Hitler stays in England before WWI

brunohusker

I don't know if this is Timeline worthy (since the same events in OTL would have happened), but i've always wondered what would have happened if Hitler had gone to england and stayed with his brother and sister in law in Liverpool.

I know most Historians don't believe it (I don't either) but I find it kind of interesting if he might have gone to England. If he would have stayed that would have been quite interesting. Would he still try to be an artist, but in Liverpool. Would he have still been as vocal in his hatred of Jews? Would he have still been a fascist, maybe even supporting Oswald Mosley?

Also, what would have been his reasons for staying if any? He was already antisemitic and a german nationalist, so would he have stayed in England or try to return to Germany in World War One. His brother Alois returned to germany and left his wife back in Liverpool.

Any suggestions would be helpful
 

Will Kürlich Kerl

Banned
If he doesn't leave for Germany, he might try to convince the English to side with the Central Powers. He still was a really good speaker, even back before WWI.
 

Alex1guy

Will Kürlich Kerl said:
If he doesn't leave for Germany, he might try to convince the English to side with the Central Powers. He still was a really good speaker, even back before WWI.
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I have a funny feeling that the British Cabinet didn't make their political and military decisions based on that of some random Austrian or that he would even be involved in British Politics. Just out of curiosity, did he speak English as well as he spoke German back then? Because a lot of charisma is lost when you aren't fluent in a language.
 
Cook

Cook

Banned
Will Kürlich Kerl said:
If he doesn't leave for Germany, he might try to convince the English to side with the Central Powers. He still was a really good speaker, even back before WWI.
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He may have been a really good speaker if you were a German; for the English he’d be just another silly foreigner.

First requirement would be that he would need to learn English. This poses an immediate obstacle, because throughout his life Hitler was a markedly lazy individual who did not like applying himself to study and hated being told what to do or corrected at anything, even by people trying to teach him subjects that he actually had an interest in.

Assuming that he did learn to speak English, and it would have to be good English for public speaking, not just a workable knowledge of the language necessary to do whatever basic form of employment he managed to pick up (this is a man who never graduated from school remember), there is still the problem of his accent; Hitler had a very strong Austrian accent that even Berliners had a hard time with, let alone the English. Lloyd-George had difficulties with the English with his Welsh accent, and L-G wasn’t just a good speaker, he was a brilliant speaker! So the very first time Hitler stands up at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park and opens his mouth the crowd is going to start laughing.

Which brings us to his next problem: Hitler had no sense of humour, none at all. He particularly lacked any capacity for self depreciation or appreciate a laugh at his own expense; any embarrassment made him angry. For an English audience this would be wonderful, it would be like a free pantomime show; Hitler would start talking and they’d start giggling, he’d go red and talk louder and angrier and they’d start laughing, he’d go very red and start shouting and the crowd would be in hysterics.

Even getting past this, as already mentioned, Hitler hadn’t even graduated from school. So no school tie, no university and no connections. No connections means no influence.

Besides which, the British are not going to listen to young nobody, and a foreign nobody at that, trying to talk them into a foreign policy that was simply not in the best interests of the empire.

So no, as far as a career in public speaking and politics goes, it would not happen in England. If he was lucky he could be a painter – interior walls, maybe park benches.
 
Jape

Jape

Based on what Cook has just said about his sense of humour, he could end up a local curiosity in Liverpool, ranting his theories to decent crowds only interested in laughing at him but his own ego never deters him from continuing.

And you go to the Beatles Museum and alongside the band memorabilia there are thin, glossy 'histories' of the region's noteworthy events and personalities. Tucked away on page 89 is old "Mad Adi", who unwittingly entertained a generation outside St. George's Hall.

Highly unlikely but probably the best an Adolf in England could hope for. Or he could go the Fight and Be Right direction and end up assassinating someone.
 

brunohusker

I figured he'd end up a nobody in england, which knowing Hitler would be why he'd somehow end up back in Germany. But if he stayed maybe he'd try to at least make something of himself, even if it was doing something like assassinating some politician or organizing a nazi sympathizer party but never really moving upward. I've just always found it interesting how this guy even made it so far. As many have mentioned he dropped out of school. Never could get into art school, and basically was just lucky enough to be a talented speaker in Germany.
 

