Cabanero 1

Introduction
The first part of the first volume of this two part biography, Hitler, 1889-1936: Hubris, written
by Ian Kershaw, focuses on Hitlers younger life before he becomes the famous dictator that we
know him as. Kershaw draws information from Hitlers autobiography, Mein Kampf, scholars in
Berlin, memoirs of Hitlers friends, army comrades, and political party members, along with a
plethora of books. In my paper I will focus on Hitlers life from the day he was born until 1923.
Through this thirty-four year time period, Hitler went through many tough and traumatic
experiences that shaped his personality and views on life. Adolf Hitler started out as a carefree
imaginative boy but grew up to be an angry, resentful, yet still popular man. This change in
his personality was brought about by his dominating father, his smothering mother, his two
rejections from the Academy of Fine Arts, and Germanys loss in World War I. This in
addition to his success at speech making led him to be the dictator we know him as today.
Upbringing
Hitlers father, Alois, was a dominating and short-tempered figure who was one of the first
influences on Adolfs character. Alois worked as a civil servant and had a temper identical to the
one that was later shown by Adolf in his teen years. Alois was not home often and took little
interest in his wife and kids. When at home, Alois was an authoritarian, overbearing,
domineering husband and a stern distant, masterful, and often irritable father (Kershaw 12).
Paula, Adolfs younger sister, had said after the war that Alois was an abusive father to Adolf and
quite possibly turned on his wife, Klara, as well. Hitler, who obviously did not look up to his
father, was still aware of what his father accomplished and how he treated people. Hitler saw that
his fathers short temper gained him respect within the community and helped him advance in his
job, which was something that was later important to Hitler. Hitler may have made a point to be
nothing like his father by not following in his footsteps of becoming a civil servant, but he ended
up being exactly like his father, a dictator. Hitlers father was a dictator of his family household;
he was controlling and wanted everything to be done his way and everyone to be exactly like
him. Hitler followed in his fathers footsteps by becoming one of the most famous dictators in
history. Alois was the main male figure in Hitlers life, and Hitler saw in his father that it was
okay to have a short temper, be abusive and violent to others, and he saw that work, above all, is
the most important thing in ones life.
Adolfs mother, Klara, was a soft-spoken, submissive woman, who pampered Adolf and treated
him like everything revolved around him. Adolf was Klaras first child who survived through
infancy, so she therefore bestowed a smothering, protective love and devotion onto Adolf
(Kershaw 12). Klara tried to make up for her husbands anger by showing Adolf how important
he was by giving in to anything he wished for. This let Hitler feel he was the center of attention
and he learned that by throwing a tantrum he could get his way. Klaras life revolved around
Hitler, and Hitler realized this and took advantage of her attention. Klaras adoration of Hitler
was the start of his ego, which eventually grew to make him the egotistical dictator that we
know.

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Through Adolf Hitlers youth he had two contrasting parental influences. Both parents, though,
had a big impact on the development of the personality that was later shown when he became a
dictator. Though his parents influence may have been a very small part of what formed his
personality, it undeniably formed it in some way. However, some people may argue that having
an abusive father and a smothering mother has happened to others and that they may have grown
up to be loving, caring people, who in no way came close to resembling anyone like Hitler. This
may be true, but Hitlers upbringing did have a large impact on his personality and was just one
of the many puzzle pieces that formed the personality and ego of an evil dictator. As Kershaw
explains,
Speculation though it must remain, it takes little to imagine that his later patronizing contempt
for the submissiveness of women, the thirst for dominance (and imagery of the leader as stern,
authoritarian father-figure), the inability to form deep personal relationships, the corresponding
cold brutality towards humankind, and not least the capacity for hatred so profound that it
must have reflected an immeasurable undercurrent of self-hatred concealed in the extreme
narcissism that was its counterpoint, must surely have had roots in the subliminal influences of
the young Adolfs family circumstances. (Kershaw 13)
Failure as an Artisit
From an early age Hitler wanted to become an artist. At the age of sixteen Hitler dropped out of
school and spent his time during the days drawing, painting, reading, or writing poetry; the
evenings were for going to the theatre or opera; and the whole time he daydreamed and
fantasized about his future as a great artist (Kershaw 20). Hitler dedicated his life to becoming
an artist and dreamed of attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. In September 1907,
Hitler left for Vienna to apply to the academy and at this point Adolf was very confident in
himself and it never occurred to him that he might not get accepted into the art program. Hitler
passed his first examination for admission but eventually failed the following two examinations
and was not admitted into the academy. In Mein Kampf he recalls that he was so convinced that
[he] would be successful that when [he] received [his] rejection, it struck [him] as a bolt from the
blue (Kershaw 24). Hitler started off with such a large ego that he never considered the
possibility of rejection, which made it even harder for him to accept, which in turn led him to
keep his rejection a secret from his mother and good friend, Gustl. In October 1908, Hitler was
again rejected by the academy and did not even pass the first examination. At this point, all of
Hitlers hopes were ruined and he felt he had no meaning in his life anymore. Failure in Vienna
had turned Hitler into an angry and frustrated young man increasingly at odds with the world
around him (Kershaw 48). After being rejected twice, Hitler had no other dreams or aspirations,
and he felt his whole entire life up until then was meaningless. The tirades of hate directed at
everything and everybody were those of an outsized ego desperately wanting acceptance and
unable to come to terms with his personal insignificance, with failure and mediocrity (Kershaw
39). Hitler had failed himself and was angry with himself, which made him angry at the world
around him and fueled his anger that he held within him for the rest of his life.
The Loss of the War

