Adolf Hitler: Evil Personified

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The persona of Adolf Hitler is, without question, an infamous one. He was a historically significant figure who, as national leader of Germany, staged the perpetration of arguably the most despicable acts of genocide in recorded history. Hitler’s role as the architect of the Holocaust places him at the top of the list of history’s villains. By committing atrocities that most of us find beyond comprehension, Hitler has for many people become the definition of evil, an example of absolute malevolence even to those who normally argue they do not believe in an absolute moral code. This twisted perpetrator of unspeakable wickedness has caused many to search for explanation of his evil. No other historical leader has had his motives, personality, and persuasive abilities questioned and debated by historians, psychologists, theologians, and philosophers to the extent Hitler has.

Despite the decades of research, discussion, and debate on Hitler, many questions about him remain unanswered. Personally, as I encountered Hitler in my previous studies of history, I found it virtually impossible to reconcile the fact that a human being could conceive of such evil and that he could convince others to help him perpetrate it. This paper is an attempt to reconcile and answer at least some of my questions. Is it possible to find an explanation that reveals what motivated Hitler to commit such crimes? Did Hitler actually believe he was doing the right thing, or did he understand good and evil and simply chose to commit evil to further his own personal quest for power? Did Hitler, by himself, cause the Holocaust, or was Hitler simply a product of his environment, a manifestation of a festering anti-Semitic feeling that had existed in Germa...

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...than usual. In the end, a fuming and irrational Hitler blamed his associates, claiming that their betrayal had been his downfall. He whined, “Now nothing remains. Nothing is spared to me. No allegiances are kept, no honor lived up to, no disappointment that I have not had, no betrayals that I have not experienced.” On April 20, 1945, with Allied forces surrounding Berlin, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. In line with his stated wishes, his body was burned.

Works Cited

Damon, Duane. Mein Kampf: Hitler's Blueprint for Aryan Supremacy. San Diego, Calif.: Lucent Books, 2003.

Nardo, Don. Adolf Hitler. San Diego, Calif.: Lucent Books, 2003.

Stalcup, Brenda, ed. Adolf Hitler. San Diego, Calif.: Greenhaven P, 2000.

Victor, George. Hitler: the pathology of evil. Washington, D.C.: Brassey's, 1998.

Wepman, Dennis. Adolf Hitler. New York: Chelsea House, 1985.

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