An authoritarian leader is someone who has individual control over all decisions and tends to make choices based on their own beliefs and as they have centralised power, also having the final decision. An effective authoritarian leader is different however, they take advice, handle opposition well, maintain strong relationships with elites and the masses and have strong decision making. The main test of effective authoritarian leadership is the strengthening of the German state into the future. I will be approaching this essay in a thematic way as it creates a clearer judgement when you compare leaders on the same topics rather than on random achievements or failures, using a structured outline also allows for a more coherent conclusion.
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This study will argue that Bismarck was the most effective authoritarian leader from 1848 to 1961.
Decision making is the most important factor to consider when assessing the effectiveness of an authoritarian leader as it can assess the rulers ability or inability to stay calm in a situation and use advisors wisely. A quality decision made during WW1 by Hindenburg and Ludendorff was to start a defensive war in the West, the creation of the Hindenburg line in the winter of 1916-17. ‘Their wisest decision was to shorten German lines on the western front by withdrawing forces quietly and gradually to a prebuilt and elastic system of defence in depth’ the entente powers were caught off guard by the withdrawal to the Hindenburg line and the allied powers advanced over dangerous terrain. Hindenburg managed to remain a national hero even after the collapse of the war, he did this by pushing the blame onto others and even emerged in the 1920’s as a new military hero. This emphasises the effectiveness of some of …show more content…
He introduced more liberal reforms such as releasing political prisoners, abolishing censorship and giving increased powers to smaller areas in Prussia, these reforms however backfired and more opposition arose. Consequently he returned to the restrictive policies he previously enforced. A character who was very mixed in his effectiveness as a decision maker is Adolf Hitler, he was extremely successful in terms of leading the Nazi’s in their rise to power ‘with great skill and perseverance he welded the scattered fragments into a small but compact and well organised party under his personal control’. Hitler used the Wall Street Crash of 1928 and it’s subsequent economic depression to his advantage, it had taken its toll on Germany, with a rise in unemployment and the assumption that the government had no control, many people turned to the Nazis or the the Communists, you can see the increase in votes for the party in that the Nazi Party gained 2.6% of the vote in 1928, but this rose to 18.3% in the election of 1930. Hitler was very successful through propaganda and his speeches. The Enabling
This study will argue that Bismarck was the most effective authoritarian leader from 1848 to 1961.
Decision making is the most important factor to consider when assessing the effectiveness of an authoritarian leader as it can assess the rulers ability or inability to stay calm in a situation and use advisors wisely. A quality decision made during WW1 by Hindenburg and Ludendorff was to start a defensive war in the West, the creation of the Hindenburg line in the winter of 1916-17. ‘Their wisest decision was to shorten German lines on the western front by withdrawing forces quietly and gradually to a prebuilt and elastic system of defence in depth’ the entente powers were caught off guard by the withdrawal to the Hindenburg line and the allied powers advanced over dangerous terrain. Hindenburg managed to remain a national hero even after the collapse of the war, he did this by pushing the blame onto others and even emerged in the 1920’s as a new military hero. This emphasises the effectiveness of some of …show more content…
He introduced more liberal reforms such as releasing political prisoners, abolishing censorship and giving increased powers to smaller areas in Prussia, these reforms however backfired and more opposition arose. Consequently he returned to the restrictive policies he previously enforced. A character who was very mixed in his effectiveness as a decision maker is Adolf Hitler, he was extremely successful in terms of leading the Nazi’s in their rise to power ‘with great skill and perseverance he welded the scattered fragments into a small but compact and well organised party under his personal control’. Hitler used the Wall Street Crash of 1928 and it’s subsequent economic depression to his advantage, it had taken its toll on Germany, with a rise in unemployment and the assumption that the government had no control, many people turned to the Nazis or the the Communists, you can see the increase in votes for the party in that the Nazi Party gained 2.6% of the vote in 1928, but this rose to 18.3% in the election of 1930. Hitler was very successful through propaganda and his speeches. The Enabling