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Position:Home>History> Was Hitler really that powerful?Question: Was Hitler really that powerful!? I have been studying nazi germany at a-level for 3 weeks now and my teacher is suggesting to us that he was not that powerful!. His average day from what i have heard is he would wake up around 12 go and walk his dog in the park for an hour come home eat lots of food, watch films all day and go bed!?!? so was he actually the man behind Nazi Germany or was it his three little helpers ; G G and HWww@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: All these people who say your history teacher is wrong are ignorant! It's a very valid point! I also got taught this at A-level - it's on the curriculem - it's been an coursework question, how is that 'totally stupid'!? Hitler used lots of propaganda to win support - does this make him a powerful leader for using it!? Or a weak leader for NEEDING to use it!? The same goes for killing off his opposition - is he weak for feeling the need to do it or is he powerful for being able to kill it off without question!? Some people argue that because he didn't always make the decisions and he left a lot of work to other people - this makes him a weak leader!? But you could also argue that this makes him powerful because he didn't need to - he was at the top of his game and he didn't need to work!. I don't reckon he was as powerful as people make out - having said that - if he wanted something done it would have happened!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Before you can even begin to think about the answer to this question you need to define what being powerful actually is!. Is power leading from the front or is it setting up a network from which other people can make decisions!? This question is something which has been frequently debated by historians, in particular Ian Kershaw!. Try having a flick through one of his books and see what you think!. I would love to answer this for you but you will soon find that by reading the arguments of various historians you will be able to form your own interpretations!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I think he was that powerful!. The more power you have, the less work you really have to do!. He delegated!. I don't think that the 'three little helpers' could have done much that he was really opposed to or anything like that!. He just left the details up to others in a lot of cases, or found people to figure out the exact plans ie how to design most evil concentration camps, etc!. Just because he didn't come up with every single idea doesn't mean he wasn't the one in charge!. Www@QuestionHome@Com Some definitions of power according to Merriam-Webster are- "the ability to act or produce an effect" " capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect" Have you seen him speak!? He was extremely charismatic!.!.!. to get those three under him and to do his bidding only reiterates how "powerful" he was!. He didn't need to work hard!.!.!. he worked smart!. He saw "what needed to be done" (unfortunately) and gave direction to do it!. So YES he was THAT powerfull!.!.!.maybe your teacher is suggesting just how powerfull he was to not have to do that much work yet have such an astronomic effect!. Www@QuestionHome@Com He came from the Nationalist Socialist party for Germany "Nazi" for short!. those members instilled him such a mind set that he was powerful!. It was a genius when it came to propaganda!. He indeed failed to do many thing he set out to do!. However, he is one of a hand full of men that were capable to attempt many things he did!. He did have help, his close net of friends!. But he controlled them!. So in my opinion is was a powerful man!. Your history teacher needs to go back to schoolWww@QuestionHome@Com I have heard, though it is second hand, that there is a museum somewhere in Germany that shows videos of one of Hitler's speeches!. They won't, I hear, show it to anyone who is a native German speaker who is under 18, simply because his motivational speaking was so powerful, that even in the retrospective light of the attrocities he commited/caused, people find that he encourages some nationalistic stirings!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Apparently, he was very eloquent and charismatic!. I think that's where Hitler got all of his power, speeches and persuasion, and when people listened to him, they believed him!. Other than that, he never really did strike me as a powerful military Genius!. Maybe the fact that his ideas were insane and corrupt had something to do with it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Your teacher suggests that Hitler would have had the physique of Cyril Smith if what he proposes were true http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Cyril_Smith The news reels and photographs would seem to discount this theory!. I've watched a lot of documentaries and read much of WW2 over the years and I've never heard this mentioned at all!. I would be interested to know your teacher's source!. Www@QuestionHome@Com He was very charismatic, so much so that he got people to do his dirty work for him!. He was a great leader!. I don't mean this as a compliment, I mean that he was so convincing he made people want to do what he wanted done, which is what makes a great leader, no matter how evil they might be!. So while Hitler himself may not have killed anyone with his own two hands, he is the reason the holocaust was able to happen!. Www@QuestionHome@Com No, Hitler wasn't that powerful!. Although he commanded a lot of respect, "at 16, dropped out of high school without a degree" (Wikipedia) and later he was criticized to be unfit for painting/recreational things!. Before he was invaded by the Red Army, he married and suicided!.Www@QuestionHome@Com well one of the only reasons he became so powerful in the first place was because the league of nations!.!.mainly france and britain kept appeasin him for all the things he did wrong!.!.!.if they'd have put their foot down right from the start then he would never have got as powerful as he did and maybe could have prevented the 2nd world war xWww@QuestionHome@Com The power that Hitler had came from the fact that if anybody said no to him they were instantly shot!. He was funded from nothing to a massive military power by the grandfather of GW Bush!. Insane leaders aren't the problem: it's the idiots that follow them that are the problem!.Www@QuestionHome@Com The power he had over people was in the image he created for himself!. He was a strong public speaker, intelligent, charasmatic, and pure evil - a deadly combination!. He was a dangerous con artist!. Manipulative and cunning!. This is where his power stemmed from!. Www@QuestionHome@Com Hitler was a puppet!. Rommel, Goebbels, and Goring had the real power!. Sure, Hitler made the speeches and public appearances, but it was Goebbels who was the architect behind the Nazi propaganda!.Www@QuestionHome@Com he was a great speaker!. & with that he convinced people to think as he does!. if u live in Californina we have the Museum of Tolerance, if u wanna check it out!. its about the holocaust, jews!.!.stuff like that!. & i think they have survivors telling their story tooWww@QuestionHome@Com If you torture/kill enough people, it causes fear and then power!. Just look at Saddam, how he was during his reign, and then compare this to how he was to the end!. At one point his word made his soldiers kill millions, with no real reason!. x Www@QuestionHome@Com haha he had the power, his little soldiers did al the work and he was the worst thing to happen to germany!. as a german im utterly embarassed of him!. -!.-Www@QuestionHome@Com Hitler was just a figurehead!. The Nazi party was actually run by a bunch of international financiers!.Www@QuestionHome@Com he was extremely powerful!. whoever even tries to question that must be horribly ignorant!. he wasn't as evil as people made him out to be, but him being powerful shouldn't even be a question!.Www@QuestionHome@Com No he had quite an influence!.!.!.he made big promises!.!.!.and influenced the entire nation including prominent people and the / Catholic Church in supporting him in a worldwide conquestWww@QuestionHome@Com Your teacher is an idiot and should be dismissed for corrupting young minds such as yours!. Tell the stupid bastard that if I ever hear that from his lips or anybody else even half so stupid I'll tear their balls off!! Www@QuestionHome@Com Were he is now is somewere for those who commit crazy deeds like him ;) He also had his facts wrongWww@QuestionHome@Com Don't be silly!. He had the power and then he had his foot soldiers to do all the dirty work for himWww@QuestionHome@Com He would've been nothing without his pals but he was definitely the mouthpiece!. Www@QuestionHome@Com he+propagada was powerfulWww@QuestionHome@Com Yes he was that powerful your teacher is wrongWww@QuestionHome@Com yeah, he was a freakin government official in germanyWww@QuestionHome@Com He was that powerful, but he just had to have others do it for him!.Www@QuestionHome@Com he had lots of powerWww@QuestionHome@Com his helpers but he ruled with an iron fist!. those that didn't take seriously would regret it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com When did he find time to paint water-colours , and go to the opera !?Www@QuestionHome@Com |