Regimes repeated… Could there be another Adolf Hitler?
In this article, I aim to outline the
various possibilities of another rise to power, like Hitler’s, that could be so
devastating, it could plunge the whole world into another war. For me, the two
most current threats are North Korea and their constant threat on our allies,
the United States of America; and also the situation in Syria. Could the
outbreak of civil war expand, as more and more countries debate and choose
sides?
When studying Hitler’s rise, it is very complex. His journey
to totalitarianism wasn't so easy. Most would argue that for Hitler, this hunger
for revenge began at the end of the first world war, where the Germans were
forced to surrender, and not only that, they were also forced to sign and
therefore accept the Treaty of Versailles. This forced Germany to pay a huge 6.4
billion in reparations, a reduction in the German army to 100,000 men, 6
battleships, no submarines and air force. In addition, the de-militarisation of
the Rhineland and the loss of key areas like the Saar coalfields, Danzig and
the Polish Corridor had a large negative impact on the German people. Hitler
despised this and later vowed to rip up the treaty of Versailles - and that was
a promise he kept.
Post war Hitler began working for the police, spying on
potentially ‘dangerous’ political parties, however he found one to be of
particular interest… The N.S.D.A.P.. This of course became the Nazi party.
Hitler found some success, with his powerful and emotive speeches; these later
become part of a monumental campaign, involving Joseph Goebbels. As the party
began to grow, Hitler deployed the SA, SS and the formidable Gestapo. These
groups were his personal bodyguard and secret police force, all of which seem
to be vital in any dictatorship.
It wasn’t all so easy for Hitler though, the failed
‘Beer-Hall’ Putsch of 1923 came as a great shock for Hitler. It accentuated an
arrogance about him, but also showed off a lack of preparation. This saw him
tried for treason and jailed. However another powerful speech within the
courtroom, managed to secure Hitler the empathy of the jury, as he blamed his
need for a takeover, on the ‘November Criminals’ of 1918. He was ‘rewarded’
with large cell, allowed visits from influential Nazis, and was free to write
his book- Mein Kampf. The book that outlined the threat of the Jews, the need
to gain Libensraum (Living space) by expanding in the east, and the desire to
rip up the treaty of Versailles.
Power though, finally came in January 1933, when Hitler was
named chancellor of Germany. For Hitler, his hard work had paid off. The
influential propaganda campaign set up by Goebbles, involving torch lit
marches, posters, speeches and the pogrom of Jewish shops (Kristallnacht) all
aided Hitler’s campaign, along with the depression of 1929. The hyper-inflation
lead German people into desperation; President Hindenburg had no choice, but to
appoint Hitler, after increased election successes for the Nazis.
All this, lead to start of the Second World War; and
Hitler’s promises to the people of Germany were being kept. The lack of
punishment from the League of Nations on Germany meant Hitler could re-arm,
take back the rhine-land, Sudetenland and continue his journey east to Poland,
when Hitler attacked, Britain and France knew they had to step in.
The question is, nowadays, could this type of rise to power
take place, unpunished, until it was too late? For me, currently there are two
main threats to world safety, and they come from the current civil war in Syria,
and the tyrannical leader ship in Korea of the seemingly volatile- Kim Jong Un.
The Syrian threat is a strange one? If you compare this with the unrest in
Germany before Hitler came to power, some may argue similar, maybe worse? Bashar
Al-Asad succeeded his father, Hafez Al-Asad, who led the county for thirty
years. This country’s leadership is very much a family affair. Hafez al-Asad prepared
his son for leadership. It is the decline in human rights that catches the
attention first. Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia were censored. Could this be
compared to the burning of Jewish books and censorship of news-papers and radio
broadcasts? More recently however the chemical attack on civilians really
caught the attention of two of the major world powers, America and Russia.
This is where the main threat came from, Russia are Syrian
allies and America threatened to fire miles in order to punish Asad and his
regime for using chemical weapons on the civilians, Russia were prepared to
step in and stop the Americans. It is questionable if this old rivalry could re-emerge
and could these countries have more international disputes?
The other threat, in my opinion, comes
from North Korea. Similar to the Syrian rise to power, the Korean is another
succession of leadership. The current leader Kim Jong Un, seems to be a lot
more radical, not just with his propaganda, but his threats on foreign
countries. The dictatorship seems a lot more totalitarian in North Korea, than
the government that leads Syria. The obvious reason being the people aren’t
fighting back in North Korea, whereas in Syria they are? This didn’t seem to
happen in Germany back When Hitler had secured the chancellor position. The
control of the people along with their indoctrination is seemingly key to a
successful dictatorship. The North Korean people are forced to sing Pro
Kim-Jong Un songs, to make sure they avoid dis-respecting their ‘great’ leader.
Kim Jong Un is also similar to Hitler, with his extremely
aggressive foreign policy. The only difference is, Hitler promised, and then
executed; Kim on the other hand, has only threatened Missile strikes on The
United States of America and disavowed armistice with South Korea. I say ‘only’
as its only hypothetical threats, but how serious is the Korean leader? Hitler
certainly was very serious with his threats on the lost countries from the
Treaty of Versailles, but should this modern day threat be considered serious?
To conclude, the debate is still open. The policy off
appeasement by the then world powers would not work today and is not tolerated,
Syria is a great example, where the leader Gadaffi was running a regime
unacceptable to run in junction with human rights, Nato got involved and he was
stopped. The League of Nations back then continued to let Adolf Hitler off, and
the sanctions imposed upon Germany had little effect as Hitler was so driven
and intent on revenge. If these strikes were to happen from North Korea, or the
civil war continues, I feel the world powers of today (America, China, and Russia)
would have to step in and due to their severe powers, the trouble would be
stopped, and another Hitler would be easily preventable.
By James Knowles.
