Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) remains a figure of immense historical significance, primarily known for his central role in the Holocaust. Understanding the genesis of such a figure requires exploring various facets of his life, including his family background. While Hitler’s virulent antisemitism and political ascent are well-documented, examining his origins and family life provides crucial context. It was the confluence of his deeply ingrained hatred for Jews and his remarkable ability to build a political movement that ultimately seized control of Germany, paving the way for the systematic extermination of Jews. This exploration into Hitler And Family offers a deeper insight into the man behind the atrocities.
Hitler’s Family Origins and Early Life
Born in 1889 in a small Austrian town, Adolf Hitler’s family was of modest background. His father, Alois Hitler, was a customs official. Alois was an illegitimate child himself, and questions surrounding the identity of his father, Adolf’s paternal grandfather, have persisted. Despite legends suggesting a Jewish connection, there is no credible evidence to support this claim. Alois Hitler’s relationship with his son Adolf was characterized as harsh and distant. In contrast, Hitler shared a closer bond with his mother, Klara Pölzl. Her death from cancer when he was 17 proved to be a deeply traumatic experience for young Adolf, marking a significant emotional turning point in his early life.
Hitler received a standard education for his time. As a youth, he did not display any exceptional talents that foreshadowed his future infamy. He harbored aspirations to become an artist and, following his mother’s death, moved to Vienna with the hope of gaining admission to art school. However, his artistic ambitions were thwarted when he was rejected due to a perceived lack of artistic aptitude. This rejection in Vienna is often cited as a formative disappointment in his early life narrative.
The Genesis of Hitler’s Antisemitism: Family and Influences
Pinpointing the precise moment when Hitler solidified his antisemitic beliefs is challenging due to the scarcity of reliable information about his formative years. Hitler’s own autobiographical account in Mein Kampf, suggests an early and entrenched antisemitism, but this account is considered by historians to be potentially embellished and not entirely accurate. While anti-Jewish prejudice was unfortunately widespread in the early 20th century European society, there is no indication that antisemitism was a prominent feature within Hitler’s family environment. Discussions surrounding the development of Hitler’s antisemitism often focus on three key periods of his life, moving beyond his immediate family influence:
The Vienna Years (1909-1913)
Hitler later asserted that his time in Vienna was pivotal in the development of his antisemitic worldview. During this period, Vienna had a substantial Jewish population, constituting roughly 10% of the city’s inhabitants. It was also a city experiencing considerable ethnic tensions, as various groups from across the Austro-Hungarian Empire migrated to the burgeoning capital. Hitler witnessed the political success of Vienna’s mayor, Karl Lueger, whose political platform was openly and aggressively antisemitic. It is also likely that Hitler was exposed to the readily available racist and antisemitic literature circulating in Vienna at the time. These publications frequently propagated the notion of Jewish people being the driving force behind modern capitalism and exploiting non-Jewish laborers.
However, it is important to note complexities and contradictions within this period. Hitler was known to frequent the home of at least one Jewish family, and Jewish art dealers were instrumental in supporting his early attempts to earn a living by selling paintings. This suggests that while seeds of antisemitism may have been sown during his Vienna years, it had not yet become the defining ideology of his life, despite his later retrospective accounts.
The War Years and the Defeat of Germany (1914-1919)
Despite being an Austrian citizen, Hitler volunteered to serve in the German Army at the outbreak of World War I. He served throughout the entirety of the war, though he only attained the rank of corporal. He deeply identified with the German cause and was profoundly impacted by Germany’s defeat in 1918. Like many disillusioned soldiers, he subscribed to the “stab-in-the-back” myth, believing that betrayal from within had led to Germany’s loss. While German Jews had largely supported Germany during the war, they were more inclined than other Germans to embrace the newly formed democratic Weimar Republic after the war. This contributed to accusations that Jews were responsible for Germany’s defeat.
Furthermore, the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the establishment of the Bolshevik regime, with its communist ideology, added another layer to the narrative. The association of Jews with communism, fueled by the role of some Jewish individuals in early communist movements, led to the dangerous and false conflation of communism as a Jewish conspiracy. Leading Hitler biographer Ian Kershaw and other modern scholars posit that this period, rather than his Vienna years, was more crucial in the solidification of Hitler’s antisemitic beliefs. This perspective highlights the impact of the war and its aftermath, rather than solely pre-war Austrian ethnic prejudices, in shaping Hitler’s ideology.
The Early Weimar Republic Years (1919-1923)
Following the war, Hitler resided in Munich, a city teeming with disgruntled ex-soldiers and widespread resentment towards the new democratic government in Berlin. He became involved with various groups that were critical of the prevailing issues in Germany: capitalism, communism, the Treaty of Versailles, democracy, and, notably, Jewish people. By September 1919, Hitler had definitively come to view Jews as the central orchestrators of these problems. He also started advocating for Germany’s need to acquire Lebensraum, or “living space,” in the East, particularly at the expense of “Jewish Bolsheviks” in Russia.
