Early Life of Adolf Hitler

Transcription

1 Early Life of Adolf Hitler Born April 20, 1889 Braunau am Inn, Austria Hitler s Parents Alois (Schicklegruber) Hitler Klara (Polzl) Hitler Alois Hitler illegitimate son of Maria Anna Schicklegruber 5 yrs old Johan Georg Hiedler married his mother 40yrs old changes name to step fathers No one knows why it was now spelled Hitler. Adolf Hitler later confided to his only childhood friend, August Kubizek, "that the name Schicklgruber seemed to him so uncouth, so boorish, apart from being so clumsy and unpractical. But 'Hitler' sounded rich and was easy to remember." Brothers and Sisters ½ brother and sister Alois and Angela Younger brother and sister Edmund and Paula 1

2 moved many times due to a restless and retired father Poor student wanted to become an artist Paura Church In Lambach Austria at the intersection across from the Hitler home 1903 his father dies making him man of house at 13 yrs of age leaves school using the excuse of poor health 18yrs of age applies to art school in Vienna denied Examples of Hitler s Art Above: A portrait of Hitler at age 16, drawn by classmate Sturmlechner as he looked at Steyr Realscule 2

3 1907 Hitler s mother dies Developing Years Lives in Vienna and applies to art school again rejected he lives in a homeless shelter (4 yrs) It was during this time he began to develop strong Anti-Semitic feelings There were also anti-semitic tabloids and pamphlets available at the newsstands and at local coffee shops. On first reading them, Hitler claims in his book MeinKampf to have been put off. "...the tone, particularly of the Viennese anti-semitic press, seemed to me unworthy of the cultural tradition of a great nation." But also in Mein Kampf, Hitler describes the transformation in his thinking regarding the Jews. It began with a chance meeting. "Once, as I was strolling through the inner city, I suddenly encountered an apparition in a black caftan and black hair locks. Is this a Jew? was my first thought." "For, to be sure, they had not looked like that in Linz. I observed the man furtively and cautiously, but the longer I stared at this foreign face, scrutinizing feature for feature, the more my first question assumed a new form: is this a German?" To answer his own question, he immersed himself in anti-semitic literature. Then he went out and studied Jews as they passed by. "...the more I saw, the more sharply they became distinguished in my eyes from the rest of humanity..." "For me this was the time of the greatest spiritual upheaval I have ever had to go through. I had ceased to be a weak-kneed cosmopolitan and become an anti-semite." Opera s of Richard Wagner Most of his plots were based on Northern European mythology and legend and therefore led to the myth of the Aryan Race Adolf Hitler said that "Whoever wants to understand National Socialistic Germany must know Wagner." Hitler and WWI 1913 he moves to Munich Aug 14 volunteers for the German Army - 5 medals including the Iron Cross - remains a corporal lack of leadership qualities While wounded he encounters anti-war sentiment among Germans blames this on the Jews 3

4 Two days later, Hitler volunteered for the German Army, enlisting in a Bavarian regiment. "For me, as for every German, there now began the greatest and most unforgettable time of my earthly existence. Compared to the events of this gigantic struggle, everything past receded to shallow nothingness." - Hitler said in Mein Kampf. On August 1, 1914, a huge, enthusiastic crowd including Hitler gathered in a big public plaza in Munich - the occasion - to celebrate the German proclamation of war. On first hearing the news of war Hitler had sunk to his knees and thanked heaven for being alive Life After WWI in army as an informer against Marxists (communists) 1919 sent by army to investigate the German Workers Party Joins the party in 1919 at age 30 A copy of Adolf Hitler's forged DAP membership card. His actual membership number was 555 (the 55th member of the party - the 500 was added to make the group appear larger) but later the number was reduced to create the impression that Hitler was one of the founding members (Ian Kershaw Hubris). Hitler had wanted to create his own party, but was ordered by his superiors in the Reichswehr to infiltrate an existing one instead. 4

5 National Socialist German Workers Party Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei NSDAP = NAZI By ,000 strong July 29, 1921 Hitler become Furer of party Beer Hall Putsch Nov. 8-9, 1923 The flag of the NSDAP, which became the German national flag in 1935 plan: kidnap Bavarian leaders- force them to accept Hitler as their leader take over the army bring down the German government fails- Hitler is arrested tried sentenced to 5yrs 5

6 Adolf Hitler Poses With the Flag From the Beer Hall Putsch The leaders of the Beer Hall Putsch, 1923, awaiting trial (left to right): Heinz Pernet, Friedrich Weber, Wilhelm Frick, Hermann Kriebel, Erich Ludendorf, Adolf Hitler, Wilhelm Brückner, Ernst Röhm, Robert Wagner Prison Life Mein Kampf Fortress at Landsberg serves 9 months spacious, private cell, nice view visitors and a secretary dictates his book to Secretary Rudolph Hess originally titled Four and a Half Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice Publisher changes to Mein Kampf = My struggle 6

7 Major ideas found in Mein Kampf 1. Divides humans into categories Top = Aryans Bottom = Jews and Slavs ( Czeks, Poles, and Russians) - Believes they should be destroyed 2. Other people benefit when conquered by the NAZI 3. Jews conspire to keep the NAZI down. 4. Military conquest of Russia will give land to cultivate food and living space Slavs will be removed, eliminated, or enslaved. Hitler learns his lesson He will now try to take over Germany legally! 7

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