How Did Adolf Hitler Before War

Adolf Hitler:Before the war

If a country similar to Germany were to have a dictatorship such as the one Hitler powered, it would most likely be very quickly shut down. The timing and many other opportunities had to come together for Adolf to rise into power the way he did. Luck and evil genius led an introverted child to be an evil dictator. He transformed into a political powerhouse in a matter of years, growing able to speak his evil agenda in front of millions, and destroyed millions of lives.

Adolf Hitler was born April 20th, 1889 to two Christian parents, Alois and Klara. He had two older half siblings, a sister, Angela and brother, Alois Junior. (USHMM) At age six, Adolf started primary school, and his father retired from the Austrian
civil service. His father had spent much of his life rising through the ranks, and climbing the social ladder, pulling in discipline tactics throughout his time. His children were now going to take the brunt of this. Alois Jr, being the eldest, took most of the verbal and occasionally physical abuse. (Meier)

A year after his father’s retirement, at 14, Alois ran away; this made Adolf the eldest boy. Now with two younger siblings, Edmund and Paula, Adolf took his father’s abuse. Three years after his father’s retirement, the Hitler family moved to Linz. (USHMM) Hitler fought bitterly with his father about his career path, Adolf wanting to go into art, his father wanting him to go into a more technical industry. In the end Alois won, and Adolf went off to the technical high school in Linz. (Meier)

When Adolf’s brother Alois Jr. died in 1900, according to biography.com, Adolf became introverted and kept to himself. His father died a short three years later, making Adolf able to drop out of trade school. After his mother’s death in 1907, Adolf moved to Vienna where he tried applying to art schools, but was denied for having no proof of graduating secondary school. (Truman) Having no source of income, Adolf quickly burned through his inheritance from the death of his parents, and was forced to live in poverty. (Historpedia)

Soon after, war started to brew. This allowed Adolf’s hatred of foreigners to grow, (Meier) Adolf, like many other young patriotic men his age, enlisted to help the father-land win the war. At 25, Adolf enlisted in a Bavarian Regiment. (The History Place) Only two months after his basic training, Adolf encountered his first taste of war, in a battle near Ypres. He was a dispatch runner, running messages to and from the front, often near gunfire. (Historpedia) His first battle was against the British and the Belgians. He narrowly escaped death countless times. In the end, he was awarded two Iron Crosses for bravery in battle. (Grobman) In early autumn 1916, Hitler was wounded by an enemy shell, sent to a Berlin hospital to recover, and returned to war. (Meier) He only rose to the rank of corporal, many speculating it was due to his poor communication and people skills. (Trueman) Almost exactly two years later, after serving four long years running messages and fighting in the trenches, Adolf was temporarily blinded by mustard gas in Belgium. (Grobman)

As Hitler recovered and the war came to an end, communism shook a recovering Germany.
The monarchy had been dethroned, and a republic was formed. (Grobman) In late June 1919, Germany ratified the Treaty of Versailles, losing their colonies and much of their territory, along with a large amount of funds, going to pay back damages to civilian lives and property during the war. (Meier) The treaty was humiliating to most Germans, including Adolf, who were bitter over the loss of the war, determined that Germany was destined for greatness. This humilation is what allowed the boulder to roll down the hill. Hitler greatly blamed the Jews for the loss of the war, and quickly got involved in politics, specifically the German Worker’s Party. He changed the group from people who met semi-frequently, into a movement.

Hitler’s rise to power was that of sheer luck, bitterness and desperation over their loss in the war. His power shows how desperate people can become and look for whatever means of salvation in times of desperation. Germany was left in financial and economic despair after the war. Hitler used that and the country’s fears to ride his way to power. A country full of desperate people will elect anyone who promises to build them up and restore their country and instill fear among minorities for political
gain.

Works Cited

Meier, David A. “Adolf.” Hitler's Rise to Power, 2000, www2.dsu.nodak.edu/users/dmeier/Holocaust/hitler.html.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Adolf Hitler: Early Years, 1889–1913.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007430.
“Adolf Hitler.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 5 Aug. 2017, www.biography.com/people/adolf-hitler-9340144.
C N Trueman. "Adolf Hitler" The History Learning Site, 26 May 2015. 23 Feb 2018. historylearningsite.co.uk. “The Childhood and Early Adulthood of Adolf Hitler (Fall 2012).” Google Sites, Historpida, 2012, sites.google.com/a/umn.edu/historpedia/home/specific-individuals/the-childhood-and-early-adulthood-of-adolf-hitler-fall-2012.
“Hitler in World War 1.” The History Place - Rise of Hitler: Hitler in World War I, 1996, www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/warone.htm.
Grobman, Gary M. “Firstworldwar.com.” First World War.com - Who's Who - Adolf Hitler, 1990, www.firstworldwar.com/bio/hitler.htm.