Was Hitler a Weak Dictator between 1934-1939 - Essay Example

Running head: HITLER AS A DICTATOR Was Hitler a Weak Dictator between 1934-1939 You're To claim Hitler as a weak dictator is to claim Stalin as a great ruler. Hitler was by no means weak as this literary research will validate. He did have normal humanly weaknesses just as any average person does; but he built his empire through a supreme, yet ruthless intellect. The research will give evidence to the fact that Hitler had a persuasive way with his words and he was full of trickery, often winning over many influential German citizens with his false ideas and fabricated stories of glorious victory and the rewards that could be gained if the people of Germany followed him. If there was a weakness to be found in Hitler's dictatorship then it would have had to be his own greed and desire to conquer the entire world, which was an impossible feat, yet Hitler failed to see the reality of his circumstances. However, with regard to his iron rule over his people and the control he had over other countries, he was by no means weak but rather he was an extremely powerful and suffocating force, making all the necessary decisions concerning his homeland. The conclusion will show that the reign of Hitler still haunts the memories of many due to the delirious atrocities he placed upon thousands, which inevitably brings the validity needed to prove he was cruel and vindictive but never could he be classified as weak. Was Hitler a Weak Dictator between 1934-1939 Introduction Hitler's role was much too central in Germany for him to have ever been considered a weak dictator. Furthermore, in order to validate the point being made that Hitler was indeed not weak during these years it can be pointed out that he had a hefty amount of control over all areas of socialization and political governance during this time. This was through his tyranny on the people themselves and his say so in how the educational system worked, his persecution of the minorities in the country, the development of propaganda and censorship, and his overall pull in the maturing belief of Nazism (Jackson & Spielvogel 1996, pg. 12). Hitler pretty much controlled every activity that people participated in on a daily basis, from leisure activities to their quality of life at work and home as well. This is basically why there have been statements made about him of how he ruled Germany through his threatening presence alone (Klaus & Fischer 1997, pg. 110). Just for an example, Hitler had more control over the people than what has ever actually been realized. He forced German citizens and his military to pledge an oath to his allegiance and those who did not were dismissed and later executed. In fact, during these very year's history has shown that Hitler was at the rise of his popularity within Germany and in other regions of which he had conquered so there is no logical way to assume he was in any way weak at all but rather, as was stated previously, a very serious extremist and unrelenting dictator (Jackel 1972, pg. 55). The Rule of Hitler The question of if Hitler was able to be a strong dictator lays in the arguments of functional and intentionalists. A functional argument is the belief that Hitler didn't have a plan but used what was in front of him to his advantage, and an Intentional view is that Hitler had a plan and stuck by his plan therefore leading us to the question, 'was Hitler strong enough to have a plan and succeed it' Hitler knew how to abuse the chaotic government and he knew how to use the circumstances (Mitchell 1990, pg. 89). He knew exactly what the people wanted and what the military wanted. All of these aspects could have made Hitler strong. From the end of the 1st world war the military wanted rearmament and the people wanted revenge. These two circumstances assisted Hitler in having his voice heard more clearly and defined him as being a very strong leader throughout the years that he was gaining his control of the country. The weak government and the chaotic surroundings in the years 1933-39 strengthened Hitler so he therefore took the chaos and used it to his own advantage. Hereby it can be clearly seen that Hitler made many important decisions and took care of many large goals, such as Ernst Rohm (Peukert 1982, pg. 75). Ernst Rohm's ambition was to create a strong nationalist Germany through a party in which was based on the lower classes. Hitler's views were totally opposite Rohm's and in fact Hitler proved his strength through his own interactions with Rohm and those that followed his views. This was one step in his rising political presence that gave him a powerful voice and presented him as a determined, yet dangerous dictator. Due to the elimination of Rohm and the S.A., Hitler was often portrayed as an abled and decisive leader. Another point to give validation to such a statement is with his superiority in the occupation of the Rhineland (Toland 1992, pg. 34). In June 1936 many other European affairs were taking place such as Mussolini's invasion on Abyssinia so Hitler believed