Ian Hathaway

Pity he was lacking in the sense of humour department otherwise he could have made a living as a Chaplin impersonator ... and he wouldn't have even had to speak!!
 
Fearless Leader

Fearless Leader

Donor
Well it's doubtful that Hitler even lived in Liverpool in OTL. But the premise is close enough to reality to posit a short stay as our POD. Let's also say for the sake of TTL that Hitler decides to stay in Liverpool, perhaps he meets a girl or something.

Fast-forward to WWI and Hitler would be a foreign German national living in England which means that like so many other Germans living in England he would be interned, probably on the Isle of Man, for the duration of the conflict. Hitler's time in internment would undoubtedly impact his life in a profound way. Conceivably you could have him pursue any number of paths as a result of his time in internment. Perhaps he is mentored by other artists in the Camp and becomes an artistic success? Perhaps he's swayed by communist sentiment in TTL and returns to Germany? Any number of possibilities are available to the creative mind.
 

Enigmajones

Fearless Leader said:
Well it's doubtful that Hitler even lived in Liverpool in OTL. But the premise is close enough to reality to posit a short stay as our POD. Let's also say for the sake of TTL that Hitler decides to stay in Liverpool, perhaps he meets a girl or something.

Fast-forward to WWI and Hitler would be a foreign German national living in England which means that like so many other Germans living in England he would be interned, probably on the Isle of Man, for the duration of the conflict. Hitler's time in internment would undoubtedly impact his life in a profound way. Conceivably you could have him pursue any number of paths as a result of his time in internment. Perhaps he is mentored by other artists in the Camp and becomes an artistic success? Perhaps he's swayed by communist sentiment in TTL and returns to Germany? Any number of possibilities are available to the creative mind.
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By this time Hitler was already both a raging anti-semite, but a budding anti-leftist. Even in his early days, when the Nazi party HAD a left wing, a vibrant one at that I may add, he was always very clear that his concept of a revolution would be far and away different from the Red ones to the South and East of Germany.

Anyhow, just for fun, he would've made one hell of a Black and Tan.
 

Will Kürlich Kerl

Banned
brunohusker said:
I don't know if this is Timeline worthy (since the same events in OTL would have happened), but i've always wondered what would have happened if Hitler had gone to england and stayed with his brother and sister in law in Liverpool.

I know most Historians don't believe it (I don't either) but I find it kind of interesting if he might have gone to England. If he would have stayed that would have been quite interesting. Would he still try to be an artist, but in Liverpool. Would he have still been as vocal in his hatred of Jews? Would he have still been a fascist, maybe even supporting Oswald Mosley?

Also, what would have been his reasons for staying if any? He was already antisemitic and a german nationalist, so would he have stayed in England or try to return to Germany in World War One. His brother Alois returned to germany and left his wife back in Liverpool.

Any suggestions would be helpful
Click to expand...

How far back can the POD be?
 

Jurgen Wullenwever

Cook said:

Which brings us to his next problem: Hitler had no sense of humour, none at all. He particularly lacked any capacity for self depreciation or appreciate a laugh at his own expense; any embarrassment made him angry. For an English audience this would be wonderful, it would be like a free pantomime show; Hitler would start talking and they’d start giggling, he’d go red and talk louder and angrier and they’d start laughing, he’d go very red and start shouting and the crowd would be in hysterics.
Click to expand...

:confused: The author of "The Nazi Connection", a British intelligence agent who met Hitler before the war, wrote that Hitler was humoristic.
 

M79

I might see him opening up some sort of worker's organization dedicated to the disenchanted left and moderate right. Beyond that I doubt he does much if anything. If he fights in the war he becomes a traitor against his own country but might gain the prestige in England to do something notable. I doubt he becomes an MP (though it would be funny to think of him debating/ranting at a younger Churchill or Lady Astor).

Now if he opened a bar...
 
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