Hitler - OverSimplified (Part 1)

Look at this baby.

So gentle, so innocent.

You'd think this child would grow up to become a good man,

an honest man.

Well, think again. *alarm sounds* Hitler was born Adolphus Hitler in 1889 in a

small town in Austria-Hungary.

His father, Alois Schicklgruber, was born out of wedlock,

but eventually changed his name to that of his stepfather, becoming Alois Hitler.

Alois was a mid-level Austrian customs officer-- not really rolling in cash,

but certainly rolling in women.

He married a rich, older lady, but then immediately started having affairs,

including one with a much younger house servant.

A few years later, he left his sick wife to be with his mistress,

but since the Catholic Church didn't allow divorce at the time,

he couldn't marry her.

So he waited for his old wife to die

and had a child in the meantime.

Then his wife died, so he married his mistress and had another child,

but then his new wife got sick, so he employed his much,

much younger cousin Clara to take care of her.

Then when his new wife died, he immediately got Clara-- his cousin-- pregnant,

and then married her... in that order.

(You rockstar.)

Clara and Alois had three children together who all tragically died while in infancy,

so when the fourth child, Adolph, came along, Clara spoiled him rotten.

The Hitler's had two more kids and the family moved around a few times,

meaning Adolph had to attend five different elementary schools.

Adolph's father was strict, quick to anger,

and took most of it out on the eldest son until he had enough

and ran away at the age of fourteen,

leaving seven year old Adolph to do most of the chores

and get berated by his father.

The result was a difficult relationship with his dad

while he was super attached to his mother who worried over him

and his health excessively Hitler did well in school.

At first, his grades were good and his teachers praised him.

He was popular with the other kids

and enjoyed gathering them together to play war games.

He also loved reading and particularly liked stories about Cowboys and Indians.

As he grew older, though, he started to get into trouble.

He was caught smoking once, organised a raid on a local orchard,

tormented his pro-Austria religion teacher with symbolic gestures displaying his allegiance the idea of

united germanic people under a greater german state

and defines of Habsburg Austria,

you know, the usual.

All of this enraged Adolph's father, who punished him severely.

The area of Austria-Hungary

that Hitler lived in was once part of the German Confederation,

and many of the people who lived there considered themselves to be German.

Adolph tended to just go against whatever his father said

and since his father was an Austrian Public Official,

Hitler got big into German nationalism.

This enraged Adolph's father, who punished him severely.

Around this time a family tragedy struck.

His six-year-old brother, whom he loved a lot,

died of measles when Adolph was 10

and was buried in the cemetery just across from their home.

Around this time neighbors reported a change in the young boy.

Strange behaviors such as talking to trees

and staying up late staring at the stars from the cemetery walls.

He lost interest in religion

and his school grades started to decline

which enraged his father,

who punished him severely.

It also didn't help

that he had just entered high school

and the cool city boys treated him like a rural peasant he had to

Repeat a grade and had little interest in most school subjects instead spending his

time reading and drawing

which he was quite good at One day his father said son someday,

you'll be a big balls public official like me and Adolf replied,

no father I'm going to become an artist

and soar high above the clouds with the eagles this enraged his father

But by this time he was an old-ass man

so he just sort of let it go

and then died of a lung hemorrhage hitler just about passed his final semester

and Celebrated in the typical way by getting blackout drunk

and wiping his ass with the certificate However,

he didn't take the overall final school exam instead Just dropping out. the now

16 year old boy was unemployed without much purpose in life

and for the next three years He stayed

that way he spent most of his time at the opera with his only

friend August Kubizek August Kubizek later wrote his memories of the Young Hitler

and said he was passionately interested in many things,

felt he was in many ways better than others his age,

was quick to anger just like his father,

and an Incredible speaker once he was ranting.

when he was 18 He said a very sad goodbye to his mother

and went to Vienna to take the entrance exam for art school he failed

Soon after he had to return home his mother was sick

and her health was rapidly deteriorating Hitler stayed by her side

And when she eventually died the family doctor said he had never seen someone

so overwhelmed with Grief

as Hitler was Then Hitler returned to Vienna still hoping to find a career

in the arts But he never did instead without parental support hitler ended up

on the streets now in his early 20s He spent a few rough years

living in and out of homeless shelters,

making What little he could from selling postcards He painted it's hard to pinpoint

exactly when and how Hitler's extreme Ideological beliefs formed,

but his time in Vienna would have certainly played a role Anti-semitism was widespread

in the city the mayor whom hitler supported with an outspoken anti-semite There were

many right-wing anti-semitic newsletters

Which hitler took a keen interest in he bought into the conspiracy theories

and became a firm believer in the idea

that there are many Races

and constant struggle with one another the purest of

which were the German aryan people

and the worst of

which he believed were jews Since Austria-Hungary was a multi-ethnic Empire full of lesser

races hitler wasn't a fan.

So when he was 24 He moved to Munich in Germany to avoid doing

military service and for one more year He was a drifter on the streets

until something huge happened.

In 1914 long-standing tensions in Europe erupted into the first world war. crowds across

Europe celebrated the news.

Within days Hitler volunteered for the German Army the war gave him a purpose

in life his fellow Soldiers gave him friendship

and Brotherhood Despite the horrors of War Hitler considered it to be the best

time of his life.

He was reportedly a brave soldier

and was awarded the iron cross first class He was also very lucky

and had many close encounters with death.

His luck ran out in 1916 however

when an artillery shell injured his leg he went back to germany to recover

and was outraged to find a general Apathetic anti-war attitude among the exhausted

and hungry German populace with the war turning against Germany he returns to the

But was temporarily blinded by a british gas attack in 1918 a month later

still recovering in hospital Hitler Learned of Germany's defeat

and Surrender The terms of the peace treaty were tough on Germany it had

to pay a lot of money

and lose a lot of soldiers these Conditions weakened Germany

and humiliated the German people.

Europe's borders changed after the war too.

New countries were formed out of Russia's lost territory Austria-Hungary was dissolved

and there was one big new country splitting Germany into two.

Hitler, seeing the country He loved humiliated like this said

that hatred grew in him for those Responsible by

which he meant communists

and jews who he believed had stabbed Germany in the back by spreading dissent

and Anti War Propaganda back home.