World War 2 is considered the deadliest war in history; not just through soldier casualties but also civilians. As with all wars there are two sides and each having a leader. In this instance, the two sides were the Allies and the Great Powers. Although the Allies won in the end the Great Powers led by Hitler were still able to cause over 80 million deaths throughout the whole war. Hitler was able to create one of the deadliest and most feared empires in the history of the world, the Nazis. The Nazis were a group of fascist and anti-Semitic people who believed in a superior Aryan race and who also blamed many minorities and other peoples for their economic and political instability in Germany. As Hitler’s Nazi regime came to power in Germany he started to aim at reversing the effects of the Treaty of Versailles. Once Hitler came to full control over Germany he started to expand his army out towards Poland and other countries surrounding Germany. This is when he got the help of his Great power allies, Italy and Japan. During this time, this is when the Nazis were able to do most of their damage before ultimately being stopped by the allies and Hitler’s ultimate demise. Hitler was able to stay in power for about twelve years and dominate in Europe and has certainly gone down as one of the scariest and deadliest men in history. However, there is another man who also can go down with the title as one of the deadliest and scariest men in history and his name is, Napoleon Bonaparte. Similar to Hitler Napoleon aimed to conquer Europe. Although Napoleon didn’t kill as many people as Hitler he did cause the deaths of an estimated 6 million through his wars.
However, even with all that Hitler clearly created the superior empire compared to Napoleon. That is the point of this essay to show how through differences and some similarities in each of
the men’s strategies and dominance show that overall Hitler created the superior empire.
In every war, each man approaches their battles with specific strategies and decisions to help aid their side in victory. No one man usually has the same strategy as the other and this remains true for both Hitler and Napoleon. During their times of war each man had their separate ways of dealing with their opposition, especially with the differences in each era of war. Hitler was able to create multiple headquarters that helped him make decisions on where to attack and what to do in each area he planned to advance to. Not only this but, with the aid of many assistants constantly updating him on what was going on during battles. Not only this but he would personally talk with his officers and other military specialists to know what was going on at the front. He also made sure to know what was happening with weapon productions. One thing Hitler is known for is his great memory. Hitler was able to remember everything he was told at meetings and this also helped to prove him a strategic genius as when he would asses a decision of attack he would be able to recall what was happening not only on his side but what information about his opponent he could use to help him make decisions that would help in his favor. One thing that may have hurt him as a strategist was that he never would ask his officers what they thought or what would be a good plan of attack. Most of the time he just wanted to know what was going on so he could move on and try and continue to fight. This also caused some of his officers to become frustrated as he never would try to ask them their thoughts and because of this some blame him for the ultimate downfall of the Nazis because he never listened. Hitler would also just send out orders whenever he wanted which could show again his incompetence to try and take in other ideas that may have helped him in the war and to become a stronger leader and strategist. It also didn’t help that Hitler tended to not trust his military generals. This also helps to attribute to his ignorance in that he believed what he was doing was the best way. He also was not the type of person that was seen to be able to lead a successful army for multiple victories. His reliance on his instinct again cost Germany in many was during world war 2.(BBC.co.uk) Although he did tend to not care what others wanted to tell him he did care very much for Germany and its success in battle. Sometimes he would set up maps of the areas they were attacking so that he could follow the battle. When Hitler would demand his military reports he also would make sure to get a report of every piece of machinery lost just to be able to account for everything. Hitler also sometimes would wait to make final decisions on thing which would hurt him in the end as he would sometimes lose battles due to this. There is one strategy however that Hitler is most famous for which is the Blitzkrieg. This strategy would include attacking fast and without mercy to ensure confusion and disorganization in the enemy which would most likely result in a victory. This strategy was used by the Nazis for most of their campaign and would ultimately tire out their opponent as they would not be able to handle the constant attacks. Attacks would come from the land and the air which would also cause many problems as the enemy would be getting hit from many angles at once. Although Hitler may have caused the defeat of Germany in the end because of his lack in trust and confidence in others around him however his army was still successful in many campaigns and he was able to do what he planned all along which was to become feared and big compared to his enemies.
