The Rise of Hitler
Hitler was:
- Often physically abused as a child
- Admired the monastery’s Abbot, who ruled with supreme authority
- A Nazi
- A skilled liar
- An opportunist
- Took advantage of weak countries
- Considered to have paranoia
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. His father was the physically abusive type who, after his eldest son left, began taking out his abuse on young Adolf ("The Rise of Adolf Hitler", 1996). As a boy, Hitler grew to admire the local monastery Abbot. The Abbot ruled the black robed monks with absolute authority. High school was a trying time for Hitler, between his struggles with his classes, notably mathematics and his struggles with his father who wanted his son to follow in the family footsteps of being a civil servant, while young Adolf dreamed of being an artist. His father died when Adolf was 13 ("Adolf Hitler’s Rise to Power", 2000).
After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Hitler’s hatred of foreigners grew, while he got caught up in the nationalism of the time. Hitler enlisted in the Bavarian Army. Several times saw Hitler close to death during fighting and after four years, was temporarily blinded by a mustard gas attack.
On trial for treason, Hitler was jailed where he only served eight months of a five year sentence. During this time, he began his book Mein Kampf. (My Struggle) In the book, Hitler laid out what he described as targets of Germany, communists, democracy and internationalism. Of these however, Hitler cited the Jews as Germany’s true enemy. He believed them to be sub-human, and the only way to conquer them was to eliminate them ("Hitler’s Rise and Fall: Timeline", n.d.).
After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Hitler’s hatred of foreigners grew, while he got caught up in the nationalism of the time. Hitler enlisted in the Bavarian Army. Several times saw Hitler close to death during fighting and after four years, was temporarily blinded by a mustard gas attack.
On trial for treason, Hitler was jailed where he only served eight months of a five year sentence. During this time, he began his book Mein Kampf. (My Struggle) In the book, Hitler laid out what he described as targets of Germany, communists, democracy and internationalism. Of these however, Hitler cited the Jews as Germany’s true enemy. He believed them to be sub-human, and the only way to conquer them was to eliminate them ("Hitler’s Rise and Fall: Timeline", n.d.).
Hitler had a gift of oration, and when he was released from prison, Hitler would speak, often to large audiences, who still felt the sting and humiliation of the loss of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler reestablished the Nazi Party and by using his oratory skills, the Nazi Party went from virtual unknowns to winning thirty percent of the vote for President. When his opponent, Paul von Hindenburg died in 1934, Hitler was the consensus choice for Chancellor. Germany’s economy was headed in the right direction, setting up the eventual rise of Hitler.
Once in power, Hitler moved to destroy his opposition and establish his dictatorship. On September 1st, 1939, Hitler’s forces attacked Poland. As skilled as he was in winning over converts with his speaking prowess, Hitler was not the greatest military mastermind. Because of his belief that all final decisions were to be made by him, and because of his increased paranoia, Hitler often replaced military commanders on the spot, sometimes inserting and removing them in the heat of battle ("Initial Rise Of Hitler And The Nazis", n.d.). Even when the situation was all but lost, Hitler would insist his commanders and their men to fight on, often reminding them that officers of certain ranks had never lost or surrendered. These many blunders and miscues eventually led to Hitler’s suicide on April 30, 1945.
References
- Children Playing with Money, Retrieved from https://justrevise.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/children-playing-with-money.jpg
- Laity, M. (1998, November 3). 1918: The end of stalemate. BBC News. Retrieved from Reference.com. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.reference.com/history/major-effects-treaty-versailles-1f8a8ee0c5d69202#
- Sullivan, N. (2016). Study.com. Retrieved from http://study.com/academy/lesson/economic-social-political-consequences-of-the-great-war.html
Credit: Krystal