Hitler's Background to 1923

Hitler's Background 

Discuss Hitler's background to 1923 and how it influenced his rise to power with the NSDAP.

Characteristics:

• felt lonely, isolated
• shy/moody (especially after death of mother in 1907)
• admired strength, success
• wanted a powerful role, convinced he would play a big one in society 

Skills/Abilities:

• very single/narrow-minded
• committed (^therefore would push for one idea relentlessly) 
• could hypnotize an audience
• with what they wanted to hear
• with great energy
• could make people feel safe
• *demagogue 

Basic Ideas:

• anti-semitism
• Jews were ruining purity of German blood
• pan-Germanism
• Germans should unite; spread; expand
• anti-Marxism
• Marx was a non-religious Jew; hostility 
• anti-democracy 
• gov't should be one party, one idea, one powerful leader
• anti-capitalism
• criticized big businesses
• socialism 
• against Marxism, but for national community 

Important Timeline Points:

• 1889 -- Hitler born in Austria
• 1895 -- Hitler wishes to become a priest... a powerful, convincing job
• 1903 -- Death of Hitler's father, Alois. Hitler becomes wayward; unhappy. Two years later leaves school with no qualifications.
• 1907 -- drifts around, lived in a Jewish quarter, where he developed a hate for Jews and Marxism
• Had a fear that he was 1/4 Jewish -- destroyed the town his father was born in hoping to eliminate any traces of ancestry 
• Oct 1918 -- feels betrayed after hearing of defeat of Germany
• 1919 -- joins German Worker's Party, joins
• 1920 -- 25-Point Program; German Worker's Party --> NSDAP

Often times, a dictator's background is what greatly influenced their rise to power. For Hitler, there are many evident pieces of information which provide reason for his rise. His personal characteristics included him being shy, awkward and moody. He was also very lonely and isolated. It is more likely than not that these characteristics came about from his childhood with his father, and then the death of his father. After the death of his father, many say that he went wayward and started performing poorly in school.  While he was unhappy, he also had many fantasies of power, and admired strength and success. Even at the age of 6, Hitler is said to have wanted to be a priest. Even though priesthood is no way able to be compared to a dictator, they both contain the necessity of being able to have leadership, be powerful and have the ability to convince a crowd of something.  Hitler was known to be a very committed man. He was a single-minded fanatic, which in his case was an advantage because even being narrow-minded, he had the ability to use his energy and commitment to be convincing. Hitler was a supporter of propaganda. He knew how to hypnotize an audience, and is easily described as a demagogue. 

After the death of his mother in 1907, he drifted around for about six years, and even spent some time living in a Jewish quarter. During this time he developed many of his basic ideas that he's known for today. These ideas are anti-semitism -- Hitler thought that Jews were ruining purity of German blood; pan-Germanism -- thought that Germans should unite; spread; and expand; anti-Marxism -- Hitler was not a fan because Marx was a non-religious Jew, he had hostility toward him; anti-democracy -- thought that government should be one party, one idea, and have one powerful leader; anti-capitalism -- he often times criticized big businesses; and socialism -- he was against Marxism, but for national community. In 1919, Hitler attended a German Workers' Party meeting and joins. A year later, the German Workers' Party turns into the NSDAP and Hitler uses his skills as a powerful orator to build up membership. He also developed the 25-Point Program which consisted of his basic ideas.  Overall, Hiter grew up lonely and in a hatred world, therefore developing his rise to power in Germany.