Hitler as a Leader Essays

Hitler as a Leader Essays Hitler as a Leader Essay Hitler as a Leader Essay One can be a great leader and an influential human being without having a sense of morality. Following the conclusion of World War I, and during and after the rise of the Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler united the country of Germany through boosting its morale, and giving them a sense of superiority. In addition, he solved many of the country’s social issues, including unemployment, and was able to have complete and total control over the German population in approximately six years. After its defeat in WWI, Germany was crying out for a scapegoat to help them sedate their grief. Adolf Hitler used the Jewish people, and through initial prejudice and discrimination, he quickly boosted his country’s self-esteem and rapidly gained support. Between the years of 1933 and 1939, Germany’s unemployment rate, under Hitler, decreased drastically, from an enormous total of six million citizens unemployed, to a miniscule number of 302 thousand people. Hitler rose through the ranks of the Nazi Party, and through the death of President Paul von Hindenburg, and his own ingenuity, was able to create laws and regulations easily guaranteeing that he would be the leader, or â€Å"Fuhrer† forever. Although his morals and racial policies were disgusting, Hitler improved his country, and was able to become one of the most powerful leaders in the world in less than ten years. Post World War I Germany was a disaster, and the country needed something, or someone, to help its people out of hard times. The war cost Germany over thirty billion dollars in debt, and left the country with a diminutive army, inflation, and a severe lack of self-confidence. Adolf Hitler believed he had found the answer to the German people’s problems. He thought he belonged to a superior race and would stop at nothing to prove this to Germany, and the rest of the world. This was the drive and determination that fueled Hitler’s quick escalation in popularity and power. He originally joined the German Worker’s party in 1919 as a spy for the German army, ordered to investigate the group’s activities. After meeting some of the members, he quit his job at the armed forces to join what would later become known as the Nazi Party. Hitler’s fame quickly soared after his speech on October 16, 1919, gaining Hitler hundreds of followers, and the support of many German citizens. Adolf Hitler, however, was still not a recognized name. After the failed Munich Putsch, the attempted overthrow of the Weimar Republic, Hitler was thrown in jail, and during his eight months in prison, wrote Mein Kampf, translated to â€Å"My Struggle†, a book that described the upbringing of the Nazi Party, as well as methods on how to properly use propaganda and terrorism for total control. Finally, it included the belief that the Aryan race, consisting of blond, blue eyed, white males was above other humans, and that it was their destiny to take over Europe. This book fueled Germany with the adrenaline it needed to get back on its feet after its devastating loss in World War I. The book caused a strong responsive from many citizens, and by the start of World War II, had sold over 5 million copies. The German people had been exhausted, ashamed, and embarrassed due to the country’s humiliating loss in the First World War. Hitler convinced these people that there was hope after all, united the country, and fueled what would cause Germany to control over fifteen countries in under ten years, led by the most powerful and controlling leader in history. Germany was dealing with more than a poor ego, it was in a period of heavy inflation, and unemployment had risen to a staggering six million. Adolf Hitler lost by approximately fifteen percent in the 1932 presidential election to the late Paul von Hindenburg. However, Hindenburg then selected Adolf Hitler as Chancellor, the second highest position of power in Germany. Hitler worked hard during the next two years to establish laws such as the Enabling Act, giving him full authority over the government after Hindenburg died in 1934. However, Adolf Hitler made a variety of economical decisions that highly benefited his state. The country was battling extreme unemployment, and Hitler dealt with this just as Roosevelt dealt with the Great Depression, by creating public works programs, such as constructing railroads, canals, and highways. Hitler acknowledged, during his early stages as Chancellor, the â€Å"misery of [his] people,† and stated he was there to support the â€Å"whole middle class and the artisans† (Weber 1). In addition, he planned to â€Å"decisively overcome† unemployment in the four years following his election. Hitler followed through with this promise, reducing unemployment to one sixth of what it had been. By the start of World War II, Germany’s unemployment had dropped by over five and a half million. He aimed to benefit the individual worker, and do more than just change a statistic. The average worker’s weekly earnings increased by twenty one percent in his first four years, and had skyrocketed by an additional twenty percent by 1941. Hitler significantly helped Germany recover from the economic hardships of World War I. Through his creation of public works programs, new tax laws, and his support of the middle class, Adolf Hitler drastically improved the quality of life for the German population. Finally, Hitler was the world’s most talented artist of propaganda and manipulation. This trait exhibits exactly how powerful of a leader Hitler was. Through the help of Joseph Goebbels, the country’s Minister of Propaganda, the Nazi party was able to fully regulate all media, including television, radio and newspapers. Adolf Hitler created an unprecedented fear of the Government, jailing or killing anyone who stood in his way, and brutally murdering those who disagreed with his policies or did not meet the profile of a superior human being. With a combination of incredible oratory proficiency, convincing advertisements, and terror, Hitler convinced most of Germany to believe in the â€Å"Aryan† race and execute his programs to create a supposedly perfect and pure state. Furthermore, Hitler controller the community through mandatory organizations such as the Hitler Youth Group, immersing children in anti-Semitic ideals, and embedding these principles in their minds. Other groups, such as the SA and SS helped control and limit revolts and eliminate objectors, including those opposed to the Nazi party and Adolf Hitler’s political opponents. Hitler controlled every aspect of his country, brainwashing his people, and giving himself total authority over the Government. With no political competition, and little to no resistance from his people, Hitler was able to control his entire country through deception, propaganda, and the perfect combination between intelligence and insanity. Adolf Hitler was the most powerful, controlling, and manipulative ruler in history. He controlled, inspired, and united his people, while healing an economy ravaged by war. Hitler’s combination of high levels of intellect and a lack of morality allowed him to decimate populations and justify his actions to the German people. A terrible, scary, but equally powerful man, Adolf Hitler will go down in history as the world’s most influential and formidable leader.