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My Intention is to cover an analysis of the leadership style of Doll Hitler and I Intend to do so under the following heads: – (a) Introduction (b) I will cover his background and childhood, followed by the (c) Formative Years. (d) HIS Inhalant Army Life and how it finally lead to his political and military career, his rise to power and his subsequent downfall. Thereafter we will analyses his Political and (f) Military Leadership (g) In the end, after I Conclude, I will try and take on any questions that the audience may have. Background 1:15 2. Doll Hitler was born in Austria, on April 20th 1889 to Allis Hitler and Kara People.
A moody child, he grew hostile towards his father, especially once the latter had retired and the family had moved to Germany. Hitler was close to his mother, who was highly indulgent of Hitler, and he was deeply affected when she died. Formative Years 3. Hitler moved to Vienna in 1907 where he applied to the Viennese Academy of Fine arts, but was twice turned down. This experience further embittered the increasingly angry Hitler, and he remained in Vienna living off his small family inheritance and what he could make from selling his art, moving from hostel to hostel, a lonely, vagrant flexure.
During this period Hitler developed a view that would characterize his whole life: a hatred for Jews and Marxist. Initial Army Life 4. When the First World War broke out in 1914, Hitler Joined the Bavarian Infantry Regiment, serving throughout the war. He proved to be an able and brave soldier as a dispatch runner, winning the Iron Cross on two occasions. He was also wounded blinded and hospitalized him. It was here he learnt of Germany’s surrender, which he took as a betrayal. He especially hated the Treaty of Versailles. 5. After WWW Hitler became convinced he was destined to save Germany.
In 1919, irking for an army unit, he was assigned to spy on a political party of roughly 40 idealists called the German Workers Party. Instead he Joined it, swiftly rose to a position of dominance and finally became the chairman by 1921. He renamed it the Socialist German Workers Party. He gave the party the Swastika as a symbol and organized a personal army to attack opponents. He also discovered, and used, his powerful ability for public speaking. 6. In November 1923 Hitler organized Bavarian nationalists into a rebellion. They declared their new government in a beer hall in Munich and then 3000 people marched through the streets.
They were met by police, who opened fire, killing 16. Hitler was arrested and tried in 1924, but was sentenced to only five years in prison, a sentence often taken as a sign of agreement with his views. Hitler served only nine months in prison, during which he wrote Mien Kampala (My Struggle), a book outlining his theories on race, Germany and Jews. It sold five million copies by 1939. 7. After the Beer-Hall rebellion Hitler resolved to seek power and he carefully rebuilt the Socialist German Workers Party or Nazi party, allying with future key figures like Goring and propaganda mastermind Gobbles.
Over time he expanded the party’s support, partly by exploiting fears of socialists and partly by appealing to everyone who felt their economic livelihood threatened by the depression of the sass, until he had the ears of big business, the press and the middle classes. 8. In 1932 Hitler acquired German citizenship and ran for president, coming second to von Hindering. Later that year the Nazi party became the largest party in Germany. Helped by support from conservative politicians believing they could control Hitler, he was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30th 1933.
Hitler Ovid with great speed to isolate and expel opponents from power, shutting trade unions, removing communists, conservatives and Jews. 9. Later that year Hitler perfectly exploited an act of arson to begin the creation of a totalitarian state. Hitler soon took over the role of president when Hindering died and merged the role with that of Chancellor to become F;here (leader’) of Germany. 5:30 10. Hitler continued to move with speed in radically changing Germany, consolidating power, locking up “enemies” in camps, bending culture to his will, rebuilding the army and breaking the constraints of the Treaty of Versailles.
He tried to change the social fabric of Germany by encouraging women to breed more and bringing in laws to secure racial purity; Jews were particularly targeted. Unemployment, high elsewhere in a time of depression, fell to practically zero in 11. Hitler engineered territorial expansion, uniting with Austria and dismembering Czechoslovakia. It was in September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland, that other nations took a stand, declaring war. This was not unappealing to Hitler who believed Germany should make itself great through war, and invasions in 1940 went well.
However, arguably his fatal mistake occurred in 1941 with the invasion of Russia. After initial success, German forces were pushed back by Russia, and defeats in Africa and West Europe followed as Germany was slowly beaten. During this time Hitler became gradually more paranoid and divorced from the world, retreating to a bunker. As armies approached Berlin from two directions, Hitler married his mistress, Eva Braun, and on April 30th 1945 killed himself. Hitter’s Political Leadership 7:00 12. In order to perform a leadership analysis of Doll Hitler, one must understand the compelling aspects of his personality.
