Behind the Bastards: How Heinrich Himmler Went From Nerdy Boy To Master of the SS (Part One)

Podcast: Behind the Bastards
Host: Robert Evans
Guest: Jason Petty (Prop, host of Hood Politics)
Date: September 2, 2025
Episode Theme:
An in-depth exploration of Heinrich Himmler's transformation from a nerdy, privileged but awkward Bavarian boy into the architect of the SS—the fearsome Nazi order responsible for some of the most horrific crimes in history. This episode traces Himmler's early life, family background, education, and the peculiar factors that shaped his psyche and ambitions.

Main Theme & Purpose

The hosts set out to go "behind the bastard"—exploring the childhood, family, and cultural background of Heinrich Himmler—specifically focusing on his upbringing, psychological profile, family dynamics, and the unique social mobility that positioned him to rise to the upper echelons of Nazi power. Rather than repeating details of the Holocaust already covered in past episodes about the SS implementation figures, this episode dives into how Himmler was formed and why he became the unique figure he was within the Nazi regime.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Focus on Himmler, Why Now?

• The discussion begins with the context: current political moments make a return to the story of high-profile Nazis especially relevant ([02:14]).
• Himmler, while not as famous as Hitler, shaped many of the organization's darkest aspects. While the SS existed before him, it's Himmler who truly defined and expanded it ([08:54]).
• The hosts promise less focus on the operational details of the Holocaust and more on how Himmler became who he was ([13:15]).

“Heinrich Himmler is the guy who, he didn't create the SS ... but he's almost from the jump the leader of the SS ... and he makes it into what it is ... wanted them to be a knightly order ... to create a new aristocracy.”
— Robert Evans ([08:54])

2. Family Background and Social Climbing

• Himmler's family rose from peasantry to upper-middle-class within two generations. His grandfather was a civil servant, and his father, Gebhard, was a schoolteacher who became a royal tutor ([15:55], [20:41]).
• Family's “nepo baby” strategies: careful marriages, leveraging royal connections, and investment in their children’s education ([11:20], [25:54], [32:11]).

“The Himmlers are really good social climbers ... that's primarily how Heinrich gets where he is—good instincts for who to meet, who can help him.”
— Robert Evans ([25:54])

3. Parental Influence and Early Home Life

• Gebhard, Himmler's father, is described as strict but loving—pedantic, obsessed with education, not abusive, but attentive and pressured his sons to succeed ([35:33], [38:01]).
• A “tiger mom” style father: pushing education, enforcing daily homework, but caring compared to the era's norms ([37:05]).
• Mother was stricter on Catholicism; father pressured her to ease up ([61:50]).

“He’s very involved and he doesn't seem to be emotionally unavailable...but he is constant, he is pressured from the beginning to succeed.“
— Robert Evans ([38:01])

• The family embraced respectability politics, including limiting who their children could befriend ([38:56]).

4. Childhood Illness and Sibling Dynamics

• Himmler was a sickly, middle child—often unwell, which gained him attention ([39:39]).
• His older brother was more academically successful and musically talented. Family dynamics included competition and possible insecurity ([42:35], [68:33]).

“He never outdoes his brother in school ... there is this competitiveness between the brothers and that is something that motivates him.”
— Robert Evans ([68:43])

5. Early Nerdom, German Nationalism, and Occult Fascination

• Childhood stories focused on heroic ancestors, Germanic myth, and medieval knights ([44:20], [54:54]).
• Family were “dweebs”—stamp collectors, amateur archaeologists, obsessed with German history ([50:21]).
• Himmler's early imagination was rooted in national myth-making, and his later obsession with the occult can be traced directly to his father's influence ([49:16], [54:54]).

