Hitler's Motivations - Essay Example

Eric Ku Sarah Eltabib HIS 1000C December 2, 2009 Hitler’s Motivations Adolf Hitler’s motivations have long since been debated. The generalimpression received by the public is Hitler’s motivation was evil. Hitler has been linked to evil, because no one wants to face an ordinary human could commit the crimes against history. “Resistance--our own and others--has been part of psychohistorys dialogue for nearly three decades” (Biesel). By using Freud’s psychoanalyzes to analyze a historical figure like Hitler, new insights can be developed. This psychohistory can explain Hitler’s motivation, but is not popular due to the humanization of Hitler. It is easier to believe Hitler is an abnormity of society, than a real human like Hitler could come to power and create that much destruction again. Hitler’s motivation through psychohistory is a chilling portrait of a real man. Psychohistory is a means to explore historical facts. “History is an effort to reconstruct the past to discover what people thought and did and how their beliefs and actions continue to influence human life.” (McKay 426) Psychoanalyzing a historical figure like Hitler can help individuals gain a better understanding of the reasoning behind Hitler’s actions that led to World War II and the Holocaust. Hitler did not have a childhood dream to plunge Germany into a global war, destroy millions of Jewish lives, and leave the European landscape scarred from warfare. However Hitler’s plan was in place before the Beer Hall Putsch, since he outlined his plan in Mein Kampf written while in jail for the Putsch. Thus his ideas were formed from childhood. Hitler chose to devalue children as an adult due like he was devalued. An example, “Many parents quickly accepted the offer of a supposed possible cure that would have a 50% chance of being fatal. Only a minority of parents elected to come to the hospital and pick up their retarded child and take the child to live at home rather than expose the child to the eugenic treatment with its described 50% risk of fatality” (Meyers). German parents of the time did not value their children. Hitler continued this tradition past childhood. Hitler’s childhood, if psychoanalyzed would be a psychiatrist’s Freudian dream. Hitler’s childhood created the man Hitler later became. This childhood was dominated by Hitler’s father, Alois, and his mother. Alois was a greatly feared man with a terrible temper that caused him to frequently physically abuse his family. Hitler’s father was from unknown lineage on his father’s side, Hitler’s grandmother never named a father. Alois’ multiple wives and sexual exploits definitely skewed Hitler’s sexuality and relationships. Alois’ relationship with Hitler’s mother warped Hitler. His mother’s overprotection also made Hitler have an oral fixation and anal complex. The uncertainty of Hitler’s childhood would forever scar him. His path to World War II was influenced by his father’s influence. Hitler would always speak of his father highly, but feared and hated him privately. (Waite 135) His father was very strict and often beat his wife and children. Hitler was torn between wanting to make his father happy and trying to outdo his father for spite. This love/hate relationship would be defined by Freud as the Oedipus complex. Alois would never give Hitler his full approve, always conveying disappointment in his son. (Waite 136) After Alois’ death when Hitler was fourteen, Hitler tried to do everything that his father would hate. (Waite 136) His years as an artist were spent in an effort to defy his father’s memory. Like many abused children, Hitler wanted his father’s love. However, when that love was not given, resentment bloomed. This gave Hitler the drive to outdo everyone in an effort to gain self respect, but ended in failure due to his abusive childhood. The physical abuse endured by Hitler created the basis of the Third Reich. Hitler’s fear of helplessness caused him to conquer his fear by becoming an all powerful dictator. “They are outcomes of early childhood fears of helplessness — creating a "time bomb" set to go off when adults believe too much freedom is resented by the inner parental voices. These voices that command them to kill — whether they are labeled “God” or “Providence” or “Motherland” — are implanted during childhood in their dissociated early fear network.” (deMause) Some point in Hitler’s childhood he decided never to be abused again. This was the beginning of the Third Reich foundations. Alois’ mother was not married when she conceived and had him. Rumors have swirled that Hitler’s grandfather might have been Jewish. No historian has ever proven or disproven this theory. The question that should be looked at is not if Hitler had a Jewish grandfather, but if he was impacted by the doubts of his heritage. (Waite 127-128) Under the Purity Laws Germans had to prove their ancestry back two or three generations. If using this proof, Hitler would not have been able to marry. Hitler would have also been concerned about how his grandfather treated his grandmother. Obviously his grandfather, whoever they were, did not take responsibility for Alois. This could be another reason for hating the Jews, if he thought his grandfather was Jewish. Only speculation can be used for this question, since no proof either way can reveal light upon Hitler’s grandfather. The relationship