Question

It’s time to write your report on Adolf Hitler to submit to your government..

Your report should consist of three concise paragraphs that use information from the primary sources and that:

1. describe Hitler.

2. assess his character.

3. make recommendations to the United States about how to respond to Hitler in the future

Answer 1

Adolf Hitler, based on his own writings (notably Mein Kampf), public speeches, and official Nazi legislation, presents as an ideologically driven, expansionist leader who fused racial theory with national revival. In Mein Kampf and numerous Reichstag and party speeches he framed Germany’s needs in terms of Lebensraum and racial struggle, explicitly identifying Jews and other groups as enemies; the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws and state-sanctioned persecution corroborate those stated aims. Contemporary documents and propaganda records (Goebbels’ ministry papers, party organizational orders) show that he relied on mass rallies, tightly controlled media, and paramilitary forces to seize and consolidate power, turning the state into an instrument of one-party rule.

Primary-source evidence from the Night of the Long Knives, internal communications, and diplomatic dispatches paints Hitler as a charismatic but ruthless and pragmatic dictator: personally ideological and uncompromising on core aims, willing to eliminate rivals and civilian populations to achieve them. His accounts and actions demonstrate both manipulative skill — exploiting crises and public resentment — and moral bankruptcy, endorsing systematic violence as policy. While he could be cautious or exploit opportunities when convenient, the record shows a persistent predisposition toward aggressive revision of the international order and the use of terror and law to enforce conformity.

Given these documented traits and goals, the United States should treat Hitler as an existential and ideological threat requiring a coordinated, firm response: work multilaterally to diplomatically isolate and economically pressure the regime, restrict transfers of strategic goods, and support allied rearmament and collective security arrangements to deter aggression. At the same time, bolster intelligence-sharing, counter Nazi propaganda and influence operations, provide refuge and assistance to persecuted civilians, and cultivate internal democratic forces as long-term safeguards. Avoiding appeasement, while exhausting all peaceful means for containment and coordination with partners, will reduce the chance that aggressive expansion or mass atrocities succeed.