that the major powers wouldn't do anything to stop them. He took it upon himself to establish a plan that would put an end to this invasion and in so doing he was able to prove once again to the people that he was a very capable leader with a strong mind that well deserved to be given power over the country. He utilized his intellect and power of speech to gain more and more acceptance over those past years, deceiving many of the German citizens to what his true beliefs and leadership skills actually consisted of, which of course are known now as those of a dynasty of tyranny (Fest 1992, pg. 77). He was able to build upon his desires and gain more and more control due to the individual skills he developed. For example, through reading he developed his anti-democratic and anti-Jewish beliefs, the admiration for the outstanding individual, and contempt for the masses (Toland 1992, pg. 55). By volunteering for service in the Baverian Army during World War I, he proved himself as a dedicated and courageous soldier. Since his sponsors felt he lacked leadership qualities, he was never promoted beyond private first class which was equivalent to Corporal. Nevertheless, Hitler did not allow this to be a thorn in his side, proving yet again that he was not weak but definitely strong as a person and as a leader. As was briefly mentioned, in order for him to become the leader of Germany, he took advantage of the Great Depression of 1929 and explained it as a Jewish Communist plot (Speilvogel 1996, pg. 155). Through promises of a strong Germany, more jobs and national glory, he gained popularity and was appointed chancellor in January 1933. Once in power, he established himself as a dictator. This is definitely when the tide turned for Germany and violence began to reign. Hitler became more ferocious than he ever had been before and people soon began to realize how powerful he actually was. Reinforcements in Validation of Hitler's Strength These mentioned achievements indicate that Hitler must have been a dedicated and brave soldier as well as initial leader before he took actual power over Germany. Also, he had to have been a committed servant of the German nation, who conducted his duty on the front line as a 'brave, cool-headed and fearless under fire soldier,' His motivation for this was by seeing his motives as acts of valour for the fatherland which he regarded as the only ideal vocation for a man (Speilvogel 1996, pg. 88). Psychologists such as Hans Frank would claim that this attempt by Hitler to become more of a 'man' were his personal ways to try and cover his own insecurities and effeminate beliefs that he gathered from his overprotective mother, and the army was a means to liberate Hitler's aggressive instincts for the cause of the nation. This of course could be a sign of weakness but then there are many leaders of the past that carried a weakness in leadership qualities as well so this alone could not label him as a weak individual. Now it is well known that although Hitler performed gallantly for his country during the war he was probably not in a position to view himself as the future Father of Germany, but these experiences Hitler had in the 1st World War were said by Hitler himself to be, 'the greatest and most unforgettable time of my earthly experience.' (Mattern 2005, pg. 500). The realization is that everything that Hitler was engaged in went towards shaping his future style of leadership. Instead of the common memories of the horrors and dangers encountered on the battlefield, mixed with the regimental pride of comrades in battle, Hitler chose to review the war as 'proof of the validity of the ideology that he already believed in' These ideas were those taken from the streets of Vienna (Gassert 2005, pg. 64). Along with Hitler's advancement and growing influence he achieved by giving his powerful anti-semitic talks, which blamed Jewish businessmen and the rest of Europe for the German depression, his party was also expanding. Hitler gave direction to the movement by instilling a sense of purpose to Germans that what he intended to achieve was to reunite and rebuild Germany into the powerful nation that it once was. His party's ideas tapped into the aggression and embitterment of disaffected young citizens, who flocked to this new right wing, militant group called the Nazi party, relishing Hitler's strong leadership and bold action he was prepared to take (Gassert 2005, pg. 73). With such a rise in support from within his party and growing throughout Bavaria, Hitler must have sought to further extend this power he now possessed as early as possible. Prior to being arrested, Hitler tried to achieve this in his infamous 'beer hall putsch,' where his party tried to seize power by force in an opportune moment. This attempt failed, landing Hitler in jail for a period. Even so, with inclusion of jail time in Hitler's life he still did not appear to weaken or be weak, yet seemingly grew stronger in his ideas and beliefs. There are many definitions of leadership and strength but for Hitler the best one is