Hitler continued to work against significant disbelief on the part of the
general European public and conquered France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg
and Belgium. Hitler took advantage of Europeans disbelief that another war
to the extent degree of World War I was possible, and certainly not
possible under the restrictions placed on Germany by the Treaty of
Versailles. Hitler's victory brought France and Italy to his side.
Hitler was unable to obtain air superiority over Britain, despite
blistering attacks on British cities. The ability of the British to hold
out against the rest of Europe was a rallying cry against Hitler. His
greatest failure was likely related to his duplicitous nature, in which he
broke the non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union and ordered the attack
on Russia in June 1941. Hitler had anticipated a quick victory in the
Soviet Union, and the unexpected hold out by Moscow, Leningrad and St
Petersburg strained Hitler's ability to fight on several fronts. His
declaration of war against the United States after the attack by the
Japanese on Pearl Harbor set the British, Americans and the Soviet Union
strongly against him. His defeats in the Middle East as well as in the
long battle of Stalingrad were significant turning points in his work as a
war leader, and were the beginning of the end of Germany's military and
economic dominance.
Hitler as strategist
As a strategist, Hitler appeared to have sound ideas regarding
returning Germany to the status...
It appears, however, that things got away from him.
He reneged on the non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union requiring that
he fight a war on three fronts at one time. This spread his resources too
thin, and increased the frequency and severity of multiple defeats. One
can only speculate as to why he deviated from what seemed to be an
effective plan, but it would appear that his confidence outweighed his
judgment.
Hitler as a human being
Many people would argue that Hitler was not a human being. His ideas
about Jews and "The final solution" would seem to take him out of the realm
of normal human behavior. Some people feel he had emotions. He appeared
to be fond of his lover (some believe his wife) Eva Braun, and they
committed suicide together in the bunker in Berlin rather than face likely
execution at the hand of the allies. He was said to be kind to his
animals. But what is it that makes a man a human being? His behavior and
his policies would seem to hold him apart from belonging to the human race
as a whole, and as a result, some consider him to be more than a monster.
He is not a person I would ask to dinner, simply because my revulsion at
his actions would ruin my appetite. Additionally, I am not sure I would
want to look into the mind of someone who could justify such action against
a race of people based upon what appears to be the world's most severe
inferiority complex.
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