soci al i stbel i efi n equal i ty .
Hit le rs a ws o c i a l i s ma s p a rto f a J e w i shconspi racy.
Many of the soci al i stl eadersi rrGermany,i ncl ud ingKur t Eisner ,
RosaLuxemburg,ErnstToller and EugenLevinewereJews.So alsowere many of the leadersof the October
Revolutionin Russia.This includedLeon Trotsky. It had not escapedHitler'snoticethat Karl Marx. the prophetof
s oc ia l i s m,
h a da l s ob e e na J e w .
I t lv a sn o c o i n c i d e n cth
e a tJ e w sh a dj o i ned soci al i standcommuni stparti esi n E urope.Jew shadbeenper secut ed
f or
centuriesand thereforewere attractedto a movementthat proclaimedthat all men and womendeservedto be treated
as eq u a l sT. h i s m e s s a g w
e a s re i n fb rcedw henon l OthJul y, l 9l 8; the B ol shevi k_government
i n R ussiapasseda law
t hata b o l i s h e d
a l l d i s c ri m i n a ti obne tw eenJew sandnon-Jew s.
I t was n o t u n ti l M u y , l 9 l 9 th a tth e Gerrl anA rrny enteredMuni chandoverthrewthe B avari anS oci a listRepublic.
Hitler was arrestedwith othersoldiersin Munich and was accusedof beinga socialist.Hundredsof socialistswere
executedwithouttrial but Hitler rvasableto convincethem that he had beenan opponentof the regime.To prove
this he volunteered
to help to identifysoldierswho had supportedthe SocialistRepublic.The authoritiesagreedto
this proposaland Hitler was transferred
to the cornmissioninvestigating
the revolution.
On 24th February,1920,the NSDAP (laternicknamedthe Nazi Party)held a massrally whereit announcedits new
program.The rally was attendedby over 2,000people,a greatimprovenrent
on the 25 peoplewho rvereat Hitler's
first party meeting.
Hitler knew that the growth in the partywas mainly due to his skills as an oratorand in the auturnnof l92l he
challengedAnton Drexlerfor the leadership
of the party.After brief resistance
Drexleracceptedthe inevitable,and
Hitler becamethe new leaderof the Nazi Party.
Hitler'sability to arousein his supporters
emotionsof angerand hateoftenresultedin their committingactsof
v iolenc e.I n Se p te mb e1r 9 2 1 ,H i tl e rw a ss e n tto pri sonfor threemonthsfor bei ngpartof a mob w ho beatup a r ival
oolitician.
When Hitler rvasreleased,
he formedhis own privatearmy calledStunnAbteilung(StormSection).The SA (also
knorvnas stormtroopers
or brownshirts)were instructedto disruptthe rneetingsof politicalopponentsand to protect
Hitler from revengeattacks.
I n 1923Hit le r l e d a n u p ri s i n gw h i c h re s u l te din hi s arrest.W hi l e i n j ai l he w rotea bookw hi ch w oul d outl i nehis
beliefs.The book was originally entitledFottr Yearsqf StrttggleagainstLies,Sttrpidi\t, andCowarclice.Hitler's
publisherreduceditto My Struggle(Mein Kampl).The book is a mixtureof autobiography,
politicalideasand an
explanationof the techniquesof propaganda.
The autobiographical
and
detailsin Mein Kampf areoften inaccurate,
the main purposeof this part of the book appearsto be to providea positiveimageof Hitler. For example,when
Hit lerwasliv i n g a l i fe o f l e i s u rei n Vi e n n ah e cl ai mshe w as w orki nghardas a l aborer.
ln Mein KanpJ-Hitleroutlinedhis politicalphilosophy.He arguedthat the German(he wrongly describedthernas
the Aryan race)was sLrperior
to all others."Everymanifestation
of hunranculture,everyproductof aft, scienceand
t ec hnic als k ill ,w h i c hw e s e eb e fo reo u r e y e sto day,i s al mostexcl usi vel the
y productof A ryancreati vepow er . "
Hit lerwar nedth a tth e Ary a n ' ss u p e ri o ri ty
w a sbei ngthreatened
w orl d ci vi l izat ion
by i ntermarri age.
