In the early 1990s, almost every year my parents would take me down to Dimapur to make a new spectacle for me as my eyesight kept deteriorating and the power of my glasses had to be enhanced regularly. During such times we would often walk across and around the railway station where I would come across many beggars sitting around in disgusting and pitiful conditions. A stockpile of mixed feelings and emotions would overwhelm me whenever I saw those miseries. Surely, nothing worthwhile or inspiring can be expected from such utter ghastly sights.
And nobody can ever fathom a person who used to be a beggar in Dimapur to become the Chief Minister of Nagaland one day. Such a story is just unthinkable and unfathomable. Let alone a beggar becoming a Chief Minister, we cannot even imagine a beggar becoming a successful, respectable and influential person in society because beggars usually die poor, depressed, dejected and in absolute misery.
But the story I am about to tell today is even more amazing and unbelievable than a beggar becoming a Chief Minister. It is the story of a man who literally spent years as a beggar but ultimately became the most powerful man in his country, the most feared man in Europe and then, for a brief period, the most powerful man in the world.
Yes, did you know that Hitler was once a beggar in Vienna? Hitler came to Vienna in 1907 to become an artist. He sat for the entrance exam to get admission into the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. But he failed as the academy did not consider his art good enough. In 1908, he again tried but this time, the academy did not even allow him to sit for the entrance exam let alone admitting him.
After that, for about five years (1908-1913), Hitler’s life was a story of abject poverty, total rejection and unthinkable misery. With all his money gone, Hitler roamed around in the iconic city aimless without any purpose and without any sort of hope and prospect for the future. He roamed around selling paintings of buildings and city landscapes to tourists, working as a day laborer and sleeping in parks and public benches at night. He was underweight, sickly looking and had a gaunt face because he was not eating enough. Historians have described Hitler as a vagrant, tramp and drifter during this time. All these words are tantamount to beggar.
So, how did a person who was once a vagrant, tramp and drifter rise to such prominence and became one of the most iconic figures in history? After receiving his minimal inheritance from his father in 1913, Hitler moved to the German city of Munich. And while in Munich, World War 1 broke out and he volunteered to join the German army though he was an Austrian citizen. During the 1914-1918 war, Hitler served as a dispatch-runner delivering key-messages to the soldiers fighting in the forefront trenches. He proved himself an exemplary soldier as he was obedient and full of zeal. And he risked his own life on many occasions while delivering messages in the forefront. Because of his courage and exemplary commitment to the war efforts, Hitler was first awarded the Iron Cross second class and then the Iron Cross first class (Germany’s highest military honour).
When the war ended in 1918 and the armistice was signed, everyone was happy except Hitler. Hitler wanted the war to go on because in the army he had found a home and a sense of purpose and belonging. But once the war is over, he would be de-mobilized and would have to go back to living the life of a loser again like in the pre-war time and this was something Hitler did not wish to return to as he would have to begin from scraps again begging for food, shelter and work.
So even though the war was over, Hitler decided to do anything to remain in the army. During this time, some of the officers in the German army became very skeptical and fearful of the spread of communist ideas. They were scared that the soldiers who returned from the war would spread communist ideas among the populace and thereby ultimately turning their country into a communist one. So, to counter this communist threat, some high ranking German officials decided to employ some ex-soldiers for espionage and propaganda activities. When this offer came his way, Hitler readily grabbed it as he was willing to do anything to stay in the army.
Hitler’s job was to go on covert missions to meetings and gatherings which usually took place in beer bars and backstreet halls and report his findings to his superiors. He would not only listen to the talks and conversations but on some occasions even participated in the dialogues when he was appalled and provoked by the ideas shared. And it was during this time that Hitler himself as well as others also realized that he was a very good orator.
The moment Hitler realized that he could speak and that he could influence, inspire and galvanize others with his oratory, there was no turning back for him and he decided to become a politician. He realized that, through his oratory, he could spread his ideas and thoughts far beyond the confines of the military circle and become a national figure or even leader of all Germans.
So what are some of the lessons that we can draw from the story of this most hated historical personality. He is directly responsible for the death of millions and for causing untold sufferings and miseries. And none can condone the havoc and deaths caused by his absurd policies and regime. But if not for the deaths and destruction and his absurd and illogical ideas and actions, Hitler’s story could have been used as an epitome of a great success story and a source of great encouragement and inspiration to many around the world.
For a person who was just a mediocre student and a failed artist to become such a revered figure in his country (though only for a brief period) and to be considered a militant messiah who could do no wrong is not only inspiring but also unbelievable. From this, we can draw that failures and rejections may not necessarily determine the limits of one’s destiny.
Hitler was a man who had nothing. He had no family, no money, no career and no future prospect of any sort. When he was in the army, he was the only one who had no interest in Home Leave because he had no home. He was the only one who never received any letter or parcel because he had no family. His comrades in the army also noted that he was a ferocious eater as he was probably trying to make up for the lean years he spent as a vagrant. And so when a person has lived or experienced such levels of deprivation and desperation, nothing else would matter to him. And if someone is able to live through such depravity and rise, then indeed he would be a man to watch out for. From this, we can draw that total depravity and frustration may have a strange way of twisting our destiny.
Hitler was a man who came from nowhere. For once, even though he is known as the German dictator, he was not even a German citizen in the first place. He was an Austrian citizen by birth and would have been, under normal circumstances, not allowed to serve in the German army. But due to some errors in paper work, he got the opportunity to serve as a German soldier. From this, we can draw that when destiny is on your side, no one and nothing can stop you.
Germany was a nation of sophisticated people rich in culture, history and modernity. Germany did not lack behind any other nation in arts, culture, civilization, technology, intellect or philosophy. Up to that time, Germany had the most number of Nobel Laureates. It had been an immense contributor of ideas and philosophies in the field of science, polity and economy. So how did a nation with such an incredible track record fall prey to the dictates and whims of a strange man who had no credentials? From this, we can draw that even sophisticated and cultured societies can succumb to the ideas, charisma and movement of its times.
A factor which played the most crucial part in Hitler’s rise to power was his oratory skill. He could speak so well that his speeches had an almost hypnotic effect on the listeners. From this, we can draw how much importance and influence words, propaganda, speeches and rhetoric have in the field of politics. So all we can say is “be informed but do not be deceived.”
