History 299

As I did my research for this project, I went in with a belief about Hitler. That he had preconceived notions about the Holocaust from an early age. After going through Mein Kampf, my thesis changed drastically. I was surprised at how so many of the 2ndary sources claimed one thing about Hitler, but it turns out that he was a combination of all the different beliefs. Reading Mein Kampf was like a direct entrance into Hitler’s thought process and he explains himself so clearly in the book. He knew the way he was and was proud of it and felt he was justified in his corrupt ways for various reasons. After this project, I feel like my understanding of Hitler is so much different, in a good way.

My topic is focused on when and why Hitler decided to exterminate the Jews. When exactly did he make the decisions… was it before or after he served time in prison, and what motivated him to make the decision of extermination. As I go through Mein Kampf, I am finding that I am going to need to split my research into 3 different areas because the book is 700 pages long. I am going to break  down the research  into the following 3 areas: Hitler’s youth, major influences in his life (books, political figures), and his political motives for Germany he created while he was in prison. What did Hitler do doing his youth? I want look into the ideological/intellectual history of how he grew up and what his family life was like. What major influences played a role in Hitler’s early youth? Were there specific books or political figures he looked up to that would have influenced his decision about the Jews later on? Was his decision about the Jews made during his youth or while he was in prison, forming his plan for the future of Germany?

My thesis for my project is when exactly and why did Hitler decide to exterrminate the Jews. Currently, I am going through Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf.  I want to find out what motivated Hitler to make such horrible decisions about the Holocaust, whether it was influenced by his early childhood, or whether there was a specific event in his life that changed his mindset. I am still thinking about how I am going to sift through Mein Kampf, because it is almost a 700 page book. I also want to look at some of the speeches Hitler made in the 1920s, because they will show how Hitler’s thinking was during that time before he became Chancellor/dictator of Germany. I am also looking into Hitler’s top military officials, to see whether or not they were a part of the decision about the Jews, or if it was actually proposed by Hitler, and Hitler alone. The reading is dense for the project, but it is moving along nicely.

In high school, history was definitely not my favorite subject. Then I took A.P. US History and ever since then I’ve loved history. I like how there is always something new to learn, no matter what the topic is. I also like to think about what if a certain event didn’t happen, then how would the present be affected. I love how there are different ways to look at each event in history and there is always something new to discover.

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