Katherine Reisen Western Civilizations3-11-14 Napoleon vs. HitlerThroughout history, there have been many leaders and dictators. Everyone runs their country the way they think is best. Some went on and were great leaders, others were not so great leaders. However, two people who I think were very good leaders were Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. While Napoleon led his people into a terrible revolution and ended up exiled to Saint Helena to live there for the rest of his life. He was a brilliant war captain, well respected within the military community. Hitler is known as one of the worst people who ever lived. He deliberately went out and attempted to exterminate an entire race, along with everyone who wasn't perfect. However, if you think about it, Hitler was a genius. He commanded an entire German army and made them carry out 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). He then forced Austria to make peace with Italy. From that point on, he was fully in charge of the French army and was also the Emperor of France, which gave him even more power. He led his men to great victories, while conquering much of Europe (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bonaparte_napoleon.shtml). In 1812, he decided to take over Russia. He led his men into the harsh terrain of Russia, believing that they could easily and quickly defeat the Russian army. But he was completely wrong. The Russians did not engage in any sort of battle. Instead, they went ahead and ensured that the French could not access any food or shelter, knowing...... middle of paper ... to respect and obey that they wanted. They both ruled their country in their own way and expanded the territory of their country. Napoleon and Hitler did this through their military and political power. They won the hearts and trust of their countries, but they had ulterior motives. They both wanted to expand their countries while trying to take complete control of the world. Hitler wanted to create a perfect race and to do this he had to completely eliminate everyone he did not consider perfect. Napoleon, on the other hand, did not want to eliminate any race, he simply wanted to take over all of Europe and eventually the entire world. These two leaders knew what they wanted to accomplish and how to go about it. I believe these two men could arguably be some of the smartest military minds who ever lived..