Roosevelt and Hitler

Two leading figures of the Second World War were Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler. The two leadership figures shared many common character traits but were also very different. Both of the men were known to have an ability to communicate effectively, arouse a crowd’s emotion, and each had a high level of charisma. They also both rose to political power during a tumultuous pre-war era. Even though these men had compelling similarities, the result and type of power they exercised was drastically different. On one hand, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used his leadership qualities to win a World War and promote social change programs. On the contrary, Adolf Hitler used his influence for ethnic cleansing in the murder of millions of Jews, Russians, and others such as gypsies and homosexuals. While the two men held many of the same character traits, their legacies are drastically different.

The two leaders were both able to deliver charismatic and crowd-moving speeches. The inauguration speech given by Roosevelt is famous and commonly shown in the classrooms of America during history class. Roosevelt spoke directly into the camera and was a master at using tone to stress important speech components. Roosevelt was also aware of public perception and hid his polio disability. Hitler’s speeches were compelling in nonverbal cue – He carried an obvious passion that moved vast crowd. Hitler is known for his powerful speeches that moved the German people towards social change. Both of these men were able to compel people to react during times of social crisis. On one hand Roosevelt used his influence to push legislation that encouraged the economy to support its people with new jobs and social safety net programs. Hitler used his influence to promote sickening social programs such as mass execution and moving groups of people to concentration camps for eventual death. One of the most important factors in leadership is the quality of charisma, and both of these men had it. The U.S. people needed to call on a leader in response to the depression and Roosevelt was there for leadership support. The German people were still shocked from World War I and the economy was suffering hyper-inflation and unemployment. Hitler was there to “guide” them through the difficult times.

The outcome of the War highlights the intent of the use of leadership power and arguably what drove each of these men to lead. Roosevelt was initially reluctant to enter the War. The U.S. citizens were still burned by the death toll and consequences of fighting an overseas battle during the First World War. Roosevelt knew that involvement would come at a significant death toll. He didn’t enter the War until after provoked in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. On the other hand, Hitler was seeking power through politics and used his influence to cause havoc. While Roosevelt used his authority for positive change, Hitler was addicted to his authority and used it to kill other groups of people that were a political threat, or he just didn’t like.

Roosevelt was a President of a democratic nation who was concerned with national security, while Hitler quickly moved away from democracy once in power. According to Kennedy (n.d.) “in the United States and Germany alike the Depression badly discredited existing political regimes and created opportunities for new leaders to emerge.” Roosevelt fully supported the concepts of election and group rule. Hitler was a member of the socialist party that came to power during a time of democratic rule in Germany. The German Parliament was elected; however, Hitler didn’t exactly win the popular vote. While the details of the situation are not entirely agreed upon, Hitler was not elected by popular vote. Hitler seized power much like a dictator through backroom dealings, threats of murder, and a forceful takeover of government by the military under the disguise of creating equality in the German society. Roosevelt was elected to represent the U.S. as President and Hitler forced his way into power by the force of threat and murder. At the end of the War the U.S. had won and Germany was a wasteland of the War. The German economy was ruined, and the country was at the mercy of the allied powers.

Roosevelt and Hitler were both historic leaders during the same critical time in world history. They were both prominent leaders of two of the largest developed nations at the time. Their rise to power shows the willingness to lead and the contrast in the measures used to promote social change. Roosevelt will be remembered in a very positive light and Hitler will be remembered as a ruthless tyrant guilty of mass murder. Both of these men shared the leadership quality of speech delivery that was able to motivate large groups of people under a vision. Roosevelt and Hitler were both compelled to lead people; however, they perceived power differently. While Hitler was willing to employ murder to gain power, Roosevelt was slow to move the U.S. into war. The two men shared some of the same beliefs and values and rose to power within countries facing difficult times. Both men were valued leaders and shared in the character trait of charisma. The key difference between the two is held in the motives, results, and perception of power. The result was two men that were very similar with two outstandingly different legacies.

Work Cited

Kennedy, David. (n.d.) “FDR and Hitler: A Study in Contrasts.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute onAmerican History. Retrieved fromhttp://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/world-war-ii/essays/fdr-and-hitler-study-contrasts