Adolf Hitler 3 Essay, Research Paper

No one would have known that a single surviving soldier of World War I, who had become blinded in war, would rule all of Germany and become the most powerful man in the world by 1921. After recovering his injuries of World War I, Hitler rejoined the army. His goal of joining the political party was soon achieved when his speeches won over crowds of eventually millions of people. As a young boy, he wanted to attend art school. He took a test, and was rejected. His mother died on December 20th, 1907, he was torn, but became more motivated. Hitler took the test again, and was rejected for the second time.

Hitler read pamphlets that suggested Jews were the sole reason of failure and evil. These pamphlets taught him to hate especially Jews. He had dreams of defeating the Jews, for he thought they were the reason of his failure to get into art school. He left his apartment to live on the streets. He felt he needed no friends. He wandered the streets and visualized victory. It was then, after 5 years of living on the streets, that he joined the army. Later he became the Fuehrer, meaning leader, of the NAZI party.

Hitler made each man of the NAZI party swear an oath of obedience to Hitler himself. No German fighting man had ever been made to take such an oath. From then on, soldiers owed absolute obedience not to the German nation, but to one man, and he of doubtful sanity. With that oath, the Third Reich was born. The First German Empire had existed during the Middle Ages, coming to an end in 1806. The Second German Empire was created in 1871 and lasted to the end of the First World War. The Third Reich, Hitler promised, would be the greatest of all. It would last a thousand years.

Jews have never forgotten the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Each year, during Passover, they remember it in their prayers, along with the flight from Egypt. By 1945, some six million Jews had been murdered in cold blood, victims of ignorance and race hatred. Adolf Hitler had made good on his threat. His only regret was that he hadn’t been able to finish the task before his own time ran out.

For twelve years and three months der Fuehrer would dominate Germany. His power would reach into the homes of the German people to shape every aspect of their lives. He alone would decide whom they would marry, so they wouldn’t marry Jews. Also, how to raise their family, what music they’d hear, how artists would paint, and even dictated the proper way to cook lobster in restaurants. His word was law, to be obeyed without question on penalty of imprisonment or death. In time his tyranny overflowed the boundaries of Germany to pollute a continent and threaten the entire world. On his orders armies conquered most of Europe, looted its treasures, and enslaved its peoples. At his command millions of innocent people were locked up, starved, tortured, and murdered.

Adolf Hitler’s legacy is part of our world today. We cannot escape it. Part of that legacy is a broken nation. Because of Hitler, Germany is divided and will probably remain so for generations to come. Another, more important, part of the Hitler legacy is a warning and a lesson. The warning is that although democracy is still the best form of government, it can be quickly destroyed; we must never take it for granted. The lesson of Hitler is that people guided by hatred and unreason are capable of any and all crimes.

Marrin uses quotes from Hitler, his friends, his enemies, his victims, his followers and supporters. There are some poems and journal entries also; one was from a little girl that was held in concentration camp, and one from his selection SS officer, Dr. Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death.” The book is mostly a story, depicting the life of Hitler, trying to explain his actions.

The period in history is from April 20th, 1889, when Hitler was born, to his death on April 30th, 1945. The author examines a lengthy period in time, during the life of Hitler. The day before Hitler killed himself; he was married to Eva Braun. The next day the couple went to Hitler’s private apartment. Eva sat on the couch and drank poison; Hitler shot himself in the head.

The value of this book is significant because it gives the reader a better understanding of Hitler’s intentions. The means of his discovery of hatred was simply innocent. By reading untrue things about anti-Semitism, his head was flooded with false information. Marrin explains the life of Hitler in detail, to give the reader a better understanding to the purpose of Hitler’s intent.

There are so many questions left in mind. What if Hitler had gotten accepted into the Academy of Art? He would have still been somewhat of an insane person, but at least he would’ve been happy to be excepted. What if his father would’ve been more supportive and loving, Hitler would’ve grown up to be a better person. Although he caused unimaginable evil, it wasn’t because he himself was born evil. People aren’t born good or evil. They become good or evil according to how they are shaped by the world and by their life experiences. And so it was with Adolf Hitler. His is a sad, terrible story, and for that reason it must be retold as a lesson to future generations.