Is Putin the modern-day Hitler?

Though he was not the only war criminal authoritarian psychopath in the historical

record, Adolf Hitler has become the criterion by which all future and existing global

conquerors, tyrannical rulers, and homophobes will be judged for all of humankind's infamy

because of the scope and influence of the disastrous Second World War he initiated, as well

as his proximity to the current period. How genocides begin, democracy collapses, and

tyrants' foreign policies may all be predicted by studying the horrific tragedy of Hitler, the

Holocaust, and World War II. (Clark, 2022). This year's turmoil in Ukraine resembles what

happened in Europe in the late 1930s. As missiles pound Ukrainian towns, killing tens of

thousands of civilians and forcing tens of thousands of more to escape over the border into

Poland, Putin is accused of treading in the traditions of Hitler, Germany's infamous former

leader. (Herman, 2022). Vladimir Putin is often compared to Adolf Hitler, the fascist leader

of the late 20th century. They both wanted to expand their beliefs and a desire to invade

another nation, such as Poland's involvement in World War II and Ukraine's involvement in

NATO-related wars.

These two leaders, Hitler and Punit, began their political careers as lawfully

elected leaders of their nations. Machiavellian tactics, however, allowed both leaders to

achieve authoritarian rule over their citizens, eventually eliminating any remaining

democratic procedures. While in power, these tyrants used the media and banned dissenting

views in an effort to consolidate their hold on the people. There is a long and distinguished

history of brilliance in each of their peoples' claims that theirs is an extraordinary race.

Furthermore, both governments argued that the international community had unfairly treated

their country in the past. Both rulers emphasized the need to restore the country's past

prominence in their speeches. (Tiene, 2022). Abolishing the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, which

humiliated Germany and took away large swaths of her land, was high on Hitler's priority list.
After the fall of communism in 1991, Russia's balance of power was solidified. Putin, on the

other hand, wants to overturn that. Since taking office, he has been persistent in bringing the

world back to the bipolarity of the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union

governed the world, creating spheres of influence across the globe. (Melman, 2022).

By meeting with Adolf Hitler and signing the Munich Pact, British Prime Minister

Neville Chamberlain tried to avert a global war with Nazi Germany in 1938. As Hitler

prepared to attack Poland in 1939, Chamberlain's appeasement made him feel more

confident. Chamberlain's major blunder was assuming he could deal with Hitler in a "realistic

and businesslike" way. For Hitler, peace was not a goal that could be achieved via economic

or diplomatic placation. After the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles during World War I,

his only goal was to restore Germany to its former greatness. Considering where we are right

now, such reasoning seems eerily similar. Putin, too, is betting that the United States and its

democratic allies would put their own national interests above the decline of democracy

across the globe and that he will encounter no pushback. (Smith, 2022).

For years, Jewish organizations have rejected modern-day parallels of Hitler and

the Nazis to Punit, arguing that such comparisons minimize the magnitude of the human

misery endured during the 1940s. Adolf Hitler envisioned a society controlled by racially

pure Germans in Europe and the rest of the globe. It wasn't until 1938, however, that Hitler

was able to carry out his terrible intentions. In the Anschluss, he reclaimed Austria from the

Nazis. Then Hitler invaded the remainder of Czechoslovakia, seizing the Sudetenland in

contravention of international accords designed to avert a new global war. Before turning his

guns on the rest of Europe, Hitler invaded Poland and started a war. Fortunately, Putin's

imperial ambitions are far more modest. Intending to thwart an imagined Western invasion

and regain control of the Eastern European oil and natural gas resources that give him most of
his fortune, Putin aims to restore the old Soviet-era buffer nations encircling Russia. (Clark,

2022).

In conclusion, it is necessary to acknowledge that sometimes history replicates

itself. This present age of global politics seems eerily similar to the war against

totalitarianism that enveloped the world during World War II. If such an effort were required

for democracy to triumph, it would seem that the democracies of the globe, particularly those

in Europe, must stand up to the current international bully, Vladimir Putin, just as they did

with Hitler. It is hoped that, like Hitler's Thousand Year Reich, Putin's plans to conquer

Ukraine would end in failure.

References
Clark, J. (2022, March 2). Hitler vs. Putin - Their biggest similarities and differences. From
Grunge: https://www.grunge.com/784872/hitler-vs-putin-their-biggest-similarities-
and-differences/
Herman, S. (2022, March 8). Is Putin the New Hitler? From Voice of America:
https://www.voanews.com/a/is-putin-the-new-hitler-/6476408.html
Melman, Y. (2022, February 27). Vladimir Putin Is Not Adolf Hitler, but the Echoes Are
Getting Louder. From Haaretz: https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-vladimir-
putin-is-not-adolf-hitler-but-appeasement-of-the-russian-is-a-problem-1.10637739
Smith, C. (2022, March 9). America must not repeat history's mistakes in response to
Vladimir Putin's tyranny. From Tennessean:
https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2022/03/09/americas-response-decisive-
and-brave-russian-tyranny-ukraine/9432052002/
Tiene, D. (2022, March 9). Consider how similar Vladimir Putin is to Adolf Hitler to
understand the threat to world peace. From Akron Beacon Journal:
https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/05/09/retired-kent-state-
professor-says-war-in-ukraine-shows-how-vladimir-putin-is-like-hitler/9643814002/