laid out by Field Marshal, The Viscount of Montgomery of Alamein who defines it as, "the will to dominate, together with character which inspires confidence" (Fest 1992, pg. 24). Regardless of how ruthless or vindictive Hitler was he did have these traits and he did gain admiration which gave him even more power in his personal cause and quest for greed of others and other lands. Furthermore, in the earlier years of Hitler, he was clearly more adapt in gaining notice in all his endeavors and therefore, many have classified him as a dominant leader that: Maintains their position by virtue of their personal capacity to impress and dominate their followers. This ability to lead a march on a state government is a remarkable achievement for one man and Hitler used his powers of persuasion to his own favorable motives (Toland 1992, pg. 112). Within just a few years, Hitler managed to expand his party across the country, seizing the favorable circumstances of a weakened country and the feelings of rage in the German public. His party managed to poll a record 13 million votes in 1932 and become the largest political party in the country. In 1933 Hitler cleverly took control of the Chancellery during a state of 'National Emergency' and saw this as a foothold on the reigns of power. A year later, through political and physical force he managed to combine the offices of the president and chancellor and become Germany's new ruler. By ensuring that trade unions were abolished, and opposing political parties dissolved, Hitler ensured that he would be able to lead his country unopposed as their dictator (Speilvogel 1996, pg. 118). This was not the mindset of a neither weak man nor leader but of a very bold and determined one instead. Power and Control: A Weakness Many historians believe that the greed for power, control, and the hate and resentment Hitler felt for the Jews were his true weaknesses. Yet, even though these might have been weak traits they did not weaken the man himself and therefore did not affect his strength during his time of control of Germany either. The Enabling Law was the start of Hitler's dictatorship (Mattern 2005, pg. 438). With the power of the Enabling Law he made all political parties except the NSDAP illegal and Germany became a one-party state. He then abolished trade unions, a likely source of resistance, and replaced them by the German Labor Front to which all workers had to belong. Hitler would not have been able to do this if the statement of him being weak were even remotely true. Furthermore, Hitler knew his limits and knew what he had to do to make improvisions in order to gain support. A weak leader could not have used the mentality that he did to achieve the goals he gained. For example, Hitler needed everyone in Germany supporting him, so addressing the needs of the adult citizens was not enough anymore, he needed to brainwash the children as well. He did so by creating a closely controlled educational system so that children could be indoctrinated with Nazi beliefs (Mattern 2005, pg. 420). Former schoolbooks were burnt and rewritten to fit in with the Nazi theory. History books were changed to state that great things could only be accomplished by force, and Biology books were rewritten to deliver the message of the Nazi race theory. Hitler used the idea that Germans were superior and he brainwashed practically all German citizens into believing this, again even the children. This gave him strength as well. The Nazis believed that Germans were a pure race of Aryan descent. They were tall, blonde, blue-eyed and athletic. Opposite to those were the Jews or as they were commonly called 'sub humans'. One of Hitler's theories about Jews was demanded to be accepted by all German citizens which is as follows: "The Jew is like a parasite, a sponger, who, like a germ, spreads over wider and wider areas according as some favorable area attracts him" (Mattern 2005, pg. 455). Again, this was the attitude Hitler had towards Jews, and with Josef Goebbel's genius way of creating propaganda, the rest of Germany soon felt the same way about Jews. Hitler also brainwashed many into believing the trials and suffering of Germany was due to the occupation of the Jews in the country. "The Jew is the real cause for our loss of the Great War. The Jew is responsible for our misery and he lives on it. He has corrupted our race, fouled our morals, undermined our customs, and broken our power" (Toland 1992, pg. 17). This is just an example of the propaganda that was spread and which gave Hitler a great deal of power over the people and built upon his leadership as well. It led to his own form of laws being instated that he had wished for himself. This defines signs of strength, not weakness, no matter how cold and calculating that they were. The law was meant to ensure the purity of German blood; and these wishes were fulfilled in 1935 with the establishment of the Nuremberg Laws. The first law stated that no Jew could be a Reich citizen; therefore the right to vote did not exist for Jews. The second law was established