The Evolution Of Adolf Hitler: Unmasking The Architect Of Evil. Part #01
How a Teen who once wanted to pursue art ended up becoming the most infamous dictator due to his cruelty and addiction to power.
Content:
1. Adolf Hitler: Early Life 2. Education & Rejections 3. Hitler’s Introduction to Politics 3. Hitler’s Job in WWI 4. Hitler’s Rise 5. Great Depression & Hitler’s Fame 6. Hitler’s Art of Brainwashing 7. Atrocities of Hitler 8. Support Message
From painting with colours to blood. Adolf Hitler.
Adolf Hitler’s Early Life: Family Background
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary (present-day Austria). Austria-Hungary was a multi-ethnic empire facing nationalist tensions and political unrest.
Hitler’s parents were Alois Hitler and Klara Hitler. Alois, a customs official, married Klara, who was his third wife. Klara was a gentle and nurturing woman. Adolf’s father changed his surname from Schicklgruber to Hitler in 1876. The reasons behind this name change are not entirely clear, but it is believed that Alois wanted to distance himself from his biological father. Adolf Hitler had several siblings, but only his sister Paula survived till adulthood. Their relationship was complex, with both moments of closeness and strained dynamics. The Hitler household experienced financial challenges. Adolf’s father, Alois, struggled with his career and faced frequent relocations, which impacted the family’s stability.
Hitler’s Preliminary Education & Rejections:
Hitler started his education at a young age. He attended a primary school in the town of Fischlham, Austria, and later in Lambach. He received a primary education, but his academic performance was average. During his time in Lambach, Hitler was influenced by one of his teachers, Leopold Pötsch. Pötsch instilled in Hitler a sense of German nationalism and anti-Semitic views, which would later shape his ideology.
Hitler left school in 1905, at the age of 16, to pursue his passion of becoming an artist following the death of his father. Although he was interested in the arts, his dreams were shattered when he failed to gain admission to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Hitler’s drawings during this period showed some talent, but they lacked the desired level of technical proficiency and originality.
He was rejected twice from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, once in 1907 and again in 1908. The rejections left him devastated and disillusioned with the art world.
During his struggles with the academy, Hitler’s mother, Klara, passed away in December 1907 due to complications from breast cancer. Her death deeply affected him.
Adolf Hitler’s Introduction to Politics:
After Klara’s death, Hitler lived in Vienna and financed his meager lifestyle by selling some of his paintings and drawings. However, he struggled to make a sustainable living through his art alone. It was during his time in Vienna that Hitler began to develop an interest in politics and became exposed to nationalist and anti-Semitic ideas prevalent in the city’s cafes and political circles.
Hitler adopted a personal ideology that combined extreme German nationalism, anti-Semitism, anti-communism, and anti-capitalism. He was influenced by various figures, such as Karl Lueger and Georg Ritter von Schönerer.
On The Front Lines: Hitler’s Role In WWI
When World War I erupted in 1914, Hitler eagerly joined the German army, specifically Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. He believed in the German cause and saw the war as an opportunity to prove himself and fulfil his nationalist aspirations.
Hitler served as a soldier during World War I and was initially stationed on the Western Front. Later, he was transferred to the Eastern Front. Hitler’s job was to serve as a dispatch runner, delivering messages and orders between units on the front lines. His duties as a runner exposed him to the dangers of the battlefield, and he experienced the harsh realities of trench warfare.
The news of Germany’s surrender in World War I devastated Hitler. He felt a deep sense of betrayal and anger towards those he believed had caused Germany’s defeat.
The Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919, imposed harsh conditions on Germany, including territorial losses, disarmament, and significant reparations. This treaty infuriated Hitler and fueled his desire for revenge and the restoration of German power.
Hitler’s Rise: The Beer Hall Putsch & Mein Kampf
Adolf Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party (DAP) in 1919, commonly known as the Nazi Party.
