Joseph Stalin And Adolf Hitler example essay topic

In the twentieth century two key figures stand on top of the tower of tyrannical leaders: Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. Together these two leaders were responsible for more deaths and suffering than most can ever imagine. Their rise to power and their stability of power with their people could have been predicted though. In The Prince, Machiavelli outlined the type of behavior and leadership that is required to govern a country.

Machiavelli's book outlines, among other concepts, the use of any and all means, war, and fear in order to rise to power and stay in power. Thus, The Prince should be regarded as a guide to tyranny. "We are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in ten years.

Either we do it, or we shall be crushed". (Joseph Stalin in his speech to industrial managers, February 1931). Machiavelli tells us in effect that the end justifies the means. Joseph Stalin accomplished something just short of a miracle in Soviet Russia in the period preceding World War Two. With his 5-year plans for industrialization and modernization, he transformed the Soviet Union from a backwards agriculturalist country to the industrial powerhouse that was able to withstand the massive onslaughts of Nazi Germany. To accomplish this, though, Stalin ordered the collectivization of soviet farms.

By 1940, almost all peasant and private farms had been collectivized, and private ownership of property had been almost completely abolished. About five million of the wealthier peasants, also known as kulaks, were "deported". No one ever heard from them again. The rest of the peasants were herded into collective farms, stripped of their individual lives, and forced to work the land to pave the way for industrialization. Despite a massive famine in early thirties due to collectivization, Stalin was able to produce enough grain and workers to feed the new and growing industry, and was able to hold off the Germans in WWII. Thus, in the eyes of Machiavelli, in the end the means were justified.

Machiavelli describes the relationship between statesmanship and warcraft in The Prince. He describes that in order to have sound laws, the presence of a sound military is required. He also asserts that successful warfare is the foundation for a successful state, and that successful warfare isn't just sheer overwhelming force, but also diplomacy, strategy, innovation, etc. Adolf Hitler transformed Germany from a destructed wasteland back into one of the most powerful nations in the world.

To rebuild his country, he rebuilt Germany's military. His fascist ruling techniques instituted strong laws alongside the newly redeveloped military in a country that was nearly in a state of anarchy after WWI. His military tactics were very successful, with the German "Blitzkrieg" conquering almost all of Europe in a very short period of time. In Machiavelli's eyes, Hitler's successful warcrafting abilities were able to create a strong state and a successful prince. One of the most stressed of Machiavelli's concepts was that in order to rule effectively and stay in power a prince should be feared but not hated. Joseph Stalin spread fear across his nation.

Stalin eliminated opposition, such as Trotsky and Kirov, and used them as excuses for purging millions of citizens into forced labor camps and their own deaths. Kirov's assassination, in particular, was used as an excuse for the Great Terror of the 30's, and the draconian and tyrannical laws instituted by Joseph Stalin during that time period. To help with the elimination of his opposition, the Secret Police, under Stalin's orders, arrested and executed millions of political dissenters. By using extreme fear, Stalin was able to stay in power until his death in 1953. While Machiavelli may not have approved of murder on the scale of Joseph Stalin's, this is nevertheless a prime example of using fear to stay in power, and people were too afraid of Stalin to hate him. So, if Stalin and Hitler were brought to power and stayed in power by the actions outlined in The Prince, then why did they fail in the end?

The answer is simple. Stalin and Hitler failed because they strayed from Machiavelli's teachings. Hitler went too far and let personal grievances take control of his power. He became greedy in his warcrafting, and slaughtered millions of Jews because of a personal hatred for them. Stalin simply became hated.

His use of fear was taken too far, and by the end, he was more hated than feared. This being said, these two individuals are perfect examples of why Machiavelli's The Prince is a guidebook to tyranny. Had they stayed true to his concepts, there is no telling what the world might be like today. If there is a Hell, along with Hitler and Stalin, Machiavelli is most likely in it.