Napoleon and Hitler

Kelsea Street
Rough Draft
Pre AP English/ WH
21 April 2014
Napoleon and Hitler Napoleon was a powerful military leader who was able to gain the respect and admiration of France through his military victories; Hitler was one of the twentieth century’s most powerful dictators. Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler are alike in that they were both military leaders and controlled vast amounts of territory, while both were raised in Europe, Hitler’s family lived in Austria and Napoleon in France; could their childhood have affected their leadership? Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler’s leadership are both alike in that they were both outstanding leaders to their military. Adolf Hitler was a German leader who committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin, while Napoleon Bonaparte was a French leader who died of stomach cancer in Saint Helena. According to Ralph Jean-Paul in his article, “Napoleon was a great motivator of people. From the lowest soldier to the highest ranking generals and aristocrats, Bonaparte knew that in order for him to succeed he had to have the people around him enthusiastic about their mission. He understood that a leader must win the trust of the people he is leading. He first won the trust of his generals and then the loyalty of his soldiers by promising them victory and glory. He was a very charismatic speaker and knew exactly how to motivate people. He also understood that it is beneficial to win the trust of those he is not leading. After victories in Austria, Piedmont and Prussia, he would enter the major cities of those countries and win the hearts and devotion of many of the people by declaring that he was a representative of the Revolution. He would announce that he has no quarrels with the people but with the tyrants who have oppressed them. This ability to influence people was a major key to his success” (Napoleon Bonaparte’s guide). Mentioned in Napoleon at War, A scholar who studied Napoleon, named Gunther Rothenberg, has figured out that Napoleon ordered for the start of 34 battles in the time period of 1792 and 1815, only being defeated in six. He was the leader of Europe for ten years, being the leader of a country that went from the ends of Russia to the Channel coast. We will never have a leader again that had as much control as he. He held the title of political leader of a big state with the amazing order of his regime in training. Even as Napoleon’s leadership came to an end it was very confusing that for one official, though he does have talent that he has complete control over the land fought on, in which thousands of people in his regime were now involved. In reality, his career and good deeds were something that no one else could ever repeat (Goodlad). Hitler was like Napoleon in that he also trained a fearless military army. In a biography about Hitler, the author mentions that Adolf Hitler led the Nazi in Germany for a total of eleven years (“Hitler Biography”). According to The Hitler Myth, “He was seen as strong, uncompromising, and ruthless. He embodied the triumph of true Germanic virtues – courage, manliness, integrity, loyalty, devotion to the cause – over the effete decadence, corruption, and effeminate weakness of Weimar society. Above all, he represented 'struggle'. Secondly, Hitler was seen as representing the national interest, putting the nation first before any particular cause and wholly detached from any personal, material, or selfish motives. And whereas the local party officials bore the brunt of extensive and real daily discontent, Hitler's popularity was cushioned by the myth that he was being kept in the dark about the misdeeds of his underlings and was unaware of the just complaints of his people. In his public portrayal, he was a man of the people, his humble origins emphasizing the rejection of privilege and the sterile old order in favor of a new, vigorous, upwardly-mobile society built upon strength, merit, and achievement”(Kershaw). Both of these men trained wonderful armies based upon their own personality traits; these traits show how they trained their military. Both Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler were killed during their reign of power. Napoleons death took place on an island off the coast of Africa, while Hitler was killed in his bunker in Berlin. As stated on The History Channel.com, Beginning in 1812, Napoleon began to encounter the first significant defeats of his military career, suffering through a disastrous invasion of Russia, losing Spain to the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsula War, and enduring total defeat against an allied force by 1814. Exiled to the island of Elba, he escaped to France in early 1815 and raised a new Grand Army that enjoyed temporary success before its crushing defeat at Waterloo against an allied force under Wellington on June 18, 1815. Napoleon was subsequently exiled to the island of Saint Helena off the coast of Africa. Six years later, he died, most likely of stomach cancer, and in 1840 his body was returned to Paris, where it was interred in the Hotel des Invalides. Warned by officers that the Russians were only a day or so from overtaking the chancellery and urged to escape to Berchtesgaden, a small town in the Bavarian Alps where Hitler owned a home, the dictator instead chose suicide. It is believed that both he and his wife swallowed cyanide capsules (which had been tested for their efficacy on his "beloved" dog and her pups). For good measure, he shot himself with his service pistol (General Interest). Both Napoleon and Hitler were raised in Europe, could their up-bringing have had effect on the way they both turned out? As stated in a biography about Adolf Hitler, Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria. Adi, as he was known in his youth, spent his childhood in Austria. His father, Alois, retired from civil service in 1895, when Hitler was only six, which created a tense, strict atmosphere at home. When Hitler was 13, his father passed away and his mother, Klara, had to care for Hitler and his siblings by herself. Times were tough for the Hitler household. In 1905, at age 16, Adolf quit school and never returned (Rosenberg). Hitler had three brothers, two sisters, a half-brother, and a half-sister. But most of his siblings died early, with only one surviving into adulthood. Stated in an Adolf Hitler Biography, Adolf Hitler was born in the small Austrian town of Braunau to his father, Alois Hitler, and his wife Klara that came from a poor lower-class family (History Channel). According to these sources, Hitler had a rough childhood, with six of his seven siblings dying during their childhood and his father being strict. His up-bringing could have had effect on how he turned out, because of his father having strict rules. Napoleon Bonaparte although, had a quiet yet exciting childhood. In his article, Phillip Bloom mentions that Napoleon’s parents were very considerate towards their children. As a young child Napoleon and Giuseppe were given an undecorated room in their house in which they could play. They could wrestle, draw on the walls, and play games to their hearts' desire. Napoleon also received a nickname as a child, Rabulione, which means "he who meddles in everything."

Napoleon was a very small, fiery, hot tempered youth. Though small, he often beat his brother when fighting, even though Giuseppe was more than a year older than he. He retained this fiery temper throughout his life. These sources show that Napoleon had a good childhood, unlike Hitler. Also they show that his leadership was an effect of his up-bringing; he had a great childhood, therefore he was a great leader. Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler were both outstanding leaders towards their militaries and well-liked by their armies. While both led their regime for a long period of time, they both died during their reign of power. Also both were raised in Europe, Hitler had a strict and tough childhood while Napoleon had a laid back and easygoing one, and how they were raised is how they turned out as military leaders. These sources show that they were alike in their leadership ways and that they were both killed during their military careers, and different in that they turned out to have different leadership styles.

NAPOLEON AND HITLER
Kelsea Street
Kuykendall/Arkle
Rough Draft
12 May 2014