Adolf – The forbidden name

1939 to 1945 – Six years of the battle called The Second World War – the battle in which more than fifty million lives were lost – needlessly. And, the cause was singular – the ambitions of a man called Adolf Hitler.

Have always been intrigued by how the minds of mass murderers work. While there are studies available on serial killers, have hardly come across any work on the psyches of the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin or a Pol Pot who murdered not in hundreds or thousands but in millions.

Given the above handicap, have instead tried to put together the chronology of events in the life of Adolf Hitler – popping a question whenever it is not possible to align the Hitler who was and who became.

Hitler was born to Austrian parents – Alois and Klara in April 1889. He did not have a very happy childhood even though he and his mother were absolutely devoted to each other. He had a very difficult relationship with his father. While Hitler was determined not to follow his father’s footsteps and become a customs official, Alois, the domineering man with three marriages and multiple extra marital affairs, was enraged with his son’s intent of becoming an artist. Hitler faced repeated physical abuse which could have scarred the boy for life.
With his father’s passing away in 1903, Hitler was able to follow his own will, gave up studies and pursued his love for art. But soon life dealt him a cruel blow. His mother passed away from breast cancer in 1908. The young man was devastated.

He became a loner and drifted to Vienna. He presented himself as an applicant to the Academy of Fine Arts and was rejected twice for lack of creativity! 1908 to 1913 were his years of abject disappointment. Hitler had no purpose in life. He lived in a strange but grand city that declined to accept him in its folds. He dwelled in squalid bachelor accommodations, roamed the city, sold an occasional post card painting and lived off his mother’s savings.

During these years, we see a young man, devoid of friends and relations, leading a secluded life. At times, one wonders, what course would his life and more importantly world history have taken if he was accepted at the Academy? Would the world have been spared of the massacres if the artist in him had been nurtured and allowed to thrive?

Lore has it that Hitler’s mother’s doctor who comforted her in her final days was a Jew. Also, most of his post card paintings were purchased by the Jews in Vienna. Hence, the exact trigger of his deep seated hatred for the Jews is very difficult to ascertain. It could have been prompted by the fanatical antisemitic ideologies of the then Mayor of Vienna or the various theories post Germany’s defeat in WW1 – like the theory of ‘back stabbing’ which believed that Germany lost the war due to traitors like the Jews and communists. These theories were never backed up by data. On the contrary Jews had fought in almost equal nos. as the Germans in WW1.

Also, it would not be prudent to believe that a man like Hitler, who would very soon manipulate the psyche of the entire German Fatherland, would himself be swayed by these unfounded theories. He would actually have figured out that post the war, if he wanted to carve a political career for himself in the defeated, disarmed, financially shattered Germany, he would have to ride on theories which would give Germany its scapegoat. But again, when did this ambition sow its seeds in Hitler’s mind? Because before the war, he had come to terms with his mediocre life. Even in the war, Hitler’s performance, though brave, was not stellar. He received the Iron Cross twice for his role of a messenger in the Bavarian army on the Western front, but could not rise beyond the rank of a corporal. His seniors mentioned he lacked leadership quality!

Records available, take us to a post war Germany in 1919 teeming with disgruntled returning soldiers – some crippled physically but most crippled mentally from the humiliation of the failure of their country to achieve victory despite their sacrifices. The terms of the Treaty of Versailles crippled the nation further. Hitler was one such soldier bristling with rage and bitterness.

The Treaty of Versailles demanded huge reparations and acceptance of complete responsibility of WW1 by the Germans. They had to substantially relinquish land and armed forces.  The country was broken, the people were choking under soaring inflation and unemployment. The stage was just ready for a political upheaval.

On returning from the WW1, Hitler clung on to his army job and the Bavarian army retained Hitler as part of its intelligence unit. He was tasked with monitoring the activities of political parties in Munich. It was during one such watch in one of Munich’s many beer halls, he heard the inflammatory speakers of a small party called the Germans’ workers’ party or the DAP. We are told that he felt strangely aligned to their right winged thoughts and the impact was such that he himself started speaking. He was a natural orator of astonishing potency. From the outset, he possessed an uncanny ability to read an audience and manipulate its emotions. It was as though a dormant volcano had erupted; his speeches poured forth like scorching lava, stirring crowds into frenzied admiration.

The above incident exposed a till date unexplored, unknown facet of Hitler’s character – the orator, the influencer, the ‘rabble rouser’. He just shook off the thirty years of anonymity and embarked on a journey which no one thought him capable of. His energy, his body language were infectious, electrifying. He spoke with a conviction which made the people want to trust him, follow him. The dictator was slowly taking shape. He had also got himself a mentor by this time – Dietrich Eckart, a political activist who further refined Hitler’s extreme right ideologies and polished his persona.

Hitler joined the DAP in 1919, by 1921 he was leading the party which now had a new name – the National Socialist German Workers Party or the Nazi Party. By November 1923, we see him plotting a coup against the ruling Democratic Weimer government. This came to be known as the Beer Hall Putsch which was a complete disaster. It got Hitler arrested. But even this setback became a platform for him. In a packed courtroom, he delivered a dramatic speech that transformed him into a martyr in the eyes of many Germans.

He was sentenced to five years, but served only nine months—months during which he produced Mein Kampf (My Struggle). Even though he was helped in his writing by Rudolf Hess, an ardent admirer, it is really astonishing to observe a man with almost nil formal education, creating a book which would soon sell a million copies. The book was strewn with his extreme right wing views, coloured with anti-semitism, proclaiming the supremacy of the pure Aryan blood of the Germans and prophesying that Germany would need to acquire vast lands to ensure the growth and prosperity of the superior German race.

