A Comparison of Hitler and Stalin
A Comparison of Hitler and Stalin
Angelica Calvillo
HIS 306: Twentieth-Century Europe
April 26, 2010
Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union are two controversial regimes. Hitler and Stalin were both Dictators of the countries they ruled. When Hitler and Stalin are compared, we can clearly see that each one of them were cold blooded killers. They are both responsible for an absurd amount of innocent deaths. Hitler is believed to be responsible for killing at least six million Jewish people during the Holocaust; Stalin is responsible for the killings of millions of people (many of them Jews).
An interesting similarity between Hitler and Stalin is their childhood. Both Hitler and Stalin grew up with abusive fathers. Alois Hitler, Adolf’s father, was known as a “pompous, status proud, strict, humorless, frugal and pedantically punctual” (Reams, 2008). It has also been reported that there is evidence that Hitler’s father beat him when he was young (“Adolf”, n.d.). Vissarion Dzhugashvili, Stalin’s father, was an abusive alcoholic who beat his wife and children. One of Stalin's childhood friends wrote, "Those undeserved and fearful beatings made the boy as hard and heartless as his father" (“Joseph”, n.d.).
Another similarity between Hitler’s and Stalin’s childhood was that they both wanted to become priests. Stalin’s mother sent him to the seminary in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), the capital of Georgia, to study to become a priest (“Joseph”, n.d.). Stalin however never completed his education, thus, never becoming a priest. As a child, Hitler attended monastery school and sang in the boys' choir. During his time there is where he began to idolize the priests and seriously considered becoming a priest himself. “At home Hitler sometimes played priest and even included long sermons” (“The rise”, n.d.). Adolf also never completed his education, thus, he never became a priest either
An additional similarity between Hitler and Stalin was their
Angelica Calvillo
HIS 306: Twentieth-Century Europe
April 26, 2010
Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union are two controversial regimes. Hitler and Stalin were both Dictators of the countries they ruled. When Hitler and Stalin are compared, we can clearly see that each one of them were cold blooded killers. They are both responsible for an absurd amount of innocent deaths. Hitler is believed to be responsible for killing at least six million Jewish people during the Holocaust; Stalin is responsible for the killings of millions of people (many of them Jews).
An interesting similarity between Hitler and Stalin is their childhood. Both Hitler and Stalin grew up with abusive fathers. Alois Hitler, Adolf’s father, was known as a “pompous, status proud, strict, humorless, frugal and pedantically punctual” (Reams, 2008). It has also been reported that there is evidence that Hitler’s father beat him when he was young (“Adolf”, n.d.). Vissarion Dzhugashvili, Stalin’s father, was an abusive alcoholic who beat his wife and children. One of Stalin's childhood friends wrote, "Those undeserved and fearful beatings made the boy as hard and heartless as his father" (“Joseph”, n.d.).
Another similarity between Hitler’s and Stalin’s childhood was that they both wanted to become priests. Stalin’s mother sent him to the seminary in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), the capital of Georgia, to study to become a priest (“Joseph”, n.d.). Stalin however never completed his education, thus, never becoming a priest. As a child, Hitler attended monastery school and sang in the boys' choir. During his time there is where he began to idolize the priests and seriously considered becoming a priest himself. “At home Hitler sometimes played priest and even included long sermons” (“The rise”, n.d.). Adolf also never completed his education, thus, he never became a priest either
An additional similarity between Hitler and Stalin was their
References: Adolf Hitler’s Childhood. (n.d.). Think Quest. Retrieved April 24, 2010, from http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112264/Hitler1.html Hitler & Stalin: Contrast of Tyrannies. (2009). Associated Content. Retrieved April 24, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1778292/hitler_stalin_contrast_of_ tyrannies.html Joseph Stalin (1879-1953).(n.d.) PBS. Retrieved April 23, 2010, from http://www.pbs.org/redfiles/bios/all_bio_joseph_stalin.htm Joseph Stalin: Childhood and early years. (n.d.). Spiritus-Temporis. Retrieved April 25, 2010, from http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/ joseph-stalin/childhood-and-early-years.html National Socialism. (1999). In The Blackwell Dictionary of Political Science. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/bkpolsci/national_socialism Reams, K. (2008, March 26). Adolf Hitler - The Child and Youth. Suite101. Retrieved April 24, 2010, from http://military-leaders.suite101.com/article.cfm/adolf_hitler_the_ child_and_youth The rise of Adolf Hitler: Hitler’s Boy hood. (n.d.). The History Place. Retrieved April 26, 2010, from http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/boyhood.htm The Soviet Union under Stalin. (n.d.). Fresno K12. Retrieved April 25, 2010, from http://fresno.k12.ca.us/divdept/sscience/history/totalitarianism.htm Totalitarianism. (1999). In The Blackwell Dictionary of Political Science. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/bkpolsci/totalitarianism Was Hitler 's Germany a Totalitarian State? (n.d.)