If thi s happened
would dec line ": On th i s p l a n e to f o u rsh u ma ncul tureand ci vi l i zati onare i ndi ssol ublbound
y
of
up w i th the presence
the Aryan. If he shouldbe exterminated
thenthe dark shroudof a new barbarianera would enfoldthe
or subjugated,
eafth."
Althoughotherraceswould resistthis process,the Aryan racehad a duty to controlthe world. This rvouldbe
difficult and forcewould haveto be used,but it couldbe done.To supportthis view he gavethe exampleof how the
B r it is hE m pireh a dc o n tro l l e da q u a r-teorf th e w orl d by bei ngw el l -organi zed
andhavi ngw el l -ti medsol di ersa nd
s ailor s .
Hitler believedthat Aryan superioritywas beingthreatened
particularlyby the Jewishracewho, he argued,were
lazy andhad contributedlittle to world civilization.(Hitler ignoredthe factthatsorneof his favoritecomposersand
m us ic ians
wereJ e w i s h ).F { ec l a i me dth a tth e " Jew i shyouthl i esi n w ai t for hourson end satani cal lgl
y ari ngat a nd
girl whornhe plansto seduce,adulterating
spyingon the unconscious
her blood with the ultimateideaof
bastardizing
the white racewhich they hateand thus loweringits culturaland politicallevelso thatthe Jew might
dom inat e. "
Accordingto Hitler,Jewswere responsible
fbr everythinghe did not like, includingmodernart, pornographyand
prostitution.Hitler alsoallegedthat the Jewshad beenresponsible
for losingthe First World War. Hitler also
clairrredthat Jews,who were only about lor/o
of the popr.rlation,
were slowly takingover the country.They were
doingthis by controllingthe Iargestpoliticalparty in Germany,the GerrnanSocialDemocratParty,nranyof the
leadingcompaniesand severalof the country'snewspapers.
The fact that Jewshad achievedprominentpositionsin a
democraticsocietywas,accordingto Hitler,an argumentagainstdemocracy:"a hundredblockheads
do not equal
one m an in wis d o m."
Hit lerbeliev e dth a tth e J e w sw e rei n v o l v e dw i th C ommuni sts
i n a j oi nt conspi racy
to takeoverthew orl d.Li ke
Henr yF or d,H i tl e rc l a i rn e dth a tl 5 o /oo f a l l C omrnuni sts
w ereJew s.H i tl erarguedtl ratthe conrbi nati on
of Jewsand
Marxistshad alreadybeensuccessfulin Russiaand now threatened
the restof Europe.He arguedthat the
communistrevolutionwas an act of revengethat attemptedto disguisethe inferiorityof the Jews.
ln Mein KampJ'Hitlerdeclaredthat: "The externalsecurityof a peoplein largelydeterminedby the sizeof its
territory.If he won power Hitler promisedto occupyRussianlandthat would provideprotectionand lebensraum
(living space)for the Germanpeople.This actionwould help to destroythe Jewish/Marxist
attemptto controlthe
wor ld: " T he R u s s i a nE m p i rei n th e E a s ti s ri p e for col l apse;
andthe endof the Jew i shdomi nati onof R ussi aw ill also
be t heendof R u s s i aa s a s ta te ."
I n 1933Hit lerb e c a mec h a n c e l l o(p
r ri m em i n i ster)of Germany,runni nga government
know nasthe Thi rd R e ich.
( T he F ir s tRei c ho r e m p i rew a s b e g u nb y C h a rl emagne
i n 800 andw asendedby N apol eoni n 1806.The S eco nd
Reic hbega ni n l 8 7 l w i th th e u n i fi c a ti o no f Germanyand conti nuedunti l 1918rvhenGermanyw asdefeat edin
World War I). Hitlerwas now dictatorof Germany.His first move \.vasto takeoverthe tradeunions.Its leaders
weresentto concentration
campsand the organizationwas put underthe controlof the Nazi Party.The tradeunion
movementnow becameknown asthe Labor Front.
