Adolf Hitlers Leadership Analysis - Assignment Example

Adolf Hitler’s Leadership Analysis According to Schramm (2007), Adolf Hitler is one of the most famous of all leaders because of the roles he played in the first and Second World War. Schramm observes that Hitler was one of the most influential voices in the early 90’s, being the founder and leader of the famous Nazi party. Hitler’s Nazi party is the one that organized, implemented and executed the Holocaust (2007). This paper will briefly delve into Adolf Hitler’s biography, critiquing his leadership story and practices in the light of current leadership concepts and theories. The paper will specifically use Gronn’s 4 phase theory to expound on Hitler’s leadership career. In addition, the paper will also shed some light on Hitler’s leadership using two concepts of current leadership constructs of Power and Influence. Adolf Hitler’s Autobiography On April 20, 1889 in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria, a youthful peasant girl, Poelzl Klara and her husband Alois Hitler Schickelgruber gave birth to a baby son. Growing up, Hitler began going to school at the age of six, although his family kept shifting from one village to another around the town of Linz. Shirer (1960) makes it clear that Hitler had a younger brother, by the name Edmund. Edmund only managed to live until the age of seven. The young Hitler was a discontented child, moody, lazy and was deeply hostile towards his authoritative father, but was very close to her industrious mother. Finally, his mother passed on from cancer, which was a shattering blow to Hitler. Greatly affected, Hitler’s performance at school nosedived. He left school at the age of seventeen after spending four years in Realschule. He quit school with the dreams of becoming a successful painter. In October 1907, Hitler left his hometown for Vienna, where he remained until 1913 leading a life of a vagabond and societal reject. Hitler’s rejection of his application to join the Viennese Academy of Artistry greatly embittered him. He decided to indulge in odd jobs like hawking of sketches in the taverns of Vienna and a watercolor painter. Fest (1970) observes that Hitler was so miserable and frustrated, which he compensated for by engaging the societal low class and cheap men in low-priced café’s and taverns in talks about his grandiose dreams for a greater Germany. He openly declared his hatred for the Marxists and Jews, as well the cosmopolitan Habsburg monarchy and the liberalists. Liddell Hart (1971) draws attention to the fact that Hitler’s aggression and hatred were fuelled by the rejection of his application to join the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. While still in Vienna, Hitler acquired his first education in politics. He studied the techniques of the well-liked Christian-social Mayor, Karl Lueger, where he picked his obsessive anti-Semitism concept with its violent and brutal sexual connotations concerning the “purity of blood”. As De Luca (1983) states, this is the concept that Hitler remained with from the moment he began his career in politics to the very end. In addition, Hitler came across the works of racial theorists like Lanz Von Liebenfels and Georg Von Schoenerner, from where he learnt to discern Jews as the cause and symbol of all the corruption, chaos and destruction in politics, culture and the economy. Liddell Hart (1971) argues that Hitler blamed the “Eternal Jews” for the press, syphilis, capitalism, destruction, Marxism and democracy, tools they used to undermine Germany as a nation, not forgetting the purity of the Aryan race. It was at this time that Hitler became interested in politics. He wanted the masses to act in response to his themes of anti-Semitic and nationalist Christian-Socialist party, which he was particularly impressed with. In 1913, Hitler left for Munich from Vienna, when war broke out. This was the time that Hitler made an official debut into the world of politics. Fest (1970), notes that Adolf Hitler was married to Eva Paula Anna Hitler. They met in Munich, where Eva Braun worked as a model and assistant for his personal photographer. Eva Braun became a member of Hitler’s household by 1936, after which they lived a shattered life because of the political indulgences of Hitler. Fest (1970), proceeds to state perceptively that Eva Braun and Adolf Hitler committed suicide after they saw defeat looming in the background of their governance. On the 30th of April 1945, Braun swallowed a cyanide capsule while in Hitler’s Berlin bunker. On discovering that Braun had taken her own life, Hitler decided to follow suit and shot himself in the right temple using his own pistol. Both the corpses were found by his aides, who carried them and burnt them in a garden behind the Reich Chancellery. The next section of this paper looks at Hitler’s leadership, career and story, using Gronn’s four-phase theory of Formation, Accession, Incumbency, and Divesture. Hitler’s Leadership Career Formation Casimir (2001) indicates that Formation refers to a leader’s early years (family and school) that generate a “concept of self” which lays the foundation of that particular leader’s character. Hitler’s political education is what shaped his “Anti-Jew “character. In school, Hitler developed the anti-Seminitic and nationalist Christian-Socialist notions. In addition, Hitler believed that his strenuous life was the chain effect of his not being admitted to the Vienna School of Fine Art. These were the major drivers of Hitler in the dirty world of politics. In 1914, Hitler joined the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment where he served as a dispatch runner. He proved to be an able and spirited foot soldier. He was awarded the Iron Cross (First Class) for his boldness, although he did not rise beyond the rank of Lance Corporal. Schramm (2007) observes that Hitler was wounded twice before the war ended. Once, Hitler was gassed