The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was born on the 20th April, 1889, he was born to Alois Hitler and Klara Pölzl. He was
born in Brannau in Austria-Hungary, not Germany as some might be led to believe.
His father was a Customs Official and often beat Adolf and his wife, which happened to be both his
third and his half-niece. Obviously, Adolf resented his father for the beating they received.
However, he loved his mother very much, who would often try to protect her son from the beatings.
Hitler was devastated at the death of his mother.

Hitler was a good student in primary school, but he failed, and so had to repeat, his first year of high
school (6th Grade). His teachers said he had “no desire to work”.
Hitler later said that the reason for his bad school reports were a rebellion against his father, who
wanted Hitler to be a customs official. However, Adolf wanted to become a painter instead.
After Alois died on 3 January 1903, Hitler's school-work did not improve. And, at the age of 16,
Hitler dropped out of high school without a diploma.

Adolf Hitler was brought up as a Roman Catholic and, as a child, was top of his class in the subject.
His mother was a practising Catholic while his father was a Freethinker.
Hitler was a choir boy in his cathedral.
However, it is said that after Hitler had left home, he never attended Mass or received the
Sacraments.
It is worth noting that Hitler's choice of the Swastika as the symbol of the Nazi party, came as a
result of Hitler finding it on a statue in his cathedral.
He felt the Swastika linked to the belief in the Aryan cultural descent of the German people. They
considered the early Aryans of India to be the prototypical white invaders and the sign as a symbol
of the Aryan master race.

Since Hitler wanted to be a painter, he moved to Vienna in 1905. He lived in a hostel for the
homeless and was being given an orphan's pension and financial support from his mother.
Hitler was rejected twice by the “Academy of Fine Arts Vienna” because of his unfitness for
painting. They did say that his abilities lay instead in the architectural field of work.
It is said by Hitler himself that it was in Vienna that he first became Anti-Semite.
In 1913, when Hitler received a part of his father's estate, Hitler moved there in Munich, what Hitler
considered “A real German city”.

Hitler enlisted in World War I as soon as he could. He served as a Runner, said to be the most
dangerous job on the Western Front, this proved true as he was often exposed to enemy fire.
Hitler felt a belonging in the war and thought his destiny was to be a part of winning the war. He
disliked the trenches.
Hitler won the Iron Cross twice, saying that the day he received his first Cross, was the happiest day
of his life.
Towards the end of the war, a mustard gas attack led to Hitler being temporarily blinded and being
admitted to a field hospital.
It was there in the hospital that Hitler learnt of Germany's defeat in the war. Like many other
people, he blamed this “Stab in the Back” on, not only the politicians (The November Criminals)
but also the Jews. It is widely believed that it was this belief that led Hitler into politics.
By the time the war ended, Hitler was a Gefreiter, equivalent to a Lance Corporal in the British and
American army.
As said above, it's said that Hitler's anti-semitic ways started in Vienna since all the Jews were rich
and, when compared to Hitler's own situation, didn't seem right to Hitler.

It is said that Hitler's greatest gift was public speaking (Being an Orator).
Although Hitler wanted to create his own party, he realised that he would be better off joining
another party and taking over that party. He did this in 1919 when he infiltrated the German
Workers Party (GWP).
When he became leader of the party, he made a series of changes which included the name,
programme and symbol of the party.
Hitler changed the name from the GWP to the National Socialist German Workers Party (The
Nazis). He created a new programme called the 25 Points and used the Swastika he came across in
his childhood as the new symbol of the party.
Hitler was head of propaganda in his Nazi party.

On the 8th November 1923, Hitler decided that he had enough power to seize power in Munich by
force. He had a large following of Stormtroopers at his disposal.
But, when Hitler started his movement, the police blocked off their path. Many thought that Hitler
had been killed.

Hitler was arrested and his crime's punishment would result in his execution. However, due to most
of the judges in Germany being nationalist (and so in support of Hitler) and since they had given
Hitler a right to speak, in which his gift of public speaking served him usefully. The trial served as a
publicity “stunt” as well as the fact that the speech itself was considered excellent by many.
He was sentenced to five years at Landsberg prison but he would only serve about three months of
this sentence.
When Hitler arrived at the prison, at first he tried to starve himself due to being so depressed from
the outcome of his putsch. However, because of this putsch, he was considered a hero among many
of the Germans, though mostly nationalists of course.
It was during the time in prison that Hitler wrote his autobiographical/ exposition of his ideology
book called “Mein Kampf”, which translates to “My Struggle” in English.
During his time in prison, he realised that if he was to put his plan for Germany into effect, he
would have to change his tactics. Instead of taking over Germany by force, he would have to enter
the Reichstag, a place which he despised.

Hitler used his powerful speeches to rise into power. Hitler said in his speeches that he had a vision
of a great country and a “turn around”. Hitler would say that Germany would dominate Europe. He
would try to get his crowd to acknowledge the fact that the democrats would offer no solution or
answer to the problems Germany continued to face. Problems that Hitler had the answers to.
Speeches like these would get Hitler the votes that he needed.
Hitler's Nazi party were the first to use aeroplanes in their campaigns.
Hitler always had the same way of going about a speech. He would get the crowd on his side with
the power of suspense, finally appearing to open up to them, metaphorically naked.
Hitler would start his speeches off slowly and quietly, taking long pauses between both his words
and sentences and, as his speech progressed, he would start to get faster and louder, at which point
he would start using his familiar hand gestures to show expression in his speech.