Hitler as a Politician Hitler

Hitler as a politician

Hitler has been called many names, like demagogue and monster. But very few elements of popular media deal with him in strict terms such as politician or leader or military commander. I will attempt to remove the emotion from the man and discuss his effectiveness in many of the roles he led as leader of the Nazi Party and Fuhrer of the German state. Hitler first came to national attention in Munich, after transplanting himself from Austria. Germany suffered from severe economic depression at the time, with accompanying high levels of unemployment and poverty. The German people were deeply dissatisfied with the status quo, and looked for something to reestablish German pride and public identity after their defeat in World War I. Whether Hitler was simply master of the moment or stumbled into the right place at the right time, his inflammatory speeches and stance against Jews and Communists made him very popular among the German population. Hitler rose to power primarily speaking out against the punishment terms to which Germany had been held to as a result of World War I. Hitler supported a reunified and resurgent Germany, with return of annexed lands. He advocated a return to power of the weakened German military, return of control of German industry to German people. Politically, Hitler was adept at placing his finger on the pulse of issues while not terribly germane to the daily lives of the German people, but nonetheless touched the emotions of the general populace. The Germans were fiercely proud and Hitler's rhetoric was effective. Hitler as a politician uses a smoke and mirrors style to take German's minds of what was really important and instead distracted them from the worries of every day life by displacing worry into hatred. Hitler as a Leader Hitler was named Chancellor of the German State in 1933. As the chief of the National Socialist Party (Nazi) he was not yet the dictator of Germany and his power was limited by the pre-existing German cabinet. Germany had a president as well as a chancellor, and while a nationalist, President von Hindenburg did not follow the fascist regime. This was not enough to sway Hitler. He had enormous energy and focused on winning hearts and minds among the German people as well as increasing the importance of Germany on the European stage. Based upon the sheer force of his personality and popularity among the people, he was able to convince the president to dissolve the standing Reichstag and call for new elections. The physical Reichstag building was burned to the ground in 1933, and the presence of a communist in the building allowed Hitler to begin his suppression of the communist and other groups. Could Hitler have been involved in this situation? Once he secured greater political power, Hitler was to oversee significant industrial and civil growth, the greatest Germany had ever seen. Unemployment rates plummeted and effects of inflation were offset. German infrastructure improved and most people (not Jews) saw an increase in the standard of living. Hitler's reinterpretation of German classical style leads to the development of a style of architecture unique to the period. All of this improvement was done in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Under his power, Germany developed an army as strong as France, and developed a new navy as well as a stronger new German Air Force. Hitler as a strategist Hitler felt the unification of Germany with Austria was important to define his plan to unite German speaking Europe. This included the annexation of Czechoslovakia. He reneged on areas in Poland which had been ceded from German in the Versailles treaty. While Britain and the Soviet Union were unable to come to an alliance, Germany was able to develop a non- aggression pact with Stalin, negotiated over the partitioning of Poland. 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 of super power less than 3 decades after significant defeat. 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.