Good Leader, Bad Intentions
A Playlist Profile of Adolf
Hitler
By: Marissa Olson
September 5, 2012
When most people think of
Adolf Hitler, they think about Nazis, World War Two, the Holocaust, and other “horrible”
things. He did do a lot of bad things, but if you cut out the negative parts,
you have his leadership skills. These leadership skills are often overlooked.
He had great sense of nationalism for his country. He also had good ways to
lead people. He was able to get many people to like him and to go along with
what he was saying. He was born in Austria and moved to Germany when he was
young. He was into art and his father hated that. He didn’t grow up to do fine
arts, though; he became a leader quickly. He used his excellent memory,
persuasive ways, strong will, and more to lead people. He was a very dedicated
leader.
Track #1: You’re Only Human
Joel, Billy. “You’re Only Human.” Greatest Hits 1978-1985. Columbia, 2007. CD.
After dropping out of
school, Adolf Hitler applied to the Academy of Fine Arts. He was rejected twice
and was heart broken. He didn’t have any money so he found a place in the
homeless shelter. He lived there for a few years, before getting his second wind.
“His years of misery in Vienna would also be a time when he formulated
many of his ideas on politics and race which would have immense consequences in
the future”(Gavin). He thought a lot about
anti-Semitism. “You're
not the only one who's made mistakes but they're the only thing that you can
truly call your own.” These lyrics tell us how your past is always with you.
When looking at how someone feels, it is important to learn about their past
and how they developed that thought. His father and him didn’t get along and
that made him rebel against him. A good leader has to know how to persevere
through tough times. Where you come from is who you are, and these lyrics
represent that: “It's not always easy to be living in this world of pain,
you're gonna be crashing into stone walls again and again.”
Track #2: I Won’t Back Down
Petty, Tom. “I Won’t Back
Down.” Full Moon Fever. MCA Records,
1989. CD.
Hitler joined the German
army after his few years of homelessness, even though he was still an Austrian
citizen. He had nothing to lose at that point, since he was already homeless. While
in the army, Adolf Hitler received two honors, and one was the highest possible
at the time. Hitler had “a number of
characteristics essential to military leadership such as a strong will, nerves
of steel, and undeniable intelligence” (Muller). These lyrics represent Adolf
Hitler well: “You
could stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won't back down.” He didn’t give
up until he was declared the only political party in Germany in 1933. He was
dedicated and loyal to his work.
Track #3: My Country
‘Tis of Thee
Marie, Rene. “My
country ‘Tis of Thee.” Voice of my Beautiful Country. Motema Music, 2011. CD.
Even Though
Germany was not Adolf Hitler’s native country, these lyrics describe him well:
“my native country, thee, land of the
noble free, thy name I love.” He had a great love for the country of Germany
and spent his life in the German Army protecting it. “This nationalism would
become the motivating force of Hitler’s life” (“Adolf Hitler”). He felt that
Germany was where he belonged. “Although born an Austrian, he became a German
patriot, and was deeply disturbed at the eventual defeat of Germany in WWI. In
his mind, he was convinced that disharmony within Germany caused the disgraceful
defeat.” (Chen). He also blamed the Jews for this defeat as well, which only
strengthened his nationalism to fix Germany.
Track #4: Let Me Please You
Davis, Tyrone. “Let Me Please You.” Pleasing You. Malaco Records, 2005. CD.
Adolf Hitler was a people
pleaser, which made a lot of people like him. “He could discuss highly technical matters with industrialists, engage
in political conversations with diplomats, or simplify complex problems to a
level easily understood by the common working class” (Muller). He used this
method to help persuade people to see his point of view. He didn’t feel
intimidated around others and had self-confidence. He had to work to build his
confidence, though. He was not well liked as a child, and had to work his way
up to get people to listen to him. “Anything you want, anything you need, you
can count on me.” These lyrics represent how Hitler would try to please people
and get them to like his views. He would adapt himself to fit what they wanted
to hear. Of course, as the title of this song says, he wanted them to let him
please them.
Track #5: Perfect Memory
Zero, Remy. “Perfect
Memory.” Smallville. Elektra Records,
2001. CD.
Hitler enjoyed reading about everything. He had a
great knowledge of guns, machines, technology, warfare, ships, tanks and more. A good leader of a country,
like Hitler, has to have military knowledge and dedication to learn. It is
better for a leader to know about military incase there is a war, or in
Hitler’s case, taking over land. His mind
was able to remember just about everything he learned or saw, and these lyrics
tell that: “And
I'll remember you, and the things that we used to do, and the things that we
used to say, I'll remember you that way.” Adolf Hitler seemed to be a
perfectionist. “Hitler had an incredible memory for detail and would become
annoyed at any discrepancies” (Megargee).
