Hitler's Followers example essay topic

Question... At the end of World War II, who was placed on the list of history's most hated villains? Adolf Hitler. How did he get on that list? By becoming a dictator of Germany and conducting a mass-killing spree against the Jews.

Was Hitler always like this? No. He was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau, Upper Austria. His father, Alois worked as a customs officer on the border crossing and his mother, Klara, was a housewife.

Hitler had a brother Gustav and a sister Ida, but they both died at birth. He also had another brother, Edmund but he died at the age of 6 and another sister, Paula. She outlived Adolf. He did very poor as a school going individual and dropped out before graduation with an ambition to be a writer. His father died when he was only 13, and his mother died of cancer when he was 19.

Adolf did absolutely nothing to earn his keep at home or at school. He didn't work and didn't keep up with his studies. The only thing that kept his interest was history and politics. After his mother's death, he unsuccessfully found no one that would take him in for free. So he up and moved to Vienna and within a year he was homeless. The start of his craziness...

In 1913, Adolf moved to Munich in Southern Germany and within a year of his move World War I broke out. He then volunteered for service in the German Army and was accepted into the 16th Baumann Reserve Infantry Regiment. He was soon promoted to Corporal and decorated with both the Iron Cross First and Second Class (ironically, the one who promoted him was the regimental captain who happened to be a Jew). After returning from a hospital stay in Traun stein, he witnessed a takeover bid by local communists who seized power before being ousted by the Army. He was then asked to testify sort of speak against what he saw. Soon after testifying, he was asked to become part of a local Army Organization, which was responsible for persuading returning soldiers not to turn to communism (a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership; a political theory favoring collectivism in a classless society, web) or pacifism.

In 1919, Hitler gave a speech that attracted over 100 people. A year later he also gave a speech that attracted over 2,000 people. On April 1, 1920, he gave a speech, which brought about the idea of and organization that would soon go into effect after the Timko 2 speech called National Socialist German Workers Party (NAZI). By 1921, Hitler gained full control of the Nazi party and had million of followers. Millions of followers... What a high that must give someone when they know they have millions of followers.

There must even be a high of some sort when someone knows they have only 38 followers and no matter what happens, that person knows that those people will follow him. For example in April of 1997, Marshall Apple white and his 38 followers committed the biggest mass suicide ever. The people thought that they would be carried on a spacecraft that trailed the Hale-Bopp to the Kingdom of Heaven. So in other words they conformed.

Conformity, what does that mean? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online, conformity / conform means action in accordance with some specified standard or authority, to be obedient or compliant -- usually used with to act in accordance with prevailing standards or customs, correspondence in form, manner, or character. Don't you think that what Adolf Hitler did, was or could be considered conformity? Don't you think he caused his followers to conform after him? According to the information that I found online about Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party, he was technically 'conformed' into the position that caused him to go crazy and kill himself.

He was carefully and strategically dragged in by the other members of the army and while reading it, it seemed that the army members planned out when they would drag the na " ive Hitler in. He came in at the point of a takeover and then he probably thought to himself, "Oh I could do that to". And so he did. What do you think made his followers 'conform' after him? "Informational influence. People conform because they want to be correct in there judgments and they assume that four eyes are better than two (Conformity handout)".

They thought that what Hitler was dong was ok, just as long as Hitler kept filling them with empty words and promises. Also according to the Conformity Handout, Hitler's followers were also seemed to be part of Normative Influence, which is the conformance of fear due to saying no to the leader. There are two others in the handout that also made sounded like reasons for Hitler's follower to conform. Since I wasn't there back in the day I could only assume that he fed his audiences a lot a bunch of words.

At the time I am sure that he didn't realize what he was doing until he knew that what he was doing was causing him Timko 3 to have more power. His followers were leaded blindly into what would be the biggest killing spree in the entire world. I guess one of the biggest questions that could be answered during this paper would be that of why people conform... Why do people conform?

The way that was easiest for me to understand was the idea of peer pressure. For example, you and a bunch of friends are going to a party. They let you know that there will be alcohol there only because you have standards set for yourself and you don't drink. You say no I will be fine and you guys go to the party.

At the party there is this really hot guy and he asks you to come for a walk and have a few beers. You don't want to say no, but you don't want to go against what you believe. So you think that one won't hurt, and then it's oh well two won't kill me, then three and then four, and then the next thing you know your at home with your head in the toilet with your parents screaming at the top of there lungs. In that case I believe that is being conformed. Now just imagine your in the audience of one of Hitler's speeches and your one of a few people who aren't cheering for him. You look around and everyone else is on the tip ee-toes chanting "HITLER, HITLER, HITLER".

You think to yourself that what this guy must be saying is good so why not join in. Next thing you know you " re at one of his concentration camps throwing a bunch of Jews into a burning furnace. You were just a part of what is considered Majority Influence, also according to the handout. Now that you know how Hitler conformed and how his followers conformed to him, lets talk about what conformity to such a level could do to a person. First and foremost, and probably the most important it gives the leader a big head. Hitler got a big head and thought he ruled the world and would always be a world leader.

And to an extent that was true. He did rule 'his' world for a short period of time, but what happened to Hitler in the end? The guy killed himself! He couldn't take the stress that maybe one day he wouldn't be in charge anymore, and if my memory serves me right, his age was getting to him too!

When you actually sit down and think about the fact of a mass suicide like the one I mentioned in the beginning, just because of one person... It is a bit overwhelming. Now that I have you sitting and thinking about that... Did Hitler Timko 4 really conform his people, or were they just scared that what happened to the Jews would happen to them?

Think about it... Timko 5

Bibliography

Stokes, Phil. "The Biography of Adolf Hitler". World War II Pages. 1995-2000.
February 15, 2002 web "Merriam-Webster Online College Dictionary".
Merriam-Webster Incorporated. Conformity February 15, 2002 web "Merriam-Webster Online College Dictionary".
Conforming February 15, 2002 web "Dictionary.
com". Lexico LLC. 2002 Communism February 15, 2002 web.