Gandhi And Hitler, Together Again Essay, Research Paper
Gandhi, an incredible man, had very unique views on violence and its
power over others. Adolf Hitler, another incredible man albeit for different
reasons, also had individual views on violence.
Gandhi was opposed to violence, as he believed it only solved problems
temporarily and that it led to further violence in the future. Peace was what solved
problems in his mind, not violence. Violent protests that resulted in change never
succeeded fully; those changes were usually revoked or altered. Changes made in
good spirits, under flags of peace, were never removed once put into place. The
most recognized peaceful protest was Gandhi?s Salt March, which involved
thousands of Indian civilians.
Hitler was on the opposite end of the violence spectrum; he felt that killing
those who caused your problems would solve all of those problems, and that
discussion and reasoning were less useful forms of protest. The most vivid
example of violence in order to enact change was the formation of the ghettos for
Jews, to isolate them from the rest of the world.
Gandhi and Hitler also differed on how they believe the economy should be
strengthened. Gandhi proposed a distributed method of production, with everyone
working in regard to themselves but also with their community and their nation as
a whole. Hitler felt that the government should have complete and total control
over the methods of production, and that the people should just do what they are
told to do. Gandhi also felt that replacing workers with technology wasn?t always
beneficial, while Hitler believed that massive industrialization was the key to a
strong economy.
Regarding the wealthy, Gandhi had an interesting perspective. He felt that
the rich for the most part deserved all that wealth that they had. He also felt,
however, that they should feel obligated to use a substantial portion of that wealth
for the betterment of everyone else. Gandhi?s view was, therefore, somewhat
socialist in its roots. Hitler?s view on the rich was unique, because of the situation
of Germany. He felt fine about the wealth being concentrated among rich business
owners and governmental figures, but he did not want the Jews to control any
wealth. This was a problem, because the Jewish population in Germany was large
enough that it bothered Hitler. Therefore, stores were seized from Jews along with
their material possessions.
Both men?s positions on reform were tied closely to their beliefs about
violence. Gandhi felt that social change was only possible if it was made by every
member of society, while Hitler felt that social change was possible as long as the
government enforced the laws regarding the changes. Politically, Gandhi felt that
change could only be achieved by showing the current government the errors of
their ways, and by helping them achieve what was the best for all people. Hitler
thought that violent revolutions were what convinced people of what was right and
wrong.
In my personal opinion, I do not believe I connect with either of these men
on their views of violence. If their beliefs were charted on a scale from one to ten,
Gandhi would be a zero and Hitler would be a ten; two extremes that fit me as
well as an 26*24 pair of jeans. I believe that I fall somewhere in the middle, but
closer to Hitler than Gandhi. For example, I agree with Hitler when he says that to
change a government radically, you must overthrow it radically. Peaceful
protesting can only get you so far; you need to prove to the enemy that you aren?t
all bark and no bite. I do not think violence is ever necessary, however, to control
the population; if your people are that unhappy with the government that they are
openly denouncing it, you should spend your time dealing with the problems in the
government and not spend it dealing with the people yelling at you on the street.
For example, if someone in school is constantly making fun of you and
your friends, I would get my friends together and beat the child up rather than tell
a figure of authority. On the other hand, if I was the class president and people
were unhappy with the way I was running things, I would not threaten them,
instead I would listen to what they thought was wrong and try to change it.
Both Gandhi and Hitler were amazing men in their own ways. One
preached peace, the other aggression. Gandhi was loved by all, and Hitler was
hated by all. To this day, there are racial prejudices against the German people due
to the mistakes made by Hitler. But one final thought ? If our ancestors had not
rebelled against oppressive British rule, where would we all be now?