Pol Pot vs. Adolf Hitler
Successful leaders often share multiple similarities in the choices they make with their power; however, there also tend to be numerous differences between the executions of their respective rules. Though Communist leader Pol Pot and German nationalist Adolf Hitler can be compared in several ways, there are also myriad differences between their ascendancies. The social dispositions and executions of Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, although similar in several ways, also differed for numerous reasons during their supremacies.
The social perspectives and exploits of Hitler and Pol Pot have multiple similarities. For example, both Pol Pot and Hitler advocated and, to an extent, succeeded in mass execution of people based on a specific attribute. Pol Pot's ideal was to mostly eliminate intellectuals, while Hitler aspired to annihilate Jews, predominantly, though there were several other types of victims for each ruler respectively (Katz, 76). Additionally, Pol Pot and Hitler each had an ideology related to the mass killings they were executing. Pol Pot was convinced that by eliminating these people, he could create a new agrarian communist utopia (The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century). Hitler's impression was influenced by the concept of racial hygiene. In misusing social Darwinism, Hitler applied the principles of "survival of the fittest" to humans, which was interpreted as requiring racial purity and killing off "life unworthy of life" (Shirer, 59). Some of the causes of death in both executions were also similar. Among these were starvation, overwork, disease and murder. This shows that Hitler and Pol Pot agreed on comparable killing methods, such as intense labor camps. Another similarity is that both Pol Pot and Hitler were nationalists. In fact, the Khmer Rouge refused offers of humanitarian aid, a decision which caused the deaths of millions (The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century). To the Khmer Rouge, outside aid went against their principle
The social perspectives and exploits of Hitler and Pol Pot have multiple similarities. For example, both Pol Pot and Hitler advocated and, to an extent, succeeded in mass execution of people based on a specific attribute. Pol Pot's ideal was to mostly eliminate intellectuals, while Hitler aspired to annihilate Jews, predominantly, though there were several other types of victims for each ruler respectively (Katz, 76). Additionally, Pol Pot and Hitler each had an ideology related to the mass killings they were executing. Pol Pot was convinced that by eliminating these people, he could create a new agrarian communist utopia (The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century). Hitler's impression was influenced by the concept of racial hygiene. In misusing social Darwinism, Hitler applied the principles of "survival of the fittest" to humans, which was interpreted as requiring racial purity and killing off "life unworthy of life" (Shirer, 59). Some of the causes of death in both executions were also similar. Among these were starvation, overwork, disease and murder. This shows that Hitler and Pol Pot agreed on comparable killing methods, such as intense labor camps. Another similarity is that both Pol Pot and Hitler were nationalists. In fact, the Khmer Rouge refused offers of humanitarian aid, a decision which caused the deaths of millions (The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century). To the Khmer Rouge, outside aid went against their principle
Bibliography: 1. Katz, Robert. Adolf Hitler: a Biography. Monarch P, 1966. 1-116. 2. "Pol Pot, Pol Pot Massacre, Pol Pot Genocide, Cambodia Genocide." United Human Rights Council. 2004. 10 Mar. 2008 <http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/Genocide/pol_pot.htm>. 3. Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler. Random House, 1984. 4. "The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century." The History Place. 1999. 09 Mar. 2008 <http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm>.