What was Hitlers role in history?

Answer 1

In my opinion, he became a measuring stick for the future. People (like pundits and some religions) like to compare current leaders with Hitler. Besides Hitler's obvious contribution to history (with the millions of Jews murdered). I also believe that Hitler really gave (most of) the world something to agree on. Cultures that might not have agreed with one another (cough... US and Russia...) stood side by side to fight this "evil." I love World War II because, as an American, I see it as one of the greatest examples in history of a war with a definitive line drawn for "good" vs. "evil" throughout the entire war. *Just personal opinions.

Just a constructive critique to the answer. First, Russia was not truly "Allied" with the US and Great Britain during the war. The Russians were actually Allies to Nazi Germany and had an agreement in place with the Nazi's to divide Poland between them. It wasn't until the Nazi's violated the treaty and Invaded Russia that they became an "Allied" partner.

The Russians used the war and the loss by Germany to capture territories for themselves. which they never returned. They managed to push the Nazis out and install their own occupying government, which was nothing more than a Soviet state.

History has shown we traded one dictator for another in Joseph Stalin. In some respects Stalin was worse than Hitler. However at the time The Nazi's were the bad guys and rightfully so. Churchill and FDR both knew what Stalin was and their was very serious talk of attacking the Russians once Germany was defeated. Patton once was reprimanded by Eisenhower by saying just that, Patton knew the threat Russia posed and he was right. We owe the existence of the "Cold War" to Hitler.

Answer 2

Hitler's role from the time he first came to power was to establish a superior super race of Aayrans and murder all semitic people.