Paoli High School
Paoli, OK.
War and Peace
David Davis
12th Grade
Many great men have influenced history. Such men are Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, and religious leader Billy Graham. Adolf Hitler may not have been a good man but he shares a thought that many great men believed. Adolf Hitler once said, “The means that wins the easiest victory over reason is terror/force.” Many great men believed this too, many of the Kings back in the old times it worked for them. If someone rebelled against the King, he would have him killed in front of the whole town. The reason was if everyone feared him then no one would rebel against him. Terror and force are how Adolf Hitler got his name. He created a glorious blond army, Aryan Teutonic Knights.
Even though Adolf Hitler was short with black hair, he made people fear him. That is why he lead them. Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in a small Austrian town of Braunauam Inn. When Hitler was a child he did not have any friends. He was very lonely and sad. He had a hard time through his life making friends. Hitler’s father pushed him to become a government worker, but Hitler pushed harder to become an artist. Though Hitler was born an Austrian, he thought of himself as a German because he had German relatives.
Hitler was not a good student. He argued with all of his teachers. When things went wrong, he placed the blame on his teachers. When he was sixteen, his father died, which made him quit school. He said he dropped out because he had lung problems. When Hitler was nineteen he went to Vienna to enroll in the Art Academy. Because of the poor quality of his work, he was rejected. His evaluation claimed he was untalented as an artist.
For the next four years he made a living as a laborer and he painted cheap post cards. During this time he was poor and homeless, often living in lower-class rooming houses and eating in charity soup kitchens. He spent most of his time reading German history, philosophy, and anti-Jewish literature. Many of the homeless shelters where he stayed were founded and supported by a Jewish baron. Hitler received his only warm coat from a Jewish clothes merchant who took pity on him.
In 1912 Hitler moved to Germany, the country he had long admired. He moved to Munich, but his life style hardly changed. He occasionally worked as a carpenter or poster painter. By 1921 the worker’s party changed its name to the Nazi party. The Nazi party wore the Swastika stood for world conquest and anti-Semitism.
At the Nazi’s meetings Hitler demonstrated his ability to hold his audience spell bound. His vocal cords had been scared by wartime mustard gas so his voice was harsh and raspy. Hitler posed a natural charisma before crowns and people could not help but pay attention to what he said. His boastful speeches and his wild gestures made people notice him. It was not long after that he became head of the Nazi Party. Sometimes when he spoke, Hitler provoked extreme reactions. His audience would sometimes become so riled up, fights would break out.
His views were so outrageous that at first many people laughed at him and did not take him seriously. In 1923 the Nazi’s had ten thousand storm troopers in their ranks. Hitler became so powerful that he attempted to overthrow the German government. Hitler had a lot of powerful and charismatic men by his side. Such men as Hess Rudolf and Dr. Joseph Goebbels aided Hitler in his crusade. His attempt failed and he spent eight months in prison. The uprising showed that Hitler could lead the Nazi storm troopers. During his jail term Hitler wrote the book Mein Kampf which meant My Struggle. This book was a biography of his life. It also expressed his point of views.
Hitler was the cause of World War 2. In 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed the chancellor of Germany. The Dachau concentration camp was opened. Germans enforced a boycott of Jewish shops and businesses. The new laws barred Jews from becoming part of the civil service, going to universities, and holding state positions. In 1943 Hitler named himself Fuhrer and Reich chancellor. This caused the Armed Forces to now swear allegiance to Hitler. In 1945 Hitler committed suicide.
So the one means that wins the easiest victory is terror and force. Many of our great names come from fear, that is why they were great. So people feared them.