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.