A CONCISE BIOGRAPHY OF ADOLF HITLER

A Book Review Submitted to Dr. Rick Morton of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course Servant Leadership: CEAM6213 in the Division of Christian Education

S. Matthew Solomon B.A., University of Central Florida, 2005 Sept. 13, 2007

Fuchs, Thomas. A Concise Biography of Adolf Hitler. New York: Berkley Brooks, 2000.

Adolf Hitler can be said to be the standard for evil in the world. When evil occurs, Hitlers name is usually thrown into the discussion at some point. Although Hitlers actions cannot and must not be justified, he was a real person, not a caricature of pure evil. From a leadership perspective, he had great successes and monumental failures. Much can be learned about servant leadership by properly critiquing Hitlers leadership style. A great temptation much of the time is to try to lead like a tyrannical dictator, especially in the church setting where the goal of the church can sometimes be skewed toward numbers. The goals of both Hitler and the church are somewhat similar both want to change the world. Hitler failed and the verdict is still out for the church. A Concise Biography of Adolf Hitler was once published under the title The Hitler Fact Book. The biography is not set up chronologically, but topically and contains 35 chapters that are glances into various aspects of Hitlers life. The discussion, therefore, will focus on the parts of the book that give clues and insights into Hitlers leadership style. Most will not diagnose Hitlers leadership style as a model of servanthood by any means. Perhaps a look at the antithesis of servant-hood, however, will help shed light on how to better lead and serve in a church setting. Hitler was a very effective leader for a short while, but his true value of his abilities shone through toward the end of World War II.

Before delving into Hitlers leadership style, it is important to establish what constitutes the servant leadership model. Jesus gave a model of leadership that is quite opposite of what many consider to be a proper leadership style. According to Jesus model, leaders are supposed to stress diversity instead of centralization. Those who tend to lead by centralization seek to create robots that can be ruled over easily. A system is easy to manage when everyone thinks and acts the same way, especially when it is the way the leader wants. Leadership should also be centered in scripture instead of in pragmatism according to Jesus model. Finally, authenticity should be stressed above productivity and control. Jesus often stated that in order to lead, one must become a servant to all. Leaders are not to lord their position above everyone else, but serve everyone as if they are more important. How does this leadership style compare to Hitlers style? According to the servant leadership model, leaders should be seen as authentic. Although Hitler wanted people to think he was being authentic by the image he portrayed, Hitler was greatly inauthentic. Hitler was always fascinated by automobiles. He never learned to drive, however, always using chauffeurs. His reason seemed fair enoughbecause of his political prominence, he did not want the blame to fall upon him in the case of an accident. The more likely reason was that he refused to attempt driving the same reason he refused to do anything newlearning to drive would have meant a period of awkwardness and failure. Hitler wanted to be known as peerless. If he were to rule the world, he would never want to be seen to fall short on any occasion. He wanted to be seen as infallible.

This attitude is in direct opposition to the servant leadership model. Being authentic is more important than being seen as productive or as in complete control. By allowing others to see ones fallibility, awkwardness, and ability and likelihood to fail are great ways to show authenticity. This principle can be seen in who Jesus chose to be his disciples and eventually the leaders of the church he came to create. He chose those who were able to be seen as genuine and authentic. Whereas Hitler portrayed an image of infallibility, Jesus celebrates the fact that leaders should be able to display who they really are. An advantage of being authentic is being able to point people to the source of power from which true leadership flowsGod. One must keep in mind that Hitler was not the most psychologically-balanced person to occupy a leadership role. Although he was influenced by some major events in his life, this does not excuse the fact that he chose to lead as a tyrannical dictator in order to accomplish his perverted goals. Hitlers leadership style developed from a profound admiration of the German Imperial Army, in which he served during The Great War. His leadership style was based on the concept of the Fuehrerprinzip, which means the Leadership Principle. This Principle demanded complete obedience by the lower ranks to the higher. The leader at the top was the ultimate power sourcewithout qualification or restriction. Hitler first imposed this style in the Nazi Party and eventually upon all of German life when he came to power. Hitler was the ultimate court and law in Germany. What is odd about this fact is that during the First World War, Hitlers superiors judged that he lacked leadership potential. How could one who was judged to be lacking in leadership potential become the sole authority over a country? Perhaps the answer lies in the short tenure of Hitlers rule

