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Kevin Turnbull

Ap European History

Mr. Brown1stSeptember 2013

Hitler and Ma!iavelli" A Mat! Made in Heaven#

Adol$ Hitler is one o$ t!e most ontroversial !istorial $i%ures to !ave ever lived. Havin%

perpetuated su! terrible events as t!e Holoaust& t!e 'a(i party leader !as %one down in !istory

as one o$ t!e most evil men to !ave ever lived& sometimes alled t!e )evil !imsel$. However evil

!e may !ave been& was Hitler a Ma!iavellian leader# T!e answer is most ertainly yes.

Ma!iavelli*s +,rine- is a s!olarly wor all about !ow a person an be a %reat leader. He wrote

not only about t!e !arateristis o$ t!is person*s leaders!ip& but also o$ !is !arater. /!ile

Hitler was a leader w!ose motives and met!ods were primitive and ruel& no one an ar%ue t!at

!e was a bad leader. Hitler %ot t!e entire ountry o$ ermany to $ollow !im in a matter o$ wees&

and !e amassed one o$ t!e most epansive militaries o$ !is day. Many o$ Ma!iavelli*s priniples

o$ leaders!ip and !arater are appliable to Hitler.

+/ar s!ould be t!e only study o$ a ,rine-. Hitler is an almost per$et representation o$

t!is p!ilosop!y. n Hitler*s ermany& t!ere was !ardly ever a time o$ peae. T!e only peae$ul

time was w!en Hitler and !is 'a(i*s were be!ind losed doors& plottin% t!eir net atta or

advane. T!e 'a(i party rose to power out o$ a time o$ %reat on$lit& t!e $irst /orld /ar.

ermany*s people were enra%ed by t!e treaty o$ ersailles& w!i! rendered t!eir eonomy into a

pat!eti pile o$ dust. Hitler too t!ese an%ry people& and manipulated t!em to !elp $urt!er !is

%oals. He a!ieved !is %oals t!rou%! violene and war& never t!rou%! diplomay. Even be$ore

/orld /ar & Hitler was always plottin% w!i! $orei%n land to invade and apture net. He

would not rest until all t!e world was !is to rule wit! an iron $ist. Also tyin% into t!at& +t!e

presene o$ sound military $ores indiates t!e presene o$ sound laws-. Ma!iavelli in t!is

statement is epressin% t!at wit! a %ood military omes a stron% %overnment. Hitler ertainly

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eempli$ies t!at& as t!e 'a(i army was t!e most power$ul o$ its day& net to t!e 4S army. T!ou%!

t!e T!ird 5ei! was a prosperous time $or t!e erman people& it was also one o$ %reat re%iment

and struture.

Anot!er one o$ Ma!iavelli*s popular p!ilosop!ies on a per$et soveri%n is t!at t!e ends

6usti$y t!e means. Hitler*s %oal was to rid ermany o$ t!e 7ews. n t!e post /orld /ar 8ne era

o$ ermany& t!e eonomy was& 9uite $ranly& in t!e toilet. Many o$ t!e bans and stores at t!e

time were owned by people o$ 7ewis! !erita%e. Hitler in!erited !is anti:semeti attitude $rom t!e

ommon !atred o$ t!e 7ewis! $inanial leaders at t!e time. T!e only di$$erene between Hitler

and t!e ommon man is t!at Hitler used !is natural !arisma and aut!oritative personality to

propel !imsel$ to t!e top o$ t!e erman %overnment& puttin% !im into a position to deal wit!

w!at !e t!ou%!t was a problem. n Hitler*s mind& t!e 7ewis! people o$ ermany were a problem.

His %oal was to %et rid o$ t!em all. So one ould ar%ue t!at +t!e ends 6usti$y t!e means- an

apply to t!e !oloaust. %norin% t!e obvious $at t!at t!e Holoaust was a !orri$i& evil event&

Hitler believed t!at aomplis!in% !is %oal meant doin% w!atever it taes& inludin% %enoide.

/!ile Ma!iavelli may not !ave been too $ond o$ t!e !atred it brou%!t upon Hitler& !e most

liely would !ave said t!at t!e Holoaust was 6ust a way $or Hitler to aomplis! !is %oal& as

si and twisted as t!at %oal may !ave been.Ma!iavelli said t!at one a ,rine is in !ar%e o$ a state& prinipality& et. !e s!ould stop

at not!in% to mae sure !e eeps absolute power. And t!is is eatly w!at Adol$ Hitler did. As

Hitler rose to power& !e %ot to wor ri%!t away eliminatin% any o$$ier w!o !e believed t!ere

was even a remote !ane o$ bein% betrayed by. And o$$ier or %overnment o$$iial not 100;

loyal to t!e 'a(i party was removed $rom o$$ie& and liely illed. Anot!er t!in Hitler did to

ensure !e stayed in power was to name !imsel$ leader o$ t!e erman military. /it! t!e military

under !is ontrol& it would be a lot easier to $urt!er t!e 'a(i mission& as well as 9uell rebellions

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$rom t!e ommon people. minus t!e mass %enoide?& t!e

eonomy would !ave ontinued to $louris!. A$ter /orld /ar 8ne& t!e erman eonomy was in

s!ambles. Hitler ame in and reated 6obs& as well as stability. Alt!ou%! !is true motivation was

one o$ malie& !is leaders!ip $or !is people is mared by prosperity.

/!ile t!ere is no denyin% t!at Hitler was a terrible man w!o ommitted terrible rimes&

in terms o$ Ma!iavellian leaders!ip& !e was almost per$et. He was loved by !is people& $eared

by !is adversaries& always armed& always ready to $i%!t& and always ready to de$end t!e position

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!e s!ed blood sweat and tears to %ain ontrol o$. Had Hitler not put ermany on a pat! to

destrution eonomially& Ma!iavelli would !ave lauded !im as t!e per$et soveri%n.