Despite the fact that Osama bin Laden and Adolf Hitler lived many years apart and possessed diverse ideologies and other differences, they had striking similarities including the desire to bring good things to their people. However, they failed miserably as the result of their effort only resulted in massive devastation. This paper seeks to demonstrate some of the obvious similarities and differences between these historical figures and the result of their crusade.
Adolf Hitler invaded Poland in 1september 1939, effectively starting the Second World War. After the attack, Hitler went on to conquer more nations in Eastern Europe. The attacks by the invading Germany army resulted in death of millions of Jews who were living in Eastern Europe as well as many American soldiers. On the other hand, on 11th September 2001, two planes attacked the world trade center and other targeted the Pentagon, while another crashed in Pennsylvania. Osama bin Laden was identified as the main culprit in this terrorist attack on the American soil since the Pearl Harbor attack in World War II. The 11th September attack resulted in loss of lives of more than 5000 Americans.
Although the two actions took place in different time periods and with different players, there are clear similarities in them. First, the parties involved are Osama bin laden and Adolf Hitler. The two men are clearly responsible for loss of lives and devastation in the past 100 years and they had a common goal: to take over and control their world. Another similarity between the two men was the announcement of their deaths. Hitler committed suicide and his death was announced by the Germany radio on May 1 1945 at 10.30 p.m German time. Osama bin Laden was killed by special American forces and his death was announced on May 1 at 11.35 p.m American time. This commonality of death announcement of the two most hated personalities in world history can only be described as a quirk of fate.
Both men were raised under religious convictions. Osama was raised as a Muslim and Hitler as a roman catholic. They were both educated and both joined the army to fight for what they believed in. The two men had a deep hatred for a particular group. Osama hated the Americans while Hitler hated the Jews. As a result of this, the two men advocated for the total annihilation of the two groups. Consequently, the two men had a unique way of manipulating their supporters. Hitler used hatred and depression to control the Germans. Osama used hatred and depression occasioned by the Arabs and Israel conflict in the Middle East.
Osama bin laden believed that the observance of Sharia law would bring peace to the Muslim world and, therefore, there was a need to oppose all other ideologies- democracy, communism and socialism. He, therefore, advocated violent jihad in his quest to realize this dream and he worshiped Allah. Hitler, on the other hand, worshiped Germany. Hitler was a supporter of Charles Darwin’s theory of survival for the fittest by natural selection. He saw Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and the mentally retarded as the cause of all wrongs in the society, and, therefore, were to be exterminated.
In summary, these two gentlemen, although they lived in different time periods and had been raised under different religious backgrounds, they nonetheless provoke similar feelings in people because of their similar views on why and how to destroy a certain group of people in order to bring peace and prosperity. However, they did not live to realize their dream or nay logical ways of solving the problems they saw in society. What they left behind was just mass destruction of property and loss of lives.