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What was Adolf Hitler's background? What was his early life like?

Adolf Hitler was born in Austria in 1889 and spent his early childhood living in both Austria and Germany. Adolf is said to have been a very withdrawn and morose child who was disobedient in school, and he even mentions in Mein Kampf that he intentionally did poorly in school to antagonize his father. Hitler's relationship with his father was a troubled one because he did not want to take on his father's career working...

Adolf Hitler was born in Austria in 1889 and spent his early childhood living in both Austria and Germany. Adolf is said to have been a very withdrawn and morose child who was disobedient in school, and he even mentions in Mein Kampf that he intentionally did poorly in school to antagonize his father. Hitler's relationship with his father was a troubled one because he did not want to take on his father's career working in customs. At age 16, he took final examinations to leave school and moved to Vienna. For many years he was homeless and lived in men's shelters, but he nurtured an interest in the arts. He grew increasingly disgruntled with the multinational character of Vienna and perceived immigrants from the East to be the cause of all of Austria's problems. 


Antisemitism was not uncommon in either Austria or Germany at this time, but the conflict leading up to World War I greatly fueled nationalist ideology in these areas. Hitler was certainly not immune to it, and though he disliked the "mixed races" of the Austro-Hungarian and Bavarian Armies, he served with the Bavarian Army in World War I. After the war, he became affiliated with the National-Socialist German Worker's Party, also known as the Nazi Party. He was influential in getting fellow soldiers to join the political group and developed his skills in public speaking. He spoke powerfully and drew crowds by the hundreds; people were eager to hear how a German nationalist, antisemitic, anti-Marxist, anti-capitalist, and "racially pure" society was the answer to their problems.


From there on out, Adolf Hitler developed into a dictator and the leader of the Nazi party.

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