History ArtisticLicenseHistory / HitlerTheRiseOfEvil

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Kaiser UsefulNotes/WilhelmII. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was reannexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' there is a statue of Wilhelm II in Munich to begin with. Wilhelm was officially the King of Prussia as well as the "German Emperor"[[note]]''not'' "Emperor ''of'' Germany"; He was recognised only as ''primus inter pares'' amongst German monarchs. Calling himself "Emperor of Germany" would have also implied a claim to the "Austrian" part of the neighboring Habsburg empire.[[/note]], but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized as the head of state, officially described as the President of the Confederation in the German constitution, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Kaiser UsefulNotes/WilhelmII. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was reannexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' there is a statue of Wilhelm II in Munich to begin with. Wilhelm was officially the King of Prussia as well as the "German Emperor"[[note]]''not'' "Emperor ''of'' Germany"; He was recognised only as ''primus inter pares'' amongst German monarchs[[/note]], but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized as the head of state, officially described as the President of the Confederation in the German constitution, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* UsefulNotes/HermannGoring, Joseph Goebbels, UsefulNotes/HeinrichHimmler, UsefulNotes/ReinhardHeydrich and Rudolf Hess are all either [[DemotedToExtra minor characters]] or [[AdaptedOut non-existent]] in the story. In reality all of these men played a huge role in Hitler's rise to power. Trusted putsch comrades of Hitler like [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Erwin_von_Scheubner-Richter Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Heinrich_Wagner Robert Heinrich Wagner]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Weber_(veterinarian) Friedrich Weber]] are not featured either. On the other side of the coin, Ernst Hanfstaengl is given a vastly elevated role in Hitler's political rise.

* The doctor who treated Hitler's mother for cancer is depicted as noticeably Hasidic. Austrian Jews of the turn of the century were among the most assimilated and liberal in Europe, so most dressed, behaved, and looked like Austrian Christians. Hitler himself noted in ''Literature/MeinKampf'' that he never saw a Hasidic Jew until he moved to Vienna... a passage they actually quote ''in this very production''. The real man who treated his mother, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Bloch Eduard Bloch]], was no exception.

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Wilhelm II. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was annexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' there is a statue of Wilhelm II in Munich to begin with. Wilhelm was officially the King of Prussia as well as the "German Emperor"[[note]]''not'' "Emperor ''of'' Germany"; He was recognised only as ''primus inter pares'' amongst German monarchs[[/note]], but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized as the head of state, officially described as the President of the Confederation in the German constitution, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* Hermann Göring, Joseph Goebbels, UsefulNotes/HeinrichHimmler, UsefulNotes/ReinhardHeydrich and Rudolf Hess are all either [[DemotedToExtra minor characters]] or [[AdaptedOut non-existent]] in the story. In reality all of these men played a huge role in Hitler's rise to power. Trusted putsch comrades of Hitler like [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Erwin_von_Scheubner-Richter Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Heinrich_Wagner Robert Heinrich Wagner]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Weber_(veterinarian) Friedrich Weber]] are not featured either. On the other side of the coin, Ernst Hanfstaengl is given a vastly elevated role in Hitler's political rise.

* The Enabling Act is shown as passing only with Nazi Party support. In reality, nearly every single party in the Reichstag supported the bill. The Communists had been banned so weren't present, and the Centre and other moderate parties had been cowed into accepting the bill with promises and threats (namely by the SS surrounding the building vowing to retaliate if they didn't vote "yes"). Only the 94 members of the Social Democratic Party voted against the bill, to Hitler's rage.

* Also, during that above scene, German soldiers remark that they're so close to UsefulNotes/{{Paris}} that they can "smell perfume from the city". The Germans made their closest approach to Paris during the first month of the war in 1914 and were stopped around the Marne river. In 1918, the closest Germans could push towards Paris was 65 kilometers.

One of the hallmarks of this MiniSeries about the rise of UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and UsefulNotes/NaziGermany is the amount of [[ArtisticLicenseHistory liberties it took with history]]. It got so bad that Ian Kershaw - the historian brought on as an advisor for the show, whose deeply researched two-volume biography of Hitler even ''inspired'' the show - regretted ever taking part to it and wondered why he was brought on in the first place, because he felt that everything he said was being ignored.

* When Hitler was in the hospital, one of the doctors announced that Germany surrendered. In actuality, Germany had only signed an Armistice with the Allies. Furthermore, for most Germans the Armistice had been long expected. The abdication of the Kaiser would have been much more of a shock.

* Hermann Göring, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, UsefulNotes/ReinhardHeydrich and Rudolf Hess are all either [[DemotedToExtra minor characters]] or [[AdaptedOut non-existent]] in the story. In reality all of these men played a huge role in Hitler's rise to power. Trusted putsch comrades of Hitler like [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Erwin_von_Scheubner-Richter Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Heinrich_Wagner Robert Heinrich Wagner]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Weber_(veterinarian) Friedrich Weber]] are not featured either. On the other side of the coin, Ernst Hanfstaengl is given a vastly elevated role in Hitler's political rise.

* Hitler is told he's being deployed to the Eastern Front, right before the gas attack that blinds him. The Eastern Front ended in March 1918, with Russia collapsing due to the [[UsefulNotes/RomanovsAndRevolutions Bolshevik]] [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober Revolution]], seven months before Hitler being sent to hospital. Hitler only served on the Western Front, and never received any orders to go East.

