2. BORN
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20 1889, in Braunau am Inn, an
Austrian village. His father, Alois Hitler was much older than
his mother, Klara, who was his second wife. Alois was a
customs official with something of a reputation for being a
ladies man, who had been adopted by a guardian named
Hiedler or Hütler after becoming an adult, although his actual
father is unknown, and he lived his early life under the name
Schickelgruber (his mothers name). Klara had been a servant
in the Hitler household before the death of Alois first wife and
her own pregnancy. It is known that Alois was abusive towards
Klara and the children, and Adolf was later proud of learning
self-discipline by training himself not to cry during his fathers
beatings. Alois and Adolfs largest dispute was over his
education Alois wanted Adolf to go to a good techincal
Gymnasium where he could learn a trade, but Adolf wanted to
be an artist and go to art school. In the end Adolf won, simply
by waiting until Alois died to begin school and then forcing his
doting mother to agree with him.
3. EDUCATION
All was not to go well, however. When young Hitler showed his sketches to
the Vienna art institute, they did see his talent but not as an artist. They
advised him to go to the architecture school, as his technical ability suggested
that he was truly gifted in this area. Alois Hitler must have had a good laugh
from the grave when the architecture school told him he could not be admitted
without a certificate from Gymnasium. Hitler spiraled downward, at first telling
his landlady and roommate that he was a student at the technical school and
living off money sent from his mother, then winding up on the streets after her
death and his paltry inheritance ran out. He moved into a mens shelter for the
homeless, and learned to eke out a living by selling his drawings for pennies
as postcards and to shopkeepers selling picture frames (they found that
frames with pictures in them sold better).
During this period of his life, Hitler engaged in a curious autodidactic program
of study, including history, psychology, folk tales, music, art, and occult
subjects including astrology and racial science. He became something of a
know-it-all, and friends from this period recall that he could expound for hours
on any subject, that he seemed to have an opinion on everything, and that he
was unshakable in these opinions no matter what counter-arguments were
presented. A few incidents of anti-Semitism have been reported, but this does
not seem to have been the driving force of his belief-system at the time.
4. The outbreak of World War One found Hitler homeless in Munich, rather than
Vienna. It has been speculated that he had foreseen the outbreak of war, and
went to Germany in order to dodge the Austrian draft. Not that he was a
coward or pacifist, but rather because he despised the Hapsburg monarchy,
and believed in a future pan-German unification in which the multi-racial
Austro-Hungarian empire would be broken up and Austria placed under
German rule. Whatever the case, he was among the first to volunteer to join
the German army, and saw combat very early in the war.
His first battle would show him the realities of war in its extreme. His unit was
in front, and as the smoke thickened on the battlefield, German units behind
them began firing on them, believing they were the enemy. His regiment, the
List Regiment, suffered heavy casualties, including its commanding officer, in
this first day of combat. Hitler distinguished himself by running through the
heavy fire from both sides in order to inform the German units of the position
of his unit. In doing so, he probably saved the lives of those who remained,
and he was soon commended for the action, and given a field promotion to
Gefreiter (corporal). In view of his talent in this area, he was attached to
headquarters as a runner or messenger.
5. This was a mixed blessing for Hitler. While it gave him a sense of purpose,
perhaps for the first time in his life, a job to do and opportunities for action, it kept
him away from the day-to-day existence of most of his compatriots, and also
guaranteed that he would receive no further promotions (all runners were
Gefreiters). He served with distinction, earning the Iron Cross, First Class, and
often volunteering for the most dangerous assignments. Having finally found a
home, Hitler was bound to feel out of sorts at the end of the war, but all the more
so after Germanys sudden announcement of its surrender at a time when it
remained unoccupied by enemy troops. Hitler heard the news while convalescing
after being wounded in a gas attack. He later recalled it as the most terrible
moment of his life, lying helpless in a hospital bed, hearing that the Fatherland
had been defeated or betrayed, as he soon came to see it.
Hitler was demobilized to Bavaria, where he and a companion were assigned to
test gas masks while a revolution raged outside. Hitler took no part in the
Soldiers Councils of the short-lived Council Republic established in Munich.
However, he did eagerly inform on those of his compatriots he had witnessed
supporting the Revolution or tearing the epaulettes from officers uniforms. This
willingness to collaborate probably brought him to the attention of the more
politically-minded of his superiors.
6. The result is that he was given a brief political training course which
reaffirmed his already right-wing nationalist perspective and gave him an
opportunity of speaking in front of others. He learned, for the first time, that he
had a gift for oratory (previously, his friends merely considered him long-
winded), and he began to see a destiny for himself as a political activist. The
army furthered this ambition by assigning him to spy for them on an
insignificant Bavarian political party, the German Workers Party (DAP).
Hitlers first contribution to the Party was the innovation of charging audiences
to hear speeches, which quickly increased their income. Soon, he was seen
as one of the Partys main orators and a force to be reckoned with. Together
with Anton Drexler, he wrote up the Partys platform and added the words
National Socialist to its name from which the word Nazi was derived by its
detractors. Hitler also arranged the slow takeover of a local right-wing
newspaper, the Völkischer Beobachter, which became the official party organ.
The NSDAP became the fastest growing political force in Munich, although in
its early years it had little influence in the rest of Bavaria, much less Germany.
7. The result is that he was given a brief political training course which
reaffirmed his already right-wing nationalist perspective and gave him an
opportunity of speaking in front of others. He learned, for the first time, that he
had a gift for oratory (previously, his friends merely considered him long-
winded), and he began to see a destiny for himself as a political activist. The
army furthered this ambition by assigning him to spy for them on an
insignificant Bavarian political party, the German Workers Party (DAP).
Hitlers first contribution to the Party was the innovation of charging audiences
to hear speeches, which quickly increased their income. Soon, he was seen
as one of the Partys main orators and a force to be reckoned with. Together
with Anton Drexler, he wrote up the Partys platform and added the words
National Socialist to its name from which the word Nazi was derived by its
detractors. Hitler also arranged the slow takeover of a local right-wing
newspaper, the Völkischer Beobachter, which became the official party organ.
The NSDAP became the fastest growing political force in Munich, although in
its early years it had little influence in the rest of Bavaria, much less Germany.
8. The idea of capture and trial by the Allies was
unthinkable to Hitler, and he chose the dishonorable
path of suicide as an alternative. Shortly beforehand, he
married Eva Braun, his mistress of many years, and
after a brief celebration, poisoned his dog Blondi, shot
Eva and himself. The Reich died with a whimper, and
Adolf Hitler, once praised as a savior by millions of
Germans, became the ultimate representation of Evil on
Earth.
As a character, Adolf Hitler has been portrayed in many
ways in movies, as a madman, a clown, a fiend, and
sometimes as a historical human figure, flawed, bizarre
and fascinating. Particularly interesting portrayals
include Bruno Ganz in Der Untergang (The Downfall in
English), Noah Taylor in Max, and Alec Guinness in
Hitler: The Last Ten Days.
