Castro and Hitler Essay PDF

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An essay that compared Fidel Castro and Adolf Hitler as authoritative figures...

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Compare the importance of each of the following in the rise to power of Castro and Hitler: popular support for their aims; underestimation by opponents; economic conditions Historians learn and research about the history of authoritarian states in an effort to thwart the possibility from it repeating again. An indispensable concept in learning these states is how they ascended to power; specifically, what tactics did these leaders utilize to rise and consolidate their power. In the cases of Adolf Hitler and Fidel Castro, there were myriad factors that were conducive to their ascension. The first one is gaining popular support for their aims, because without that support, there would be too much inertia that will diminish any chances of success. The next one was underestimation by their opponents, for if they were not, their opponents could bring light into the perils of Castro’s or Hitler’s policies; in addition to the plethora of policies they can implement to hinder their chances. Lastly, the economic conditions is a crucial factor because the public’s despondence expedited their rise to power. Hitler and Castro used all these factors in their own way to rise to power. As mentioned before, without gaining public support for their aims, there would be too much inertia that will prevent their ascension from being feasible. In the case of Adolf Hitler, the Weimar Republic was turning to be a failure; even during the advent of the Weimar Republic, there was a meager amount of support for it. This public support was certainly augmented in the times of prosperity, the most notable being in the Halcyon days from 1924-1929, but it was still too paltry to continue. It was evident that the Weimar was failing, and that a multitude of people preferred a different government state, when the Nazi Party secured a rough third of the vote. The reasons for the Nazi Party’s success in gaining that much support was the people’s fear and aversion towards communism, in addition to the eloquent promises of reinvigorating Germany’s

esteem, economy, and chauvinism. The people wanted prosperity, and the Weimar Republic was not giving them that. They developed an affinity towards the Nazi Party, as a result, and through astute measures, Hitler was able to rise to power. When comparing the public support to Castro, it was not as high as that of Hitler’s. Fidel Castro did not gather the large support of the people until the near end of his ascension; rather than Hitler gaining it in the beginning. However, Castro did gain fervent support when he promised a plethora of indispensable social and educational reforms. For instance, by promising social equity, universal vaccinations, and educational expansion to the masses, the public was able to feel as if they were being cared for by Castro. The Moncada program he argued led to vehement support, and by gaining this public support, Castro was able to ascend to power. These leaders adept use of gaining public support was a key factor in their rise to power. Another key factor is the underestimation by opponents. In the case of Castro, the Batista regime felt that Castro’s revolutionary efforts were too feeble to leave a dent in his power. The regime foolishly thought that by incarcerating Castro, that will significantly thwart any revolutionary effort. Despite this foolish thought, Batista did murder multiple opposing; it was the few he underestimated, to the point of not murdering, like Castro that came to upend the regime. This was a critical factor towards Castro’s ascension, and it parallels Hitler’s. When Hitler was able to sign Article 48 after the fire, for example, nobody thought there was going to be a detrimental aspect that will allow Hitler to easily ascend into power. Hitler was also underestimated in his manipulative powers, as he was able to persuade Hindenburg to giving him the chancellorship and eventually, Hitler was able to upheaval the government to his powerful authoritarian state; a state that shocked the world for many years to come. Both Hitler and Castro

were underestimated by their opponents, and they were astute to use this to their advantage by rising to power. The economic state of the country also serves as a key factor to their rise to power. When the economy is in a depression, like the case of Hitler, or in a state of rampant inflation and pervasive indigence, like in the case of Castro’s, the public would be despondent and in need for chance. Take for instance Hitler, the Depression brought insufferable damage to the German citizens and they were in need of economic change. They feared of rampant hyperinflation like they faced in 1923, and they were worried about the economic disorder that would arise from a prolonged state of damage. In addition, they held themselves in high esteem and did not want to place the blame of their economic plight on them. Hitler and The Nazi Party was able to use this to their advantage; by promising a series of reforms, and by finding a scapegoat to put the blame, the public was able to support their causes. It was this public support that arised from the plight of the Depression that allowed Hitler to ascend to power. For Castro, the Batista regime was perilous for the Cuban citizens and Castro was able to promote his Moncada program through the public’s despondency. He promised myriad economic reforms, and scapegoated the United States, to invigorate Cuba’s economy. This led to massive public support for his revolutionary measures and this eased his ascension to power. It was through economic turmoil and depressions that these two leaders were able to rise to power. Hitler and Castro’s ascension to power heavily relied on the popular support for their aims, underestimation of their opponents, and economic conditions as each of those factors played into each other and were conducive to successfully rising to power. It serves as an invaluable lesson to historians to be vigilant whenever a revolutionary leader experiences those

conditions; as they might use it to their advantage to easily rise to power. These leaders are fascinating to learn about, as they serve as an example of what can happen when astute people were serendipitously given great chances....