The years after his release – 1924 to 1928 proved to be stagnating for Hitler and the Nazis. The Weimer government had brought a semblance of stability riding on American loans and the people were satisfied. The Nazis lost their relevance.

During this time, there is another aspect in Hitler that reveals itself.  He had very close and turbulent relationships with multiple ladies – his half niece, Geli and Eva Braun were just a couple of them. But he never owned up any of these relationships. His self projection was always of a man devoted only to the cause of his country. Ladies found this man’s aura irresistible.

1929 brought the best gift ever for Hitler – The Great Depression and Germany was plunged back into acute crisis. While the world floundered, Hitler seized his opportunity. He travelled across the nation, denouncing the Weimar Government’s inability to govern effectively. He vilified Jews and communists for “betraying” Germany in the First World War, called for the elimination of Jews, communists, gypsies, and the disabled. The once marginal Nazi Party was back in public view—Hitler firmly at its centre.

Hitler’s Henchmen: Evil attracts evil. Hitler was by this time surrounded by his inner circle of ruthless individuals:

Ernst Röhm, creator of the SA (Brownshirts) troupes which terrified the nation. He was subsequently murdered by Hitler and his tribe. Herman Göring, WW1 hero, future head of the air force, Luftwaffe & founder of dreaded Gestapo or secret police service. He was the designated successor of the Fuhrer. Joseph Goebbels, future propaganda minister. He controlled the entire German media which became the voice of the Nazis. Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS which eventually became the powerful militia following the downfall of the brown shirts. He was also the architect of the Final Solution to the Jewish problem. Joachim von Ribbentrop, future foreign minister and key figure in the German-Soviet Pact during the Poland War. Albert Speer was an architect and later armaments minister. He shared a strange relationship with Hitler, bordering on friendship – perhaps Hitler’s only ‘almost friend’. Martin Bormann, Hitler’s so called secretary. Every visitor, meeting agenda required his approval before passing on to the Fuhrer. Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy during the early years. He was with Hitler during his months in prison and encouraged him to create Mein Kamph. However, in subsequent years, he lost his relevance.

Hitler and his inner circle immersed themselves in amassing absolute power. Using terror, muscle power, connivance and evil plotting, the Nazis became the largest party in the German parliament (Reichstag) in 1932.

In February 1933, the Reichstag or German parliament went up in flames. A lone communist was blamed and executed. Hitler grabbed this opportunity with both hands and made himself the supreme authority to legislate without the consent of the president or the parliament. He became the Fuhrer or the supreme leader of Germany in 1934. It was a reign of absolute terror. Human lives were meaningless. The country was under a fascist, dictatorial rule. Anyone daring to raise a voice was silenced forever.
After consolidating his iron grip over Germany, the Fuhrer turned his attention to the rest of Europe. His campaign began with the gamble of Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938 which paid off. However, he misjudged the invasion of Poland in 1939 which brought France and Britain into the foray and thus, began the Second World War which would rage for six devastating years.

The Nazis were at their prime during 1938 to late 1941 with one victory after the other. The German war tactics of Blitzkrieg brought France to its knees. The  success mantra of Blitzkrieg was the blinding speed of attack. German tanks mowed over France and Hitler obliterated the humiliation of the WW1 by making the French sign the amnesty. He captured Poland, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg and wherever he went, blood bath followed. Concentration camps sprung up and millions of Jews, communists and prisoners of wars were executed at an industrial scale. One can not stop wondering what happened to the artist in Hitler, the one who painted, the architect in him who wanted to build and not destroy. He was a devoted son himself – how could he allow children to be gassed and shot?

Throughout the years of the holocaust, Hitler always had a nagging fear – did he have a Jewish bloodline, was he a pure Aryan? These thoughts were the outcome of his helpless ignorance about his own heredity since his father was an illegitimate child! Even today, historians have not been able to ascertain without a grain of doubt Alois’s biological father. Hitler had investigations conducted by his trusted SS on his lineage and would soon proclaim to the world the purity of his bloodline as confirmed by the faithful SS.

The WW2 saw many ravaging events – Dresden, Pearl Harbour, Normandy, Hiroshima, Nagasaki to name a few. The battle of Stalingrad was one such fierce battle. Russia suffered huge initial losses. However, in 1943 the tables started to turn slowly. Stanlingrad proved that the Germans were not invincible. Hitler lost 200,000 men and another 90,000 were taken prisoners. These unprecedented losses were actually at the altar of Hitler’s ego. He forbade the troops to surrender even when they were staring at absolute defeat. The Russian winter was ruthless and the troops were cut off from resources. But Hitler continued to use them to achieve his objective of capturing Russia – more so of capturing Stalingrad to humiliate Stalin. This proved to be his nemesis.

April 1945 saw the final downfall of Hitler. This brutal dictator escaped the hangman’s noose and dictated the terms of his own death. He committed suicide along with his newly wed wife, Eva.

In hindsight, Hitler was a man of formidable oratory and organizational ability, who commanded near-fanatical devotion. Here was a man who could have led Germany towards prosperity; instead, he plunged it into ruins. His prejudices and catastrophic misjudgments caused unprecedented destruction. His virulent antisemitism culminated in the murder of six million Jews—a Holocaust unparalleled in history.

Modern Germany chooses not to remember him. The name “Adolf” itself remains nearly a taboo.