Young Hitler

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Young Hitler. A non-fiction novel (German as: . The young Hitler A non-fictional novel ) is the English title of the German film and author Claus Hant written retelling of Adolf Hitler first half of life, especially the period between Hitler's 16 and 30 . Age. The narrative is supplemented by a non-fiction book section that summarizes the results of current scientific research in this area.

According to the author, the form of the presentation should make it possible to describe aspects of Hitler's character development that have not yet been covered by historiography. The author relies on historical sources, which are shown in a 130-page appendix. Young Hitler was published by Quartet Books in London in 2010.

Summary

In the first part of the book a story tells the years from 1907 to 1918, which had a decisive influence on the young Adolf Hitler, and in which he lived as a starving artist on the streets and in the homeless asylums of Vienna until he volunteered in the First World War in 1914 participated. After the end of the war, in 1919 in Munich, Hitler came into contact with the Thule Society , a secret society of occultists who had founded a political party: the German Workers' Party (DAP). The story ends with the takeover of the DAP by Hitler, who renamed the party the National Socialist German Workers' Party . In an interview with The Guardian , author Claus Hant said that Young Hitler ends where Hitler's path to becoming “Führer and Reich Chancellor” has been thoroughly explored . The events after 1920 are described in detail in the numerous Hitler biographies and other publications. What has not yet been examined in the biographies is the sudden transformation of the insignificant artist and drifter Hitler, who mutated into an influential political leader at one stroke in 1918/19. Hant says that he deliberately placed this momentous transformation at the center of his considerations. This decisive turning point in Hitler's life could only be explained since the newer and most recent historical research brought previously unknown facts and dates to light.

The second half of the book consists of a detailed non-fiction part. The current research results on Hitler's early history are listed here. In addition, the appendix contains Hant's thesis, which sheds a new light on the background to Hitler's rise.

thesis

Young Hitler focuses on the question of how Hitler, a man with an elementary school diploma, socially awkward, simple-minded and humorless, a man without money and without helpful relationships, was able to fundamentally change one of the most important industrial countries of the time within just a few years? Historians such as Alan Bullock stated that they were unable to give a satisfactory answer to this question. Others tried to evade the question or developed complex theories about the special sensitivities of Germans.

Hant assumes that Hitler was not as uneducated as was previously believed. Recent and recent research shows that Hitler was exceptionally well-read and that he had extensive knowledge in many areas, especially in the artistic field. Hitler's exceptionally good memory helped him to use his knowledge in a way that impressed not only the dull masses. He was also perfectly capable of making an impression on highly educated individuals at the top of society. The other part of Hant's answer to Hitler's success is even more surprising: Hant cites sources that show that Hitler was convinced that he was particularly connected to the divine. While researching Hitler's first half of life, Hant came across the moment when Hitler's belief in a special relationship with the divine arose. According to Hant, Hitler not only mimed the “German Messiah”. After a supposed spiritual experience, Hitler was firmly convinced that he was actually "the chosen one". Hitler's spectacular success was based on his powers of persuasion. If one wanted to understand the Hitler phenomenon, one had to recognize the self-image of a man who thought he was chosen. However, Hitler never publicly announced who he thought he was. In order to be taken seriously in a world determined by reason, he only ever presented himself in public as an "ordinary politician". He left the organization of the cult of saints that arose around him to his followers. If one follows Hants thesis, then both Hitler's personality and his actions are the result of a religious madness. That would require a fundamental correction of our image of Hitler. In an interview, Hant stated, “Current doctrine assumes that these statements [referring to himself as a“ tool of providence ”] are lies that helped him [Hitler] promote his own myth. My investigations lead to a different result: when Hitler said such things, he was saying something of which he himself was deeply convinced. The representatives of the prevailing doctrinal opinion pissed Hitler off and fell for his self-portrayal as a purely secular leader. This has not yet been recognized and we must first learn to understand what that means. "

review

Spiegel reviewer Wolfgang Höbel described Hants' book as a "good didactic story in a melodramatic guise". Theauthor's story slips rathergrotesquely towards Schmonzette, not least because young Mr. H. is consistently nicknamed by his childhood friend: Adolf Hitler is consistently called “Dolferl”. The British author Anthony Read, however, found Young Hitler "witty and captivating"

"The Guardian" called Young Hitler "one of the hottest books at the Frankfurt Book Fair" with a view to the theses presented, and the "Sunday Express" reported "an explosive new book turns our view of Hitler on its head."

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sir Alan Bullock, T. Kronbichler. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  2. ↑ To this z. BTW Ryback, Hitler's Private Library . London 2009. B. Schwarz: Geniewahn - Hitler and Art , Vienna 2009.
  3. ↑ a b page no longer available , search in web archives: Interview with Claus Hant, June 25, 2010@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / younghitler.com
  4. ↑ a b Hitler's childhood friend . In: Der Spiegel . No. 18 , 2010 ( online review).
  5. ^ Anthony Read
  6. ^ Joel Rickett on the latest news from the publishing industry . In: The Guardian , October 7, 2006; Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  7. ^ Graham Ball: Book Review, "Young Hitler". The Sunday Express, May 2, 2010; Retrieved June 25, 2010.