A Comparative Study of Nelson Mandela and Adolf Hitler

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A Comparative Study of Nelson Mandela and Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler and Nelson Mandela are vastly different men, however in

many ways through out their lives they both held a huge influence over

their countrymen, the politics of their country and inevitably they

both shaped the course of history for better or worse. Their fight,

was not won without a struggle, but was helped by their masterful

oratorical skills and the willingness of their followers to do

anything for "the cause".

Following the First World War Germanys economy began to fail, the

German people were disgruntled with their current government and went

in search of another leader. They were looking for a man that had the

mettle to lead their country out of the bad times and into the good.

As the world slipped into an economic recession caused by the 1929

Wall Street Crash, conditions in Germany got worse, and the people

more desperate.

At this same time, Hitler saw a weakness in the current government and

began to exploit it for all it was worth. Hitler finally came to power

in a country that was suffering from national humiliation, economic

depression and mass unemployment. As he went slowly about fixing these

problems his popularity soared. Hitler was the first leader to fully

exploit the power of propaganda and mass media. By utilizing these

tools combined with his moving oratory's he was able to quickly win

the German people over. It is said that when Hitler spoke, the

audience would hang on his every word, and eventually some people did.

By using statements that reflected the hopes and expectations of large

sections of the population such as "Hitler, Unsere letze ...

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... it is with this

attitude that he shaped the history of South Africa. Nelson Mandela

was undoubtedly a critical figure in shaping the future of South

Africa. He guided reform to apartheid, giving black South Africans a

say in how their country was run, and in the struggle for this allowed

himself to be unjustly imprisoned without a struggle, all the time

increasing the strength of the feeling of the people for him. Even

then after he had succeeded in achieving equal rights for blacks, he

didn't not end his fight for justice. He was constantly using his

privileged situation as an educated black, to help those around him.

It was this generosity and tireless devotion to the cause that has

lead him to being cemented in the history books of the world as the

man that saved the black Africans and gave them back their freedom.

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