First and foremost, Hitler saw himself as “an agent of Providence, a man of Destiny, whose vision of the future was infallible. ” Hitler was convinced beyond any doubt that it was he, and he alone, who possessed the vision, the will power, and the political and military insight to restore Germany to her rightful place among the other nations of the world. Hitter’s career was characterized by the awesome power he achieved over the German people and how he was able to use it to attain his political goals.
His power over the people was partly due to his extraordinary talent as an orator. His speeches were an instrument of political intoxication that inspired a degree of fervor in his listeners that seems to defy definition and explanation. Hitler was a master at the use of the spoken word and a genius at the art of manipulating mass propaganda for his political ends. His uncanny ability to appeal to the subconscious and irrational needs of his audience and to solicit the desired response made him a formidable political figure. Walter Longer described what it was like to attend one of Hitter’s inspirational rallies and his comments are shown on the screen. 13. It was not uncommon for women to faint r for the crowd’s emotions to range from tears to an overwhelming frenzy to the point they were ready and willing to believe almost anything he told them. Hitler was one of the first politicians to utilize the modern technology of his time such as floodlights, public address systems, radio broadcasts, and air transportation to keep the public constantly aware of his political views. Hitler as a Military Leader 8:45 Strengths 14.
Although Hitler will always be remembered for the atrocities he caused during the Second World War, he did possess several strengths that are characteristic of a good military leader. Hitler had the uncanny ability to commit precise details to memory, particularly historical information, technical facts, economic statistics, and past personal experiences. To compensate for Hitter’s lack of education in the technical field, he would read everything that was put in front of him. 15. Hitter’s amazing memory also served him well in his ability to comprehend technical matters capabilities as weapons of war benefited Germany’s war fighting machine.
Hitler was credited with the idea of mounting 75-millimeter long-barrel guns in German tanks and pointing out the flaw in German warship design in which the forecastle was built o low that it would dive beneath the waves in heavy seas. He was well versed in the armament and speed of German and foreign warships as well as where demolition charges should be placed on canal bridges for the greatest effect and how thick the concrete should be in fortifications. Hitler had a firm grasp on the capabilities of the gasoline engine and was always interested in other technical areas, specifically in the production of synthetic materials.
He could instantly recall the effect of the enemy’s latest weapon systems and figures pertaining to German and enemy war production. He relied heavily on civilian professionals to run his armament program since he felt military technologists were lazy, bureaucratic, and backward. Hitter’s technical ability and direct contributions to the war effort are even more amazing due to the fact that he never received any formal education in technology and did not have a background in industry. Hitler credited his military leadership to the experience he gained as a common soldier in the First World War.
Hitler believed, based on his personal experience, that he could view the battle from a soldier’s perspective and understood owe the common soldier felt when fighting on the front lines. 16. Field Marshal Erich von Einstein credits Hitler with a number of characteristics essential to military leadership such as a strong will, nerves of steel, and undeniable intelligence. However, Einstein does not agree with Hitter’s self-proclaimed sense of identification with or compassion for the common soldier. 17. Hitler also possessed the ability to adjust his conversation to the mentality of his audience.
He could discuss highly technical matters with industrialists, engage in political conversations with diplomats, r simplify complex problems to a level easily understood by the common working class. Hitler used this talent to build his self-confidence by not allowing himself to feel intimidated when surrounded by those of a higher educational or cultural background and could comfortably discuss such topics as art, music, or literature. 18. Hitler also used this skill when he wanted to persuade someone to accept his point of view.
He always knew why a person wanted to see him before they arrived and had his counter-arguments so well prepared that the individual would leave convinced that Hitter’s logic was sound and not unreasonable Weaknesses 2:15 19. An analysis of Hitter’s strengths reveals the very foundation of his weaknesses. His exacting memory enabled him to recall specific details from earlier briefings presented by his officers, and they had to be careful that what they told him in the future completely agreed with what they had told in the past.
If Hitler detected any deviation from what he was previously briefed, he immediately assumed his officers were intentionally trying to deceive him. This assumption continued to convince Hitler that his officers could not be trusted. By not trusting them, Hitler took away the ere essence of leadership-??allowing subordinate commanders the freedom to make decisions based on their experience and knowledge of the battlefield. 20.
Hitter’s distrust for his generals was based upon the success he had achieved in the early war years which, more often than not, was attained against the advice of his military point that he began to view himself as a great military leader, or even more specifically-??a true military genius. This overconfidence, combined with the extreme mistrust of his generals, became the driving force behind Hitter’s intricate involvement in military matters down to the minute detail.