While his ideas were not entirely original, Hitler distinguished himself through his exceptional oratorical abilities. By 1920, he had become a prominent and popular speaker within Munich’s agitational political scene. He assumed leadership of a small, far-right group, the German Workers’ Party (later renamed the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazi Party), and expanded its reach, although its support remained primarily localized to Munich and the surrounding regions. Antisemitism was a consistent and central theme in Hitler’s public addresses during this period. By 1923, believing that widespread discontent with the Weimar Republic presented an opportunity to overthrow the government, Hitler attempted the Beer Hall Putsch (November 9, 1923). His aim was to establish a right-wing government, though he did not yet envision himself as its head. The putsch failed due to lack of support from the army and police. Hitler was arrested, and his political movement appeared to have collapsed. During this time, Hitler evolved into an effective propagator of antisemitism, even though the core tenets of his antisemitic ideology had taken shape earlier.
Stages of Hitler’s Ascent to Power (1924-1933)
After the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Hitler faced trial and imprisonment. Most observers at the time believed his political career was effectively over. The severe economic challenges that had plagued the Weimar Republic in its initial years began to subside around 1924, leading to diminished public interest in political extremism.
1924
While incarcerated, Hitler authored Mein Kampf, a book outlining his political ideology and plans. In his absence, it became evident that no other figure could effectively lead a successful far-right movement.
1925-28
Upon his release from prison, Hitler re-established the Nazi Party, consolidating his absolute leadership. The party performed poorly in elections during this period. However, these years were crucial for Hitler to cultivate a small but devoted cadre of followers, many of whom would later become leading figures in the Nazi regime once it attained power.
1929-32
The onset of the global economic depression, triggered by the Wall Street crash of October 1929, provided Hitler with a crucial opportunity. As unemployment soared in Germany, voters increasingly turned away from parties associated with the Weimar Republic. The Nazi party achieved a series of electoral successes at the state level. Hitler capitalized on the deep divisions among the established German political parties. The Communist Party aimed to exploit the Depression, attributing Germany’s woes to capitalism, advocating for revolution, and refusing cooperation with other parties. Conservative nationalist parties blamed parliamentary democracy and the Treaty of Versailles for Germany’s problems and sought to use the crisis to dismantle the constitution and reinstate an authoritarian system reminiscent of the pre-war monarchy, viewing Hitler as a potentially useful partner. The Social Democratic Party, the strongest defender of the democratic system, criticized the pro-capitalist “bourgeois” parties for the economic crisis. The Catholic Center Party, influential in government, lacked effective solutions to the Depression.
In contrast, the Nazis offered a simplistic explanation for the crisis – blaming it on Jewish people – and presented a straightforward solution. In the September 1930 national parliamentary elections, the Nazis achieved a surprising breakthrough, securing 18% of the vote and becoming the second-largest party after the Social Democrats. In 1932, Hitler ran for president against the highly respected war hero Paul von Hindenburg, garnering 37% of the vote.
1932-1933
An unpopular coalition government led by the Center Party failed to gain traction, leading to new parliamentary elections in July 1932. The Nazi Party increased its vote share to 37%, while the Communist Party received 16%. A pro-democracy majority coalition became unattainable. Various right-wing politicians vied to form a government that would rule by decree. Hitler was offered a position in one such scheme, orchestrated by Kurt von Schleicher in August 1932, but he declined, insisting on full control. New elections were held in November 1932 to resolve the political deadlock. For the first time since 1929, the Nazi vote share declined slightly to 32%. Apprehensive that his opportunity might be slipping away, Hitler adopted a more conciliatory stance towards Schleicher. On January 30, 1933, an agreement was announced: Hitler would be appointed Chancellor (Prime Minister). Despite the Nazi party’s widespread support, they were allocated only four cabinet positions. Schleicher and other conservatives anticipated that Hitler’s extremism would erode his popularity, allowing them to eventually remove him and retain power themselves.
Key Takeaways from Hitler’s Rise to Power
Several crucial points emerge from the study of Hitler’s rise to power: (1) The fragility of democracy in Germany significantly contributed to Hitler’s success. (2) The Great Depression created the necessary conditions for Hitler to seize power. (3) Despite his party becoming the largest in Germany, Hitler was never elected to office through a majority vote; the Nazi Party never secured an absolute majority, even in the elections held after they had already come to power in March 1933. (4) Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor was the result of political maneuvering and miscalculations by right-wing nationalist politicians who believed they could exploit his popularity to dismantle the Weimar system for their own ends.
Essential Biographies of Hitler
For serious historical inquiry, several biographies of Hitler stand out for their rigorous research and scholarly approach. While a vast body of literature exists on Hitler, much of it is of questionable quality, often presenting rumors as facts. The three most essential and thoroughly researched biographies are:
- Alan Bullock, Hitler: A Study in Tyranny. Originally published in 1952, this work remains a highly readable and largely accurate account of Hitler’s rise to power, though some aspects are now considered dated due to subsequent research.
- Joachim Fest, Hitler. First published in 1973, this biography by a German scholar is considered a seminal work on Hitler’s life.
- Ian Kershaw, Hitler (two volumes, 1999 and 2000). Kershaw’s extensive and detailed biography, incorporating contemporary research, clarifies many aspects of Hitler’s early life and explains why some accounts in earlier biographies are no longer considered reliable. It is widely regarded as the definitive biography of Hitler for the foreseeable future.