between Alois and Hitler’s mother, Klara, was very patriarchal. Alois had been married twice before marrying Klara. In fact, Klara was a nursemaid to Hitler’s second wife before she died. Alois was Klara’s guardian before he married her, since he was her uncle (Waite 101). Even after marriage Hitler’s parents addressed each other as “Uncle” and “Niece.” (Waite 133) Hitler’s parent’s relationship had a deep effect on the way he perceived women. The only woman Hitler professed he would marry was his considerably younger niece, Geli. (Waite 225) She reminded him of his mother. The twenty+ years between Hitler’s parents created an ideal that men were dominate over women. Thus Hitler dominated over Geli to such an extent, she committed suicide. This made Hitler very morose and untrusting of future relationships. This view of men dominating woman would color the rest of Hitler’s life. Hitler’s mother created both an oral and anal complex in him. Apparently Klara feared for Hitler’s health as a child. As the result Klara continued to breastfeed him for a longer than necessary period. (Waite 166) Normally an oral fixation comes from the lack of breastfeeding, but it can also be caused by being forced fed at a mother’s breast as well. (Waite 167) Hitler’s oral fixation was clearly demonstrated by his continuous talking and eating sweets continually. (Waite 169) This oral fixation through his continuous talking and speeches allowed him to influence the German people to follow his leadership. Without his oral fixation, Hitler would never had the oratory expertise that made him so successful. Hitler also had an anal complex by being overly clean and rigid. He liked to focus on anal matters by referring to Jews as dung, manure, and even more vulgar terms for feces. (Waite 169) Children normally have anal complex if their potty training has been done improperly, or if the mother is overbearing. Since Klara was overprotective, Hitler could only control his bowels at the potty training phase. Once he was grown, Hitler wanted to control every aspect of his life. Even the dirt and filth at the concentration camps were Hitler’s ultimate revenge against his enemies due to his anal complex. This led to a man that was strict and rigid that created the totalitarian system called the Third Reich. Hitler could speak highly of women, but was also very degrading. Hitler described his ideal woman as “cute, cuddly, naïve little thing---tender, sweet, and stupid.” (Waite 51) This definitely described Hitler’s two leading ladies of the Reich, Eva Braun and Magda Gobbels. Eva was his mistress, while Magda held state dinners for Hitler since she was Joseph Gobbels wife. Both believed in Hitler’s opinions and never challenged his word. Hitler believed that woman should not be liberated. (Waite 51) This instilled a drive in Hitler to overthrow the liberated Weimar government in favor of the more sexist Third Reich. Hitler was probably shocked because “Weimar politicians didn’t obey, they actually argued with each other.  Weimar’s ‘New Women’ weren’t passive either:  they too argued, voted and demanded college educations, birth control and even entrance into professions. Workers began to demand labor unions; young people began to demand jazz; some parents even began to ask for the end of beatings in schools. So many films were made starring strong women that the movies were termed ‘Dangerous Dames Cinema,’ and it was feared they viewing them might create impotence in males. Obviously democracy was ‘undermining the German race’ by tolerating freedoms that violated every authoritarian precept parents had beaten into their children for centuries.” (deMause) Since Hitler came from an authoritarian family, the only type of government he would have created was a totalitarian government that treated women as second class citizens and Jews, Poles, and other non-Aryan peoples as sub-humans. Hitler was not born a Jew hating warmonger with visions of taking over the world. His views were influenced by his childhood. An abusive father and overprotective mother caused Hitler to have the personality traits of a monster. Without his doubts about Jewish lineage tainting his background, his self loathing, oral fixation, and anal complex Hitler would not have felt compelled to control everything. These traits led to a totalitarian government that wanted to destroy non-Aryans. Hitler’s personality was formed by a dysfunctional family. If he was born today with the same parents, Hitler would have become the same man. Psychohistory can explain the circumstances of Hitler’s personality, but it does not excuse his actions. WORKS CITED McKay, John P., Bennett D. Hill, John Buckler, Patricia Buckley Ebrey, Roger B. Beck, Clare Haru Crowston, Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks. A History of World Societies. 8th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Waite, Robert G. L. The Psychopathic God: Adolph Hitler. New York: De Capo Press, 1993. Beisel, David. “Teaching Psychohistory.” The Journal of Psychohistory. 25 (4) Spring 1998. 2 December 2009 deMause, Lloyd. “The Childhood Origins of the Holocaust.” 28 September 2005. Psychohistory.com. 2 December 2009 Meyers, William R. "Validating Psychohistorical Propositions: Some Examples." Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Classical Chinese Garden, Portland, Oregon USA, Jul 04, 2007 . 2009-05-24 Read More