As for napoleon and his strategies, he very well may be considered the greatest strategist in the history of the world but he would eventually be defeated and humiliated in a much shorter time than Hitler. One advantage to Napoleon is that people consider his battle strategies and tactics still used today and the basis for many strategies today as well. Napoleon also had to deal with fighting in some terrible conditions and not only this but he would also sometimes tend to visit the front lines with his soldiers. Before Napoleon would go to battle he would try and map out every possible situation to try and predict how to not only win but to also avoid losing. He would also make sure to try and read his opponents and not waste resources if they could be taken out easily. He would often aim for the main place of interest everywhere he invaded such as a capital. This would allow him to control whether a battle would occur or not. If ever he felt he may lose due to the enemy having a bigger army he would simply attack a portion of their army that he knew he could defeat to be able to dwindle their numbers to a point where he knew he could win. He would also usually be the aggressor as this was also strategy being as he could attack swiftly and with a big enough army. One of the main things Napoleon did was flank his enemies. He used this again as a way for him to always surprise his enemy and get in behind them so they never can see an attack coming. A difference between the two men especially is that Napoleon actually used his officers and army so that they could be successful and be able to take orders but also have a say in things that were necessary. Napoleon also sought map making as a way to make sure he knew the land before he even attacked. Napoleon also made sure his armies never stayed in one place so they could be easily attacked. That is also why his army was so fast because they were always moving. Also
due to them moving he also made sure they traveled with as little as possible to keep them from being slowed down by what they were carrying.(Napolun.com)(JohnS.C.Cabbott) Although Napoleon may have seemed to have a better control over his army and overall had a better thought about what to do and how to attack but taking in account that Hitler is working with an army in an economic rut and also an army that recently lost a big war he was still able to do what he needed to do and got it done over a longer period of time and with the opposition he faced being much more powerful than Germany.
When it comes to overall dominance Hitler had the more successful campaign over a longer period with him controlling or allying much of Europe. Hitler’s first conquer was technically Czechoslovakia as his army easily marched in with little to no interference. He later then marched into Poland but with this it would be noticed and ultimately start world war 2. Hitler would take advantage of having control of Poland to go and make a treaty with Russia(who would later realize their mistake and turn on Germany) allowing the first of the Great Powers to form an alliance that would devastate much of Europe. After this Hitler set his sights on France and with ease caused them to surrender and this is when he was able to attain half of the country. This however would also cause the side that wasn’t in German control to flee to Britain and that would start that friendship which would be the two forces that tried to oppose the Great Powers the most until the United States joins after Pearl Harbor. Next Hitler made his way to the Netherlands which he again easily took over and established his Nazi regime there as well. Also throughout this whole time he was setting up concentration camps for Jews who were found throughout Poland and the Netherlands. When it came to Romania Hitler didn’t have to do much as they were already willing to work with Germany and even when the time came for the betrayal of Russia Germany and Romania fought together to take out the Soviet Union. Not only was Romania the only place to realize that Germany was the country to align with but Hungary also did the same and the too fought with Germany against the Soviet Union. Some other areas that Hitler was able to control were Belgium, Luxemburg, Denmark, Yugoslavia and Norway.(Theholocaustexplained.org) Through out all these countries he dominated and allied with he used the strategies previously explained to be able to get all these places. He also was able to get his anti-Semitic views across every place he conquered. Throughout each place he conquered they would force Jews to be taken from their homes and put into concentration camps. Not only this but their laws would change as well under Nazi control as they would have to conform to the way Hitler and the Nazis wanted. He also was able to kill this many people because once some of the people heard that Germany was coming they would flee and once they reached a place they thought was safe the Nazis would show up and finally get them despite their best efforts. This dominance of almost all of Europe helped to show how successful Hitler made his army despite his conflicts with army strategies and the fact that he was able to do this with armies like the United States, Britain and France all eventually trying to take out the Nazis. Had Germany been stable and tactically ready for a war things may have ended very different and things around the world may have turned out in favor of the Nazis.