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Another failure that affected Hitler was not actually something that Hitler had control over, but
still sharply affected him. This was Germanys failure in World War I. In August 1914, after
being rejected by the Austrian army, Hitler volunteered to fight for the Germans. Hitler started
off fighting on the front line but soon became an orderly, which were dispatch runners who
carried orders from the command post to the leaders on the front. Hitler has referred to the war
years as the greatest and most unforgettable time of [his] earthly existence (Kershaw 87).
Hitler took so much pride in his work in the military; it was the first time since his failure in
Vienna that he had had something to live for. Hitler was so passionate about the war that even if
his comrades joked that they would possibly lose the war Hitler would go off at the deep end
(Kershaw 93). Through the war Hitler received two medals and was injured twice. In October
1918, Hitler was blinded by mustard gas and was sent to a military hospital in Pasewalk. It was
in Pasewalk, recovering from his temporary blindness, that Hitler was to learn the shattering
news of defeat and revolution what he called the greatest villainy of the century (Kershaw
97). Hitler lived for the war, which gave him a purpose and a meaning to his life, and when
Germany was defeated the anger and hatred grew in him even more. The defeat of Germany
became an important focal point in Hitlers life because it was at this time that he decided that he
wanted to go into politics. Without the war and without the defeat, Germany would not have had
the dictator that they were soon to see. The First World War made Hitler possible (Kershaw
74). Germanys economy and pride was at an all-time low and the people of Germany were
looking for someone to lead them out of their depression. Hitler, filled with anger and hatred,
was ready to fight to make Germany the world power it once was. This was a major turning point
in Hitlers life because Germanys loss did not just let Hitler become a dictator, it let him become
the angry, relentless, hateful dictator that he is so famous for.
Hitlers failure with the Art Academy and Germanys failure in World War I shaped Hitlers
personality because they made him an angry and resentful person. These were two very traumatic
failures in his life and crushed every dream and meaning in his life. Failures such as these, could
have happened to anyone and not affected them or shaped them like they did Hitler, but because
Hitler had no meaning in his life and was in such a confused state, these two failures were very
detrimental and had a large impact on the shaping of who Hitler was to become.
An Aptitude For Speaking
After the war, Hitler discovered a talent that he did not know he had. He realized that when he
spoke the audience was drawn in and mesmerized by what he said. Once released from
Pasewalk, Hitler moved back to Munich and started giving lectures on political aspects and
immediately saw that he could speak well and that people listened to him. Some time in
September 1919, Hitler joined the German Workers Party, known as the DAP, where he quickly
became the most famous speaker of the party. When Hitler first joined the DAP he was nameless,
however, he shortly gained popularity and later became a kind of celebrity. In the middle of
1921, Hitler took over the partys chairmanship, which at this time became the NSDAP, also
known as the Nazi party. This power that Hitler increasingly gained was an important power that
would help him gain the popularity he needed to become dictator. When Hitler spoke, he hit a
chord with people. Most Germans at this time were angry and upset with the state of their
country, and Hitler spoke passionately about the problems Germany faced and gave hope and
pride to the people of Germany. Germany was in an economic depression and Hitler somehow

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gave the German people hope. His speaking ability may not have formed Hitlers personality, but
it formed how people looked at him. People saw him, through his speeches, as the solution to
their problems. He spoke about things that people could relate to and he proved to have only one
aim in mind, which was the welfare of the country (Kershaw 159). Through his acceptance as
a speaker, Hitler regained his confidence and also his purpose in life. He was looked upon by the
people of Germany as a leader and also as someone who could rebuild their country.
Conclusion
The formation of the famous, yet brutal dictator that we all know was brought about by
the many experiences that Hitler faced in his life. These life changing experiences and the talents
that he discovered he had could have also happened to other people and they may not have
become a ruthless dictator. Yet, Hitler needed all of these aspects in his life to become who he
was. His abusive father, his submissive mother, his many failures and his charismatic speaking
ability were all building blocks that formed his brutal personality.