Mein Kampf
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was a man who quite possibly committed one of the worst hate crimes in the history of the world ordering the death of 11 million innocent men, women, and children who by his standards did not belong in the "pure" German population, not to mention the other uncountable numbers killed in military operations across Europe. Mein Kampf translating to My Struggle was originally written in German and published in 1925 as an autobiography outlining his childhood, his ideology, future plans for Germany, and views on racial issues. At this point, he would have been head of the Nazi party but not committed any major crimes, or large damage to the general population. World War II officially commenced 1939 when Germany invaded Poland then France and Britain simultaneously declared war. His autobiography was once outlawed in many countries fearing that it would rise, and promote néo-nazi actions. Historians later argued that it is an important piece of historical evidence that must be read to begin to understand what could fuel such horrendous acts of faith. The book is now a bestseller, especially useful for any of those keen on learning more about WWII. Living in Germany I have seen and visited the monuments, and historical buildings showing the awfulness he displayed for the entire world, one of the worst crimes to date. I first hand saw the awful conditions he had in place for millions of people and it truly took my breath away and saddened me in a way I can not explain. By reading thins book I hope to better comprehend what could have possibly caused this state of terror that he so strongly promoted.
What I have learned:
- At 12 continuing all through young adulthood, Hitler was an aspiring artist with a father that believed in nothing but having his boy be a civil servant as he was once himself. Adolf was encouraged to pursue his dream at Realschule, which increasingly angered his father
Click Here for more examples of his art
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- History was his favorite subject, claiming it as one of the only subjects he thought worthy of study. He credited his wise, white-haired teacher, Dr. Leopold Potsch, for bringing past into presence in vice-versa. He also blamed this same teacher for the becoming of his "own little revolutionary".
"Instruction in world history in the so-called high schools is even today in a very sorry condition. Few teachers understand that the aim of studying history can never be to learn historical dates and events by heart and recite them by rote; that what matters is not whether the child knows exactly when this or that battle was fought, when a general was born, or even when a monarch came to the crown of his forefathers. No, by the living God, this is very unimportant."
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- With not much surprise he was a nationalist, although Austrian-born he never did, nor wanted to be considered part of the "disastrous" country. He stated that as a young boy he "emphasized our convictions by wearing cornflowers, red, black and gold colors; 'Heil ' was our greeting, and instead of the imperial anthem we sang 'Deutschland uber Alles' (Germany over everything) despite warnings and punishments" all at an age of 11. The quote "In a short time, I had become a fanatical German Nationalist" he is still referring to his time as a teenager. The line "Who could have studied German history without becoming an enemy of the state" shows the real extent of Hitler's honest opinion of the state in which he was born, and bred. He even revoked his Austrian citizenship, and for several years was stateless until granted German citizenship by a friend in 1932. _______________________________________________________________________
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| Opera House in the 1900s |
- Hitler was orphaned at a young age when his father died at 13, and his mother 2 years later. This time in his life was self-described as the worst years of his life. The line "I had honored my father, but my mother I had loved" understandably shows how he was lost without options left. These events left him poverty stricken at a young age, forcing him to make a quick decision for his next years. He ventured to Vienna to make something of himself homeless, and poor. He was rejected from art school and was advised to go to architect school, but the subjects he neglected at Realschule were essential for this field of study. He says "obstacles do not exist to be surrendered to, but only to be broken" which explains his determination to succeed in school. Later quoted saying "While the Goddess of Suffering took me in her arms, often threatening to crush me, my will to resistance grew, and in the end, this will be victorious" he attempts to show how much he suffered during this period of his life. His living conditions is where he said he became acquainted with other populations and minorities. During this time he took comfort in reading many variations of books. His favorite being political in which he claimed later shaped his views of the world and his philosophy that later became the sole foundation for all of his acts
General History on WWII for your better understanding
- Timeline of Hitlers Rule with Links to Historical Events
- Hitlers Failed Attempts at becoming Chancellor
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