Adolph Hitler-Portrait of a Monster

Essay by sunshine4432High School, 11th gradeA+, February 2005

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When the topic of dictators is brought up who comes to mind? Most anyone will say Adolf Hitler. Why was he so cruel? What drove his hatred for the Jews? Why did he want a so-called "perfect" race? Well the answer to all these questions might be answered from Hitler's childhood.

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20th 1889 in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria. He was the son of Alois, a customs official, and Klara Hitler. Alois was a very mean and stern father. His death, in 1903, came as a relief to Adolf. His relationship with his mother was totally opposite than his relationship with his father, Adolf idealized his mother so when she died in 1907 it was a very traumatic experience to him. This led to many problems, especially in school.

Adolf attended school from the age of six and the family lived in various villages around the town of Linz, east of Braunau.

By this time Adolf had a younger brother, Edmund, but he only lived until the age of six. In 1896, Klara gave birth to Adolf 's sister, Paula, who survived to outlive him.

Adolf Hitler grew up with a poor record at school and left, before completing his tuition, with an ambition to become an artist. Alois Hitler had died when Adolf was thirteen and Klara brought up Adolf and Paula on her own. Between the ages of sixteen and nineteen, young Adolf neither worked to earn his keep, nor formally studied, but had gained an interest in politics and history. During this time he unsuccessfully applied for admission to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.

Klara Hitler died from cancer when Adolf was nineteen and from then onwards he had no relatives willing or able to support him. So, in 1909, he moved...