Twin demons study

• To what extent can Hitler and Stalin be considered as “Identical”?

Political beliefs

HITLER:

• The Nazi regime was a fascist dictatorship, believing that a country is stronger if everyone follows the same rigid rules. It often arises due to nationalism and it aims to strengthen economy and army.

• Hitler sought to create a perfect regime with Germany as its cultural superior through sporadic interventions

STALIN:

• The Soviet Union was a communist state where all means of production were owned by the community. It often arises due to mistreatment of the lower class as a result of the resolution. The goal was to eliminate hierarchy and to receive according to individual needs.

• Stalin sought for a utopia by focusing on details of policy and daily control.

CONCLUSION:

Similar motives of strengthening the regime but very different ways of doing it. Different motives and aims. Hitler was to establish superiority and revenge, Stalin was to eliminate hierarchy and to replace it with a united regime.

Backgrounds

HITLER:

• He served in the army prior to the treaty of Versailles and found it unjust. He soon joined a small political group known as the German Worker’s party in 1919.

• He was arrested in 1923 for staging an armed uprising in Munich as he planned to overthrow the local government. He was sentenced to 5 years but got out after 9 months for good behavior.

• He was elected as party chair in 1923 and chancellor in 1933, when Germany was experiencing recessions. On the 30th of January 1933, he then merged the roles of chancellor and president so no one would be superior to him(totalitarian position) and became the Fuhrer.

• As party chair, he also decided who would be at meetings, so he didn’t invite those that opposed the Nazi party. He also set up the law of enabling that allowed him to pass any law he wished without interference from parliament.

• He was driven by the effects of the treaty of Versailles and nationalism.

STALIN:

• He began by reading the communist manifesto by Karl Marx and joined the Bolsheviks in 1903, wanting to participate in the revolution against the oligarchy. He did work such as spreading propaganda or kidnapping to help the cause but was arrested in 1908, exiled to Siberia for 2 years. He escaped once but completed the full sentence.

• The Bolsheviks took over in February 1917. The leader, Lenin, was strongly against the idea of Stalin taking over.

• When Lenin died, there was a power struggle between Stalin and Trotsky from 1924 to 1929. However, Stalin was appointed as the general secretary which allowed him to control discussions on key issues. He only invited his supporters and gave Trotsky the wrong day for Lenin’s funeral so that he could present the eulogy and paint himself as the heir.

CONCLUSION:

SIMILAR:

• upbringings where they were seen as prodigal

• joined political parties early on in their lives

• criminal records as a result of those efforts

• element of luck in rise to power (chancellor during recession where extreme ideals were appealing and general secretary role that allowed him to generate bias)

• had to eliminate opposition in order to gain power (hitler with president and meetings, can be argued that he was originally elected. stalin with meetings and trotsky)

DIFFERENT:

• very different drives. (hierarchy vs war)

• rise to power/reputation(hitler elected, stalin by manipulation)

• inheritance (stalin took over from lenin, hitler started from scratch)

• power struggle(stalin had to directly oppose another when hitler had the support of the party)

Police states

HITLER:

• created the ss who personally protected him. he created the gestapo so informants could denounce their own friends and family.

• the secret police could arrest without trial.

• he used concentration camps for the demonized opposition, as well as free labour.

STALIN:

• created the NKVD police force that tracked down opposition and monitored traitors

• used gulags to imprison opposition

• killed 1 million people in his own party in a time period known as the “Great Terror" in fear of betrayal or a uprising against him.

• used public trials to show the effects of opposing.

CONCLUSION:

Similar—-

both created their own police states

both created secret police for informants

both imprisoned opposition

both target citizens

both falsely accused others

Different—-

hitler grew numbers while stalin massacred

stalin used public trials when hitler didn’t.

Cult of Personality

HITLER:

• Portrayed himself as benevolent with children to gain empathy, paints himself as someone who wants the best for his country.

• Pointing forwards on the frontlines to lead the country forward

• Integrated Roman architecture into German architecture to show the regime would never die.

• Held speeches daily and expected citizens to pause all activities to listen. He would often perform rallies to increase awareness and popularity of his personality.

STALIN:

• Portrayed as the larger image in all pictures to show physical and cultural superiority.

• Edited photos to present himself as the rightful successor of Lenin, or as a close friend/adviser. Rewriting the country’s history from the 1930s.

• Published the short course in 1948, selling 34million copies. His enemies were also removed from photos.

CONCLUSION:

Similar:

• both tried to show their leadership would lead to a utopia where everything was perfect (hitler with stereotypical blonde hair and blue eyes, stalin with uniform girls in straight rigid lines.)

• bringing the country forward through pointing or leadership

• showing themselves as father figures that protected and nurtured the country.

Differences:

• stalin focused on distancing himself from history by editing or removing the existence of some events while hitler sought to replicate the longevity of the roman empire through symbolism in architecture

• hitler used speeches while stalin focused on political/historical texts to build reputation.

• stalin portrayed himself as above everyone while hitler portrayed himself as equal to all.

Economy

HITLER:

• 6 million people were unemployed when he was elected.

• He established the National Labor Service to provide work for the unemployed. Creating jobs in the army and in building schemes.

• He also introduced the strength through joy program that provided leisure activities as a reward for hard work. By 1936, there were 35million members.

STALIN:

• He faced a lack of modernization in the regime as lots of jobs relied on hand tools. The lack of industrialization led to difficult wars and bad quality of living.

• Stalin introduced 5 year plans to expand the industry in 1928. He also transformed Soviet agriculture with collectivisation which forced peasants to give their land to join larger state farms.

• Kulaks, who were wealthier farmers were unwilling. Stalin then defined them as an enemy of the police and 5 million people were arrested and deported. As a result, there was a famine in 1932.

• In 1933, agriculture improved and thus kulaks were no longer targeted

CONCLUSION:

Stalin targeted modernization while Hitler focused on employment rates. Hitler looked at quality of life to improve the economy while Stalin looked at rigid schemes such as collectivisation.