Hitler

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau, Austria. He was the fourth child by his mother, Klara Hitler, and his father, Alois Hitler. The three siblings born before him all died before their second birthday and Adolf was considered to be a sickly child due to the circumstances. The Hitler family consisted of Klara, Alois, Adolf, and four other siblings. Edmund was born in 1894 and Paula was born in 1896. The two illegitimate children of Alois were Alois Jr. and Angela (#5 p. 9). Klara treated her children and stepchildren with overwhelming love and care and a strong bond was developed between her and Adolf (#5 p. 19). Adolf’s father, however, dominated the family and his drunken habits caused him to abuse Klara and the children which often stirred up a brawl between Adolf and himself (#5 p. 11). After Alois got promoted a second time and was forced to move back to Austria, Klara and the children remained in Passau, Germany because she was pregnant with Edmund. This allowed Adolf to roam freely around the house and play without having to worry about anything his father might do to him. As a young boy, Adolf liked to play cowboys and Indians and other war games in the same way that American children liked to (#5 p. 12). It was during this year spent in Passau that Adolf began to develop his speech habits and indulged in the surrounding Gothic and Baroque architecture. From his mother, he inherited all of her traits and facial features, and from his father, Adolf inherited the same stern posture and authoritarian attitude (#4 p. 17).