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Mitchell Venator
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1102-064
1 May 2015
How does Evil grow?
Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party plunged the world into a cataclysmic war that lasted six years,
and resulted in an estimated 60-70 million deaths worldwide. Hitler and the Nazis systematically
rounded up and exterminated over 6 million Jews, Gypsies, gays and Russian Prisoners of War. Many of
these 6 million were also forced into brutal labor camps and/or forced to undergo horrific medical
experiments. Hitler did all this in an effort to purify Europe and bring about a master race that would
rule for 1,000 years.
Joseph Stalin systematically murdered an estimated 50 Million Soviet citizens in an effort to
maintain power in the Soviet Union and turn that country into the workers paradise by collectivizing
much of that country. He was initially an ally of Germany in World War II and collaborated with Adolph
Hitler in conquering and dividing Poland. Actually, under Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union was the only
nation to have been, at some point, allied with every nation who fought in World War II. After the war
Stalin forced most of the nations of Eastern Europe to submit to control by his government. This resulted
in liberation from Nazi control merely to be subjected to a tyrant who may have been worse.
By almost any standard these two men are considered among the most evil people to control a
nation in the 20th Century. My paper will take a detailed look at how these men were able to attain and
then maintain power. This paper will discuss how they were able to persuade a large portion of their
population that the path they professed was the best and most responsible. Additionally, this paper will
discuss the reaction, or lack of reaction from the rest of the world to these events.

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This paper will argue that Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin were able to cause so much death and
devastation because they were not confronted until they became too strong to stop without a massive
expenditure of blood and treasure. Finally, this paper will look at the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to
determine if they have the potential to pose a similar threat.
Otto Von Bismarck completed the unification of all the Germanic states of Europe in 1871. Since
then Germany has be a bit of a schizophrenic country. Bismarck unified Germany through a series of
wars and led Germany in a war with France in 1870-1871. From the point of German unification until the
end of World War I, Germany consistently bullied other European countries. Sometimes in an effort to
start conflicts and sometimes in an effort to prevent conflicts. German bullying in some part led to the
outbreak of World War I. These fact led to Germany being considered a martial nation.
But at the same time Germany became known for its industry and social safety net. Since
Bismarcks unification the German economy has always been considered one of the strongest in Europe,
and that was attributed to a strong German work ethic and the discipline of its people. At the same time
Germany was starting wars, they were developing one of historys most comprehensive social welfare
plans. Pre-World War I Germany provided its citizens with universal healthcare and old age benefits, just
to name a few. Additionally, Germany was considered one of the safest places for Jewish people to live.
Millions of Jews fled persecution in Russia for Germany, and many Jews served with distinction in the
German Army and German government.
This gave Germany a reputation as willing and able to fight a war if necessary, but also showed
that its people were hard working and compassionate. Given that history of Germany, how did Adolph
Hitler convince the German public that The Jews were an infection that needed to be removed from
Europe and that it was Germanys right to dominate the European continent? We will look at the
following factors; a poor economy, the weakness of the Weimar Republic, Cutting Edge Science, and a
week response to German aggression.

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As a condition for ending World War I, Germany agreed to make its government more democratic
with more power given to the legislature, known as the Reichstag. This resulted in a government that
came to be known as the Weimar Republic. A new constitution was written, and open elections were
held. The government that resulted was unpopular at first and there was a number of attempts to
overthrow it. But by 1924, with the help of American financial institutions, the German economy started
to turn around, and Germany experienced a short period of peace and prosperity. During this period
support for radical groups such as the communists and the Nazis all but evaporated. But the worldwide
depression that started in 1929 devastated Germany. The German people were looking for answers or
something to blame. Adolph Hitler gave it to them.
Hitler was able to convince the German people that their problems came from two places, The
Versailles Treaty and inferior races, particularly the Jews, infecting their economy and their government.
When the Armistice, ending World War I, was signed, German troops were still 60 miles inside French
and Belgium territory. The German people had not seen the destruction of that war because it was not
fought on its soil. Hitler was able to convince Germans that Germany had not lost the war because its
military was defeated, but that they had lost because the politicians in Berlin had stabbed the German
people in the back. He also convinced them that the Versailles Treaty was grossly unfair and that
Germany should not abide by its terms. Hitler was also able to get support for this idea from the leaders
of France, Great Britain and the United States. As we will discuss later, the terms of the Versailles Treaty
were actually mild compared to what Germany imposed on Russia during WW I and what Germany had
in mind for France. Hitler promised that he would make Germany great again by breaking the terms of
the Versailles Treaty and the people believed him.
In the mid-1920s a new scientific theory began to take hold. That theory was known as
Eugenics. Eugenics was the notion that there were significant genetic differences between human races
and a race could be strengthen through selective breeding and sterilization. When Hitler took power in
Germany, this theory was a fairly mainstream idea. In fact, Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned

