Adolf Hitler Comparison

America the beautiful, the lone champion of freedom and democracy across the world, built by immigrants in search of the “promised land.” But do Americans still hold this to heart? After WWI, Germany’s economy had been devastated, and resentment grew among the people. Hitler took advantage of the depression, and used the minority of Jews as scapegoats to gain political power. Eighty years later, after the financial crisis of 2009, millions of Americans lost their homes, and Donald Trump campaigned for president in 2015, employing a bigoted rhetoric, by targeting Mexicans as the ones to blame for poverty and loss of jobs. Although they may be separated by time period and distinct nationalities, the similarities between the Nazi dictator Hitler
and Donald Trump are evident through the comparison of their personalities. One similiar aspect of both leaders’ personalities is a xenophobic attitude. Trump claims that Mexican immigrants living in the U.S including children should be part of a mass deportation plan, due to the fact he believes them to be no more than rapists and criminals, who do nothing but take millions of jobs, and damage the American economy. Trump’s attitude is that Muslims should be banned from America, and propagates the stereotype that all Muslims are a security threat to a nation. Hitler’s attitude was just as xenophobic in the way he targeted Jews, and blamed them for the economy’s downfall and how they were immoral people. Hitler ordered the mass deportation of this minority, just as Trump plans to do in his immigrant plan. They differ in the sense that Hitler propagated an extreme belief that German people were racially superior, and that Jews had to be exterminated, through means of genocide. As the child of immigrants, I feel that from a personal perspective that Donald Trump knows little about the actual life of immigrants, and makes a blatantly false generalization based on a few cases of crime by immigrants. My parents immigrated from Bolivia in the 70s, both in their 30s worried about what the future held for them as they entered a land where they did not speak the language, but still persevered in search of opportunity,. They were not ignorant of the world, as my mother as a literature teacher who had read all about America and its wealth of opportunities. They trudged along a arduous journey where they had to work from the bottom all the way to the top again, and did enter legally, but when they moved to Rhode Island in 1980 where jobs were scarce, they did it with the intention of a better life for their kids, The easy way out was never open to them, nor did they even think twice of the illicit activities taking place in the urban city. The word immigrant, according to the Oxford Dictionary, means “A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country”. Those workers who pick tomatoes and grapes in 95 degree weather for minimum wage are not seeking handouts or taking the easy way out of getting into criminal activities. When this word is plastered across headlines and articles, I don’t see race but the colors of the American flag. that this country was founded by immigrants who sought prosperity, this meaning still holds true in my own life. Another aspect of the leaders’ personalities is the way they are opportunists.
America’s financial fall had no clearly defined cause, and in effect the people's discontent grew. This was a perfect chance for Donald Trump to enter the political arena His “tough guy” persona boosted his profile, attracting many Americans who longed for a “strongman” leader. He exploited the victims of tragedies such as the attack in San Bernardino to propose an temporary ban on Muslims, an unconstitutional and Islamophobic idea, yet many Trump supporters support it, fearing for their safety in an age where terrorism is rampant. Hitler took advantage of the German people’s sense of desperation of trying to escape from the bottomless pit of depression after WWI. Hitler evoked a sense of security in a time of crisis, a by proposing unfathomably racist ideas that seems to be the only hope in a hopeless situation. The difference however arises in the fact that Hitler worked his way up from an early political begining, building his popularity, while Trump, a well-known celebrity, seeks to be POTUS, yet has no appropriate
experience. You get up from your seat, the groan of the rusted chair drowned out by the yelling of a , cascading sea of people.
There are no individuals as the pluralism of the American identity takes over,and the color of the blood running through the veins of the people are red, white and blue. The flag stands tall, in a proud fashion as is basking in it’s own exceptionalism. The patriotism seems to be almost bursting from your chest, and your breathing quickens, and the tension in the room is so thick , time seems to move infinitesimally.The lights focus on the podium, as Trump walks on stage, his dominating presence itself seems larger than life, projecting authority among the fanatical frenzy. This image could fit both Trump and Hitler, as they were part of a cult of personality. Trump is the figure in which his supporters place their sometimes illogical fantasies for America's future in, because his beliefs have become synonymous with change through his arrogance and charisma. Trump’s political incorrectness is just as appealing to his supporters. This same charisma is a part of Hitler’s success who defied the status quo, and proposed radical ideas, but also seemed to break the death grip poverty held over the German people. However, Hitler, who desired dictatorial political power, differs from Trump seeks power in a unorthodox yet democratic approach, as he is a supporter of rights such as the 2nd Amendment, a right that was stripped from the German people by
Hitler. When a leader ascends to power through popular vote often the citizens of a nation will vote, with their decision influenced heavily by an emotional drive, whether it be rage, or optimism, but this act fails to take into account that person at the reins of power just as human as everyone else, capable of committing evil as well as spreading peace. The personality of a leader should be considered just as important as their policies, and while a leader may claim to bring prosperity to a nation, the type of person they are reveals what kind of leader they will be. Hitler and Donald Trump are the type of leaders that captivate their audiences with awe and profound admiration, and although they may be from different periods in history, and may be polar opposites in terms of capitalism and fascism, the two figures on a deeper level, share many similarities in regards to their personalities.