Katherine Reisen Western Civilizations3-11-14 Napoleon vs HitlerThroughout history there have been numerous leaders and dictators. Everyone leads their country in what they believe is the best way. Some went on and were great leaders, some were not so great leaders. However two people who I think were excellent leaders were Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. While Napoleon led his people in a terrible revolution and ended up exiled to St. Helena to live out the rest of his life. He was a brilliant war captain who was highly respected in the military community. Hitler is known as one of the worst people who ever lived. He purposely went out and tried to exterminate an entire race and anyone who wasn't perfect. However if you think about it Hitler was a genius. He commanded an entire German army and made sure they fulfilled his every request. In many ways Hitler and Napoleon were very similar, but they were also very different. Napoleon lived from 1769 to 1821. He became commander of the French army in Italy in 1796 (p. 589). Then he ensured that Austria made peace with Italy. From then on he was completely in command of the French army as well as being the Emperor of France, which gave him even more power. He led his men through great victories, conquering much of Europe in the process (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bonaparte_napoleon.shtml). In 1812 he decided he wanted to conquer Russia. He led his men into the rugged Russian terrain, thinking that they could easily and quickly defeat the Russian army. However, he was very wrong. The Russians did not engage in any kind of battle. Instead they went ahead and made sure the French couldn't access food or shelter, knowing... half-paper... that they respected and obeyed what they wanted. Both led their countries in their own ways and expanded the territory of their countries. Both Napoleon and Hitler did this through military and political power. They won the hearts and trust of their countries, but they had ulterior motives. Both wanted to expand their countries as they sought to take total control of the world. Hitler wanted to create a perfect race and to do so he had to completely eliminate anyone he didn't deem perfect. Napoleon on the other hand did not want to eliminate any race, he just wanted to conquer all of Europe and, eventually, the whole world. Both of these leaders knew what they wanted to accomplish and they knew how to do it. I believe that both of these men could without a doubt be some of the most intelligent military minds that ever lived.