and spent three months in hospital recuperating. Temporarily blinded, Hitler was driven into a potent rage of believing that fate had chosen him to rescue his humiliated nation from the shackles of the Versailles Treaty from the Jews and the Bolsheviks. In 1919, Reichswehr assigned Hitler to spy on political parties in the heated environment of post-revolutionary Germany. On 16 September 1919, Hitler was sent to investigate a group of idealists at the German Worker’s Party (Giuliani & Kurson, 2002). While at the meeting, Hitler realized that he concurred with Drexler’s Anton German anti-Semitism and nationalism stands. However, he was not impressed with the way they were organized. This led to Hitler giving a passionate speech, cementing his reputation as an orator by expressing his passion about the injustices Germany faced because of the Versailles Treaty. According to Shirer (1960), it soon emerged that people were joining the party to listen to Hitler deliver his touching speeches. His speeches were so moving that the crowds were left in a state of near hysteria, ready to do anything that Hitler suggested. Consequently, Hitler rose to rank and by 1921; he was the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi). As Liddell Hart (1971) explains, Hitler is the one that gave the Nazi party the swastika symbol, and its greeting “Heil”. While the terrible economic conditions and inflation prevailed, the support of Hitler’s party grew by leaps and bounds. By the end of 1925, Nazi had garnered more than sixty thousand supporters and members. The party only had forty members when Hitler, but his great influence through his speeches attracted many more people (Schramm, 2007) Hitler was arrested in November 1923 after storming into a bar hall shouting that he was heading a new government which would carry a revolution against the infamous “Red Berlin”. Hitler marched with 3000 men, all of whom were arrested leaving sixteen of them deceased. Hitler was given a light sentence after he was tried for treason. While in prison, he wrote “Mein Kampf”, which contained his political ideas. He re-organized his party on his release. The Nazi party continued to get more followers from then onwards. This is how Hitler made his entry into German politics, illustrating the first phase of the Gronn’s theory. Accession As Giuliani & Kurson (2002) state, accession refers to the time frame when leaders actually test their capacity to lead. In January 1925 after the ban on the Nazi Party was lifted, Hitler was allowed to speak in public once again. Hitler re-established himself as the ultimate arbiter to whom all splinter groups appealed in a socially and ideologically heterogeneous movement. In 1929, the Nazi party attracted big nationalist conservatives, army circles, and big industrialists. With the support of Alfred Hugenberg, a press tycoon, Hitler’s exposure was greatly increased. By 1930, Hitler’s party had cranked over six million members. In 1932, Hitler vied for the presidential seat, in which he became second. Despite the fact that Hitler did not get the top seat, his Nazi party managed to secure 108 seats in the Reichstag, an improvement from the twelve seats secured in the 1928 elections. Following this success, Fritz Thyssen and Schacht Hjalmar, two successful industrial magnates, began to blow the horn for the Nazi party. On 30 January 1933, the President of Germany, Hindenburg, was coerced to appoint Hitler as his chancellor due to his popularity. While in office, Hitler set about consolidating his power by appointing Nazis to the government. This way, Hitler gained control of emergency powers, thereby eliminating his enemies. Once in the saddle, Hitler worked with great agility to outmaneuver his rivals, through ousting conservatives from the government, abolishing free trade unions, eliminating social democrats and Jews from any role in politics (Fest, 1970). Hitler literally swept all his opponents into concentration camps. Hindenburg passed on in 1934, and Hitler’s power was eventually secured. It was at this time that Hitler was officially crowned the dictator of the third Reich. He united his positions of Chancellor and Furher, bestowing all the powers of the state in his hands. According to Casimir (2001), accession is the time frame when leaders test their capacities to lead, aligning themselves with others and practicing in their fields. Hitler, in this stage, made coalitions with various leaders in and outside Germany including the president himself. Therefore, Hitler’s leadership went through this stage as well. Incumbency Giuliani & Kurson (2002) note that incumbency is the time that a leader proves him or herself through the experience. The Nazi Party being the only legal party in Germany, Hitler set his plans for Germany in motion. Hitler had become the head of the armed forces, so he immediately started mobilizing his country for war. Germany withdrew from the League of Nations. Hitler’s regime also brought around a lot of changes. For instance, his regime promoted the non-smoking campaigns across the country. They were Hitler’s self-imposed restrictions, which included abstinence from eating meat and taking alcohol. He encouraged all the Germans to keep clean their bodies, free of unclean substances. One of the main Nazi concepts was the perception of racial hygiene. Hitler’s regime instigated laws that banned marriage unions between Jewish Germans and non-Jewish individuals. The “non-Aryans” were also deprived of their German citizenship (Shirer, 1960). Hitler’s regime promoted eugenic policies which targeted children with developmental and physical disabilities, who were euthanized alongside the disabled adults. The Holocaust is what ensued, in an effort to racially cleanse the German population. Between 1939 and 1945, the Nazis were responsible for the deaths of more than ten million people. These included an approximate six million Jews, almost seventy-five percent