Adolf Hitler: An Early Struggle

            Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau-am-Inn along the Bavarian-German border. His father, Alois, was an Austrian customs official who had come from a poor peasant background.
             Hitler's early youth was spent in the city of Linz in upper Austria that lies beside the Danube River. Hitler's father was a very controlling and repressive figure. He was known to have a short temper and dominating attitude within the Hitler household.
             As a young child Hitler enjoyed much success attending his local elementary school and appeared to have a bright future. However when Hitler moved on from his village elementary school to a larger, urban "Realschule" or secondary school he became wayward and unproductive. His early potential went unrealised and he became rebellious and apathetic. He spent his time reading aimlessly, dreaming about life as an artist and avoiding all responsibilities. .
             In 1903 Hitler's father, Alois, died. He had worked hard in his life and left behind enough money for Hitler and his mother to survive.
             In 1905 at the age of 16, Hitler dropped out of the secondary school system and left formal education behind him. He then proceeded to spend two years in Linz with his mother carrying out an aimless existence and filling his time by reading, painting, wandering in the woods and dreaming of becoming a famous artist. .
             In 1907 Hitler's mother died and he moved out of his hometown Linz to Vienna, the capital of the Austria. His newest ambition in life was to enroll in the Viennese famous Academy of Fine Arts. Unfortunately for Hitler he twice failed to be accepted into the school. .
             Hitler's failure in attending the Academy of Fine Arts sent him spiraling into a deep depression. He withdrew from his family and friends and took to aimlessly wandering the streets of Vienna living precariously on a small orphan's pension and scraps of money made from selling picture postcards.
             It was during this period of hopelessness that Hitler stumbled upon the writings of an obscure author whose ideas of racism and anti-semitism impressed him.