Essay Sample on Adolf Hitler: Powerful Political Figure

During the twentieth century, political debate was at an all time high. There are many popular and memorable names from this time period, however there is one name that clearly stands out. This name is known world wide and is often met with condemnation. The name that has left a lasting sting on society since, Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler was one of the most powerful political leaders of the twentieth century due to his quick rise to power, extreme tactics and controversial beliefs, and influential way with words. Forward more, to this day is name is met with extreme tension.

Hitler began his political career in June 1919, after spending time in the military. He joined the German Workers Party in September of 1919 and in 1920 the the Party was renamed the National-Socialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartet (Knapp). The party is better known by the acronym Nazi. The Nazi Party is now known as one of the most abominable and appalling political parties. The regime became excessively popular due to quick economic recovery- Through a mix of economic victories and police terror, they gained 90% of votes (Knapp). As see above, Both the Nazi Party and Hitler were experiencing rapid success and growth.

“For thirty years, he was an obscure failure. Then almost overnight a local celebrity, and eventually the man around whom the whole of world policy revolved” (Epperlain). Before his success in the political world, Hitler was not necessarily succeeding in his adult life. Not only did he go from being went from a unknown German soldier to a politician, but also the biggest political figure of his time. In  1933 Adolf Hitler was made dictator and gained utmost power (Knapp). During World War II, all the decisions were very rushed and made by Hitler alone (Fritzsche). Although as Chancellor of Germany he already had great power, the support of the German Officer class and millions of  Nazi Party supporters helped him achieve absolute total power (“How Did Hitler Happen”). Part of his success can be credited to the rapid growth and the major success of the Nazi Party. Hitler’s success was not built solely by himself, but was

abetted by many direct and indirect situations that helped him on his political journey.

To the blind eye, Germany was thriving under Hitler’s rule. “Hitler’s military spending and ambitious public-works programs, including building a German autobahn, helped restore prosperity” (“How Did Hitler Happen”). Although his economic policies seemed promising at the time, his social policies were terribly unethical. “ Nazi Party foreign policy aimed to rid Europe of Jews and other “inferior” peoples…” (“How Did Hitler Happen”). Hitler went to the extreme of extremes in many areas of control. “… purged his own paramilitary storm troopers, whose violent street demonstrations alienated the German middle class” (“How Did Hitler Happen”).

What started as discriminatory deportations of Jewish people took a violent turn. “…Hitler’s purpose was to expel the Jews from the Greater German Reich, In 1941 this policy changed from expulsion to extermination”  (Knapp). All this led to the creation of  the infamous camps. “The concentration camps created under the Nazi regime were there by expanded to include extermination camps, such as Auschwitz, and mobile extermination squads, the Einsatzgruppen (Knapp). “As he explained to the Nazi elite in April 1944, “Exterminate, so you yourself will not be exterminated!” ” (Fritzsche). This quote is extremely disturbing to hear after the extensive death toll he has been credited with.

As time went on Hitler’s ways became more and more unethical. The margin of people that faced this severe persecution only continued to grow. “… Catholics, Poles, Homosexuals, Roma (Gypsies), and the handicap were target for persecution, if not outright extermination” (Knapp). To this day him and the Nazi Party are credited with one of the highest death tolls. Throughout World War II the Nazi Party gathered and murdered eleven million people (Fritzsche).  Hitler and the Nazi Party have now made history as the head of the most notorious genocide of modern history.

Hitler was a master of social manipulation and he had a way with words. “Hitler used all arts of propaganda to allay the suspicions of the other powers” (Knapp). He was able to turn a majority of Germans against all other nations. Known for his spectacular speeches, he often easily gained support. “Hitler, a mesmerizing public speaker…” (How Did Hitler Happen). He truly had a way with words, this is just one of the aspects that made Hitler undeniably and terribly  influential.

Along with his manipulative speeches, Hitler held mesmerizing parades, that to a blind eye looked beautiful (Epperlain). This is just another example of how Hitler used many different tactics to gain political support. Throughout his political career Hitler used the saying “Never Again”. Suggesting that the Revolution of November 1918 would not be repeated (Fritzche). He disguised his immoral beliefs through his extreme nationalism for Germany. “He proudly announced that he had achieved “peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time.” A year later, German troops invaded Poland” (How Did Hitler Happen).  Despite his peace seeking front, it is quite clear that Hitler was never looking for peace.

To this day, how Hitler gain such immense popularity is still a mystery. There is obviously evidence of methods he used, but societies modern minds are unable to comprehend how such an evil man could gain that much power. “In this respect (referring to his popularity) he stands out among almost all the dictators of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which is especially impressive when we consider that the Germans were among the best educated peoples in the twentieth century” (Knapp). One aspect that contributed to German willingness to follow Hitler, was how desperate the German population was to rebuild Germany. Germany was completely torn down after the First World War, not only economically, but also their spirits. Hitler’s place of blame for the events of World War I gave people an outlet for their anger and anxiety.  Hitler was able to use their despair to his advantage and was able to exploit the aftermath of World War 1, for his own good.

Many supported Hitler up to the very end (Knapp). To this day Hitler has a surprising amount of “followers”. Hitler was so influential that the media has an odd obsession with him (Epperlain). Subsequently, the sheer amount of different documentaries and movies revolving Hitler can be particularly overwhelming. A likely reasoning for this is how he dominated the political realm for roughly eleven years, with such devastatingly horrific views and beliefs. Another important factor for the media’s obsession his all of the odd events that happened through his life and reign.

In conclusion, Hitler was an overly powerful political figure in the twentieth century. This was due to a variety of different reasons that have been highly debated. Some reasons stemmed from his personal contributions and characteristics, like how influential he was. Other aspects indirectly affected his massive success, like Germany’s need for a leader. As seen above, Adolf Hitler was able to become a humongously powerful political leaders during the twentieth century due to his rapid rise to power, intense tactics and immoral beliefs, and his ability to gain great influence of large group of people.

Works Cited

Epperlain , Petra and Micheal Tucker, directors. The Meaning of Hitler , Hulu, 2020, https://www.hulu.com/movie/the-meaning-of-hitler-f108d4d0-d69d-446a-9ae1-c1a3c964ed7e. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022. 

Fritzsche, Peter, and Volker Ullrich. “Hitler and the Holocaust .” The New York Times, 28 Aug. 2020, online. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/books/review/volker-ullrich-hitler-downfall-1939-1944.html. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022. 

“How Did Hitler Happen?: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans.” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans, The National World War II Museum, 22 June 2017, online. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/how-did-hitler-happen. 

Knapp, Wilfrid  F. “Adolf Hitler.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 26 Apr. 2021, online. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Adolf-Hitler.