Adolph Hitler and Maximilien Robespierre
“How fortunate for leaders that men do not think.” -Adolph Hitler
Maybe that single quote could’ve been attributed to the philosophy of Maximilian Robespierre. Robespierre was a man, much like Adolph Hitler. They both managed to take power. Both men were responsible for massive deaths. Neither of the two are currently considered to have been sane. Maybe with a little information on the two men, similarities and differences will be more easily distinguished.
Falling back into history, before Hitler was even thought of, you’ll find Robespierre. His name is mentioned in the same breath as “The Reign of Terror”. He managed to find power in the darkness of France. After the French Revolution, the people of France were frantic. The economy was suffering and the people were in a state of panic thinking of what may happen next. It was then that a man from a wealthy family planted his seed. He already had experience in politics as a lawyer, so he built on that foundation. Using friends and acquaintances, he gained access to exclusive groups and then to parties. He found his way into the legislature, led his own revolution and eventually found power. The support of the people was his. They knew he was the one that they needed. Robespierre was the new god in France. There was a decree in France at this time stating that anyone who was attempting to become the leader could be shot on the spot without the murderer suffering consequences, but somehow, Robespierre survived. It might have been strictly the support of the people, or maybe he was just cunning enough to discreetly slip by without the people knowing what was going on. Before long, total control was his. This was the beginning of the Reign of Terror. Anyone who didn’t agree with him was immediately ordered to be executed. After a while, he eventually lost trust in everyone and even turned on his political alliances. Countless numbers of people were killed during his reign. He eventually was accused of being a dictator and sentenced to be executed, but he fled. He was later found and beheaded.
Adolph Hitler ruled many years later in a nearby country. It was shortly after the first World War. Germany had suffered a loss and was faced with the expenses of war and the stipulations of the treaty that sent the straight into a huge debt. Adolph Hitler used this to gain his power. He had been an officer in World War I and used this to his advantage. He knew exactly what was going on and claimed to know the cure. His promises to get Germany out of debt secured his spot as leader and dictator of Germany. Rather than doing anything to cure the debt issue, he instead began his plan to ‘cleanse the human race’ of all members he saw as a mistake.
He killed anyone he could who he saw as inferior. Unlike Robespierre, who was executed, he died by suicide. He lost hope in his mission seeing his eminent defeat and killed himself.
“The king must die so that the country may live.” -Maximilian Robespierre
Maybe the comparison of these two men goes deeper. Could this be foreshadowing of the story of WWII era Germany? Hitler was essentially a king to Germany. It’s hard to say how much more of Germany would have been destroyed had the death of Hitler come any later. The death of Hitler was the death of the Nazi party.
“Words build bridges into unexplored regions.” -Adolph Hitler
Adolph Hitler might have been on to something with this quote. It was already proven by Robespierre. After all, the words of Maximilian won over the trust and support of the French. With the people behind him, he had an open path to do what no other Frenchman had ever succeeded in: beginning a dictatorship.
The two men, though not cut from the same mold, are very much alike. Their philosophies on mankind are very similar. Both men found their path to leadership through their words and the trust of the citizens. Of coarse, to be so different-they sure seem similar.