of the Jewish population in Europe. Poles, homosexuals, Jehovah’s witnesses, trade unionists among others, were also executed. These murders were committed in experimentation and concentration camps through mass executions (De Luca, 1983). To prove himself further, Hitler invaded Poland on the 1st of September 1938. In response, France and Britain officially declared war on Germany. In 1940, Hitler invaded France, Scandinavia, Netherlands and Belgium. In addition, Hitler ordered the bombing of Britain with an intention of invading it as well. On the 22nd of June 1941, Hitler contravened a non-aggression pact he had signed with Joseph Stalin by sending more than three million German troops to invade the Soviet Union. On the 7th of December, Japan launched attacks on Pearl Harbor. It was now official that Germany was at war with Britain, The United States and the Soviet Union. Faced with these odds, Hitler’s military increasingly made erratic judgments. Coupled with Hitler’s deteriorating health, German’s position started faltering (Schramm, 2007). Divestiture According to Casimir (2001), this is the stage of “letting go”. This is the last stage of Gronn’s theory. In late 1942, German forces failed to seize the Suez Canal. The German forces also lost the Battle of Stalingrad and Kursk. Above all, the Western Allied armies set foot in Northern France (Fest, 1970). By 1945, Hitler realized that Germany was about to lose the war. The Soviet troops had pushed the German army back to Western Europe and were steadily advancing into Germany. Hitler married his girlfriend, Eva Braun on the 29th of April, 1945 in a civil wedding in his bunker in Berlin. Hitler was informed about the assassination of Benito Mussolini. As indicated by Shirer (1960), this gave Hitler the freight of falling into the hands of the enemy troops, which made him and Eva commit suicide. On the 7th of May, Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, ending World War 2. Leadership Concepts Exhibited by Hitler’s Regime Influence Giuliani & Kurson (2002) state that Hitler had an enormous power to influence. He was able to mesmerize the people of Germany with his moving and touching speeches, eventually gaining their support. Hitler’s power to influence can also be seen in the number of people he pulled into the Nazi party. The number of members grew from forty to more than six million members. Through his influence, he was able to convince that the Germans were the ultimate race in the world. This is why they were convinced to instigate wars against many countries, convinced in the back of their minds that they were the only true race in the universe. Evidently, Hitler was indeed a great manipulator, pulling many Germans under the wings of his Nazi party. Power Hitler’s career was characterized by the power he achieved for the German people and how he was able to use it to achieve his political goals. He had power over them partly because of his talent as an orator. Through his convincing speeches, Hitler managed to convince Germans to embark on a mission to cleanse their nation from undesired elements. This is what led to the deaths of millions of people and the invasion of many countries. Hitler’s power hungry trait led him to look for ways of expanding his territories by invading other countries. Therefore, it is evident that Hitler’s governance was marred with hunger for power (Giuliani & Kurson, 2002). Leadership Theories Exhibited by Hitler’s Leadership Transformational leadership Casimir (2001) indicates that transformational leadership is the type of leadership that leads to either positive or negative changes in those who follow. Leaders transform their followers through charismatic personalities and inspirational natures. Transformational leaders are enthusiastic, passionate and energetic. In order for his country to stand again, Hitler wanted Germans to change their ethics and values. Hitler managed to transform the way Germans were perceived by non-Aryans. Through the motivational speeches Hitler delivered, he succeeded to transform the intrinsic and extrinsic perceptions of Germans towards Jews and non-Aryans (Giuliani & Kurson, 2002). The alteration in perceptions provided Hitler’s followers a sense of belonging, making them identify with the Nazi Party, its leader and its purpose. This is what led to the massacre of millions of people and the invasion of nations. Therefore, it is quite clear that Hitler’s regime was indeed a transformational leadership kind of governance. Conclusion Adolf Hitler’s regime followed Gronn’s theories of leadership. Hitler’s leadership passed through all the four phases as prescribed by Gronn. Hitler’s story of leadership effectively went through formation, accession, incumbency and Divesture. He was just an average man before he made an entrance into Politics, slowly gaining popularity up until he became Der Fuhrer. He proved his influence by invading other countries, proved his power by waging war against Germany’s adversaries, up until the moment they started losing the war. This led to the last phase of Divestiture when Hitler gave up, killing himself in a bunker rather than falling into the hands of the allies. Therefore, Hitler’s story of leadership went through all the phases of Gronn’s theory of leadership. References Casimir, G. (2001). Combinative aspects of leadership style. The Leadership Quarterly, 12(3), 245-278. doi:10.1016/s1048-9843(01)00079-0. De Luca, A. (1983). Personality, power, and politics. Cambridge, Mass.: Schenkman Pub. Co. Fest, J. (1970). The face of the Third Reich. New York: Pantheon Books. Giuliani, R., & Kurson, K. (2002). Leadership. New York: Hyperion. Liddell Hart, B. (1971). History of the Second World War. New York: Putnam. Schramm, P. (2007). The man and the military leader. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House. Shirer, W. (1960). The rise and fall of the Third Reich. New York: Simon and Schuster. Read More