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Parenthood in the United States, was a strong proponent of eugenics. Hitler would use this idea to
promote his fantasy of a Super Race and to justify his persecution and ultimately the extermination of
Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals and the Handicapped.
Using these two claims the Nazi party began to gain support. By 1933 the Nazis had gained
enough political power to have their leader, Adolph Hitler, named Chancellor of Germany. Once in
power, Hitler was able to use the Weimar Constitution to take dictatorial powers. One of the little known
clauses in the constitution allowed the Reichstag to grant the Chancellor all legislative powers in the
event of a national crisis. In February 1933 a mysterious fire burned the Reichstag building. The Nazis
convinced the public that this was a prelude to a communist revolution and that Hitler needed dictatorial
power to suppress the revolt. He was given this power in March 1933 and would not relinquish it until he
committed suicide in 1945.
Hitler used his new power to suppress all political opposition, rebuild the German military,
indoctrinate the German people with Nazi propaganda and in his mind rid the German people of inferior
races. Up to this point, Hitlers actions were primarily known only in Germany and a few countries on its
border. But that was about to change. The Treaty of Versailles took away some small portions of
territory. In 1936 Hitler decided it was time to take some of them back and see how the world would
react.
In March, 1936 German forces marched into the Rhineland, an area next to the French border that
was supposed to stay demilitarized. Although Hitler had started rebuilding the German Army, his senior
generals counseled against this move because they knew at this point they would be no match for the
French Army. Hitler was able to persuade them that no one, not even the French would challenge this
move militarily. As a compromise, Hitler ordered the army to retreat back to Germany if it met any
armed resistance. Hitler was right, although the French and British governments complained about the
move, they would not use force. Hitler then proposed a 25 year peace agreement between France and

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Germany. Arthur Henderson, a leading British politician said Hitlers Olive Branch should be taken at
face value. American and French leaders said it was Germany territory, we should leave them alone.
Hitler was now seen as a strong leader by the German people and a peacemaker by the world.
Starting in early 1937 German speaking people in the Austria began demonstrating for unification
with Germany. In early 1938 Hitler demanded control of Austria. The Austrian leader, Kurt Schuschnigg
offered to hold an election to let the people decide if they wanted to merge with Germany. Hitler warned
Schuschnigg that if he didnt relent he would invade, saying, essentially, that you saw what happened in
the Rhineland, nobody will challenge me. When Schuschnigg refused, Hitler invaded. Schuschnigg
asked other countries for help, but could find none. In two years Hitler had remilitarized the Rhineland
and annexed Austria with no response from world powers. And he wasnt done.
As part of the Treaty of Versailles, Czechoslovakia received a portion of German territory known
as the Sudetenland. This would be Hitlers new target. In March 1938 Hitler claimed the German
speaking people in the Sudetenland were being mistreated by the Czechs and demanded Germany be
given control. When the Czech government refused, Hitler again threatened war. Hitlers generals again
told him they were not ready for war and that if the French or British helped the Czechs, Germany would
lose. Hitler again told his generals the world is afraid of war and they will not challenge Germany.
Unfortunately he was right again. When Czechoslovakia asked for help British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain offered to negotiate a settlement.
Chamberlain met with Hitler in September, 1938 and told Hitler he agreed that Germany should
be allowed to annex the Sudetenland, just dont invade and he will convince everyone to let you annex the
Sudetenland over a period of time if you will not make any more territorial claims. Hitler agreed.
Chamberlain then embarked on a diplomatic tour and convinced the world that Hitler would be satisfied if
he was allowed to annex the Sudetenland over the next 2 years. Everyone agreed to the plan except for
the Czechs. Chamberlain then told the Czechs to take the deal or they are on their own. The Czechs