Through his charismatic and extreme speeches, Hitler gained the attention and support of disenchanted Germans who were seeking radical solutions to their economic and political woes.
In 1923, Hitler made an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government in what became known as the Beer Hall Putsch. The coup d’état failed, and Hitler was arrested.
He was sentenced to five years in prison but served only nine months due to political leniency. During his imprisonment, he wrote his manifesto, Mein Kampf, outlining his ideological beliefs and plans for Germany’s future, depicting the ideology, mindset, and plans. Hitler viewed Jews as an inferior race and blamed them for Germany’s problems. He propagated anti-Semitic beliefs, perceiving Jews as a threat to the German nation and its Aryan purity.
The Great Depression: Catapult of Hitler’s Fame
The Great Depression, which began in 1929, led to widespread economic hardships in Germany. Hitler capitalized on the discontent and used propaganda to present himself as a strong leader who could restore Germany’s greatness. He propagated himself as a Messiah in a time of hardship for people.
People found hope in Hitler’s promises of economic recovery, national pride, and stability in a time of crisis. His dynamic speeches and charismatic persona appealed to a significant portion of the German population.
The parliamentary elections of the early 1930s demonstrated Hitler’s growing popularity, as the Nazi Party gained increasing support and secured more seats in the Reichstag. He had contested in elections for President but lost to Paul Von Hindenburg but got 36% votes.
Hitler’s Art of Brainwashing: Imposing of New Laws
In January 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. Hindenburg, influenced by conservative politicians and underestimating Hitler’s ambitions, believed he could control Hitler.
Through his speeches, Hitler emotionally manipulated and convinced the German people that he was their only hope for a better future. He played on their fears, grievances, and nationalist sentiments, painting himself as a savior. He built the mentality of ‘Us’ vs ‘Them’ in the German people, and only the Nazi narrative was being shown to the people. As he became chancellor, he quickly started to cash his position.
Hitler started putting bans on opposition parties, suppressing political dissent, and consolidating power within the Nazi Party. He used the Enabling Act of 1933 to pass laws without the approval of the Reichstag. He sought to control information and shape public opinion by wiping out free media existence. Books that were deemed contrary to Nazi ideology were burned in public displays.
Anti-Semitic laws were introduced, systematically marginalizing Jews from German society. They faced discriminatory policies, forced segregation, and restrictions on their rights and freedoms. Hitler and his party tightly controlled the German cinema and movie culture, ensuring that films produced aligned with Nazi propaganda and promoted the idea of a greater Germany.
Atrocities of the ‘Dictator Adolf Hitler’:
Following the death of President Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler consolidated his power, assuming the title of Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Chancellor). A series of events led the power to Hitler, making him an absolute dictator.
Hitler immediately started to implement his goals which he wrote in Mein Kampf. He believed in the concept of Aryan supremacy, which claimed that the Germanic Aryan race was superior to others. He justified seizing lands from weaker races as a means of securing Lebensraum (living space) for the German people.
Hitler implemented forced sterilization programs, targeting individuals deemed genetically “unfit” according to Nazi eugenics principles. Tens of thousands of people, including those with disabilities or hereditary diseases, were sterilized.
Hitler eliminated his party members and political enemies through purges and internal power struggles. The Night of the Long Knives in 1934 resulted in the execution of perceived threats to Hitler’s leadership.
Graphic Warning!
He initiated the systematic persecution and genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust. His motive behind this was rooted in his anti-Semitic beliefs, and approximately six million Jews were killed during the Nazi regime. Hitler had established concentration camps, where millions of people, including Jews, political dissidents, and other marginalized groups, were imprisoned, subjected to forced labor, and often faced brutal conditions and death.
This is part 1 of Hitler’s biography. He had so much to his life that it was difficult to cover all parts in one article. Part 2 will be published really soon featuring: 1. What was his role in WWII 2. How he had captured almost whole Europe 3. Britain & France’s heroic defense and many more!
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