Hitlers Personal Journey.

This is the story of the process by which Adolf Hitler became an anti-Semite, or Jew hater.
Some passages are often quoted in various biographies, but the authors always feel compelled
to cast doubts not only on his chronology, but also on his sincerity, in order to expedite the
grinding of whatever ax they happen to be sharpening, and don't give the material the objective
analysis it's importance to the historical record demands. How Hitler came to be Hitler is the 6
million-dollar question, and Mein Kampf is the ledger of record. Time for an audit:
"Today it is difficult, if not impossible, for me to say when the word 'Jew ' first gave me ground
for special thoughts. At home I do not remember having heard the word during my father's
lifetime. I believe that the old gentleman would have regarded any special emphasis on this
term as cultural backwardness. In the course of his life he had arrived at more or less
cosmopolitan views which, despite his pronounced national sentiments, not only remained
intact, but also affected me to some extent.
Likewise at school I found no occasion which could have led me to change this inherited picture.
At the Realschule, to be sure, I did meet one Jewish boy who was treated by all of us with
caution, but only because various experiences had led us to doubt his discretion and we did not
particularly trust him; but neither I nor the others had any thoughts on the matter.
Not until my fourteenth or fifteenth year did I begin to come across the word 'Jew,' with any
frequency, partly in connection with political discussions. This filled me with a mild distaste, and I
could not rid myself of an unpleasant feeling that always came over me whenever religious
quarrels occurred in my presence.
At that time I did not think anything else of the question.
There were few Jews in Linz. In the course of the centuries their outward appearance had
become Europeanized and had taken on a human look; in fact, I even took them for Germans.
The absurdity of this idea did not dawn on me because I saw no distinguishing feature but the
strange religion. The fact that they had, as I believed, been persecuted on this account
sometimes almost turned my distaste at unfavorable remarks about them into horror.
Thus far I did not so much as suspect the existence of an organized opposition to the Jews.
Then I came to Vienna." --Adolf Hitler
Just as a Baptist or Methodist minister wedded to their respective dogmas can take the same
biblical passage and formulate completely contradictory lessons, historians bent on interpreting
history in conformity to ideological or political ends likewise interpret these key passages in such
a way as to support their contentions.
Some would try to portray Hitler as having no particular innate dislike of Jews at all. In their view
he cynically utilized the 'Jewish question' to seize and maintain power, and as a convenient
force to blame for subsequent defeats; the whole 'holocaust thing' being dismissed as the
unintended consequences of the zeal of overly enthusiastic followers of a too literal-minded
bent.
Others would contend that Hitler was always a Jew hater because all Germans are Jew haters.
These narrow theorists go to enormous lengths attempting to prove this supposed universal
prejudice in Germans by overanalyzing German literature and underhandedly emphasizing the
excesses and influence of brilliant but erratic composers and artists. Taking the esoteric thought
formulations of philosophers of uncommon genius out of context adds insult to the already

considerable injury done to and by a people with an unfortunate history punctuated to an

extraordinary degree by the very depths and the very heights of human misery and
achievement, respectively. Let's face it, Germans are 'typical humans' if there are any, and
representative of the species.
I've come across no compelling argument, however, that leads me to suspect that Hitler's
autobiographical account should be taken at anything less than face value. His characterization
of the 'old gentleman' that was his paternal progenitor matches exactly the testimony of all who
were privy to the old farts political views. The 'one Jewish boy' at Realschule is also
documented, as is the fact that said boy was considered by all Hitlers peers to be a 'strange
bird.' His description of Linz is similarly authentic. There is little doubt that he is relating his
conversion as he himself believed he experienced it, making it extremely valuable and near
definitive testimony well worth delving into at length.
"Preoccupied by the abundance of my impressions in the architectural field, oppressed by the
hardship of my own lot, I gained at first no insight into the inner stratification of the people in this
gigantic city. Notwithstanding that Vienna in those days counted nearly two hundred thousand
Jews among its two million inhabitants, I did not see them. In the first few weeks my eyes and
my senses were not equal to the flood of values and ideas. Not until calm gradually returned
and the agitated picture began to clear did I look around me more carefully in my new world,
and then among other things I encountered the Jewish question." --Adolf Hitler
At least one author has inferred by the above that Hitler, at what was then the lowest point of his
life, was desperately in search of scapegoats by which to explain and blame his failure to
succeed. This is overstating the point, but cannot be entirely ruled out as a partial motivational
factor. That the story is a very personal one, and that he was attempting at a quite young age to
come to grips with a confusing and seemingly incomprehensible world, is plain.
"I cannot maintain that the way in which I became acquainted with them struck me as
particularly pleasant. For the Jew was still characterized for me by nothing but his religion, and
therefore, on grounds of human tolerance, I maintained my rejection of religious attacks in this
case as in others." --Adolf Hitler
Here Hitler denies any prior prejudice against the Jewish religion as a competitor for
Catholicism, Hitler's family religion, or any other reason, and maintains that his tolerance of the
religious beliefs of others is fundamental to his outlook.
Aside: Is their any cause to wonder how many Jehovah's Witnesses who declined to fight
Hitler's wars considered their stay in the concentration camp a product of tolerance?
"Consequently, the tone, particularly that of the Viennese anti-Semitic press, seemed to me
unworthy of the cultural tradition of a great nation." --Adolf Hitler
At this point in his account Hitler goes off on a long tangent about the deficiencies of the press;
to summarize, he contends that the Viennese anti-Semitic press 'did not enjoy an outstanding
reputation' and was 'mistaken' in their 'point of view,' while 'the really big papers' dealt with the
'attacks' efficiently or 'simply killed them with silence.' On the 'so-called world press' he 'was
amazed at the scope' and 'objectivity of individual articles' and 'respected the exalted tone,'
though the overall effect caused him 'inner dissatisfaction,' which he halfheartedly convinced
himself was 'due to the rhythm of life in the whole metropolis.' What 'repelled' him was the
'undignified fashion in which this press curried favor with the Court.' It seemed 'artificial' and a
'blemish upon liberal democracy,' as well as detrimental to the 'dignity of the nation.'