for the protection of German blood and it made the marriages between Germans and Jews illegal. To increase the population of the pure race, women with eight children got the Mother's Gold Cross. This policy proved to work as the birthrate rose by 40 percent in between 1933 and 1939. This in fact verifies that Hitler controlled everything in the country right down to the food that was being consumed. Once again, only someone with a lot of strength and fortitude could command in such a way and brainwash so many. He was the cause for the violence against the Jews and they were not only attacked with propaganda but through other means laid out by Hitler as well. Nazis began to urge Germans to boycott Jewish shops and department stores. The works of Jewish writers and composers were banned. In 1933 nearly 40,000 Jews fled from German because of their race (Toland 1992, pg. 17). What weak leader or dictator would have the ability to do such things The answer to this is no one. Thereby Hitler was extremely far from weak. Conclusion Hitler had a whole country under his control for almost a decade. He did this by first taking control over a small political party, and slowly his popularity rose as the struggle in Germany continued. He promised Germans a better life, jobs and justice after the humiliation Germany had gone through after the First World War. He also had some stronger forces like his private armies; the SA, SS and later on the Gestapo (Secret State Police). The propaganda present during his dictatorship was powerful and precisely planned out by Hitler and Josef Goebbels. One of the first things Hitler did when he gained power was take over the media. He could control what was written in the newspapers, what films played in the cinemas and most importantly the radio. Hitler had a radio put on the market for so cheap that every family in Germany could afford one. This way he could make speeches whenever he wanted to, directly into people's living rooms. More than anything else, Hitler gained his power and control not only by fear, but with precisely distributed propaganda and speeches that were unforgettable. In finality, Hitler is the most famous dictator in history. His cruelty and hatred have made him unforgettable. He is the man responsible for millions of deaths, not only of the Jews which he tried to externish, but also of men fighting for Germany. The reason he was successful during his dictatorship was because Germany was desperately in need for a change in government. The nation had suffered ever since the defeat in the First World War. The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles caused unsatisfaction and disapproval of those people living in Germany. After years of suffering, and going through the humiliation of the war guilt clause, the people were relieved to have found a person who was willing to change it all and take matters in his own hands. Furthermore, Hitler was successful at the time the people needed a leader to improve their living standards. He promised the nation more jobs, and the unemployment rate dropped from 6 million to about 1 million during his period of dictatorship over the country. He was also responsible for the construction of the autobahn which is still used today. This took a lot of initiative and fortitude to see the construction through so this also shows that it would take someone with a lot of strength and fortitude to even get a project like this up off the ground. Hitler had this along with an overwhelming amount of devout belief in himself. The only real thing that weakened Hitler was his inability to admit to his own mistakes. This became more pronounced at the beginning of the Second World War. He did not want to be corrected by anyone. This of course led to numerous amounts of tactical mistakes, such as the invasion of Russia during early winter. This is the only real defined weakness that can be found of Hitler. Regardless of this weakness he is still defined as one of the most profound and widely recognized dictators to have ever had control over a country. References Fest, Joachim. (1992). Hitler. New York: Harcourt Press. Jackel, Eberhard. (1972). Hitler's World View: A Blueprint for Power. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Jackson, J. & Spielvogel, D. (1996). Hitler and Nazi Germany. New York: Prentice Hall Publishing. Gassert, Phillip. (2005). The Hitler Library: A Bibliography. Dresden: Greenwood Publications. Klaus, P. & Fischer, G. (1997). Nazi Germany: A New History. New York: Continuum Publishing. Mattern, Daniel. (2005). A Biography of Hitler. Westport: Greenwood Press Publications. Mitchell, Allan. (1990). The Nazi Revolution: Hitler's Dictatorship and the German Nation. Lexington: Heath and Co. Publishing. Peukert, Detlev. (1982). Inside Nazi Germany: Conformity, Opposition, and Racism in Everyday Life. New Haven: Yale University Press. Speilvogel, Jackson. (1996). Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History. Chicago: Prentice Hall. Toland, John. (1992). Adolf Hitler. New York: Anchor Books. Read More