The Rise to Power: A Comparison of Hitler and Mussolini Hitler and Mussolini achieved absolute political and social power through the manipulation of the people of their countries and circumstantial events at the time of their ascent. Mussolini rose to total dictatorship more than ten years before Hitler's first failed attempt to 'conquer' the failing Weimar Republic government and both achieved this total rise in power in very similar ways such as the glorification of emotion. Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler realized that the way to a rise in power was through the people and their opinions/support therefore imposing their own ideals through incredible propaganda techniques and speeches, and in Hitler's case, introducing a scapegoat to blame. It is possible that Mussolini came to power ten years before Hitler because the Weimar government was in control and the Nazi party hadn't been organizationally formed yet; only a small group of men which included Hitler were inspired by Mussolini's rise and motivated to achieve the same. Both Italy and Germany were the victims of a series of economic and social problems caused primarily by World War I. The harsh terms and conditions of the Treaty of Versailles (prohibition of rebuilding or financing an army and heavy reparations), unemployment, and inflation caused extremely hard times in Germany. The German people were fed up with the government and on the verge of a revolution. They needed someone who could pull them up out of poverty, restore their faith in Germany and help them rebuild their lives after WWI. After Hitler's Mein Kampf, in growing numbers, people started to listen to Hitler's ideas. He promised the people a way out of the economic slump Germany was in, to restore pride in themselves and their country, and presented a scapegoat to blame for all of Germany's social, economic, and political problems: the Jews. Hitler was a skilled user of propaganda techniques and therefore us...
