Jordan Gibson
Professor Underwood
CHIS 202
April 18, 2013
A Biological look at Adolf Hitler
To some people, Adolf Hitler was one of the most powerful and charismatic
leaders the world has ever seen. He has been compared to Nero Germanicus, the dictator
who is thought to have done nothing while Rome burned, and Napoleon Bonaparte, the
man who, like Hitler, tried to conquer the world and failed, in his infamous reputation. To
his people and allies, his compelling character and royal stance helped to create the image
that some people have today. However, what is that image? One image that automatically
comes to the minds of many in the world is that of a mass murderer that killed over
twenty million people in Europe, committed countless war crimes, and steered his
country and people into even more devastation than they were originally in.1 The
opposite image, and one that few think of, was that of a charismatic man that tried to
uplift his people and was shot down by adversity. Regardless of what image comes to
mind, whether he was a megalomaniac or a savior, all can agree that his character is what
backed his horrible image. His atrocious character was affected and emphasized by his
family life, his relationships, his experiences, and how they compare to that of his father,
Alois Hitler. The questions being posed are: how did Alois Hitler’s legacy affect his
son’s outcome? Do a parent’s actions influence the child’s or is everyone all on his own?
1
Niewyk, Donald, and Francis Nicosia. The Columbia Guide to the Holocaust. New York: Columbia
University Press, 2000.
Gibson
2
Hitler’s character, and specifically his character flaws, was cultivated throughout his life,
beginning with his family and ending with his death.
Hitler’s family life was marked by the relationship he had with his parents. Adolf
Hitler was born on April 20th, 1889 to Alois and Klara Hitler. He was the fourth and
favorite out of six children, three of the previous dying2. However, regardless of his
mother’s favoritism of him, his decisions in life were primarily based upon his father’s
influence. Alois Hitler was a harsh man, and his life experiences made him nearly
unapproachable and socially retarded. Alois Hitler was born illegitimate to a forty-two
year old peasant woman named Maria Anna Schicklgruber on June 7th, 1837.3 This fact
will haunt both the father and son in the years to come. Throughout the course of his life,
Alois Hitler has made many decisions, the main ones that influenced his son, Adolf
Hitler, being his decision to be completely Austrian. Alois was in public service for the
Austrian government, and as such, was deeply involved with Hitler’s choice in career as
stated by Payne, “Artist, no! Never as long as I live!”4 Alois wished for his son to have a
career in public service for the Austrian government like him, and as such, was deeply
apposed with Hitler’s choice in career, for he wanted to be an artist5. Alois pushed and
pushed to influence his son to be a part of that field. Adolf Hitler’s family life was also
largely affected by Alois. As stated before, while Klara Hitler loved and adored her son,
Alois abused him. After the death of his younger brother, Edmund, Adolf was beaten
regularly by his father. Alois Hitler died on January 3rd, 1903.
2
"Adolf Hitler." History.com. n.d. http://www.history.com/topics/adolf-hitler/videos#adolf-hitler (accessed
Feb 17, 2011).
3
Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial. ADOLF HITLER: EARLY YEARS, 1889-1913. n.d.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007430 (accessed April 22, 2011).
4
Payne, Robert. The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1973.
5
Adolf Hitler: Twisted Mind. n.d. http://mclane.fresno.k12.ca.us/wilson98/pdfs/hitleroutline.pdf (accessed
April 22, 2011).
Gibson
3
While his father seemed to hate him, his mother, Klara Hitler, loved him above all
her other children. Klara Hitler, born Klara Pölzl, was born on August 12th, 1860, to
parents Johann Pölzl and Johanna Hiedler. It is widely speculated that Klara was related
to Alois, for his father was thought to be either her grandfather Johann Nepomuk Hiedler
or his brother. If this was true, this means that Adolf Hitler was inbred. Klara met Alois
when she was 16 and working as a maid, and after the death of his second wife, they were
married on January 7th, 1885 during a brief wedding held early in the morning in Hitler's
rented room on the top floor of the Pommer Inn in Braunau; before Alois went to work
for the day. The couple then had six children, four of which died before reaching
adulthood. Adolf was the light of Klara’s life, treating him with more affection than she
did her other children. Long after Alois died, she took care of them; however, she died an
early death on December 21st, 1907 from breast cancer, she was 47 years old.