Track #6: Damaged
Kane, Danity. “Damaged.” Welcome to the Dollhouse. Bad Boy
Records, 2008. CD.
“Do,
do you know how to patch up a wound? Tell me.” These lyrics refer to Hitler’s
ability to switch Germany from one political party to another. He accomplished
this without bloodshed. To achieve that, he had to devote all his work and
time. “No other person in history
influenced as many people willingly into supporting one common cause without
bloodshed” (Muller). He was also able to pull Germany out of a great
depression. “So how you gonna fix it, fix it, fix
it?” These lyrics represent how the German people were feeling when their
country was in a depression and didn’t have clear politics. They were looking
for someone to help, and found Hitler.
Track #7: Battle Hymn
of the Republic
The Mormon Tabernacle
Choir. “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” The
Sound of Glory. Telarc, 2001. CD.
"He has sounded form the
trumpet that shall never call retreat. He is sifting out the hearts of men
before his judgment-seat.” These lyrics are about someone playing God and being
in charge of people. Adolf Hitler acted like a superior power by choosing groups
to live and groups to die. He used his leadership skills to gain all the power
he wanted, but then abused it. Hitler once said: “Make the lie
big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it”
(“Adolf Hitler Quotes”). What Hitler said shows how he used his skills of
communication and persuasion to gain power. He was committed to getting people
to believe him and gain control and power.
Track #8: Not Enough
Lavigne, Avril. “Not Enough.” Goodbye Lullaby. RCA Records, 2011. CD.
Hitler tried to be perfect
with everything. He would check to make sure every detail was correct. “If
Hitler detected any deviation from what he was previously briefed, he
immediately assumed his officers were intentionally trying to deceive him” (Muller).
These Lyrics tell how Hitler was never satisfied with his or anyone else’s
work: “It's not enough, it's not enough to get me everything I need.” An example of his
perfectionism would be one most people know. He wanted a pure, Aryan race and a
perfect world. Hitler was willing to do anything to accomplish his
perfectionism goals. He dedicated his whole life to that.
Works Cited
“Adolf
Hitler.” Bio True Story. Biography.com,
2012. Web 2 Sept. 2012.
In the article “Adolf Hitler” the author goes over
Hitler’s entire life. It starts with Hitler’s early life and moving to Germany
from Austria. It then goes to talk about joining the military, rising through
the ranks and gaining power. Hitler was a leader during World War Two and
worked to take over Europe. He started with Germany and used his Nazi army to
attack Europe. In the end, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his bunker. He
left behind a disaster in Europe and the rest of the world.
Adolf Hitler Begins a
Speech. 5 Sept. 2012.
<http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/blhitler55.htm>
“Adolf Hitler Quotes.” Brainyquote.com,
2001. Web. 5 Sept. 2012.
Chen, Peter. “Adolf Hitler.” Worldwartwodatabase.com,
2004. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
Gavin,
Phillip. “The Rise of Adolf Hitler.” Historyplace.com,
1996. Web. 4 Sept. 2012.
Phillip Gavin’s article on Hitler is very detailed. It goes over Hitler’s childhood and his parent’s way of raising children. It goes over his life with great detail and talks about the book Hitler wrote called Mein Kampf. The article goes on to tell about the three years Hitler spent in solitude living in a home in the mountains. Just like the title, “The Rise of Adolf Hitler,” states, it goes through all the events in Hitler’s life leading up to becoming the leader of Germany.
Megargee, Geoffrey. “Hitler’s Leadership Style.” BBC History. BBC.co.uk, 30 Mar. 2011.
Web. 2 Sept. 2012.
In Geoffrey Megargee’s article, “Hitler’s
Leadership Style”, he talks about how Hitler was very determined and dedicated
to his work. He advanced quickly in the army, gaining more and more direct
power. Adolf Hitler had distrust for his generals even though they had great
respect and honor for his political opinions. The generals and Hitler would
clash on the military aspect, though. He took his control too far by needing to
know what all his men were doing. He followed their movements and made them ask
permission before moving. Hitler had the strategy and idea for the war. He was
the leader for it.
Muller, Richard. “A Military Leadership Analysis of Adolf
Hitler.” www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/acsc/97-0609h.pdf,
1997. Web. 4 Sept. 2012.
