Hitler Vs Napoleon Research Paper

Hitler and Napoleon are arguably two of the most influential and powerful leaders in the history of mankind. They both had their times of glory, but both also had a very ugly side. At the end of this essay, I will compare and contrast the two, but before I can do that, we need to have a little background on them. In late 1793, Napoleon drove British forces out of the French port of Toulon, and went on to win many dazzling victories, defeating the Austrians. With each military victory, he became more ambitious. In 1799, he moved from successful general to political leader; he overthrew the weak Directory and set up a three man governing body, the Consulate . In 1802, he had himself named consul for life. Two years later he had accumulated …show more content…
In 1812, Alexander I of Russia backed out of the Continental System. Napoleon responded with the deployment of 600,000 troops into Russia. To avoid battles with Napoleon's forces, the Russians retreated eastward, burning villages and crops as they went. This left the French hungry and cold as winter came. Napoleon entered Moscow in September and realized that he couldn't feed and supply his troops through the long and harsh Russian winter. In October, he decided for them to turn homeward; the 1,000 mile retreat from Moscow turned into a desperate fight for survival. Only 1/6th of the troops deployed survived. Napoleon rushed back to Paris to raise a new force to defend France, but his reputation was ruined. The disaster in Russia brought together Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Britain. In 1813, their forces defeated Napoleon's at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig, and a year later, with his enemies closing in on France, Napoleon abdicated. The victors then exiled him to the island of Elba. Napoleon died in 1821, but his legacy live on in France and around the …show more content…
During his stay in Vienna he adopted his fanatical anti-Semitism that would later play a major role in his rise to power. Hitler later moved to Germany , and in 1919, joined a small group o fright-wing extremist; within a year he was undisputed leader of the Nazi party. He organized his supporters into fighting squads into "storm troopers" who fought battles in the streets against communists and other enemies. In 1923, Hitler made a failed attempt to take control of Munich, and was arrested. While in prison, he wrote Mein Kampf. In his campaign for power, he told Germans to unite into one great nation, and to have other inferior races bow to Aryan needs. After leaving prison, Hitler found followers among veterans and lower-middle-class people who were frustrated with the future; as unemployment from the Great Depression grew, the Nazi party swelled to almost a million members. He promised to end reparations, create jobs, and rearm Germany. With the government paralyzed by divisions, Nazis won more seats in the Reichstag. In 1933, other conservative politicians decided Hitler must become chancellor. They planned to use him for their own ends, even though they despised him. Therefore, Hitler became head of state through legal means. By July 1932, Hitler had enough support to run for president of Germany, though he lost the election to Paul von Hindenburg. However, on January 30, 1933,