Napoleon vs Hitler
Brandy Webb
Mrs. Kern
Eng 111
October 14, 2010
“Napoleon and Hitler”
It has been said before by George Santayana “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” In fact, this quote was found to be a true statement when Adolf Hitler mimicked Napoleon Bonaparte and suffered under similar circumstances. It goes to show that history can in fact repeat itself. It would be thought that Hitler would have picked up on Napoleons mistakes and learned from them, but that was not the case. Instead, Hitler followed exactly in the footsteps of Napoleon despite Napoleons failure. Although Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler were from two different time periods and countries they had similar political strategies, in that they both sought to gain power in war stricken countries, they would use military forces to support their campaign, and they would both suffer a similar downfall in Russia.
Napoleon and Hitler both came to power through similar circumstances in countries that were previously devastated by war. In Napoleon’s case, he took advantage of the politically distraught French government. At that moment in history, France had been divided between the monarchy and the commoners, which sparked the beginning of the French Revolution. Napoleon saw this as a great opportunity to use both his auditory and military support to try and reunite the French and implicate his rule. Since neither Napoleon nor Hitler were from the countries they were trying to pursue a leading role in, it was vital that they opened the door for further advancement into the foreign countries. Hitler as well, came to power through similar circumstances. In his situation, he used the poverty stricken Germany to gain political power. After World War I Germany was left politically and financially unstable due to the reparations they were forced to pay as a result of starting World War I. The costs of these reparations were so outstanding that hyperinflation set in leaving Germans
Mrs. Kern
Eng 111
October 14, 2010
“Napoleon and Hitler”
It has been said before by George Santayana “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” In fact, this quote was found to be a true statement when Adolf Hitler mimicked Napoleon Bonaparte and suffered under similar circumstances. It goes to show that history can in fact repeat itself. It would be thought that Hitler would have picked up on Napoleons mistakes and learned from them, but that was not the case. Instead, Hitler followed exactly in the footsteps of Napoleon despite Napoleons failure. Although Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler were from two different time periods and countries they had similar political strategies, in that they both sought to gain power in war stricken countries, they would use military forces to support their campaign, and they would both suffer a similar downfall in Russia.
Napoleon and Hitler both came to power through similar circumstances in countries that were previously devastated by war. In Napoleon’s case, he took advantage of the politically distraught French government. At that moment in history, France had been divided between the monarchy and the commoners, which sparked the beginning of the French Revolution. Napoleon saw this as a great opportunity to use both his auditory and military support to try and reunite the French and implicate his rule. Since neither Napoleon nor Hitler were from the countries they were trying to pursue a leading role in, it was vital that they opened the door for further advancement into the foreign countries. Hitler as well, came to power through similar circumstances. In his situation, he used the poverty stricken Germany to gain political power. After World War I Germany was left politically and financially unstable due to the reparations they were forced to pay as a result of starting World War I. The costs of these reparations were so outstanding that hyperinflation set in leaving Germans
Cited: Dawg, Rob. "Those Who Fail to Learn from History." Web log post. Exurban Nation. 24 Feb. 2007. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. <http://exurbannation.blogspot.com/2007/02/those-who-fail-to-learn-from-history.html>.