A look at Adolf Hitler’s relationships is also necessary in understanding this
man’s character, specifically, his relationships with women. This also marks the affect
that Alois Hitler had on his son’s relationships. Hitler had four significant women in his
life, not including his mother. These women knew him on a personal level and knew a
part of him, a cruel part, which only they saw. Their names were: Geli Raubal, Mimi
Reiter, Unity Mitford, and Eva Braun. Unfortunately, this involvement with Hitler proved
to be fatal. Out of the four women, only two survived to die a natural death. Each woman
has a story behind her, and as such, a story in correlation with Adolf Hitler, himself.
Mimi Reiter was the first of Hitler’s female companions and was his fiancée in
the late 1920’s. Mimi Reiter was born Maria Reiter on December 23rd, 1911 and was the
only one of Hitler’s romantic interest to survive both the war and Hitler himself. To an
Gibson
4
observer, the couple’s meeting was odd. Hitler and Reiter met at a shop she was working
at when she was sixteen and he was thirty-seven. They were a passionate couple, and
according to the Stern article, Hitler "told her that he wanted her to be his wife, to found a
family with her, to have blonde children, but at the moment he had not the time to think
of such things. Repeatedly Hitler spoke of his duty, his mission."6 It is said that due to his
mission, he told her to wait for him and then began to ignore her. As such, Reiter grew
depressed and tried and failed to hang herself. Reiter died on December 23th, 1992.
Hitler’s second female companion was Angelika Maria Raubal, or Geli as she is
most commonly known. She was also Adolf Hitler’s half-niece and she was born to his
half-sister, Angela. It is said that they were very close, and some historians believe that
this closeness alluded to a non-family type relationship, a sexual relationship that she did
not like, as stated by Payne, “My uncle is a monster. You would never believe the things
he makes me do.”7 Not only this, but it is said that Hitler was in love with her, “Hitler
was in love with Geli, but in his own peculiar way he was determined both to possess her
and keep her at arm’s length. He would marry her if he thought the task worth taking.” 8It
is said that her death had a very large effect on Hitler’s look on relationships. Angelika
was found dead on September 19th, 1931 from a gunshot wound to the lung. It was listed
as a suicide.
The third woman in his life was Unity Mitford. Unity Valkyrie Mitford was born
on August 8th, 1914, and was a very prominent supporter of both fascism and Hitler.
Unity and her sister, Diana, were both fascists. They were both trusted members in
Hitler’s inner circle. Unfortunately, in 1939, after England declared war on Germany,
6
Rosenbaum, Ron, Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of his Evil, Macmillan, 1998, p.114-16.
Payne, Robert. The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1973.
8
Payne, Robert. The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1973.
7
Gibson
5
Mitford shot herself in the head using a pearl handled pistol Hitler allegedly gave her.
She survived, however she died in 1948 due to sickness.
Eva Braun was the last of Hitler’s female companions and was both his mistress
and his wife. Eva Anna Paula Braun was born on February 6th, 1912, and was the
mistress, and for about forty hours, wife of Adolf Hitler. Hitler and Braun met when she
was seventeen years old and working for his personal photographer as a model and
assistant. Braun was a huge supporter of Hitler and showed such by pledging her
allegiance to him. She tried to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills in 1935.
The couple was married on April 29th, 1945, and, less than forty hours later; they died
together by committing suicide. Braun was thirty-three and Hitler was fifty-six at the time
of their deaths.9
Prior to Hitler’s death, his legendary, and notorious, character blossomed during
World War I. Hitler served in France and Belgium in the 16th Bavarian Reserve
Regiment, called Regiment List after its first commander, ending the war as a Gefreiter,
equivalent at the time to a lance corporal in the British and private first class in the
American armies. He was a runner, or messenger, one of the most dangerous jobs on the
Western Front, “As a runner his coolness and dash in both trench and open warfare have
been exemplary, and invariably he has shown himself ready to volunteer for tasks in the
most difficult situations and at danger to himself.” 10He participated in a number of major
battles on the Western Front, including the First Battle of Ypres, the Battle of the Somme,
the Battle of Arras and the Battle of Passchendaele. The Battle of Ypres, October 1914,
which became known in Germany as the Kindermord bei Ypern, the Massacre of the
9
Trevor-Roper, Hugh R. The Last Days of Hitler. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.
