hitler

32would surely live up to her reputation as the most aristocraticState of the Reich, Hitler thought.But Bavaria did not live up to her reputation, and Munichoutdid even Berlin in the consumption of oceans of beer.The Bavarian capital was disconcerting. It paraded hightreason in full view of the world. The peasants were rebelliousalthough they had the least reason to complain. Theprices of their products were rising prodigiously. Yes, butwhat good did this do when they had no labourers to till thesoil? Their sons were in the army and now word was passedaround that the fatherland would need even the old hands.When Munich did not gulp down its beer it complained,about the never-ending war. The Kaiser came in for hisshare of criticism. He must have known that this was goingto be an endless struggle and he should not have misled theReich. Bavaria would have thought twice before givingenthusiastic consent to his war measures if she had been toldof the real situation. We want peace, Munich said, and AdolfHitler was disgusted.Five years after these events Hitler wrote that he wasglad to join his regiment in the Spring of 1917. In sayingthis he may have played up to the gallery which expected ofhim a heroic pose, or he may have revealed a sadistic traitin his character. In those days Hitler was too humble toanalyze his reactions and probably his boasted gladness to beback in the death line was a pretext to compromise with theinevitable.He was back in time not to miss the third battle of Ypresand thus to witness the progress of mankind toward the per-