“He would have been into D&D in a different period ... the kind of guy who would threaten to murder people over fan fiction.”
— Robert Evans ([05:03])

6. Education and Psychological Evaluations

• Gebhard enforced diary-keeping and stenography; Himmler’s diaries are a unique surviving source detailing his upbringing ([53:16]).
• Later psychoanalysts looked for signs of evil in these diaries, often stretching the evidence. Modern scholarship suggests Himmler’s childhood was relatively normal for his class and era ([55:04], [57:04]).
• Diaries show little early signs of antisemitism; as a youth, his prejudices were more anti-French, typical for the period ([59:21], [61:37]).

“His diary is like—most of it is not, ‘Here are my thoughts and feelings ...’ it’s very, very just nuts and bolts.”
— Robert Evans ([57:04])

7. Religious and Cultural Upbringing

• Strong Catholic upbringing due to his mother; prayers in front of an ivory Christ statue ([61:50]).
• Obsession with Germanic myths and sagas, rather than the cowboy stories typical for his peers ([64:39]).

8. The Outbreak of World War I and Adolescent Perspective

• Himmler’s coming of age coincided with WWI: family on vacation as war breaks out ([70:57]).
• His diary reflects the sudden normalcy-to-crisis of European families; minutes between playing and mobilization ([73:53]).
• Provides a vivid and modern feeling of how major historical rupture felt to a privileged youth.

“Monday: Woke up at X hour. Ate this for breakfast. Went to school ... played in the garden...then I hear Germany declared war ... playing in the garden...‘Planes and spies. We are packing up right away.’”
— Robert Evans, reading from Himmler’s diary ([74:17])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The "Scotty Pippen of Nazis" Metaphor:

  “He's the Scotty Pippen of Nazis ... if Hitler’s Jordan, he’s Pippen. Obviously Hermann Göring is Shaq...”
  — Robert Evans ([02:56])

• On Historical Analysis:

  “The ability to understand that ‘four’ comes from ‘two plus two’ is probably one of the most frustrating things that is happening ... in our political dialog right now.”
  — Prop ([12:32])

• On Nerds and Power:

  "The power and danger of a really smart nerd that ain’t afraid of you ... can become either the leader we all needed or Heinrich Himmler."
  — Prop ([14:43])

• On Bullying and Culture:

  “There is a role in culture that bullies are supposed to play ... a family of dweebs, collecting stamps.”
  — Prop ([50:21])

• On Historical Diary Analysis:

  “Every analysis that tries to look into his childhood from this standpoint that I've read is bad … this is bad medical science and it's bad historiography.”
  — Robert Evans ([55:04])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:54 – Prop introduced, podcast banter
• 02:56 – Framing Himmler as "Scotty Pippen of Nazis"; discussing the Nazi command as basketball/metaphor riff
• 08:54 – Explaining SS evolution, Himmler’s aspirations for a new aristocracy
• 15:55 – Himmler’s family background, upward mobility
• 25:54 – Strategy of social climbing and leveraging connections
• 35:33 – Father’s parenting style and focus on education
• 39:39 – Heinrich’s sickly childhood and sibling rivalry
• 44:20 – Childhood stories/myths, impact on Himmler’s imagination
• 53:16 – Diary-keeping, its historic uniqueness
• 55:04 – Critique of psychoanalysis of Himmler’s childhood
• 61:37 – Testimony of early classmate, lack of early antisemitism
• 70:57 – World War I breaks out, Himmler’s diary during crisis
• 73:53 – Modern parallels to war and crisis as experienced by youth

Original Language & Tone

Throughout the episode, both Evans and Prop use a mix of humor, cultural references (from hip hop to WWII analogies to “tiger mom”/“nepo baby” language), and contemporary comparisons to make the history feel immediate. The tone is often irreverent but careful when discussing the gravity of Nazi atrocities, drawing clear lines between banter and analysis.

Conclusion

This episode provides an immersive look at the making of one of history’s greatest villains—not by focusing on his crimes, but by painting a deeply detailed picture of his nerdy, ambitious, and surprisingly privileged youth. Listeners come away understanding not just Himmler’s biography, but how mundane family ambition, cultural myth, and the anxieties of an emerging nation could feed into the making of a monster.

Next episode will continue through Himmler's adolescence and the beginnings of his political life.