Before achieving his remarkable success and amassing a fortune of $450 million, Arnold Schwarzenegger had a dream of leaving his modest life in Austria and accomplishing extraordinary feats in his desired land, America. This aspiration was further fueled by the challenging experiences of his childhood in the post-war conditions of his country. Schwarzenegger’s father, a war veteran, faced the repercussions of the turbulent circumstances, which resulted in mental health struggles.

Hence, Schwarzenegger and his brother suffered the consequences of a traumatized father, physically abusing them. Shedding light on the matter in his latest documentary on Netflix, Arnold, the star athlete gave out the chilling details of his childhood. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t have an ideal upbringing.

In the first episode of the documentary, the 75-year-old icon illustrated the tense scenario in his homeland after losing the war. Although he described his countryside hometown, Thal, to be absolutely beautiful, Arnie claimed the way he grew up was “difficult” regardless. “To grow up after a war…” he hinted.

He urged the viewers to contemplate the state of one’s head and brain after witnessing the petrifying scenes of war. “suffering the post-traumatic stress syndrome, like my father, and on top of that, they lost the war,” the 6’2 athlete added. Arnie revealed that the soldiers were “so depressed” that the whole of Austria was a “country of broken men.”

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Owing to the circumstances, the IFBB pro let out that his father would beat him up, oftentimes using his belt. Shockingly, this situation was not particular to his home only. Arnie said in the Netflix documentary, “When we got smacked, or my father would use the belt and hit us. The kid next door was hit also by his father. Everyone was going through the same thing.” Although, the athlete initially shared a different bond with his father. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s relationship with his father

Speaking of his family in the documentary, the bodybuilding legend described his family members quite uniquely. After deeming his mother Aurelia as a cleanliness fanatic, he spoke of his father. Gustav Schwarzenegger was a “tyrant” and tough chief officer of the country police. Hence, his strictness lingered in the Schwarzenegger home, too. 

“My dad thought they should create some discipline in the house,” Arnie recalled. So much so that, he and his brother had to earn their breakfast by following his father’s orders. He credited his father for his drive and passion, more so, with a message, “Whatever you do Arnold, be useful”

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Now fans know how the competitive nature of The Austrian Oak was inbuilt. The star put his learnings to good use and emerged as one of the greatest personalities in the world. However, he equally dreads the traumatic experiences he had to undergo ahead of living his dream.