How Is Julius Caesar Similar To Hitler

Julius Caesar and Adolf Hitler

Leading A Campaign

Julius Caesar and Adolf Hitler are separated by many centuries, stories of their rise to power through military achievements and vocal persuasion are well known. Although both men had great accomplishments, one stands out between the two. Julius Caesar's military career was much more successful than Hitler's military career, which was plagued by prideful decisions and stubbornness.

Like Hitler, Julius Caesar thought he was a god among men, and some of his soldiers thought the same. Caesar placed his mark on coins and had stone statues made of him like that of the Greek gods(Rosenberg, 2011). Hitler had posters of himself leading all of the German people to happiness and paradise and people believed it(Bard). With such respect both men had built up a loyal following willing to die for them if asked, without question. That kind of love and respect is not seen that often in history. You really have to know what you are doing to reach a point where you will be remembered throughout all history. Just like most leaders throughout history, they had some characteristics that really defined them as leaders.

When they told someone they were going to do something, they did it, or died trying.

According to vroma.org Julius Caesar said he would crush Rome's enemies in Gaul, he kept true to that promise. He was ruthless and willing to do anything to show that he could execute an order if asked. He let no man get in his way, even if it were his friends(McManus, 2011). This characteristic is also evident in Hitler's career. According to jewishvirtuallibrary.org Hitler stayed true to what he said till the very of the war. He refused to give up even when the war was coming to a close. He ordered a counterattack against the allies called the Battle of the Bulge, believing he could still salvage what was left of the war(Bard). Both were close in mind when it comes to following something to the

end.
They were also really good speakers. Hitler was able to inspire a nation, and make them believe that they were the best of the best. He even made people think that Jewish people were a evil and vile people(Bard). Caesar was able to stop a mutiny with his public speaking skills(Rosenberg, 2011). Without great public speaking skills neither of these men would have gotten very far.
Both men have defining moments in their military careers. Julius Caesar's campaign in Gaul is the highlight of his military career. According to ancient.eu After successfully crushing tribes in Spain, Caesar showed Rome he was a good military leader. He learned that there was wealth and fame to be gained from conquest. Starting in 58 BC he went to war with many Gallic tribes pushing them out of the Roman held territory. Caesar did what no other man at the time could have done. He extended Roman territory all the way to the Rhine river from the south of France with only a few legions. He made it clear to the German tribes that this was Roman territory(Mark, 2011). According to about.com, Hitler united all of the German people to fight. He promised them honor and glory. The German army was able to trick the Russians and almost take all of Europe. Germany was able to achieve this by developing a whole new style of warfare. This new style should not be confused with Hitler though. Hitler was not the one who came up with it. Heinz Guderian was the man who came up with the brilliant new style of warfare, not Hitler. This shows that Hitler was not the brilliant tactician as most think he was. He wasn't even responsible for what the Germans were best known for(Rosenberg).
According to ancient.eu, at the battle of Alesia, Caesar would face the untied Gallic army, a force numbering over 300,000 men, the most important battle of his career. Caesar with only 60,000 men, won little skirmishes against a army of 80,000 German tribesman until losing when his men failed to execute his plan. Believing that Caesar was too strong, the Germans retreated to a fort called Alesia. Caesar being always optimistic surrounded the Germans and started to siege the city, slowly starving them out. As Caesar was sieging the city another force of 250,000 men threatened to come to the aid of Alesia by breaking the siege. Using his brilliant military mind, Caesar built two sets of walls one facing towards the fort and one facing towards his new threat. And after a series of attacks by the Germans, they finally found a weak point in Caesars wall and attacked it. Reacting to the two forces, Caesar split his legions and saw that the situation was dire, so taking up his sword and horse, Caesar rode into battle himself and inspired his men to keep fighting and was successfully able to flank the Germans while the Roman line barely held. It is said that the Roman's only lost 12,000 men while the Germans lost up to 250,000 men in the battle ultimately crushing German resistance in Gaul. This campaign shows that Caesar's military career was very successful. It showed how unrelenting and courageous of a leader he was. Defeating a force of over 300,000 men with a force of only 60,000 men is almost unheard of in tactical history. Not only was he massively outnumbered, he was surrounded. If commanded by anyone else, it would have been a disaster. Rome was lucky to have him as a general(Mark, 2011).
Unlike Caesar, Hitler made some decisions that would eventually lead to his defeat. According to the jewishvirtuallibrary.org, like Caesar, Hitler had a hard tactical decision to make. He could either try to take out the heavily fortified city of Moscow, or try and take both the caucus oil fields and the city of Stalingrad. Disregarding the advice of his generals, Hitler took the second option and split his army in half . This decision would turn the tide of the eastern front from a offensive campaign to a defensive one for Hitler. Hitler thought that taking out Stalingrad would help morale among his ranks and citizens since the city was named after the Russian leader Stalin. Hitler despised Stalingrad and wanted to send a message to Stalin that all Russian cities would fall. When the German army arrived at Stalingrad it had already been bombed to rubble, but the Russian army still held on. Dug in deep, the Soviets fought head to head with the German units in close quarter combat. Since the German army was based mostly on mechanical warfare, it was hard for the Germans to take the city. The Germans could not use their style of warfare called blitzkrieg to swiftly take the city, and just like Napoleon before Hitler, the Russian winter would inevitably be the crushing blow to the Germans. Being ill prepared for the winter, the Germans had a hard time with lacking winter gear. The Russians on the other hand were fully equipped for the winter and were fighting on home ground. After 199 days the Germans were finally surrounded and captured by the Russians. This battle shows how unsuccessful Hitler's military career was when he was making the decisions. He totally ignored what history had taught us when Napoleon came ill prepared when facing the Russian winter. He also disregarded the advice of his generals and made some crazy decisions. Hitler was not a tactical thinker, he was a speaker. He should have let his generals do the job that they were meant to do instead of butting in and making the decisions himself. (Bard)
Clearly Hitler did not have the sharp mind of a good tactical leader. Caesar had a lot of experience from his first major role in Spain, where Hitler just didn't have that kind of experience. Leaders of nations at that time never lead men into battle. You never saw FDR leading a bunch of men on horseback into battle. Caesar received the experience that he needed to make smart tactical decisions by being a part of the battles he commanded(Mark, 2011). Hitler should have just stayed behind his podium where he belonged. Even though the German army has been given lots of credit, remember that it was the generals, not Hitler, who achieved the success on the battlefield. They were generals for a reason. They got the experience from actually being on the battlefield like Caesar.
Caesar was a amazing leader who inspired his men on the battlefield. These moments in battle show that Caesar was a more successful military leader than Hitler. Both were people of great ruthlessness and great cunning with the tongue, but in the end like Julius Caesar once said "experience is the teacher of all things"(BrainyQuote), and in this case Hitler just didn't have the kind of experience that Caesar did.