Lecture Notes: Early Life of Adolf Hitler

Introduction

• Adolfus Hitler, born in 1889 in Austria-Hungary.
• His father, Alois Schicklgruber (later Alois Hitler), had a tumultuous personal life and career as a mid-level customs officer.

Family Background

• Alois was born out of wedlock and took his stepfather’s name.
• Alois married several times, often immediately after the previous wife’s death, and had affairs, leading to a complicated family dynamic.
• Adolf had a difficult relationship with his father, Alois, who was strict and harsh.
• Adolf was very attached to his mother, Clara, who spoiled him.

Childhood and Education

• Adolf attended five different elementary schools due to family relocations.
• Initially did well in school, enjoyed war games, and reading, particularly about cowboys and Indians.
• Rebellious acts included smoking, orchard raids, and symbolic gestures against Austrian authority.
• Developed an early interest in German nationalism, contrary to his father’s Austrian allegiance.

Teenage Years

• Experienced family tragedy with the death of his six-year-old brother, leading to behavioral changes.
• School performance declined; had a difficult time fitting in with city peers.
• Desired to be an artist against his father’s wishes.
• Dropped out of high school and spent years unemployed, sharing his interests with his friend August Kubizek.

Transition to Adulthood

• Failed entrance exam to art school in Vienna.
• Mother’s death left him overwhelmed with grief.
• Lived in poverty, painting postcards to survive.

Development of Ideological Beliefs

• Anti-Semitism in Vienna influenced him; supported anti-Semitic mayor and read right-wing literature.
• Believed in racial hierarchies, with Germans as superior.
• Moved to Munich to avoid military service in Austria-Hungary.

World War I Experience

• Volunteered for the German army in 1914; found purpose and camaraderie.
• Displayed bravery, received the Iron Cross, and enjoyed wartime experiences.
• Injured in 1916, returned to find anti-war sentiment in Germany.
• Blinded by gas attack in 1918, learned of Germany's defeat.

Post-War Sentiments

• Treaty of Versailles had harsh terms for Germany, leading to loss of territory and military restrictions.
• Felt Germany was humiliated and blamed communists and Jews for Germany’s defeat, cultivating his extreme ideological beliefs.

These notes provide a summary of Adolf Hitler's early life, family background, education, and the formation of his radical ideologies up to the end of World War I.