18 August 2010Monét Kotzé

“Hitler came to power in 1933, due to circumstances in the world and in Germany and not his dynamic personality or ability to lead others”

In 1933, the world was feeling the wrath of the Great Depression, a time in which people suffered from the effects of WW1, where men were tormented by the horrors of war, devastated by the loss of their friends and family to the war and struggling in the economic state of the world.

I believe that this contributed largely to Hitler’s rise to power, but I definitely do not think it was the only reason behind it. Hitler had a natural ability to lead others, he was an inspiring speaker, people to believe in his cause and he related well to the people in Germany, who were all suffering greatly and blamed their suffering on the Treaty of Versailles and the new Weimar government for signing it. Germany saw the Treaty as a symbol of the humiliation and defeat they had suffered. Hitler cleverly promised to rid them of the Treaty. He promised Germany a better life, he gave them hope and as he believed in himself and in his cause, they did too. I think Hitler was able to rise to power in 1933 because of his ability to see the desires of the German people and manipulate them to do his will by offering them salvation. He promised them what they wanted and they turned a blind eye to his viciousness and cruelty. Hitler was driven, intimidating, and he believed in himself. His powerful personality and brilliance as a speaker helped him flourish as a leader and Germany, feeling defeated and suffering after WW1, couldn’t help but follow.

Though I do believe there are many things that contributed to Hitler’s success, but his dynamic personality and his ability to persuade people to believe in what he did were the biggest part. Hitler was with no doubt a persuasive and intelligent man; I just wish that he could have used his amazing abilities for the good of mankind.

(351 words)