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The Advent of Adolf Hitler and the Birth of the Nazi Party

Chapter 1, likely titled "The Advent of Adolf Hitler and the Birth of the Nazi Party", would introduce Adolf Hitler and the origins of the movement that would reshape history. It begins by contrasting his unlikely rise with the stature of predecessors like Bismarck and Hindenburg, emphasizing his humble roots and the ideological seeds that fueled his ambitions:

• Hitler’s Early Life and Obsession:
  Born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, Austria, to parents of peasant descent, Hitler’s birthplace on the Austro-German frontier held deep symbolic meaning for him. This location sparked an enduring obsession with uniting all German-speaking peoples into a single Reich, a theme so central to his identity that he opened Mein Kampf with reflections on its significance.

• Entry into Politics:
  In September 1919, while serving in the Army’s Political Department, Hitler was tasked with investigating the German Workers’ Party, a small, obscure group in Munich. Though he described it as “entirely unknown” to him, he was familiar with one of its speakers. His first encounter occurred in a run-down tavern, where he observed a modest meeting attended by a committee of just four young people.

• The German Workers’ Party:
  Hitler was struck by the group’s rudimentary operations—reading minutes, a treasury report revealing a mere seven marks and fifty pfennigs, and casual letter discussions. Despite its simplicity, the party piqued his interest, particularly after reading “My Political Awakening”, a booklet by member Anton Drexler. This work echoed ideas Hitler had already formed, advocating for a nationalist, working-class party distinct from the Social Democrats.

• Shared Ideals with Drexler:
  Drexler’s disillusionment with the middle-class focus of the Fatherland Front—which seemed detached from the masses—resonated with Hitler’s own observations from his time in Vienna. This alignment of thought drew Hitler deeper into the group, marking the nascent stages of what would evolve into the Nazi Party. The chapter may also draw on the diaries and notes of Ernst Hanfstaengl, a contemporary in Munich, as a key source for these early developments.

This chapter lays the foundation for understanding Hitler’s origins, his nationalist vision of uniting Austria and Germany, and his pivotal first steps into the political sphere through the German Workers’ Party, setting the stage for the rise of Nazism.