Adolf Hitler is widely considered one of the most evil dictators in the history of the world. His actions of the Holocaust and during WWII give him the reputation as one of the most terrible men in history. Joseph Stalin, leader of Russia during the Russian Revolution, is not usually classified in the same category as leaders like Hitler, but some of his actions compare almost identically to Hitler. His 5-year plans were an attempt to speed up industrialization in the country, but instead they starved millions of people. Man made famine in the Ukraine also resulted in millions more dead. This widespread genocide is not only comparable to Hitler's Holocaust, but in some ways is even worse. The total death count is still unknown, as many of he bodies have yet to even be found. His purging of opposition to the Communist party matches up directly with Hitler's purging of Nazi opposition during WWII. The pair at one point even considered a partnership, but these plans were foiled when Hitler's Nazis invaded Russia. From that point forward, the two hated each other. It is interesting when you see their hatred for one another, as they are almost identical people. They come from almost the exact same backgrounds, and the timelines of their lives run almost parallel. The major difference between Hitler and Stalin is that Hitler created a World War against him, and with Stalin's joining against him, Stalin's terror was almost overlooked and overshadowed by that of Hitler. It is interesting to see the similarities between Hitler and Stalin, and it is difficult to believe that Stalin in some ways was a worse man than Hitler, but when you look into the details and read the deeper meaning in some of Stalin's actions, the facts simply don't lie.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Indian Revolution - Was Gandhi Succesfull?
Gandhi is generally recognized as the inventor of peaceful protest and is considered one of the most influential people in world history. But was he successful in his goals for the country? Personally, I think that he was successful because he was able to lead India into independence, despite some violence breaking out. His goal was to gain independence through peaceful protest and not have to resort to violence. Gandhi personally thought that he was a failure because he was unhappy with the deaths during the partition of the country. However, despite the deaths and violence of the partition in his particular country, he instilled the idea of peaceful resistance and Satyagraha throughout the world, and essentially created a less violent world as a whole. Gandhi was only thinking about his impact on his corner of the world, but his demonstrations in India brought to light that there were more ways then violence to achieve the reforms that you want. The sole reason for the violence in the partition of the country was the tension that existed between the Hindus and Muslims, and Gandhi thought that for some reason, the tension and the deaths that came from it were his responsibility. Despite the violence in is country, he cannot blame himself for the tension that existed before he even came into the picture. It is unfortunate that Gandhi died with the belief that he was a failure, because today he is celebrated as one of the most influential people in the world's history. His long lasting impact on the world has created less violence, and although his ideas have been modified, his peaceful resistance has been used in countless revolutions and protests since his death.
Chairman Mao: Was Mao a Good Leader?
Mao Zedong was the ruler of the Communist party in China and was widely beloved by the people of the country. He led the people of China on the Long March, and emerged as the new leader of China. Despite all of Mao's successes he made some decisions that lead to the question, was Chairman Mao a good leader? To answer this question, we must first compare his success and failures as a leader. His major success were being able to overthrow the Nationalist party and remove Chiang Kai-Shek from power. This was a major turning point in China, as it began the Communist rule in China. Mao then went on to lead major reforms, such as a major overhaul of the feudal system and ending the last bits of imperialism from China. However, he wasn't without his flaws, as some of his reforms, especially the Great Leap Forward (an attempt at industrialization that ended with the deaths of about 20 million people), ended poorly and turned out to be some of the darkest periods in Chinese history. His utilization of the Red Guard could be compared to some of the worst dictators of the last century. His squelching of knowledge and learning seems ill-advised looking back now. Yet despite all of Mao's faults, I personally feel that the good out weighs the bad. Personally I think that without Mao, China would not be in the position of power that it holds today, as they would still be trapped in the free-for-all of capitalism and imperialism. Mao's reforms on the country created long lasting impacts that were very important for Chinese history and are a huge reason why China is one of the most powerful countries today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)