When it comes to Napoleon’s dominance he too conquered much of Europe, however there were only a couple actually developed places he truly had control over. Overall he had control over Egypt, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Germany, Poland and Spain. Now this may seem like a big list of countries that were taken however much of these places were not actually developed countries yet such as Italy and Germany. Although these places existed they never actually developed like how they were during Hitler’s time. He also is said to have gone through Russia and taking Moscow however he never actually conquered it. Many of the places he went to he just occupied because there really wasn’t anything developed there yet. Napoleon did however have a hard time trying to occupy as much of Europe as he wanted. When Napoleon started his conquest with Egypt, places like Great Britain and Russia tried to work together to from a group to oppose Napoleon and the French. Once Russia was firstly defeated however they did retreat and as Napoleon offered peace they declined and tried to stay out of any war in total. As France continued their front all people who tried to go against France were defeated and the only country left was Great Britain. Britain eventually lost and tried making peace but they would try and attack again later and with the help of the newly revolutionized Spain and other countries France was forced out of most of Europe. Eventually Napoleon tried to force his way into Russia however they were prepared with a plan. They would continue to retreat deep into their country and burn all of their supplies so Napoleon couldn’t feed his army and eventually it worked as Napoleon left Russia with his numbers severely depleted. Eventually he was defeated and exiled however he came back to power later but would again be exiled and would ultimately die after his big loss at Waterloo.(Historyofwar.org) Although Napoleon did occupy much of Europe much of it was already unoccupied and the forces were much weaker for the most part. Had Napoleon not tried to invade Russia he may have been able to rebuild possibly or at least save himself from humiliation and exile however he did invade and overall ended his career there.
Hitler had a terrible fall after his dominance and no betterment in strategy or being more dominant would have helped him survive what would come to him after he loses his part of France. At this point Hitler’s choices of betraying Russia caused him to be invaded by an allied Russia, United States, France and Great Britain. At this point the German army was being surrounded and most concentration camps were being raided. Toward the end the Nazis reign the newly allied forces forced their way to Germany’s last line of defense on the front of Italy and they were finally defeated and at this point Hitler had lost everything and killed himself.
Hitler’s empire had tried its best to last but just like Napoleon they exasperated their forces and they made too many enemies that they couldn’t handle when they came together to oppose them. Both men had experienced similar wins and failures in their respective armies. They also were able to achieve most of what they wanted as Napoleon got to experience his wins in Europe with his tactics and army controlling almost every major country in the region. As for Hitler he too got most of what he wanted for the near extinction of group that didn’t match up with his Aryan race. The things that his Nazi army did are the most sickening things in humanity but he achieved what he did with the help of his army and overall strategy as he was able to extend his rule with what he was doing with his army. Had he done something different he may have not been as successful as he was same with Napoleon. For both eras that the men were in the types of technology and techniques in their armies did differ but also have its similarities such as Hitler having advances in tanks and guns and also having gas which allowed him to think if different ways to take out his opponents. The also helped him have such a destructive army. All these items were used throughout his entire army however they did reach to his enemies as they were able to use some things he used against him. As for Napoleon he had a set amount of technology available at the time as well as him having only strategies to use that he would think of as well as some things from the past general. However he made it work just like Hitler and was able to use it to his advantage. One thing he didn’t have to experience was firstly spies trying to get in the army and see what he was planning and what he had going on at his camps. For Hitler it was frequent that spies would try and sneak in to try and stop him in some form or fashion. Also Napoleon didn’t have to deal with his enemies having the technology he was using as back then there wasn’t a big increase in weapons and he also had an easier time because he could create strategies based on what his enemies had weapon wise and he could also train his soldiers to be ready for it. As for Hitler, he had to be ready at any time to be either ambushed or met with some new form of weaponry that would potentially destroy his entire army.
There is no doubt that both men had been successful in their campaigns. However when you take a look at what Hitler did in the time he was in and as well as how he accomplished it, it is clear that he was far more superior than Napoleon. Hitler was able to not only conquer more of Europe but he also conquered places that were actually developed. He also had one of the most successful attacking strategies in the history of all wars, the blitzkrieg. Now Hitler doesn’t come without his faults as a leader but the fact that he was also able to keep his power for such a longer time than Napoleon shows that he was not only a somewhat respected leader by his men but also a feared one which with this fear it allowed him to do more things and conquer more peoples due to this. Having this dominant empire has allowed Hitler to go down in history as one of the most successful fascist and dictatorial leaders in existence despite the overall hate he receives because of his actions. In no way in this essay am I saying that what either man did is justified or right but simply put Hitler was more successful and dominant based on his strategic moving and also him being so independent when it came to this also helped to show that everything he did was his idea alone and that even if he did eventually fail during his reign he successfully completed most of what he wanted in the time he was leader. Not only this but it also took the combined powers of many dominant countries to finally take out the Nazis while Napoleon did have some combined powers against him overall it was the terrible condition he went into that caused his overall defeat.
References
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