3 Tragic Facts About Adolf Hitler

The pain beneath the villainy

A photograph of Adolf Hitler by an unknown photographer, 1937 (Wikimedia Commons)

Adolf Hitler is the ultimate villain of history. As the leader of the Nazi Party, he turned his country into a fascist state, kickstarted the Second World War, and was an integral part of the Holocaust, an event that led to the death of six million Jews.

But most of us know very little about Hitler’s personal life. From the earliest days of his childhood, Hitler experienced physical and emotional abuse, and he continued to suffer as an adult too. Though it’s impossible to feel sorry for such an evil man, these tragic facts shed new light on history’s most notorious villain.

1. Hitler Had a Tough Upbringing

A photograph of Adolf Hitler by an unknown photographer, c. 1900 (Wikimedia Commons)

Hitler was born on the 20th of April 1889 in the north of Austria. Though Hitler’s mother was a kind, caring woman, his father was much nastier.

Alois Hitler was a bad-tempered, aggressive man who worked as a civil servant. His job was time-consuming, and he often returned home in a bad mood. To make matters worse, he wasn’t afraid to beat his children whenever they misbehaved.