Hitler goes on to relate how he observed with 'pride and admiration' the 'rise of the Reich' where
'events in the field of foreign politics' filled him 'with undivided joy' until the 'restrictions of speech
imposed on the Kaiser by the Reichstag angered' him 'greatly' but he 'was even more indignant'
that the 'press...express its criticisms of the German Kaiser.' The future Fuehrer of the Greater
German Reich continues sarcastically:
"Of course it had no intention of interfering with conditions within the German Reich-oh, no, God
forbid-but by placing its finger on these wounds in the friendliest way, it was fulfilling the duty
imposed by the spirit of the mutual alliance, and, conversely, fulfilling the requirements of
journalistic truth, etc. And now it was poking this finger around in the wound to its heart's
content.
In such cases the blood rose to my head." --Adolf Hitler
After criticizing the Viennese press for a pro-French bias, he comes to what he claims to be a
major influence in his conversion to the cult of anti-Semitism.

The Prototype.
"At all events, these occasions slowly made me acquainted with the man and the movement,
which in those days guided Vienna's destinies: Dr. Karl Lueger I and the Christian Social Party.

When I arrived in Vienna, I was hostile to both of them.

The man and the movement seemed 'reactionary' in my eyes.
My common sense of justice, however, forced me to change this judgment in proportion as I had
occasion to become acquainted with the man and his work; and slowly my fair judgment turned
to unconcealed admiration. Today, more than ever, I regard this man as the greatest German
mayor of all times." --Adolf Hitler
It's never been determined just how acquainted Hitler and Lueger were, but it's accepted by
even the dullest of biographers that the mayor was a major role model for Hitler's Fuehrer,
practically a prototype. (To be fair, Hitler perfected the model and brought it to a point that
probably would have shocked if not completely horrified the man who was it's earliest

inspiration.) Lueger was opposed by the Kaiser himself, and his political skill at playing every
conceivable card, including the Rabbi of Spades, filled Hitler with an admiration that drove him
to emulate the mighty mayor. I am of the opinion that a greater share of this admiration was due
to the practical results achieved by this unique form of populist anti-Semitism than of any
paradigm shift of consciousness upon encountering a universal truth Hitler claims to have felt.
"How many of my basic principles were upset by this change in my attitude toward the Christian
Social movement!" --Adolf Hitler
Ok, so far, so good. At this point, we have a young man confronting a world he seeks
desperately to comprehend. He has many basic questions and few clues. Then he encounters a
confident and charismatic political legend of consummate skill, with all the answers at the ready.
Recognizing something unique and potentially powerful when he sees it, he thinks to himself,
'Hmmm...'
"My views with regard to anti-Semitism thus succumbed to the passage of time, and this was
my greatest transformation of all. --Adolf Hitler
That Hitler struggled with the implications inherent in his growing awareness of 'race' is
apparent throughout his account and rings authentic to a large degree. We have seen him
progress from a youth who, having been caught up in the successive waves of nationalism
prevalent throughout his formative years, comes upon the subject of the Jewish question while
indulging this passion. Not thinking highly of either the style or the forcefulness of argument
contained in the anti-Semitic literature of nationalist elements in the press, he remains
unconvinced of the basic precepts of anti-Semitism until the influence of the famous Munich
Major Karl Lueger, who uses the question in a populist manner that the young Hitler greatly
admires. It is at this point, under the influence of Lueger, that Hitler declares his 'greatest
transformation of all.'
He now goes about explaining the cognitive path he traveled to achieve this inner
transformation, with nonsensical proofs and twisted logic presented as spiritual enlightenment.
"It cost me the greatest inner soul struggles, and only after months of battle between my reason
and my sentiments did my reason begin to emerge victorious. Two years later, my sentiment
had followed my reason, and from then on became its most loyal guardian and sentinel.
At the time of this bitter struggle between spiritual education and cold reason, the visual
instruction of the Vienna streets had performed invaluable services. There came a time when I
no longer, as in the first days, wandered blindly through the mighty city; now with open eyes I
saw not only the buildings but also the people." --Adolf Hitler
Hitler begins to look upon the world through the filter of the populist anti-Semitism of his new
mentor. He sets about collecting from firsthand observation any 'fact' or impression likely to
bolster this new faith and discourage the doubts bound to form from objective investigation.