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Aleq McMullin

Aleq McMullin
November 22, 2015
Age of FDR
Elise McCurties
A Comparison of Franklin Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler
When people look at World War II they often think about the introduction of
nuclear weapons, the Holocaust, and Hitler. Some would argue those are the main
faces of the war, yet not the most important causes . In World War II FDR, and after him
Harry Truman, made decisions that shaped the outcome of the war, and the world for
decades to come. The decisions of American leadership only had the effect that they did
because of the decisions of German leadership . The decisions that Hitler made were
what made FDRs decisions so affective . After all, isnt war similar to a game of chess?
You look at what you know about the enemy, and make decisions to move your pieces
or, in FDR and Hitlers case, troops accordingly. The differences between FDR and
Hitlers decisions and leadership in World War II were deciding the factors that
ultimately changed the course of World War II . FDRs sharp, to the point style of
leadership allowed for a more dynamic response to Hitlers relentless and unyielding
stance on how WWII should be fought, which in turn shaped how each army functioned .
The difference in leadership for the Allies and the Axis powers in World War Two
were very different due to many differing variables in each of their situations . For

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Germany their leadership was shaped by their devastating depression which was a
lingering effect from World War One. The devastating depression caused by the
reparations Germany had to pay from World War One coupled with the restriction on
their military gave Adolf Hitler the opening he needed to seize power and obsequiously
win over the support of the German people . Once Hitler had the support of the German
people he was able to gain enough support to the point that he had little to no
opposition, and what resistance he did have he was easily able to quell it and continue
with his plans to make Germany great again. On the other side of the globe Franklin
Delano Roosevelts leadership was also shaped by a depression, although this
depression was not cause by the payment of reparations . The depression that shaped
Roosevelts leadership was caused by World War One. The boom of the American
economy during World War One and then the sudden crash of the Stock Market in 1930
caused the American people to simply stop purchasing many of the goods that they
would have purchased normally, which reciprocated the problem by reducing the
number of products made which furthered the problem more by reducing the size of the
work force by a staggering amount. The people of The United States, similar to the
people of Germany, were in desperate need of a savior which came to them in the form
of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. While Hitler seized power in Germany through the weak
economy by creating jobs and schools that he could easily control Roosevelt was given
power by the people of The United States due to his active efforts as president to create
government programs that would generate jobs for Americans which would bring The
united States out of their crippling depression and heal the economy, however

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Roosevelts plan worked much slower than anticipated . Though Roosevelts plans
worked slower than he and the rest of The United States would have liked he was
working to make the people happier and to give them a life that they could be proud to
have.
The largest difference in how Hitler and Roosevelt lead their countries showed in
how they treated all of their citizens. On one side Roosevelt worked to make the country
better by creating jobs while also forming the beginning of a system that valued equality,
but on the other side he also used the love and trust that was given to him to secretly
disobey congress and meet with Britain to find ways that The United States could help
without becoming directly involved in World War Two . Roosevelt was able to do all of
this simply because the American people held him so dearly that they could not imagine
him doing anything even remotely corrupt. Although this was an almost universal belief
among Americans there was much that Roosevelt did privately that could be seen as a
betrayal of the American peoples trust . Hitler however gained control by earning a
majority of the peoples support, and when the people who supported him agreed with
his vision he was able to use terror to force those who were unsure about whether or
not his endeavor was right to side with him simply to avoid as much pain as possible .
For many people there was little to no choice when it came to joining Hitler or resisting .
Since Hitler had law enforcement on his side he was able to arrest anyone who
opposed him or spoke out against his actions without anyone of importance questioning
him or stopping him. In a plethora of ways World War Two was a large scale
examination between ruling through fear and ruling through love . In many ways Hitler

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and Roosevelt were different, but their goal was very similar at the outset . Each leader
wanted to bring their nation out of a heavy economic depression, and in many ways
each leader did this. The differences were in how their goals changed, how they tried to
accomplish their goals, and what their motives for their actions were . In the end there is
no valid justification for the atrocities committed by both sides in this devastating war,
however motives make all the difference when deciding whether something was right or
wrong.
Looking back it is easy to say what was right and what was wrong, yet during the
time it was much harder to resolve. Motives give us an easier time deciding what was
really right and wrong. For instance if Hitlers sole motive was to gain complete world
domination solely for the purpose of controlling the entire world and killing off anyone
who disagreed with him then his motives would be fundamentally flawed and it would
have been much harder to convince the people of Germany to follow and support him .
However since Hitler was able to convince the German people that his motive was to
make the once great nation of Germany great again he was able to very easily gain
support from the German people. Eventually Hitler was able to keep those who had
chosen to follow him informed only on what he wanted them to know about he was able
to attain a loyalty from his soldiers and civilians that rivalled the ferocity of the
Japaneses loyalty to their emperor. To give some contrast, Roosevelt decided to run for
his third term because the country was headed towards war, and he was unsure that a
new president would be a suitable leader for the United States during this time of war .
This concern for a president that would be ill prepared to lead America during a war

