Essay, Research Paper: Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an evil man who was a strong leader and had an almost hypnotic

power over his followers. Although he was a patriot and did some good things for his

country, the evil he inflicted on others by far outweighs his accomplishments. In my

report I will tell how the stage was set for him, how he rose to power and the death and

destruction he caused because of his hatred toward the Jews.

Adolf Hitler was born at 6:30 P.M. on April 20, 1889 in the small town of Braunau,

Austria. Hitler was the third son of a third marriage of an Austrian Customs Official. As

Hitler grew older and began to go to school, on of his childhood friends said, "He was

always up against something and at odds with the world...I never saw him take anything

lightly." Hitler was especially passionate about art. But his hopes were crushed when he

failed the entrance examination to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts in 1907. Hitler, not

knowing how to get into an art profession lived in misery. For the next four years Hitler

made a living shoveling snow, beating carpets, carrying peoples bags outside of the

railroad station, and occasionally working as a building laborer.

On August 3rd, 1914 when Hitler was 25, he volunteered for a Bavarian Regiment

of the army. He was a very courageous soldier. During WWI in which he served, he was

wounded twice and received the Iron Cross for bravery in both incidents, which led to his

advancement in the Army to Corporal of the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment. On

November 10th, 1918, Hitler was told to pull his men out of battle, due to the signing of

the Treaty of Versailles which ended WWI. He reluctantly went along with the order.

Later Hitler wrote about the incident in his book called "Mien Kampf" (My Struggle),

"Everything went black before my eyes... so all the sacrifices had been in vain; in vain

the hours in which, with mortal fear clutching at our hearts, we never the less did or duty.

Did all this happen only so a gang of criminals could lay their hands on the Fatherland."

Hitler was furious that Germany had signed an agreement stating that Germany forfeit

the war and would pay reprimands to all the countries who were involved in the war.

He continued," The hatred grew in me for those responsible for this deed. Miserable and

degenerate criminals! The more i tried to achieve clarity on the monstrous event, the

more the shame, indignation and disgrace burned my brow. Then my own fate became

known to me. I decided to go into politics."

Hitler's first experience in politics was when he received orders from the political

department of the army to go and investigate a new political party called the German

Workers Party. After Hitler had investigated the new party, the next day, to his surprise

he received a letter that said he had been accepted as a member to the newly formed

party. Hitler did not take "This absurd little organization seriously," He then enrolled as

the seventh member of the party. This was the the birth of what later became known as

the Nazi Party. Hitler recruited many of his old army buddies and other rough neck war

veterans into strong arm squads outfitted in brown uniforms. These thugs kept order at

Nazi meetings and broke up those of the other parties. By 1920, the party was massive

and Hitler being one of the founders gained a lot of power from it. He then started a 25

point program which cosisted of Hitlers personal goals for example: to break the Treaty

of Versailles and to make Germany a great nation once again, and to bring Germany out

of the depression. It also demanded the death penalty for traitors and profiteers. In

1932, Germany voted Hitler in as Chancellor with 6,4009,600 votes.

On April 1st, 1933, a nationwide boycott was ordered as an expression

of "Volkswut,"(The peoples anger) against the Jews. The Storm Troopers put up

posters and held public demonstrations to try and stop the Jews from conducting

business. Those shop owners who ignored the threats had their windows smashed,

stores looted and sometimes burned to the ground. On May 10th, 1933: a series of

simultanious book burnings were organized throughout the country by the German

Student Association as part of it's campaign of "Enlightenment." The book burners

called it a strong and greatly symbolic action "Against the un-German spirit." It was

really nothing more than censorship at its' worst.