Adolf Hitler was born into a poor family in a small Austrian town on April 20, 1889. Hewanted to be an artist as a young man. Many have come to wonder how a man who had thedream of becoming an artist, would eventually become known as one of the most feared tyrantsof all time. How could someone from such a lousy background rise to so much power in such ashort time. As the dictator of Nazi Germany he was responsible for the death of nearly 46 millionJews, Gypsies, and other non-"Aryan" races and cultures. So how could an aspiring artist cometo such power?Hitler tried to pursue his career in artistry once his father died but was denied by manydifferent art schools in Vienna. After his father passed away, he began pursuing art becauseAlois Hitler, his father, did not believe that being an artist was a respectable job for such a smartyoung man..
Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Munich, Germa...
Mussolini (left) and Hitler sent their armies to N...
Adolf Hitler in Yugoslavia.The exams to get into these schools were not cheap and Hitler soon ran out ofmoney. "At one point, he was so poor he had to beg for money at a homeless shelter" (Roberts16). Denial after denial, and Hitler finally gave up. He had built up a thick skin to harsh news bythe time he decided to stop pursuing a career as an artist. He was sick of not being able to makeit as an artist and had to switch how he would make his living.
By the time World War One came around he was ready to try something new. He enlistedin the German army even though he was an Austrian citizen. Like many Austrians who livednear the German border, Hitler's family had German roots. Like many, Hitler thought ashimself as German, not Austrian. (Roberts 34)In the First World War Hitler started as a gruntthat tested gas...