Adolf Hitler

1. Adolf Hitler The Early Years

2. Adolf Hitler is born April 20, 1889 in Braunauam Inn, in the country of Austria, near the German border

3. Adolf Hitler

4. Austria & Germany Braunauam Inn, Austria Austria & Germany Proximity

5. Klara Hitler She was 18 when she gave birth to Adolf She was 23 years younger than Adolf’s father, her husband Alois Adolf Hitler was very close to his mother & carried a photo of her until the day he died!

6. Alois Hitler Worked as a customs officer in Austria (needed to be near border) Was an alcoholic Was a rigid, strict, cold disciplinarian He physically abused (beat) Adolf regularly

7. Adolf Hitler, age 10 Adolf ran away from home, tired of the beatings Alois caught him and beat him so badly that Adolf was in a coma for several days, near death…

8. Adolf Hitler, a Young Boy Young Adolf wanted to be a priest, and sang in the church choir!

9. Adolf Hitler, 1900 (age 11) Attended elementary school in Linz, Austria Was egotistical and domineering Demanded absolute subordination from other students Adolf was not a very good student

10. Adolf Hitler, 1905 (age 16) Adolf dropped out of school, hoping to become an artist Alois (his father) very much disapproved of Adolf becoming an artist

11. Adolf Hitler, 1907 (age 17) Adolf moved to Vienna, Austria to pursue a career as an artist He rented a small room while in Vienna He lived off a small inheritance from a family member Also sold paintings to support himself

12. Klara Hitler, 1907 Klara Hitler, Adolf’s mother, died of breast cancer Adolf was devastated by her death; he was very close to his mother Adolf became non-functional after Klara’s death 1860-1907

13. The Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna Twice, in 1907 & 1908, rejected Adolf Hitler as a prospective art student The Academy believed that Adolf had no aptitude for painting Adolf Hitler only painted landscapes, never people; this appeared to be a weakness He was lonely, poor, miserable, and lacking direction

14. Exposure to Anti-Semitism Living in Vienna gave Adolf his first exposure to Jews from Eastern Europe He became attracted to anti-Semitic rhetoric (dialogue), newspapers, pamphlets Several on the admissions committee for the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts were Jewish

15. 1913, Movement to Munich, Germany Hitler moved to Munich, Germany in May 1913 after inheriting his father’s estate (Aloise died in 1903) Hitler felt that he was never welcomed in Vienna Hitler felt that Vienna was too “cosmopolitan” for him (too worldly, mixed peoples)

16. 1914, Hitler’s Turning Point World War I—Hitler enlists in the Germany army as a volunteer (he was Austrian) Hitler had to return to Austria when the war began, but he was deemed unfit for military service Hitler would later say that he had no intention of serving the Austro-Hungarian Empire, much preferring the proud German army

17. Hitler’s Role in World War I Was a Lance Corporal (a courier) on the Western Front (no battle action) Found his calling in battle, carnage, and death Was the happiest he had ever been in his life, and for the first time felt that he “belonged”

18. Hitler is injured on the Western Front Hitler was injured in October 1918 in Flanders (Belgium) and was temporarily blinded Hitler was later awarded the Iron Cross, First Class, for his service It was during his recovery from injury when he learned that Germany had signed an armistice to end the war

19. Was Hitler Jewish? Fact: Alois (Hitler’s father) was the illegitimate son of an unmarried 42 year-old peasant woman. Fact: She became pregnant while working as a domestic for a Jewish family. Fact: She never revealed who the father was, and Hitler was obsessed with the thought that his paternal grandfather MIGHT have been Jewish!

20. HOW did Hitler respond? After Nazi Germany invaded Austria in 1938, Adolf Hitler ordered the town of Dollersheim to be completely destroyed, including its birth registry, which held the birth certificate of his father He ordered the village to be used as an artillery range, which completely destroyed all the buildings, including making the graves in the cemeteries unrecognizable

21. So was Hitler in fact Jewish? We will never know, since by obliterating the town of Dollersheim he erased any evidence of a Jewish past What we do know is that trying to cover up his past, he created rumor and myth!

22. Was Hitler homosexual? Despite some debate by historians, there is no evidence that Adolf Hitler was homosexual When he was in the army, Adolf was often alone painting rather than womanizing! These reports, and efforts later by his political enemies to smear him, have allowed this debate to occur

23. Hitler and his relationships with women After his mother, the most important woman in Hitler’s life was his niece, GeliRaubal (from his half-sister) Geli lived with Hitler in his Munich apartment Hitler idolized and worshipped her, but was extremely jealous of her relationships with other men He treated her in a controlling, authoritarian way

24. What became of Geli? Hitler was furious that Geli was carrying on a relationship with a Jewish man—and Geli became pregnant Shortly after, Hitler and Geli had a fight, and Hitler left that evening The next morning Geli was found dead in the apartment from a gunshot wound to the chest! Official cause of death; suicide

25. Hitler’s last love interest Eva Braun was an 18 year-old who worked as an assistant for Hitler’s photographer Braun admired Hitler, and they began a relationship; she wanted to marry Hitler and have children with him Hitler was against both of these, and simply said “I am married to Germany.” Eva Braun felt lonely and neglected; Hitler never took her out in public, and never showed her affection

26. Eva Braun marries (and dies) with Hitler Eva Braun remained in a relationship with Hitler throughout his reign as Germany’s leader On April 29, in Hitler’s underground bunker in Berlin, Hitler and Braun were married Their marriage lasted about 40 hours; on April 30, at about 1PM, Hitler and Braun committed suicide in the bunker