THE RISE OF HITLER

Hitlers Early Years. The Making of a Tyrant

 Alois Schicklgruber was born in 1837 but changed his surname to Hitler in 1876. He married his third wife, Klara Pölzl (his first cousin once removed), on 7 January 1885. Klara gave birth to her first child, Gustav, in May 1885, followed by Ida in September 1886. While historians long believed a third child, Otto, was born in 1887, recent research confirms he was actually born in June 1892, three years after Adolf, and died only six days later. Gustav and Ida both died of diphtheria within weeks of each other—Gustav in December 1887 and Ida in January 1888.

Alois Schicklgruber was born in 1837 but changed his surname to Hitler in 1876. He married his third wife, Klara Pölzl (his first cousin once removed), on 7 January 1885. Klara gave birth to her first child, Gustav, in May 1885, followed by Ida in September 1886. While historians long believed a third child, Otto, was born in 1887, recent research confirms he was actually born in June 1892—three years after Adolf—and died only six days later. Gustav and Ida both died of diphtheria in 1887 and 1888. After Adolf’s birth in 1889, the couple had two more children: Edmund, born in 1894, who died of measles at age six, and Paula, born in 1896, who was the only sibling to survive past childhood, and Paula, born in 1896, who was the only full sibling to survive past childhood. Adolf also grew up with two half-siblings from his father's second marriage to Franziska Matzelsberger: Alois Jr. (1882–1956) and Angela (1883–1949).

In 1895, Adolf entered primary school in Fischlham. Two years later, the family moved to Lambach, where he attended the monastery school. A talented singer in the choir, the young Adolf even considered becoming a priest—a path favoured by his devout mother, Klara. However, after the family moved to Leonding in 1898, his academic performance began to decline as he entered secondary school and clashed frequently with his father.

From 1900 to 1904, Adolf attended the Realschule in Linz, though he struggled academically. In 1904, he transferred to a school in Steyr, but he eventually quit school at age sixteen without a diploma. During these years, his relationship with his father was incredibly tense, as Alois wanted him to become a civil servant while Adolf dreamed of becoming an artist.

For the next two years, the young Hitler lived a life of leisure in Linz, supported by his mother. He spent his time immersed in German history and mythology, and he particularly revelled in adventure stories about the American Wild West by Karl May. At this stage, his only true ambition was to become a renowned artist.

In October 1907, Hitler moved to Vienna to take the entrance exam for the Academy of Fine Arts. He did so despite the fact that his beloved mother was dying of breast cancer. After failing the exam and learning her condition was terminal, he returned to Linz to serve as her primary caretaker until she passed away in December.

In Vienna, he sought admission to the Academy of Fine Arts but failed the entrance examination twice, once in 1907 and again in 1908. While instructors suggested he study architecture due to his talent for drawing buildings, Hitler lacked the high school diploma required for such a program. His pride took a serious blow, and he never truly got over the rejection, which left him drifting and increasingly embittered

Following his mother's death in December 1907, Hitler eventually moved back to Vienna. By 1909, his funds had run out, and for the next several years, he relied on charity and lived in men's hostels. He eked out a living selling hand-painted postcards of Vienna. Ironically, during this period, he maintained professional relationships with several Jewish businessmen, such as Samuel Morgenstern, who sold his paintings and ensured he received a fair share of the profits.

Many believe Hitler learned his antisemitism while living in Vienna, influenced by the populist, anti-Jewish speeches of the city's mayor, Karl Lueger. While the seeds of resentment toward minority groups may have been planted here, there is little evidence he was a radical antisemite at the time; in fact, his hatred did not fully materialise until after Germany's defeat in World War I. Hitler later claimed that his years in Vienna taught him to despise the teachings of Karl Marx and the inefficiency of democracy, but whether these views truly formed then or were backdated for political purposes remains a subject of historical debate. Regardless, his life before the war was undoubtedly one of isolation and failure.

In May 1913, Hitler left Vienna for Munich, Germany, driven by a lifelong sense of German rather than Austrian identity. However, the move brought him no peace; his life of poverty and desperation simply followed him across the border.

In February 1914, Hitler was forced to return to Austria to face a medical examination for compulsory military service. He was officially rejected and classified as too weak and unfit to bear arms. However, when World War I broke out in August, his nationalist fervour took over; he petitioned King Ludwig III of Bavaria for special permission to serve in a German unit. His request was granted, and he was enlisted in a Bavarian regiment, finally finding the sense of belonging that had eluded him for years.

Hitler was assigned to the 16th Bavarian Infantry (List Regiment) and served as a dispatch bearer on the Western Front. He was wounded twice during the war—once in 1916 and again by gas in 1918. He was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class in 1914, and in August 1918, he received the Iron Cross First Class for bravery under fire. While Nazi propaganda later invented stories of him capturing dozens of enemy soldiers single-handedly, the reality was less cinematic. Furthermore, although often called a "Corporal," his actual rank was Gefreiter (Lance Corporal); his officers reportedly felt he lacked the leadership potential for further promotion.

While at the Front, Hitler was often seen as an oddity by his fellow soldiers. He was a 'loner' who never spoke of girlfriends and refused to join his comrades in visiting local brothels, famously stating he would 'die of shame' rather than seek sex with a French girl. His extreme embarrassment when sex was mentioned led to rumours among some of his peers about his sexuality. While some later writers suggested these traits pointed to a repressed homosexuality, but some most mainstream historians believe his behaviour reflected a deep-seated aversion to physical intimacy or a budding sense of 'mission' that left no room for a private life. 

After Germany’s defeat, a bitter Hitler returned to Munich and began scapegoating Jews and Marxists for the nation’s collapse. Still on the army payroll, he was assigned to spy on political groups, leading him to a small, radical organisation called the German Workers' Party (DAP) in 1919. Though the group was unorganised, Hitler was captivated by their rhetoric. He joined as member No. 555 and quickly rose through the ranks due to his powerful oratory. By 1921, he had taken complete control, renaming the group the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP)—the Nazi Party.

Hitler transformed the Nazi movement through powerful oratory and choreographed political rallies. In November 1923, believing the Weimar Republic was on the verge of collapse, he launched a coup attempt known as the Beer Hall Putsch. While the uprising was a total military failure, the ensuing trial gave Hitler a massive national platform. He used the media attention to justify his actions and spread his ideology, turning a humiliating defeat into a propaganda triumph.

Hitler was sentenced to five years for high treason but served only nine months in Landsberg Prison. During this time, he dictated his book, Mein Kampf, to Rudolf Hess. Upon his release in December 1924, Hitler abandoned his plans for a violent revolution, pledging instead to destroy the Weimar Republic from within its own democratic framework. To rebuild the party, he eventually surrounded himself with key loyalists: Joseph Goebbels, who became his master of propaganda in 1926, and Hermann Goering, the WWI fighter ace who returned from exile in 1927 to help the Nazis gain respectability among the German elite.

His ambition became reality on 30 January 1933 when he was appointed Chancellor of Germany. Within a few years, Hitler’s megalomania would plunge the world into a reign of destruction. Germany—rebuilt on a foundation of arrogance and hate—would go on to brutalise Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Soviet republics, and much of Western Europe. Even former allies like Italy and Hungary were not spared. Driven by the myth of the 'superman,' the Nazi regime imposed its will through unprecedented violence, leaving few nations unscathed by the end of the conflict.