Another turning point for Hitler came in 1903 when his father passed away and the family moved to Linz. His fascination in politics started here. He spent most of his hours reading books about German history and how the German race is superior to any other.
Adolf did really badly at school except at art. Hitler blamed the teachers for his failure at school. Adolf believed he was going to be an artistic genius.
Again a turning point came in 1907 when Hitler moved to Vienna after his mother died. Failed to get into the art academy – so he became very bitter and angry – blamed others for his rejection. He became a tramp, living in doss houses. Vienna ruled by an anti-Semitic (anti-Jewish) government. Hitler read pamphlets against Jews and probably developed his hatred of them at this time. Hitler also began to hate the communists and socialists and blame them for Germany’s problems. Hitler was obsessed with Wagner Opera’s and great German heroes.
Another turning point came for Hitler when World War One started in 1914. Hitler was now living in Munich and enlisted in the German Army. War offered Hitler excitement and he saw it as a chance to prove Germany’s greatness and destroy Germany’s enemies.
Hitler served as a corporal and was a dispatch rider, taking messages to the front line. He was awarded the Iron Cross twice for bravery. Hitler was so obsessed with war that he hardly ever took home leave. He showed little regard for his colleagues when they were dying around him. He was more upset when a dog went missing.
A very important turning point came in November 1918 when Hitler received news of the German surrender and defeat. At the time he was recovering in hospital because of being in a gas attack.
Hitler was horrified, angry and very bitter at the fact that Germany had shown to be weak. He felt as though ‘November criminals’ had betrayed Germany. He particularly blamed Jews and Communists. His hatred which had been up, now burst out into the open and he was even more outraged when the terms of the Treaty of Versailles became public in 1919. Hitler was now determined to go into politics to reverse Germany’s humiliation and to undo the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
After the war Hitler soon found an opportunity to vent out his anger and go into politics. He became an education officer for the army – persuading soldiers not to support communists and socialists. In 1919 – whilst acting as a political spy – Hitler attended the meetings of the German Workers’ Party. He soon renamed it the Nazi party and fed it with his own beliefs. Hitler’s beliefs then came into the open fully and stirred up anti-Jewish feelings and the need for Germany to be powerful again. Hitler discovered his great gift for public speaking. He was determined to use it to show that he was the strong leader Germany needed. Hitler also showed his beliefs in the use of force. He used stormtroopers, to ‘deal’ with communists and socialists. The stormtroopers would go to the meetings of the communists and socialists and cause chaos or beat the people at the meetings up.
A final and really important turning point for Hitler came in 1923 when he tried and failed to seize power in Munich Putsch, resulting in a nine-month prison sentence. The trial gave Adolf a lot of publicity and fame which helped to spread his views across Germany, but his failure of the Putsch made him more determined to get into power, by winning votes legally, not by force. Whilst in prison he wrote his autobiography ‘Mein Kampf’ in which he set out all of his beliefs. His hatred of the Treaty of Versailles and his determination to reverse it, his hatred of the Jews, Communists, Socialists and Democracy were a few of his beliefs that were put in Mein Kampf.
Also in his autobiography was his belief that he was the strong leader Germany needed to make it powerful again, his belief in a pure Aryan race, and also his belief to bring all German-speaking people together into a great Fatherland. This would involve conquering new territory in the Communists Eastern Europe. All these beliefs were now well formed and had been influenced by the turning points in Hitler’s life as outlined above.
