Hitler's Painful Childhood And The Root Of His Cruelty

Adolf Hitler (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

JAKARTA - When you hear the name Adolf Hitler, it's hard not to imagine the cruelty and violence that pervaded his actions. Adolf Hitler is the undisputed leader of Nazi Germany since 1921. Where did the roots of Adolf Hitler's cruelty come from?

In 1923, Hitler was arrested and imprisoned for trying to overthrow the German government. However, the judicial proceedings gave him fame and followers.

Hitler used his time in prison to dictate his political ideas in a book, Mein Kampf. Hitler's ideological goals included the expansion of territory, the consolidation of a purely racial state, and the elimination of European Jews and other German enemies.

In hindsight, this attitude far from being humanized by Hitler was the fruit of his father's upbringing. Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn, on the Austrian-German border.

His father, Alois Hitler was a customs officer. Meanwhile, his mother, Klara Hitler, came from a poor peasant family. Financially, the Hitler family lived comfortably.

Alois is a dominating character. And young Adolf often found himself the target of his father's temperament. Launching Spartacus Education, Alois is an authoritarian, arrogant, domineering, aggressive and cruel figure.

German journalist Konrad Heiden said Hitler's father was a grumpy old man who had struggled fiercely in life. He often makes the most difficult sacrifices. And in the end things don't go the way you want them to.

Alois really wanted his son to be successful in life. He didn't hesitate to beat Adolf if he didn't do what he was told. In the book He Was My Chief: The Memoirs of Adolf Hitler's Secretary written by Christa Schroeder, Hitler once told a story: After reading a book from Karl May, a brave man would show no signs of pain, I decided not to make any sound when I was beaten. .

After that Adolf counted the strokes he got from his father. Adolf proudly told his mother: Dad hit me 32 times and I didn't cry.

As a child, Adolf Hitler was often sick and his mother became overly protective. He is worried about losing another child. Therefore, Adolf loved his mother very much. He said that one of his happiest memories is sleeping with the mother on the big bed when his father was away.

The bad relationship between Hitler and Alois ended after Alois died on January 3, 1903. At that time Adolf was 13 years old and raised by his mother.

His mother raised Hitler by spoiling him. Like her husband, she wanted Adolf to do well in school. Her attempts to persuade Adolf were less successful than her husband's harsh actions. Adolf continues to get poor grades. The gentleness of the mother did not make Adolf show any real interest in his studies.

His last school report, dated September 16, 1905, showed "fair" grades in German, chemistry, physics, geometry and geometric drawings. In geography and history he is "satisfying." However, the drawing of his free hand was described as "extraordinary".

Cruel to sisters

His father's tough attitude descended on Adolf. Two historians, Timothy Ryback and Florian Beierl found a journal written by Adolf Hitler's sister, Paula Hitler. The journal provides excellent insights into the dysfunctional nature of the Führer family.

Quoting The Guardian, Dr. Ryback is the head of the Obersalzberg Institute for Contemporary History in Germany, which has dedicated his life to doing research on Hitler. Meanwhile, Beierl has written several books about the leader of the Nazi Party and the chancellor of the Third Reich.

Paula Hitler's journal, which was excavated in a secret location in Germany, reveals that her brother was a bully as a teenager. Adolf also did not hesitate to beat Paula.

Recounting the earliest memories of her childhood, when she was about eight and Adolf was 15, Paula wrote: Once again I felt my brother's hand land on my face.

They said that scientific tests have verified the authenticity of the document. Paula Hitler, always regarded as the innocent party in the Hitler Family, was engaged to one of the Holocaust's most famous euthanasia doctors.

"Adolf is the older brother and father figure. He was very strict with Paula and often slapped him. But Paula confirmed it, because he believed it was for the good of his education," said Dr Ryback.

Adolf's tough attitude continued into adulthood and a character that could not be removed from him. Even though he is now gone, his atrocities with the Holocaust and massive Jewish massacres left many wounds today.

* Read other information about WORLD HISTORY or read other interesting writings from Putri Ainur Islam.

MEMORY Other