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stemmed from the fact that few Americans, repelled though they were by [Hitlers]
actions, viewed [Hitler] as a menace to the United States (Freidel 26) Roosevelt was
able to justify running and getting elected through third time in a row due to his constant
effort to better the lives of the American people, as well as the love and respect that
hed earned in his first two terms as president. Because of these many reasons for
Roosevelt to run for a third term as president he decided to enter his third term as
president, however he was immensely reluctant to do so . After Roosevelts second term
as president he was mentally and physically spent to such a degree that his exhaustion
and stress was visibly noticeable. In many ways the clich that those who want power
should not have it, and those who do not want power are the ones who deserve it is
accurate. In this situation all Franklin Roosevelt wanted was to retire and live in his
childhood home where he could grow old and live the rest of his life in peace with his
wife and children, however his country needed him to lead them through one of the
most brutal times that the world has even experienced so he answered that call and
unfortunately it claimed his life. Hitler on the other end of the spectrum was a man who
had a vision and needed power to make his vision a reality . In the end both Hitler and
Roosevelts motives defined them. Hitlers motives for destroying the Jews were many,
but mainly they were used as scape goats for all the German peoples problems during
that time, and they were considered unclean and inferior by Hitler and his Nazi regime .
These two motives drove Hitler and those who supported him to attempt the mass
execution and homicide of the Jews in Europe . To counter Hitler Roosevelt knew that
the slaughter and murder of the Jews was wrong, both on an ethical level and a moral
Freidel, Frank. 1987. FDR Vs. Hitler: American Foreign Policy, 1933-1941. Proceedings of the
Massachusetts Historical Society 99. Massachusetts Historical Society: 2543.

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level. Along with most countries in Europe the United States agreed with Roosevelt that
what Hitler was doing was wrong, however many Americans did not want to get involved
because the memories from World War One were fresh in their minds which made them
reluctant to support joining the fight against Hitler until Pearl Harbor was attacked on
December seventh nineteen-forty-one. Throughout World War Two the motives and
intentions for both the Allies and the Axis powers determined victories and defeats .
As Hitler moved his armies across Europe he met with fierce resistance in nearly
every nation that he invaded. An obvious reason for this resistance is simply that he is
invading their country. A less obvious reason for the resistance, and likely the reason
that most countries forced Hitler to invade in the first place is the fact that they did not
agree with Hitlers motives and plans. Hitler was so successful in gaining the support of
the German people because he was able to give them a reason to support his cause .
He gave them the Jews to blame the bad economy on and he gave his plan as a
solution to this dilemma. On the contrary as the Allies moved back across Europe after
mounting their massive offensive they encountered great assistance and aid from the
people who they liberated from German control purely since the Allies gave them their
freedoms back. The support showed from those who were liberated from German
control confirms the argument that to win over a group of people they must accept that
the final outcome is worth fighting for, and that the reasons for attaining this outcome
are right. Many people decide whether or not to follow or obey a leader solely on their

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motives. The difference in effect of Hitlers motives and Roosevelts motives on the war
were deciding factors that changed the course of history. The majority of people who
were conquered by Hitler in his conquest for control of Europe were appalled by the
atrocities he committed when they learned of them, and in no way did they support his
motives for such heinous crimes.
Although FDR made mistakes with his personal life he never let those mistakes
define him and did his very best to set the wrongs right . There is no such thing as a
perfect human, but the separation between good men and great men is the decision to
make the wrongs right. FDR made many mistakes, some of which no man could make
right, however he was able to see that he could use his life to make others lives better .
The distinction between FDR as a great man and FDR as simply a good man I believe
is his sacrifice to run for a third term. Many people could see this as a power hungry
president taking advantage of a military conflict to hold power longer, however in No
Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin the author says Although the president was
improving, the doctors decided that he needed a period of rest away from the White
House, where work inevitably into his living quarters (Goodwin 497), laying bare the
effects that Franklin Roosevelts third term as president had on him . Also in Goodwin it
says that FDR was exhausted after his second term in office and wished to retire to his
estate, however decided to run for his third term to see the United States through the
war even though it would cost him his life.

Goodwin, Doris Kearns, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The
Homefront in World War II (New York: Simon & Shuster, 1995) 497.

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In conclusion the differences between Adolf Hitlers leadership and Franklin


Delano Roosevelts leadership styles decided the outcome of arguably the biggest
conflict in human history. Though many may argue that the leaders during this time had
no direct influence on the outcome of the war there are many, many more that would
argue that the outcome of World War Two was directly influenced by not only FDR and
Adolf Hitler, but every world leader at the time . Perhaps the most memorable outcomes
of World War Two are weapons of mass destruction, the Holocaust, and the fall of Hitler,
but there is no doubt that the underlying reasons for loyalty to leaders and subtle
differences in their leadership played an integral role in World War Two .

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Works Cited:
Freidel, Frank. 1987. FDR Vs. Hitler: American Foreign Policy, 19331941. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society 99. Massachusetts
Historical Society: 2543.

Goodwin, Doris Kearns, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor


Roosevelt: The Homefront in World War II (New York: Simon &
Shuster, 1995) 497.

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