and the fact that many tried to assassinate him, even members of his army. Hitlers goal was to centralize power and lord it over the people. Those who opposed Hitler met sudden agonizing death. There was certainly no diversity in Hitlers leadership style his goal was centralization, which is in direct contrast of the servant leadership model. Hitlers life was directly connected to the outcome of the war and so when the German armys doom was eminent, Hitler ceased to be the leader by taking his own lifea sign the he even wanted to be in control of his death. The fact that Germanys defeat was on the horizon, Hitler no longer had a rallying point in order to centralize his control. Diversity in leadership results in regeneration. Diversity constantly brings new life to entities. Diversity allows for others strengths to counterbalance others weaknesses. Once again, Hitlers leadership style is seen in direct opposition to the servant leadership model purported by Jesus. Hitlers leadership style was very pragmatic in nature. His goal was to create a machine that he could manipulate in order to accomplish his goals. Hitler relied on practical knowledge and only what he could understand instead of seeking out knowledge and wisdom. As a matter of fact, Hitlers library was not incredibly diverse by any means. Hitler was more than capable to learn from books; however, he did not read to learn. He read to confirm opinions that he already held. He would often read the end first to see if he agreed with the authors conclusions. This mentality is in direct opposition to the servant leadership model. The servant leadership model declares that wisdom and guidance should be sought through the wisdom contained in the Bible, not found in that which makes logical sense. That is not to say that there is no place for logic, but logic can be skewed. Leaders, therefore, need to have a source of ultimate

wisdom and guidance. Hitler relied completely on information and people that matched up with his opinions exactly and had no standard by which to lead. Hitler sometimes refused to realize his weaknesses. At one point, while the German Navy was fighting the Battle of the Atlantic and trying to support the campaign in North Africa, Hitler decided to devote resources to redesign ships, developing a design to put the screws on the side of the ship instead of on the stern. The plan flopped and, fortunately for the rest of the world, was not the only time Hitler handicapped the design of advanced weapons. Hitler insisted in exerting his will in the areas of science and technology, an area in which he was obviously not gifted. In following the servant leadership model, it is not only important to realize strengths, but to also recognize areas of weakness. Where some are weak, others are strong. Stressing this diversity in leadership is important in the servant leadership model. Hitler was always concerned with his perception. He was, therefore, a manipulator who carefully and thoughtfully prepared for maximum effect. He would have himself photographed in all his outfits in order to study his appearance from all angles. When he would meet with people, he would have others entertain them first in order to get a report on which face he should show. People always seemed to come away having felt they met with the real Hitler. Most, however, would not have felt the same way had the met with Hitler, instead of the faade he often displayed. Integrity is a major aspect of the servant leadership model. It is a part of remaining authentic among those being lead. Authenticity should be stressed over control and manipulation. Although we can learn much from Hitlers leadership style, it is important to remember that he was not an aspiring pastor, but was an evil man bent on domination and

the annihilation of Jewish people. This could explain why Hitlers leadership style did not match that of Jesus leadership style. The surprise is not that Hitler did not model the leadership style as purported in the Bible. The surprise is that many church leaders try to lead by Hitlers style, which is in direct opposition to the servant leadership model. Sometimes church leaders put numbers above changed lives and allow the end to justify the means. In order to be effective in ministry in a leadership position and to reach the world for Jesus, leaders need to embrace diversity, seek the Scriptures for guidance, and be authentic and real. Becoming a servant to all is the best way to lead effectively and reach the world.