Soonafterwardsthe CommunistPartyand the SocialDemocratPartywere banned.Partl'activistsstill in the country
were arrested.A month laterHitler announced
that the CatholicCentreParty.the NationalistPartyand all other
p o l i t i c apl a r t i e s o t h e r t h a n t h e N S D A P w e r e i l l e g a l , a n d b y t h e e1n9d3o3fo v e rl 5 0 . 0 0 0 p o l i t i cparl i s o n e r s w e r e i n
concentration
camps.Hitler was awarethat peoplehavea greatfear of the unknorvn.and if prisonerswere released,
they were warnedthat if they told anyoneof their experiences
they would be sentbackto the canrp.
Hitler'sGermanybecameknown as a fasciststate.Fascistwas originallyusedto describethe governmentof Benito
M us s oliniin l ta l y .M u s s o l i n i ' sfa s c i s to n e - party
patri oti sm,
stateemphasi zed
nati onaluni ty,hatredof communism ,
adm ir at iono f rn i l i ta ryv a l u e sa n d u n q u e s tioni ng
obedi ence.
H i tl erw as deepl yi nfl uencedby Mussol i ni ' sl taly and
his Germanysharedmany of the samecharacteristics.
By takingthesepowersHitler'sgovernmentwas ableto controlfactorssuchas inflationand unemployment
that had
c aus edc onsi d e ra b ldei s tre s si n p re v i o u sy e a rs.A s the government
general l yal l ow edcompani es
to mai ntaint heir
profit ntargins.industrialists
tendedto acceptthe lossof someof their freedoms.
Under fascism,mostpotentialsourcesof oppositionwererernoved.This includedpoliticalparliesand the trade
union movement.However,Hitler neverfelt strongenoughto takecompletecontrolof the GermanArmy, and
beforetaking importantdecisionshe alwayshad to take into consideration
how the armedforceswould react.
The individualhad no freedornto protestin Hitler'sGermany.All politicalorganizations
were eitherbannedor
under t hec o n tro lo f th e N a z i s .Ex c e p tfo rtheoccasi onal
ref-erendum,
al l el ecti ons,
l ocaland nati onalw
, ere
abolis hed.
All informationthat peoplein Germanyreceivedwas selectedand organizedto supportfascistbeliefs.As Minister
ofPropaganda,JosephGoebbelskept a close check on the information provided by newspapers,magazines,books,
radio broadcasts,plays and films.
Hitler, who had beendeeply influencedby his own history teacher,was fully aware that schoolsposeda potenttal
threat to the dominant fascist ideology. Teacherswho were critical of Hitler's Germany were sackedand the rest
were sent away to be trainedto becomegood fascists.Members ofthe Nazi youth organizationssuch as the Hitler
Youth, were also askedto report teacherswho questionedfascism.
As a further precautionagainstyoung people coming into contact with information and the governmentdisapproved
of, textbooks were withdrawn and rewritten by Nazis.
After Hitler becamethe totalitarian leaderofGermany and establishedthe Third Reich he beganto bring back the
anti-Semitic sentimentsthat he spokeout about before. Hitler believedthat Jewish people were the sourceof
Communismandthat Communismwas evil. He beganto systematically
sofi out and degradeall Jewishpeoplein
Certnany,Austria,Poland,and othersurroundingcountries.
Questions:
-g-
i. Where was Adolf Hitler bom? How did he end up joining the GermanArmy? What were his
experienceslike in the GermanArmy during World War I?
2. Hitler's beliefsin Germannationalismled hirn to opposeCommunism.Who did Hitler feel
was responsiblefor the spreadof Communism?Was his theoryin any way correct?
3. How did Hitler becomethe leaderof the newly formedNazi party?
4. Adolph Flitler's 1923book Mein Karnpf outlinedhis ideology.What beliefsdid Hitler express
in this book? What doesMein Kampf mean?Why is this title interestingbasedon what we know
aboutHitler?
5. What is the Third Reich?What werethe two otherReichs?
6. After Hitler becameChancellorwhat were someof the thinssthat he eliminated?
7. What was life like for a personliving in the Third Reichunderthe dictatorshipof Adolph
Hitler?