He was starting his service in the Austrian army in the First World War. And then, Adolf Hitler led the German forces in WWII without seeing his armies, and rarely seeing his operational generals. Keegan, also, highlights Hitler's mistrust of many of his "staff" generals. Hitler derided them at every opportunity. He overawed his generals with his stock of knowledge about military trivia, like weapon calibers and how many towed anti-tank guns were in a battalion, holding up situation conferences for hours with such discussions.…
Hermann Goering, born in Germany in 1893, was one of the leaders of the Nazi party. He organized the Nazi police force and established concentration camps. He fought in World War I and distinguished himself as a pilot, and he is credited with shooting down twenty-two allied aircrafts. He was known as a war hero, and that prestige made him a prime recruit for the Nazi party. “Nazism offered Goering the promise of action, adventure, and an outlet for his unreflective, elemental hunger for power.”…
Col. Von Stauffenberg feared the way Hitler was running Germany and that it would ruin the country and lead to its downfall. So Stauffenberg joined a group of like-minded, high ranking officials who wanted to overthrow the Nazi regime from the inside. Stauffenberg begins a plan to assassinate Hitler himself. The plan was for Stauffenberg to place a bomb near Hitler during a meeting. After that Olbricht was supposed to call Stauffenberg to confirm and continue with the operation.…
It is argued by many historians that Albert Speer was one of the leading figures of Nazi Germany, impacting how Germany was recognized by foreign countries during the reign of Adolf Hitler. Speer was an apolitical architectural technocrat who was of significant importance during Nazi Germany. Speer was given the title of ‘the first architect of the Third Reich’, and was in charge of the design and structure of several propaganda based structures that contributed greatly to the rise of Adolf Hitler to power. Not only did Speer contribute to Nazi Germany from an architectural perspective, but he was also in charge of the armaments and munitions of Germany, and was made the Minister of Armaments and Munitions. Speer also contributed to the direction…
Following Fritz Todt’s suspicious death, Speer was appointed as the Minister of Armaments, which irritated many of the Nazi officials, especially Hermann. It can be said that achievements stemmed during Speer’s role as Armaments minister, but what he did not realise was the moral corruption and fear of stimagisation as a loser that came along with it. Initially, Spper proved to be spectacularly successful in ‘rationalisaing economic organisation and overcoming the obstacles placed before him by party hacks and civilian bureaucrats’. (Webb, ch.5 Pg 38) In the face of serious adversity and opposition, Speer consolidated his power by instigating terms and agreements, including his permission to use non-political experts in his ministry.…
It unleashed a reign of terror over conquered peoples, unmatched in previous cruel and bloody ages and it ended in disaster, desolation and shame.” (S6) Hitler was arrogant, so arrogant that he was a major contributor to his own destruction. He was a loose cannon, with the fuse always half lit. The highs and lows that Germany experienced during Hitler’s short reign are astonishing.…
Historical figures are often portrayed as being either villains or heroes. Rather than acknowledging the complexity of the person, many characterize individuals as simply good or evil. However, this is a grave mistake as people have both negative and positive traits about them. Such is the case with the Nazi German Officer, Captain Wilm Hosenfeld. Although Hosenfeld was a Nazi officer who initially enthusiastically supported the Nazi Party, he was later appalled at crimes that were being committing.…
The Germans as other Europeans went to war enthusiastically in August 1914. In Germany, more than in many other belligerent countries, the "August experience" had the impact of melting down entrenched social barriers. Romantic German nationalists had dreamt of just such an emotional moment for decades. The resulting horror of the War which continued for 4 years was a sobering education in war to the German people. After all that suffering, the Russian surrender seemed to signal that victory was within reach.…
Lastly, Gann was a firm believer in Hitler as strong leader. He emphasises the consequences of his success, as well as his massive external and internal support. Although, as emphasised by Mommsen, even though the Third Reich was successfully portrayed as successful, “the reality, however, was far more complex.” This briefly highlights the complexity of the argument. There are many different interpretations and viewpoints relating to different aspects of Hitler’s leadership.…
Hitler Myth The Fuhrer of Germany is depicted as one who holds great heroic leadership. Adolf Hitler fit the title of the Fuhrer through his policies, ideologies and institutions that created an influential third regime. Through mass support of the German people, Hitler took action to restore the greatness of Germany. In attempt to improve the country, Hitler became a slave to his power and what it signified.…
The Herero Genocide was the first genocide in the 20th century. The genocide began in the late 1880’s in a part of South-West Africa ruled by the Germans. Many different groups of people lived there such as the Namaqua and the Herero. In 1888, the German commander Curt von Francois stated that, “Only uncompromising brutality will lead to victory.” The Germans took over the Herero land and planned to build a railway which would cross through this territory.…
I have chosen to discuss the German Schlieffen Plan. The Schlieffen plan was created by Albert von Schlieffen, a field marshal and Commander in Chief of the German army. Albert von Schlieffen was an excellent military strategist who was requested by Kaiser Wilhelm II to design an attack for the German army to defeat France. Had the field marshal sustained his position as Commander in Chief long enough to oversee his plan as it was put into action, the Schlieffen plan may have succeeded.…
In mainstream culture, children tend to focus on school and recreation, while politics has often been a subject that is present in the conversations of adults. In Nazi Germany, however, the social and political ideologies of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) was entrenched in the lives of millions of German youth, evidently by design. In his autobiographical book, “Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany”, Hans J. Massaquoi provides a unique perspective to the typical prototype of a German youth. As a mixed-race, German boy growing up in one of the most politically-instilled cultures in modern history, he was neither accepted by the Nazi regime, nor persecuted to Nazi Germany’s fullest extent.…
In the 1960s and 70s, just a few centuries after World War II, many historians believed that the Wehrmacht had nothing to do with Hitler and Nazi ideology, instead they believed that the soldiers were doing their job. Many historians also believed that the Wehrmacht used to be a regular army distinct from the SS. Throughout the book, Hitler’s Army, Omer Bartov examines the question, was the Wehrmacht Hitler’s Army? Bartov addresses to what extent did propaganda and Nazi ideology serve as a driving force for the Wehrmacht on the Eastern front. While the Wehrmacht was fighting on the Eastern front, they found themselves facing new and strong attacks.…
Adolf Hitler is regarded as one of the most influential leaders in modern history. Hitler’s actions in world war two, have changed history. Although his actions rebuilt Germany after world war one, his actions have also resulted in the death and destructions of millions of homes, people and places. Adolf Hitler’s transformational leadership transformed a crippled Germany into a powerful threatening state. In this essay I will give a small background on Hitler’s rise to power.…