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realized they didnt have a choice so they agreed. Chamberlain went back to Hitler in triumph and told
him everyone agreed to the plan. Hitler told Chamberlain he has changed his mind, he now wants to
occupy the Sudetenland immediately and wants to have a plebiscite in the rest of Czechoslovakia to see if
they want to be part of Germany. War seemed inevitable. On September 19, 1939 Hitler signed the
Munich Agreement stating he would make no more territorial claims if he is allowed to annex the
Sudetenland immediately. Chamberlain flew back to London proclaiming Peace in our Time. He was
hailed worldwide as a brilliant statesman and peace keeper.
However, we now know Hitler never intended to stop making demands. Almost exactly 1 year
later, Hitler would invade Poland. This time France and Britain would react and over the next 6 years
nearly 100 million people would lose their lives. Including 6 million Jews and nearly 5 million other
people whom the Nazis killed because they felt they were genetically inferior.
Although people say hind-sight is always 20/20 and its easy to now say something should have
been done. But there were people at the time who saw what was happening and tried to get the world to
react. Most notably Winston Churchill. In 1938 Churchill addressed the League of Nations where he said
The idea that dictators can be appeased by kind words and minor concessions is doomed to
disappointment.

Churchill continually and consistently warned that Hitler was a serious threat that

needed to be dealt with. He was called an anachronism, an alarmist and a warmonger or was simply
ignored. I understand the horrors of WW I were fresh in everyones mind and I think that is a legitimate
reason for not reacting to the remilitarization of the Rhineland, but once Hitler threatened Austria I think
it should have been clear that he was going to keep pushing until someone stopped him. He had outlined
much of his plans in his book Mein Kampf, but most people thought they were just crazy rants. I think
the lesson we should learn from this is we should take seriously threats that come from national leaders.
If France or Britain would have threatened war to save Austria, Hitler would have had no choice but to
back down. He would have lost face in the eyes of his people and the military and may have deposed

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Him. Pushing the confrontation down the road, for fear of war, resulted in a war beyond anyones
imagination.
Another clear example of this principle comes from the actions of Joseph Stalin. Although Stalin
and Hitler were absolute dictators Stalins rise to power was a little different. Hitler rose to power
through democratic means and assumed dictatorial powers through a legitimate constitutional provision.
Stalin on the other hand rose to power through revolution and political murder.
For centuries Russia was ruled by an absolute ruler known as a Czar. At the outbreak of World
War I Czar Nicolas II of Russia joined the Allied Powers in opposing Germany. But by mid-1917 the
Russian Army was defeated and in disarray. Public support for the Czar was non-existent and a number
of para-military groups were vying to overthrow the Czar. By November 1918 the communist Bolshevik
party led by Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky had deposed the Czar and taken control of
the country. Lenin was the unchallenged leader of the Bolsheviks with Stalin commanding the political
apparatus and Trotsky commanding the military. The first order of business for the Bolsheviks was to
negotiate a cessation of hostilities with Germany. On March 3, 1918 the Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk ending the war against Germany. The terms of the treaty forced Russia to give Germany 1
million square miles of territory, a third of its population, a majority of its coal and oil producing lands
and pay 6 billion German Marks in reparations. Compared to this treaty the Treaty of Versailles was very
mild. However, at the time of its signing, Russia really had no choice because their army was too weak to
resist the Germans. Fortunately for the Russians this treaty was voided when Germany signed the Treaty
of Versailles.
Bolshevik rule did not start well in Russia. The economy was weak and the people were
beginning to get restless again. In an effort to placate the people, Lenin allowed for some forms of
capitalism to get the economy growing. And it worked, by 1922 the Russian economy had recovered to a
level even higher than pre-war levels. Stalin, being a true communist, did not like this and secretly vowed

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that he would wipe out all forms of capitalism if/when he gained power. Trotsky on the other hand
supported Lenins relaxation of central control. Starting in 1923 Stalin began a person campaign against
Trotsky within the communist party. By the time Lenin died in 1924 Stalin had convinced enough
members of the communist Politburo that they elected him General Secretary. His first move as General
Secretary was to have Trotsky exiled to Siberia.
Once in power Stalin was determined to build a true workers utopia, and began collectivizing
all Russian industry. Each industry, coal, oil, steel, etcwas given a production goal. If that goal was
not achieved Stalin would exile or kill the supervisor of the plants that fell short. This led to people
forging their production numbers to reflect achievement of their assigned goal whether it was met or not.
The last area to undergo collectivization was agriculture. This was the area that Lenin had given the most
leeway to use capitalism. Small to medium sized farm owners had arisen, known as Kulaks. The
Kulaks opposed collectivization because it required them to give up the land they had worked so hard to
develop. Stalin reacted by sending the Army into the Ukraine to remove all the available food and to
guard the Ukrainian border so none of the Kulaks could leave in search of food. The result was the death
of 10s of millions of Ukrainians over a period of 3 years. News of the Ukrainian Famine, as it came to
be known, reached outside countries, but one man was able to convince the United States and Europe that
these stories were fabrications. Walter Duranty, the New York Times Moscow lead reporter assured the
world that Russia was a workers utopia and that "Any report of a famine in Russia is today an
exaggeration or malignant propaganda. The food shortage, however, which has affected the whole
population in the last year and particularly in the grain-producing provincesthe Ukraine, North
Caucasus, the Lower Volgahas, however, caused heavy loss of life." He went on to say "In the middle of
the diplomatic duel between Great Britain and the Soviet Union over the accused British engineers, there
appears from a British source a big scare story in the American press about famine in the Soviet Union,
with 'thousands already dead and millions menaced by death from starvation, its not true." Duranty won
a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting from Russia. Unfortunately now that we know the truth, when its too

