Adolf Hitler From Youthful Failure to Mighty Leader

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Adolf Hitler From Youthful Failure to Mighty Leader

Few individuals have been able to change the ideals of others; Adolph Hitler was one such individual. His worldly impact began in the 1920’s and continues today. He is associated with both chaos and the complete destruction of many innocent lives. Hitler’s ideology developed when an economic collapse occurred in Germany. He offered ideas to the desperate people of Germany that they could not refuse. These ideas are responsible for the beginning of Western Racism, the singling out of a specific race as inferior. He also has been called the eliminator of the entire Jewish population. One must ask why the German people eagerly welcomed his radical ideas. World-renowned Hitler biographer Alan Bullock expresses the problem with understanding the madness of Hitler in his statement "The more I learn about Hitler the harder I find it to explain." To find an explanation for Hitler’s madness the first question to be answered is; "When did it begin?"

On April 20, 1889, Adolph Hitler was born to Alois and Klara Hitler in the city of Braunau on the border between Austria and Germany. By looking at Hitler’s early years, one is able to understand the events and conditions in his foundational years that developed both his personality and character. "His family epitomized the middle class in terms of income, assets, expenditures and standard of living."1 From the beginning Hitler’s parents feared that he would not survive his childhood because he was constantly sick. His mother gave him lots of love, to the extent of overprotection and indulgence. Hitler learned to take advantage of Klara’s concern for him. His father, on the other hand, took more of a distant role while Hitler was growin...

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..." salute."5

With radical ideas and the capability to influence, Hitler is one of the most influential people of the twentieth century. His ideology was able to change and shape the views of many level headed and intelligent people. Given the fact that Hitler will remain a prominent figure for some time in society, one can only pray that the influence he has on society will soon be depleted and that the world will be rid of this madman’s ideals.

Notes:

1. Bradley Smith, Adolf Hitler: His Family, Childhood and Youth (Stanford: Standford

University, 1967), 49.

2. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf (New York: GSG & Associates, 1981), 6.

3. John Lukacs, The Hitler of History (New York: Alfred Knopf, 1997), 132.

4. Ron Rossenbaum, Explaining Hitler (New York: Random House, 1998), 80.

5. Angie Cannon, "Why?" U.S. News and World Report, 3 May 1999, 16.

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