Adolf Hitler: A Life From Beginning to End (World War 2 Biographies)

by Hourly History

After the death of his mother in 1907, he then went to live a bohemian lifestyle in Vienna, working as a casual laborer, and on occasion, as a painter. Hitler even sought a formal education in art, applying twice to the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, but he was rejected on both occasions. Because he had never finished secondary school, he lacked the academic credentials to pursue architecture, another interest of his and one which the director of the art school in Vienna suggested he should try. The young man subsequently ran out of money and was forced to live in homeless shelters and men’s hostels.

Early on in his life, Hitler, like many Austrian Germans, had developed strong German nationalist ideas. He had expressed his loyalty only to Germany, used the German greeting Heil, and sang the German national anthem, “Deutschlandlied,” instead of the Austrian Imperial anthem.

Vienna’s mayor Karl Lueger spouted virulent anti-Semitic rhetoric to great political effect.

Additionally, the district in which Hitler lived was steeped in German nationalism, and the local newspapers promoted prejudice and fanned Christian fears of the area being swamped with an influx of eastern Jews.

Hitler had Jewish friends in his hostel as well as in ...

he first became an anti-Semite in Vienna, most historians now agree that Hitler’s murderous anti-Semitism didn’t develop until af...

Hitler was living in Munich when World War I broke out. He volunteered for the Bavarian army, and although historians now believe he served in the army by error, he reportedly served with honor and was praised by his commanders for his bravery.

Hitler was, however, bitterly disappointed by the collapse of the war effort and Germany’s capitulation in 1918. He believed that the German army had been “stabbed in the back” by civilian leaders and Marxists, who were later described as the “November criminals.”

Hitler became enthralled with founder Anton Drexler’s ideas, which were nationalist, anti-Semitic, anti-capitalist, and anti-Marxist, and he became increasingly involved with the party, finally joining in 1919. He was discharged from the army in 1920,

During this period, he was heavily influenced by the Aufbau Vereinigung, a group of white Russian exiles who introduced Hitler to the idea of a Jewish conspiracy.

was in prison where Hitler dictated the majority of the first volume of Mein Kampf (My Struggle). The book was originally titled, “Four and a Half Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice.”

Though he played a prominent role in reviving the group, Hitler himself was unable to hold public office; although he had renounced his Austrian citizenship, he had not yet become a German citizen.

Hitler was confirmed in the Catholic Church in May 1904. He regularly attended services throughout his childhood and even sang in the choir at the Benedictine Monastery when the family lived in Lambach.

by the time Hitler left home, a childhood friend noted he never again attended mass or received the sacraments.

Hitler is also said to have made many anti-Christian remarks to his confidants, at least one of whom, Goebbels, later described him as hating Christianity.

Hitler’s mother, Klara, died in 1907 from breast cancer. Both Adolf and Paula were at her side when she died. Hitler had been very close to his mother and was devastated by her death.

By the time she died, Hitler had suffered several losses in his life, and some historians believe these losses affected his belief system and shaped his ideological development.

Adolf Hitler left for Vienna in February 1908. He dreamed of becoming a painter

Hitler was 18 years old at the time,

Hitler was rejected both times that he applied to the art school.

Hitler left their shared room because he had exhausted his financial assets, which had consisted of a small pension following his mother’s death and a partial inheritance following his father’s death. He had also spent the money he had received from family loans.

After leaving the residence he shared with Kubizek, Hitler lived in a series of low-income lodgings and homeless shelters, and he ate in soup kitchens. He earned money by selling watercolors of Vienna where many buyers of his works were Jewish.

By some accounts, following his falling out with Hanisch, Hitler turned to several Jewish friends and former clients to help him find more customers and continue selling his paintings. It is worth noting that many of Hitler’s clients were Jewish,

There are also other sources which report that Hitler was on friendly terms with several Jews when he was in Vienna.

Hitler claimed in Mein Kampf that it was in Vienna where he developed his anti-Semitic ideology. Historical records, however, can only demonstrate evidence of his beliefs after World War I.

The mayor of Vienna at that time, Karl Lueger, frequently spouted an anti-Semitic ideology in his speeches and many of the Viennese newspapers at the time followed suit. Hitler had long been a proponent of German nationalism, and while in Vienna, closely followed the racist nationalism espoused by the Upper Austrian Pan-German politician Georg von Schönerer. Hitler was influenced more by Schönerer’s ideology, but he favored the tactics of Lueger.

In 1913, he returned to Munich to avoid serving in the military, but he was found by authorities and returned to Austria for conscription into the armed forces. He was rejected for service in the Austrian armed forces, however, after failing a physical exam. The exam stated that he was “too weak” to serve in the military. After this, Hitler returned to Munich where he would later volunteer to serve as an Austrian in the Bavarian army during World War I.

“Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live.”

Hitler entered the military as an infantryman in the 1st Company of the 16th Bavarian Reserve Regiment.

By all accounts, Hitler served honorably in the Bavarian army. Hitler’s unit, the 1st Company, fought in the Battle of Ypres in October 1914. The battle is remembered in Germany as the Massacre of the Innocents

Hitler was promoted from private to lance corporal. He was assigned to be a regimental message runner at this time.

Hitler adopted a stray dog in 1915 which he named Foxl, meaning “little fox.”

The dog became a beloved companion, and Hitler was said to be heartbroken when the dog was stolen, along with his sketches and paintings, in August 1917.

Hitler was decorated for his bravery on two occasions during the war. He received the Iron Cross, Second Class, in 1914 and the Iron Cross, First Class, in 1918. The Iron Cross, Second Class, was a relatively common decoration, but the Iron Cross, First Class, was rarely given to a lance corporal. Ironically, he was recommended for the First Class Iron Cross by a Jewish List adjutant, Hugo Gutmann.

Hitler himself was also wounded in the Battle of Somme in October 1916. He was injured in his left thigh after a shell exploded at the entrance to the dispatch runners’ dugout. He begged not to be evacuated, and after he was, he wrote his commanding officer, Hauptmann Fritz Wiedemann, asking to be recalled. Wiedemann arranged for him to return to his regiment in 1917. Hitler was wounded again in October 1918 after a British mustard gas attack. He was temporarily blinded, and according to at least one source, he also lost his voice. He was hospitalized, and while there, he learned of Germany’s defeat in the war. He reportedly suffered a second bout of blindness from the shock of receiving the news.

Hitler was outraged by the Treaty of Versailles in which Germany had to admit it started the war and was stripped of various territories. It also had to demilitarize the Rhineland, and damaging economic sanctions were imposed. Hitler wrote that, while he was in the hospital bed, he had the idea that he would liberate Germany and make it great once again.

Drexler invited Hitler to join the DAP, and on September 12, 1919, he became the group’s 55th member.