Adolf Hitler’s rise to power was in a time when Germany was experiencing a grim political and economic condition. The economic depression that hit the world economy during the 1930s had adversely affected the country, that extreme poverty leads the people to near hopelessness. This was in addition to the still fresh and humiliating defeat of the German military in WWI, and historians claimed that the defeat became the fabric that propelled Hitler’s political and military agenda. People were near the brink of helplessness that they believed anyone who convincingly talked about getting them out of their misery. It was in this desperate condition that gave Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, which was practically unknown prior to the economic depression, an opportunity to rise and take over the country and the people.
One of the distinct qualities of Hitler that made him able to convince a loyal and large following was in his being an eloquent and extremely convincing speaker. In addition to that, he was also a charismatic leader who was able to effectively communicate his vision to the people. While he was not considered to be so eager to socialize and develop close relationships, he nevertheless has a clear vision about changing the world and was highly determined to convince his people that attaining such vision is possible. While only a few Germans sided with Hitler in the 1920s, he possessed an unwavering conviction that saw him through in the following decade. Despite his initial failures, he was able to learn how to appeal to the basic needs of the average German (Toland, 2014). Nevertheless, many historians that this charismatic leader would not have succeeded had it not been for the extreme economic recession that hit the country during that time.
World War II and the Holocaust
History reveals that the creation of the Nazi led by Adolf Hitler was spearheaded by hatred towards the Jews. In line with his goal to build a racial state where only the Germans shall thrive, he passed harsh policies that degraded the Jews as second-class citizens (Lynch, 2012). These policies included the restrictions against Jews, such that they were not allowed to enter certain buildings, in addition to unjustified treatment and violence committed against them. The exercise of control over the Jews made them vulnerable to many kinds of violence.
The persecution of the Jews was done in the spirit of wanting to protect the German people. During the time when Hitler initially convinced the Germans to support him in his advocacy, he promised the impoverished people that he will soon get them out of their misery. When he did not succeed in creating a better place and life to the people, Hitler resorted to blaming the Jews for all the miseries. It was through his lead that many Germans started to hate the Jews, even without any apparent reason. Through the convincing power of Hitler, the Germans came to believe that that the Jews were the reason for all the desolations that happened in the society. Apparently, Hitler’s failure to bring a better life to the German people, caused him to resort to finger pointing and blaming. Consequently, Hitler was able to justify his racial obsession and his order to persecute the Jews by suggesting that the non-Aryan people are causing all the troubles in the country.
References
Lynch, M. (2012). Hitler. Routledge
Toland, J. (2014). Adolf Hitler: The definitive biography. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