To prove the point, Hitler organized his Supreme Command so that no one was in a position to advise him on grand strategy or even draft a war plan without his direct involvement. The Operations Staff which was originally designed to perform this function, became nothing more than an avenue for Hitler to use to distribute his orders to the military commanders. The commanders, in turn, had no input into the making of grand strategy and often had no idea what troops were being assigned to different areas of responsibility.
This, of course, lead to numerous heated arguments between Hitler ND his subordinate commanders to the point that many either resigned or were replaced if they failed to agree with Hitter’s decisions. 21 . Hitter’s confidence in his military leadership ability, however, was filled with flaws. His military experience during the First World War, to which he was so fond of referring, was very limited. He lacked the experience of commanding troops in the field and never served as a staff officer which severely handicapped his ability to assess and analyze a military situation logically from the viewpoint of a seasoned military officer.
Hitler consistently deployed troops into combat with complete disregard for such matters as supply, logistics, and statement. Once new weapon systems were developed, Hitter’s only concern was seeing that they were dispatched to the front as soon as possible without considering whether the men responsible for the equipment had been fully trained or if the weapon had been tested under combat conditions prior to its use. Hitter’s constant comparison of Germany’s war production with that of his enemy failed to take into consideration the capabilities of the weapons being produced.
As a exult, Hitler refused to accept any reports of his enemy’s superiority, no matter how reliable the reports may have been, and would counter these assertions by pointing out the deficiencies of the enemy as compared to Germany’s production figures. Hitter’s leadership principle was to hold on to every inch of territory once conquered, otherwise known as his “no retreat policy’. 22. Hitler was convinced his success in the political arena and rise to power was directly attributable to the power of his will.
Therefore, he felt if his initial success was testimony to his will power, this same will rower could be used to achieve success as a military leader and on the battlefield no matter what the odds were against him. This belief served only to lengthen the distance between Hitler and his generals. If success was obtained, it was through the power of his will; failure, on the other hand, was due primarily to his generals’ lack of conviction to his will. Decision Making Process 16:15 23.
While Hitler tried to present himself as a very decisive leader who meticulously planned each and every step of his grand strategy, quite the opposite was true. When faced with a difficult decision, Hitler procrastinated for days and sometimes seeks before he would resolve the situation and announce his decision. 24. Hitler did not approach decision-making in a logical, well-thought-out manner. The logical method of decision-making involves gathering the facts, determining possible alternatives to the problem based on the facts, weighing the advantages and process was Just the opposite.
Once he had reached a decision, either through intuition or some other means, Hitler would then gather facts to support his decision. Once his decision was made, it was almost impossible to change his mind. Conclusion 17:10 Max by 17:30 25. The analysis of Doll Hitler as a political and military leader has revealed a very complicated man who was convinced that he, and he alone, was capable of restoring Germany to her rightful place among other nations throughout the world. 26.
Hitter’s strengths as a leader and the contributions he made to Germany’s war effort cannot be overlooked. His phenomenal memory and keen eye for detail enhanced his ability to comprehend technical matters and problems with armament. His extraordinary ability to assess the advantages and flaws of military weaponry resulted in major improvements in German tank and warship designs. Hitter’s technical insight was even more remarkable due to the fact that he did not have a technological or industrial background.
Hitler was not only an avid reader of military history, he also kept himself well-informed of his enemy’s capabilities such as current weapon systems development and war production figures-??admirable characteristics of good military leadership. 27. Hitter’s weaknesses, however, outweighed his strengths. His mistrust of his military leaders made him suspect their recommendations and only served to strengthen his conviction that he, and he alone, knew what was best for Germany. This lead to his intricate involvement in military matters down to the minute detail.
He failed to allow his commanders in the field the freedom to make decisions based on their experience and knowledge of the battlefield. Hitter’s military leadership was hampered by his lack of experience in commanding troops in the field which impaired his ability to assess and analyze a military situation from the viewpoint of a seasoned military officer. 28. All the above factors do highlight reasons the importance of good staff work, correct implementation of centralized command and decentralized execution as well s having a sound Military Operations Planning Process.
They also provide an insight into why the Navy requires a mandatory Sea time for all their officers of the executive branch including the pilots. The factors bring out the logic of conducting certain exercises at this very institution including Danger, our favorite Taps and ongoing Public Speaking 3. In a similar manner, it would do good value addition to the army counterparts of the gentlemen sitting directly in front, if they learn a little bit from Hitler and make an endeavourer to connect with their audience.