Compare And Contrast The First And Second World War

The end of World War I marked the beginning of the interwar period. This war left Europeans completely traumatized, leading to the Age of Anxiety, a duration of time when Europeans were unsure of their potential future as weak governments failed to assure the citizens. The four years of fighting, struggle, and brutality, ensued in the “defeat” of Germany and Russia. Both countries experienced heavy losses and collapsing governments as the war ended. Germany was excluded from the League of Nations and suffered tremendously from the Treaty of Versailles that was not negotiated with them. Russia became the USSR after their agreement to the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, facing the confiscation of Ukraine and a demanding population of citizens, left

These two totalitarian rulers were able to use their ultimate weapon, secret police forces, to display a warning to their enemies. In Germany, Hitler initiated his secret police force under the name, “Gestapo”. They were destined to work under Nazi Germany, where they used methods of violence and brutality to perform their tasks. The Gestapo police force’s job was to protect the Nazi power and fight against opposing parties. Similarly, in the Soviet Union, Stalin had his secret police force, the “Cheka”. They were also responsible for the elimination of enemies to the USSR and Stalin’s power, just like how the Gestapo for the Nazis. Although the Cheka was founded by Lenin, Stalin continued this organization and used this secret force to his advantage, to help aid his rule. Both Stalin and Hitler were able to use terror and political power to their advantage by using secret police forces, allowing them to become successful in suppressing their enemies. Thus, the regime of Germany and the Soviet Union under these rulers was able to share significant similarities in using force to establish their

While Hitler ruled over Germany, he used propaganda to portray himself as the father figure of the nation. His propaganda posters would embed themes that strive for German nationalism and show his people that he was a qualified leader. For example, Hitler used propaganda to express how he was the last hope Germany had to get out of their devastating condition after World War I and highlighted the importance of unity and loyalty of the German people to maintain the Reich. In Stalin’s case, he used the advantage of mass media to help spread his influence everywhere in the Soviet Union. Through this, he was able to make people think that he was powerful, intelligent, and also the “father of the nation”. Using propaganda, both Hitler and Stalin were able to create a heroic image for themselves, to present the stability they had within the nation. With the powerful portrayal and confidence shown, these leaders were able to gain a lot of support and trust from their civilians, specifically, the nationalism rising during the interwar period within Germany and the USSR helped tremendously in unifying them to mutually support their rulers. With Hitler and Stalin's Reputation, citizens were able to feel assured of a stable future, especially after the scare during the age of