Life And Times Of Adolf Hitler Essay, Research Paper
Fest, Joachim. Hitler. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, Inc., 1974
Adolf Hitler was one of the most celebrated yet
feared man of his time. Hailed for his
accomplishments, Hitler ultimately uplifted Germany to
its highest realm. Hitler, however, in the eyes of
others was the anti-Christ. Fest describes Hitler as a
?builder and a wrecker; a creator and a destroyer.?
Fest discovers Hitler?s extraordinary complex
personality and portrays him as ?a man of the most
complex contradictions? in his literary work, Hitler.
Fest obtained most of his biographical
information from colleges, friends, and family close to
Hitler from his early years to his suicide. Hitler is
shown as an underachiever in his youth, but
magnificently climbed into a position to dominate and
control Germany. Fest wants to show the government
leader, consummator, and statesman Hitler was to
Germany. He also wants the terror and destruction of
Hitler?s past known. Hitler built Germany to ultimate
power and lead it, head on, into destruction. Fest
depicts the horror of Hitler?s actions and hopes his
audience can picture the images that brought tragedy to
numerous lives.
Hitler was a poor academic achiever throughout his
early life and in his adolescence. He failed to
graduate form highschool(20). He then tried to enroll
in the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He failed in
his attempt, but later tried again. This attempt was
also in vein(28). Hitler became bitter and depressed,
lost and without hope.
Hitler then joined the German army. This is where
he gained his savage hatred for the Jews. Hitler
believed, as many other did, that the Jewish people
betrayed them. Fest states Hitler felt they were
?stabbing the Fatherland in the back.? In Hitler?s
eyes the blame for WWI rested solely on the shoulders
of the Jews, and him and many others wanted revenge for
such treachery.
Hitler formed the Nazi Party after WWI. Its
program was socialism, nationalism, and anti-Semitism.
Fest shows Hitler struggled for power as he and his
party became a political force. Germans accepted
Hitler?s views and the party grew rapidly. Since his
ideals were so widely accepted, he ran for President of
Germany. Even though Hitler was an under achiever, as
a youth, his social skills and public speaking ability
uplifted him to extreme power due to the public?s
opinion.
Hitler didn?t receive enough votes for President
but he did manage to worm his way into the position of
Chancellor. He gained enormous amounts of public
opinion after every speech he gave as Chancellor.
Hitler invokes, the Law of Alleviating the Distress of
People, which gave him temporary authority in the
land(398-406). Fest tells how Hitler starts taking
revenge on the Jews. He removes them from all civil
service posts and Jews in higher institutions are
reduced. Fest also states how Hitler gained even more
power. He sized union offices throughout Germany,
which ended organized labor. He also outlawed the
Social Democratic Party, his biggest opposition.
Hitler said the party was ?hostile to the nation and
state?(414). Other parties dismissed after the Social
Democrats. This make Hitler and his party in total
control of Germany.
Hitler wanted to strengthen his country, and to
invoke Nationalism. Fest tells Hitler?s achievements
that ultimately strengthened Germany. Hitler built a
network of Autobahns, as well as a compact and
inexpensive car for the average German. He expanded
production and curbed unemployment. He built parks and
tried to stop pollution. Hitler introduced programs to
increase social functions like: dances, films, and
performances. Germans were blinded by his achievements
and his plans of power and destruction went unnoticed.
Hitler started WWII with his ideal to dominate
countries and add territories to Germany, which they
had lost after WWI. He didn?t stop with lost
territories. He wanted vast amounts of land and
numerous countries. This was the reason for Germany?s
downfall. Hitler spread his army over an enormous
population and tried to wage war with too many
countries at once. His actions to dominate the world
lead to Germanies? utter destruction.
Before Hitler?s suicide, when his empire was
falling around him, he had managed to exact his revenge
on the Jewish nationality. Fest explains the horror
caused by Hitler toward the Jews. Hitler called the
Jews ?parasitic germs?.. It was his duty to exterminate
all Jews and wipe them off the Earth. He had Jews
arrested and sent to concentration camps. Here
thousands of Jews were gassed with deadly toxins,
others were used in wicked experiments that usually
resulted in death, and the rest were left to starve.
Like Fest, I feel Hitler greatly benefitted
Germany, but ultimately destroyed what he had built.
Fest?s work was an unbiased biography about the life
and times of Hitler. Fest portrayed Hitler?s
accomplishments and the devastation he caused. More
emphasis was put on the negative aspect of Hitler?s
life and the tragedy he caused, but he did cause more
devastation on human life than benefits. Fest feels
that most individuals dismiss Hitler?s anti-Semitism
and struggle for world domination as his youthful
fantasies. This is why Hitler is so controversial,
some think he is great and others a demon reincarnate.