Leadership is a trait that is given by nature or relentlessly trained, either way requiring many efforts. Cambridge dictionary defines the term leader as “someone who manages or controls other people, primarily because of their ability or position” (“Leader,” n.d.). History has seen various leaders that have left a significant impact on the future development of the world, with some being devastating and others contributing to improving the planet. This essay will compare two different world leaders – Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler based on several factors to vividly demonstrate how distinct leading styles may influence people’s attitudes.
Mahatma Gandhi is a world-known philanthropic leader who has left a significant impact on India and the world, being proclaimed the father of his country. The primary direction of Gandhi’s political and social work was the fight against the nationalist movement of the British rule of India. The main difference between Gandhi from other world leaders is that each of his decisions was made together with others, no matter the officials or simple Indians. Such an approach allowed him to consider all views of the public, choosing the most efficient one. His leadership style was based on the non-violence movement, further adopting it not only as a strategy to fight the regime but also as a philosophy and a lifestyle.
Gandhi established himself as a peaceful, open-minded leader who led by example, not by vague leadership theories. Protecting himself as a country’s slave and proving empowering techniques by constant adherence to them has influenced the public’s support as an honest leader with good intentions. His “constructive program” of building the nation was based on the belief of establishing it from “from the bottom up”—educating rural India, constituting the vast majority of the population (“Mahatma Gandhi – Emergence as a nationalist leader,” 2020). Therefore, the pure intentions, cooperation with the nation, and adherence to the program were the main contributors to Mahatma Gandhi’s worldwide success as a leader.
The complete opposite of Gandhi’s perception of leadership is Adolf Hitler, who started the most disruptive war in the history of humanity. Contrasting to the Mahatma, he followed an individualistic decision-making process, proceeding to make all major and minor decisions based on his own judgment. Even though Hitler had millions of supporters, the majority of them were threatened by death in the case of opposite views. Therefore, he forced people to follow his lead under oppressive pretenses. World War II ending and Hitler’s suicide demonstrated that under his fierce and cruel image lies a self-deprecated person who cannot accept his mistakes.
Among the main motives, Hitler sought the establishment of one dominant race – Aryans, and total extermination of those not belonging to it; therefore, utterly opposite to Gandhi’s non-violent perception. Racist worldview, belief in hierarchy, and violence for problem-solving created the ferocious image of Hitler, which influenced the leadership style. His obsession with establishing a pure race has overtaken and became the main driver in Hitler’s politics. In the book Mein Kampf, Hitler states: “the sacred mission of the German people…to assemble and preserve the most valuable racial elements…and raise them to the dominant position” (Mein Kampf, 2020). Thus, Adolf Hitler was an extreme nationalist believing in the dominance of the Aryan race and implementing his ideas through violence.
Comparing Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler demonstrate two completely distinctive leadership styles that ceased to exist in the 20th century. A noon-violent approach to infusing changes to the nation has succeeded and is still highly respected in modern society, compared to the ruthless dictatorship of Hitler that ended up in the most devastating war in history. Looking at the results of both leaders’ footprint, Gandhi was far more successful in realizing his campaigns and influencing people to fight for justice in a peaceful manner. Hitler, on the other side, not only lost in his racist battle but also killed millions of innocent people. Therefore, it can be concluded that successful leadership grows from pure intentions and wise commands, further leading to the achievement of missions and goals.
References
LEADER | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. (n.d.). Cambridge Dictionary. Web.
Mahatma Gandhi – Emergence as nationalist leader. (2020). Encyclopædia Britannica. Web.
Mein Kampf. (2020). Encyclopædia Britannica. Web.