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The Roots of National Socialism and Germany's Reckoning with its Past

And into this context there stepped one man . . .

Adolf Hitler, an Austrian by birth, was the son of a minor adminstrative official. By all accounts, Hitler was ashamed of his humble origins and was convinced that a great future as an artist lay ahead of him. However, he was twice rejected from the Vienna Art Academy and forced to live very modestly in a men's rooming house for five years. There, he designed sketches that his friend then sold to a furniture company so they could be made into the backs of chairs. This little job kept him afloat financially. But so obsessed was he with creating a mythic past for himself that he had this friend murdered once he came into political power.

Hitler had fought in World War I (1914-1919) and had received some recognition for heroism. Now living in Munich in the early 1920s, he, like many others in the military, were casting about for something to do after the war ended. He began reading anti-Semitic political pamphlets and attending political meetings. Those who came to know him found him to be furiously opinionated on the topic of Jewish financial influence and anti-Semitism in general. Gradually, his powers of speech became known by members of these evening political groups and he started being asked to speak on occasion. Hitler recalls discovering that he had "the gift of oratory" and that the secret to political power was in being able to wield propaganda.

From 1919 forward, he rose in prominence in Bavarian politics, giving speech after speech in which he advanced his anti-communist and anti-Semitic beliefs. The Munich area was a hotbed for National Socialist politics, and already in 1919 there were Nazi marches in the streets of Munich, swastikas displayed on armbands and flags, and the notorious Sieg Heil salute became common among Nazi followers.

In 1919-1920 the local citizens were suffering under severe inflation as the German government struggled to pay war reparations and began printing more paper money. Scores of small political parties, special interest groups, trade unions, and associations were born, further creating a generalized atmosphere of chaos.

Many believe Hitler had a persecution complex. This psychological condition offers some insight into why individuals may be drawn to fascist groups. In our contemporary times, Tom Olsen, a former Norwegian neo-Nazi who now works to reform neo-Nazis, recently stated why he joined the group: he was "full of hate for people of color who, [he] assumed, caused all of his problems." Olsen suspects the appeal of Nazi and neo-Nazi ideology can be summed up this way: "They are looking for somewhere to be, to feel appreciated and included" (PRI interview, Sept. 1, 2017). We can relate this to what the philosophers of the 1930s were saying in their diagnosis of Germany's collective malaise: there was a persistent, widespread loss of meaning in everyday life, a feeling of being lost, under-valued, and very small as individuals.

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1. And into this context there stepped one man . . . Adolf Hitler, an Austrian by birth, was the son of a minor adminstrative official. By all accounts, Hitler was ashamed of his humble origins and was convinced that a great future as an artist lay ahead of him. However, he was twice rejected from the Vienna Art Academy and forced to live very modestly in a men's rooming house for five years. There, he designed sketches that his friend then sold to a furniture company so they could be made into the backs of chairs. This little job kept him afloat financially. But so obsessed was he with creating a mythic past for himself that he had this friend murdered once he came into political power.
  
  Hitler had fought in World War I (1914-1919) and had received some recognition for heroism. Now living in Munich in the early 1920s, he, like many others in the military, were casting about for something to do after the war ended. He began reading anti-Semitic political pamphlets and attending political meetings. Those who came to know him found him to be furiously opinionated on the topic of Jewish financial influence and anti-Semitism in general. Gradually, his powers of speech became known by members of these evening political groups and he started being asked to speak on occasion. Hitler recalls discovering that he had "the gift of oratory" and that the secret to political power was in being able to wield propaganda.
  
  From 1919 forward, he rose in prominence in Bavarian politics, giving speech after speech in which he advanced his anti-communist and anti-Semitic beliefs. The Munich area was a hotbed for National Socialist politics, and already in 1919 there were Nazi marches in the streets of Munich, swastikas displayed on armbands and flags, and the notorious Sieg Heil salute became common among Nazi followers.
  
  In 1919-1920 the local citizens were suffering under severe inflation as the German government struggled to pay war reparations and began printing more paper money. Scores of small political parties, special interest groups, trade unions, and associations were born, further creating a generalized atmosphere of chaos.
  
  Many believe Hitler had a persecution complex. This psychological condition offers some insight into why individuals may be drawn to fascist groups. In our contemporary times, Tom Olsen, a former Norwegian neo-Nazi who now works to reform neo-Nazis, recently stated why he joined the group: he was "full of hate for people of color who, [he] assumed, caused all of his problems." Olsen suspects the appeal of Nazi and neo-Nazi ideology can be summed up this way: "They are looking for somewhere to be, to feel appreciated and included" (PRI interview, Sept. 1, 2017). We can relate this to what the philosophers of the 1930s were saying in their diagnosis of Germany's collective malaise: there was a persistent, widespread loss of meaning in everyday life, a feeling of being lost, under-valued, and very small as individuals.

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Hitler speaking to Old Guard in Muenchen