Flood, Charles Bracelen. Hitler: The Path to Power. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989.
10
Gibson
6
Innocents, saw approximately 40,000 men, between a third and a half, of the nine infantry
divisions present killed in 20 days, and Hitler's own company of 250 was reduced to 42
by December. On October 15th, 1918, Hitler was admitted to a field hospital, temporarily
blinded by a mustard gas attack. After World War I, Hitler remained in the army and
returned to Munich.
For his bravery, Hitler was twice decorated. He received the Iron Cross, Second
Class, in 1914 and Iron Cross, First Class, in 1918, an honor rarely given to a Gefreiter.11
However, because the regimental staff thought Hitler lacked leadership skills, he was
never promoted to Unteroffizier, or the equivalent to a British corporal. Other historians
say that the reason he was not promoted is that he was not a German citizen. Hitler’s
desire to be a German citizen stemmed from his desire to rebel against his father, who
was a headstrong Austrian, although he, himself was not German.
Alois Hitler’s ignorance of his ancestry posed a major problem for his son. Alois
Hitler was born, illegitimately, Alois Schicklgruber to a forty-two year old peasant
woman named Maria Anna Schicklgruber on June 7th, 1837.12 He was born in the small
rustic village of Strones in the Waldviertel, a hilly forested area in northwest Lower
Austria just north of Vienna; however, he was baptized at the nearby village of
Döllersheim. At the time of his baptism, his mother left the space for his father’s name
blank and the priest wrote that he was an illegitimate child. Many historians, to this day,
speculate whether or not Alois Hitler was part Jewish and the grandson of Leopold
Frankenberger. This could be a reason that Hitler was so angry with the Jews; it was a
11
Hillgruber, Andreas. Germany and the Two World Wars. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1981
Alois Hitler: Encyclopedia. n.d. http://www.associatepublisher.com/e/a/al/alois_hitler.htm (accessed Feb
17, 2011).
12
Gibson
7
backlash at the father that he despised. Hitler went to extremes to get rid of any record of
his father as stated by Stalcup, “He even went so far as to obliterate Döllersheim, the
Austrian village where his father was baptized.”13 He wished to get rid of all evidence of
his father. This also shows that Hitler was a hypocrite. It is a fact that Alois Hitler was a
born Austrian. Not only that, but Hitler was not born in Germany. This, in itself is an
extremely interesting fact because it makes one wonder why he went to Germany in the
first place.
Another characteristic that the father and son duo share are their relationships
with women. Alois Hitler married Anna in 1873, however, not long afterwards, he began
an extra-marital affair with a young nineteen year old woman by the name of Franziska
"Fanni" Matzelsberger, who was one of the young female servants employed at the
Pommer Inn, house number 219, in the city of Braunau am Inn, where he was renting the
top floor as lodging. According to some sources, Alois had many different affairs
throughout the course of his marriage with Anna, which resulted in the sick Anna
initiating legal action; on November 7th, 1880 Alois and Anna separated by mutual
agreement. As stated earlier, Adolf had two known female lovers, and two uncertain
ones. The only real difference between himself and his father is that Hitler did not get
married until the very end of his life. However, another interesting fact is that every
woman, but two, that Hitler was with died by their own hand. This can further be a
comparison between father and son in which both were very cruel partners in their
relationships.
13
Stalcup, Brenda, ed. People Who Made History: Adolf Hitler. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000.