* At Hindenburg's funeral, Göring announces to the assembled troops that the offices of president and chancellor will be merged, making Hitler the sole leader of Germany. There was actually a national referendum on the matter, albeit one in which voter intimidation made the outcome certain from the beginning, and this was held on August 19, ''after'' the funeral.

* At Hindenburg's funeral, Göring announces to the assembled troops that the offices of president and chancellor will be merged, making Hitler the sole leader of Germany. There was actually a national referendum on the matter on August 19, albeit one in which voter intimidation made the outcome certain from the beginning, which occurred ''after'' the funeral.

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Wilhelm II. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was annexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' there is a statue of Wilhelm II in Munich to begin with. Wilhelm was officially the King of Prussia as well as the "German Emperor",[[note]]''not'' "Emperor ''of'' Germany"; He was recognised only as ''primus inter pares'' amongst German monarchs[[/note]] but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized as the head of state, officially described as the President of the Confederation in the German constitution, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* Hitler's mother and father (Klara Hitler and Alois Hitler) were second cousins (sharing a common grandparent) instead of uncle and niece. She only called him "uncle" because Alois and Klara were PracticallyDifferentGenerations--he was 23 years her senior.

* Hermann Göring, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, UsefulNotes/ReinhardHeydrich and Rudolf Hess are all either [[DemotedToExtra minor characters]] or [[AdaptedOut non-existent]] in the story. In reality all of these men played a huge role in Hitler's rise to power. Trusted putsch comrades of Hitler like Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter, Robert Heinrich Wagner and Friedrich Weber ([[Literature/WebersGermanyTheVeterinarianTotalitarian that one]]) are not featured either. On the other side of the coin, Ernst Hanfstaengl is given a vastly elevated role in Hitler's political rise.

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Wilhelm II. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was annexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' there is a statue of Wilhelm II in Munich to begin with. Wilhelm was officially the King of Prussia as well as the "German Emperor",[[note]]''not'' "Emperor ''of'' Germany"; He was recognised only as ''primus inter pares'' amongst German monarchs[[/note]] but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized as the head of state, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Wilhelm II. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was annexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' there is a statue of Wilhelm II in Munich to begin with. Wilhelm was officially the King of Prussia as well as the "German Emperor",[[note]]''not'' "Emperor ''of'' Germany"; He was recognised only as ''primus inter pares'' amongst German monarchs[[/note]] but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized as the head of state, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* Hitler's mother and father (Klara Hitler and Alois Hitler) were cousins instead of uncle and niece. That was [[HonoraryUncle how she addressed him]], not their actual blood relation.

* Paul von Hindenburg's funeral happened at the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannenberg_Memorial Tannenberg Memorial]] in East UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} (now part of UsefulNotes/{{Poland}}), the mini-series features said monument but somehow situates it in UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}}. Also, the funeral is said to be taking place on August 2, 1934, which is actually the date that Hindenburg ''died''. The actual funeral took place on August 7, 1934.

* The doctor who treated Hitler's mother for cancer is depicted as noticeably [[AllJewsAreAshkenazi Hasidic]]. Austrian Jews of the turn of the century were among the most assimilated and liberal in Europe, so most dressed, behaved, and looked like Austrian Christians. Hitler himself noted in ''Literature/MeinKampf'' that he never saw a Hasidic Jew until he moved to Vienna... a passage they actually quote ''in this very production''. The real man who treated his mother, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Bloch Eduard Bloch]], was no exception.

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Wilhelm II. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was annexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' there is a statue of Wilhelm II in Munich to begin with. Wilhelm was officially King of Prussia as well as the "German Emperor",[[note]]''not'' "Emperor ''of'' Germany"; He was recognised only as ''primus inter pares'' amongst German monarchs[[/note]] but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized as the head of state, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Wilhelm II. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was annexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' there is a statue of Wilhelm II in Munich to begin with. Wilhelm was officially King of Prussia as well as the "German Emperor"[[note]]''not'' "Emperor ''of'' Germany"; He was recognised only as ''primus inter pares'' amongst German monarchs[[/note]], but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized as the head of state, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Wilhelm II. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was annexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' the statue is there. Wilhelm was officially the "German Emperor", but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized as the head of state, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* When Hitler returns to UsefulNotes/{{Munich}} after the war, he witnesses a couple of Communist revolutionaries [[ToppledStatue toppling a statue]] of Wilhelm II. Not only did such a specific incident not occur in Munich (it did occur in places such as Strasbourg, Alsace, which was annexed by the French after World War I), it is also never clarified ''why'' the statue is there. Wilhelm was officially the "German Emperor", but quite explicitly ''not'' the monarch of the Kingdom of Bavaria.[[note]]The German Empire was officially a federation of several kingdoms like Prussia and Bavaria, duchies like Brunswick and Anhalt, and city-states like Hamburg and Bremen. While the Kaiser was recognized at the head of state, each of the member states enjoyed a great deal of autonomy, to the point that the larger states even had their own armies and war ministers. The aforementioned Alsace was a ''Reichsland'', directly under the Kaiser's authority from 1871 to 1912.[[/note]]

* Paul Von Hindenburg's funeral happened at the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannenberg_Memorial Tannenberg Memorial]] in East UsefulNotes/{{Prussia}} (now part of UsefulNotes/{{Poland}}), the mini-series features said monument but somehow situates it in UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}}. Also, the funeral is said to be taking place on August 2, 1934, which is actually the date that Hindenburg ''died''. The actual funeral took place on August 7, 1934.

* Von Hindenburg's funeral is said to be taking place on August 2, 1934, which is actually the date that Hindenburg ''died''. The actual funeral took place on August 7, 1934.