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late to do anything about it the New York Times and the Pulitzer Committee are considering revoking the
prize.
After starving the Ukrainians Stalin unleashed his terror on the Russian Army in what became
known as The Great Purge. Stalin, fearing that some in the Army may still be loyal to Trotsky,
embarked on a campaign to murder anyone who may still harbor loyalty to their former leader. It is
estimated that, over a period of 18 months, Stalin had 20,000 officers and soldiers summarily executed.
This purge took place from 1937 to 1938 and is credited as the major reason the Russian Army performed
so poorly at the beginning of World War II.
In addition to murdering and terrorizing the Russian people, Stalin provided Hitler with one of
the things he needed most to defeat the countries of Western Europea secure Eastern front. In late
August 1939, Stalin authorized a non-aggression pact with Germany. In the pact Germany promised not
to invade Russia in return for Russia providing Germany with the raw materials, coal, oil and lumber that
it needed to sustain its attack on France and Britain. In exchange Russia was allowed to occupy the
Eastern half of Poland. At the beginning of World War II, Russia was allied with Germany. Until
Germany invaded in 1941, Stalins Russia was Germanys largest supplier of raw materials.
After the Allies defeated the Axis powers in 1945, the Allies occupied Germany in an effort to
rebuild that country in such a way as to ensure it did not start another European war. Great Britain,
France, the United States and Russia were given Zones of Occupation. Russia was given nearly the
entire Eastern half of Germany. Sensing an opportunity to increase the power and influence of Russia,
Stalin used the threat of military force to compel countries like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and
Hungary to install communist government who would take their orders from Stalin. These countries
suffered under communist repression from the end of World War II until 1989. Great Britain and France
went to war in 1939 to guarantee the sovereignty of Poland only to see that sovereignty undermined by
Joseph Stalin.

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Prior to World War II little was known about what was really happening inside Russia. It is
understandable that no major initiatives were taken to stop Stalins atrocities. However, by the end of
World War II it was widely known that the rumors of mass murder were true. Knowing the length to
which Stalin would go to enforce his will, it is shameful no Western power would stand up to him. Yes,
the Allies were war weary. Yes, the Russian Army was very large, well trained and battle tested. But we
now know the Russian Army had nearly fought itself out by May of 1945. Newly released records
indicate, like Hitler, Stalin had ordered his military leaders to withdraw if they met physical resistance to
their land grabs throughout 1945 and 1946. A case in point is the occupation of Japan. When the
Japanese surrendered and the United States occupied their homelands in September 1945, Stalin was
preparing to send troops to occupy half of Japan as they had in Germany. However, in Japan, the
commander of U.S. Occupation Forces, General Douglas MacArthur notified his Russian counterpart that
he would attack and Russian plane or ship that attempted to land Russian soldiers in Japan. Stalin backed
down. No Russian soldiers ever occupied the Japanese home islands.
A number of American military and political leaders urged President Truman to take the same
stance with the other countries, Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc, that were feeling the pressure from Stalin.
Unfortunately there were others who advised him that we should not involve ourselves in these disputes
as it may lead to hostilities with the Russians. Truman chose to listen to those who counseled caution.
World War II had just ended and the country was war weary. By the time it was discovered the Russian
Army was relatively weak, they had developed and tested a nuclear bomb which made the threat of war
nearly unthinkable. What we got instead was decades of what we call the Cold War. But in fact the
Cold War turned hot a number of times, Korea, Vietnam etc Had we challenged Stalin while we had
the upper hand it is likely all of Europe would have adopted a representative form of government. Stalin
also encouraged and aided communist takeovers in China and North Korea. In China this led to the death
of 10s of millions of Chinese in the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Although they
have maintained much of the communist social policy, China is now quickly moving to a market based