Gibson
8
One of the largest affects that Alois Hitler had on his son was his decision to first,
join the German army, and second, join German politics. Alois Hitler loved Austria and
tried to force his son to do the same. Alois worked for the Austrian government as a
customs official and encouraged his son to follow in his footsteps. His forcing and
pushing of Adolf inevitably pushed him to his great obsession with Germany. In order to
rebel against his father, Hitler began to show an abnormal obsession with Germany,
something that annoyed his father due to his father’s love of Austria. Hitler and his young
friends liked to use the German greeting, "Heil," and sing the German anthem
"Deutschland Über Alles," instead of the Austrian Imperial anthem. That was just one
way he rebelled. The ultimate way that Adolf rebelled against his father was when,
instead of joining the Austrian army, he petitioned to join the Bavarian army. When
Austria tried to recruit him into their army, he moved to Munich to help him escape
military service. The act was futile when the Munich police, acting in cooperation with
the Austrian authorities, eventually arrested him. After a physical exam and a contrite
plea, he was deemed unfit for service and allowed to return to Munich. However, when
Germany entered World War I in August 1914, he petitioned King Ludwig III of Bavaria
for permission to serve in a Bavarian regiment and was granted. After the war, he became
an orator and became the man that we know of today.
In conclusion, many people, both allies and enemies can attest to the fact that
Adolf Hitler is one of the most charismatic and well known characters in human history.
Hitler was a charismatic, ingenious man that, while he could be considered insane, took
this world by storm. Regardless of this fact, however, one must ask: what made this man
who he was? What created and molded his character to the one that dominated Germany
Gibson
9
and was such a powerful foe in the Second World War? The answer to these questions
could be assumed to be Hitler’s father, Alois Hitler. When comparing both the father and
the son’s pasts and how they both correlate, a distinct pattern becomes clear. Hitler’s hate
for his father created the man seen in the 1940’s. However, that is not all that one would
have to understand. An understanding of his home life and relationships would also give
creditable insight into what makes the man. Hitler’s home life was one of abuse from his
father. He was the only son to survive in the household and, in turn, the only one that
could continue on with his father’s legacy. His mother’s love for him made up for his
father’s abuse. Klara, his mother favored him out of all the others due to him being the
first out of all his siblings to make it out of infancy. Hitler grew older and took two
women to be his lovers. These two women were Mimi Reiter and Eva Braun. Both
attempted suicide, however, only one succeeded. There were two more, Unity Mitford
and Geli Raubal that many are unsure of them ever having a romantic relationship with
Hitler. Regardless of their relationship status with Hitler, they both attempted suicide. His
relationship with women is another common trait that Hitler shares with his father. The
last major event that correlates with Hitler’s father would have to be his decision to join
the German army and not the Austrian army. As Alois was a pure Austrian, Hitler
rebelled and became obsessed with Germany. As for the question that was posed earlier,
“Was Hitler a megalomaniac or a savior?” this author only has one opinion in this regard,
Adolf Hitler was a complete megalomaniac and the world is better off without that
ignorant, arrogant, inbred hypocrite. Good riddance!
Gibson 10
Works Cited
"Adolf Hitler." History.com. n.d. http://www.history.com/topics/adolfhitler/videos#adolf-hitler (accessed Feb 17, 2011).
Adolf Hitler: Twisted Mind. n.d.
http://mclane.fresno.k12.ca.us/wilson98/pdfs/hitleroutline.pdf (accessed April 22,
2011).
Alois Hitler: Encyclopedia. n.d.
http://www.associatepublisher.com/e/a/al/alois_hitler.htm (accessed Feb 17,
2011).
Flood, Charles Bracelen. Hitler: The Path To Power. Bosten: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1989.
Hillgruber, Andreas. Germany and the Two World Wars. Cambridge: Harvard University
Press, 1981.
Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial. ADOLF HITLER: EARLY YEARS, 18891913. n.d. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007430
(accessed April 22, 2011).
Niewyk, Donald, and Francis Nicosia. The Columbia Guide to the Holocaust. New York:
Columbia University Press, 2000.
Payne, Robert. The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler. New York: Praeger Publishers , 1973.
Rosenbaum, Ron. "Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of his Evil." 114-16.
Macmillian, 1998.
Stalcup, Brenda, ed. People Who Made History: Adolf Hitler. San Diego: Greenhaven
Press, 2000.
TIME.com. Foreign News: Uneven Romance. Jun 29, 1959.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,864655-1,00.html (accessed
Feb 16, 2011).
Trevor-Roper, Hugh R. The Last Days of Hitler. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1992.