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economy making theirs one of the strongest in the world. Similar to what Lenin envisioned for Russia.
Unfortunately North Korea steadfastly maintains Stalinist style communism and their people have been
living on the brink of starvation for decades.
These two examples show that doing nothing in the face of evil may prevent bloodshed in the
short-term, but will likely lead to greater bloodshed in the future. When told of the estimate of casualties
for the D-Day landings in Normandy, during World War II, King George IV of England, wondered if it
was really worth the cost. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, responded If
we do not offer the sacrifice in blood now, we will all pay dearly with added gallons later. I found that
quote early in my research for this paper. I have thought about what it meant then and what it might mean
now in the context of our fight against terrorism and in particular ISIS. Are we facing a threat similar to
Hitler at the time of his remilitarization of the Rhineland? Do they pose a threat similar to Stalin when he
killed anyone who opposed his ideas? I think they have the potential, and I think unchallenged that
potential will become a reality.
ISIS believes in the The Prophetic methodology, which means following the pronouncements and
example of Muhammad in exacting detail. In their eyes they believe they are bringing back the glory
days of Islam when they ruled all of the Middle East, much of Africa and a substantial part of Southern
Europe. They believe in the superiority of Islam and that it is their duty to bring Islam to the whole
world, by force if necessary. We have seen the pictures and videos of members of ISIS beheading
journalists, Christians and Jews. They claim that it is right and proper that they do so. Their leader Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi has declared the establishment of a Caliphate and proclaimed its goal of bringing Islam
to the whole world.
ISIS started as a small movement within the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin
Laden. They broke away from Al Qaeda because they believed Al Qaedas stated goal of expelling nonbelievers from Muslim territory was too timid. As stated earlier ISIS goal is for Islam to dominate the

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world. To do that you need a nation or Caliphate. Since their break from Al Qaeda, ISIS has grown
exponentially with an estimated 30,000 trained and equipped soldiers and adding hundreds daily. They
control large portions of Iraq and Syria. The territory they control provides them millions of dollars in
revenue and a fairly safe haven to train and equip more soldiers. Additionally it gives them access to
more advanced weapons that they can use. Coupled with the fact that Iran detests the West, especially the
United States, and is aggressively pursuing a nuclear capability, ISIS could quickly pose a serious threat.
What has been our response? Unfortunately it is similar to our responses to Hitler and Stalin. It
ranges from, The Middle East is Muslim land, they should be able to govern themselves however they
wish to ISIS doesnt represent Islam , their view is a perversion of the religion or If we try to destroy
ISIS we will just create millions more who want to avenge them. We even hear that Iran and ISIS hate
each other they would never collaborate. People said the same thing about Stalin and Hitler. The enemy
of my enemy, is my friend is a Muslim proverb. I dont think we should just assume Iran and ISIS
would not collaborate to strike at the United States.
As to the other claims. It doesnt matter if we think their views on Islam is a perversion, they
think version is correct and it appears they are attracting thousands who feel the same way. Remember
Hitlers popularity among Germans worldwide increased every time he challenged the French and
English and they backed down. The same applies to the situation with ISIS, their popularity and
following grows with each of their victories. Would more flock to their cause if we destroyed them
militarily? I dont think so. When we invaded Iraq in 2003, Muammar Gaddafi, the ruler of Libya,
voluntarily gave up his nuclear program. While some Muslim nations publically denounced the invasion,
we now know privately they applauded the action. The Iraqi insurgency did not begin until we started
withdrawing some of our troops. By 2008, after The Surge Iraq and the larger Middle East became
relatively quiet. Unfortunately after we started withdrawing again things fell apart. Another Muslim or
Middle Eastern proverb is Back the Strong Horse. Right now, ISIS appears to be the Strong Horse

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My research has convinced me that weakness invites aggression. I dont think we must respond
militarily to every threat, but we must show that there is a point at which we will respond. Lately we
have issued deadlines and redlines and when they are crossed, we do nothing. History shows that is a
recipe for disaster.

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Works Cited
Churchill, Randolph S., Churchill, Winston. Arm and the Covenant: Speeches.
London: George
G. Harrap, 1938. Print
Koonz, Claudia. The Nazi Conscience. Harvard Press: Belknap Press, 2005. Print
Nyiszli, Miklos. Auschwitz: A Doctors Eyewitness Account. New York: Arcade
Publishing,
2011. Print