As Kellerman rightly puts it, followers are just as important as leaders (2004). Good followers and vice versa characterize the existence of good leaders. While there has been more focus on the role of leadership governance in the recent past, it is important that we also consider the role of bad followers in bad leadership.
Adolf Hitler's rise to power can be traced back to 1919 following a lost war in Versailles' peace (Schwabe, 2014). Hitler joined the Germans' Workers Party that later transformed to the Nazi Party in 1920. A key aspect of Hitler's rise to power can be attributed to his distinguished involvement in the Germans' Workers Party (Schwabe, 2014). Hitler held his position in the fight for Pan-Germanism and anti-Semitism. In the 1920 to 1930 decade, Hitler's Nazi party fought so hard to gain prominence and electoral support to become the strongest party of Germany. The most vital aspect of Hitler's rise to power was violence, coercion, and intimidation of the other members of the Nazi Party (Cocks, 2015). The intimidation that he was leaving the party and being a fluent speaker made the other members choose him as a leader. Besides, Hitler was allied with other policymakers. In 1933 Hitler attained power and put the Enabling Act into practice (Schwabe, 2014). The act gave Hitler the chance to act without parliamentary, thus total power and control. Hitler then rose from chancellor to dictator following the death of President Hindenburg in 1934.
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As earlier mentioned, followers play an important role in ensuring that leadership continues (Kellerman, 2014). The Nazi party members and the people of Germany offered support during the leadership of Adolf Hitler through acceptance of his leadership. While one would say that the members were coerced into accepting Hitler's bad leadership, it is vital to note that the followers took some actions willingly (Lepsius, 2006). In one argument, it is said the Hitler was a bad leader although he was effective. The argument portrays the role of followers who are concerned with effectiveness other than good leadership. The followers, such as the members of the Nazi party, also played an important role in the leadership of Hitler. They made him the party leader and gave him support due to their group and personal needs. The group needs can be the urge of the party to take absolute control of Germany (Frankel, 2019). Besides, in the war against the Jewish Europeans, the killings were made by individuals who were loyal to Hitler. Hitler took advantage of the support he seized to take absolute control and even make the soldiers very loyal (Frankel, 2019). As a concept of leadership, Hitler established himself by establishing his authority of those that he ruled both in the party, country, and the army (Concepts of leadership, n.d). The followers in all three areas gave Hitler the chance to exercise his bad leadership.
Part 2
The role and impact of leadership cannot be ignored in modern leadership aspects. The chances of a bad leader like Adolf Hitler coming into power in the United States of America are minimal. The evolution in leadership worldwide and the USA has seen changes in the way people view leadership and all it entails (Smaliwood, 2012). The USA has never experienced a well-established dictatorial leadership which reduces the chances of leadership such as that of Hitler occurring. Today in the USA, there have been distinct characterizations of politics and leadership, therefore helping to push away politics during leadership roles after taking leadership positions (Kellerman, 2004). While Hitler used violence to rule, modern USA leadership has no violence; therefore, it would be hard for a violent rule to be established. The anti-Semitism aspect in the rule of Hitler to rule was divisive, and such a strategy cannot work in the USA today (Herf, 2007). White racism in the USA is at tolerable levels compared to anti-Semitism in the Holocaust.
For leadership such as that of Hitler to thrive, the USA public would have unethical followers driven by either personal or group selfish ambitions as in the case of Nazi. As described by Kellerman, followers that commit crimes of obedience support bad leadership (2004). If present in the USA, such followers would enhance the success of leadership like that of Hitler. Robert Kelly describes that the best followers have independent thinking and way of action with their leaders (Concepts of Leadership, n.d). Therefore, followers who are nondependent with the leaders would escalate such bad leadership in the USA. Drive by personal ambitions and the fear of feeling that one would go against the leaders are a psychological aspect of bad followers that would lead to increased bad leadership levels. A public that views leadership achievements and ignores exploitation will also raise a leadership like that of Hitler (Kellerman, 2004). Followers who resist intimidation and practice independent thinking will avoid manipulation, making poor leadership not thrive in the modern USA community.
The USA community can be easily distinguished from the German community of 1930. As earlier mentioned, having not experienced absolute dictatorship, the chances of exploiting and practicing bad leadership are minimal. A comparison of the white racism and anti-Semitism aspect in the German community of 1930 brings notable differences (Herf, 2007). The execution of Jewish individuals by Hitler in Germany is not characteristic of white racism in the USA today, which has significantly reduced. Besides, the levels of education and exposure to good leadership and bad followership recently have helped me understand the concept of bad leadership and the subsequent consequences (Kellerman, 2004). Also, Americans have experienced other countries feel the wrath of bad leadership and followership, leading to enhanced understanding of the importance of positive criticism to the government and all leaders that portray bad leadership.
References
Berman, A. (2019). Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States. Journal of American History, 106(2), 513–514. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1093/jahist/jaz461
Cocks, G. (2015). Hollywood uber alles: seeing the Nazi in American movies. Film & History, 1, 38. https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.423049498&site=eds-live&scope=site
Concepts of Leadership. (n.d.). https://ramergroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Ramer-Resources-CONCEPTS-OF-LEADERSHIP.pdf
Frankel, R. E. (2019). An Exceptional Hatred? Re-Examining Antisemitism in Germany and the United States in a Time of War and Upheaval, 1914-1923. Antisemitism Studies, 2, 191. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.2979/antistud.3.2.02
Herf, J. (2007). Comparative perspectives on anti-Semitism, radical anti-Semitism in the Holocaust and American white racism. Journal of Genocide Research, 9(4), 575–600. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1080/14623520701644416
Kellerman, B. (2004). Bad leadership: What it is, how it happens, why it matters . Retrieved from https://www.vitalsource.com
Lepsius, M. R. (2006). The Model of Charismatic Leadership and its Applicability to the Rule of Adolf Hitler. Totalitarian Movements & Political Religions, 7(2), 175–190. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1080/14690760600642180
Schwabe, K. (2014). World War I and the Rise of Hitler. Diplomatic History, 38(4), 864–879.
https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1093/dh/dhu030
Smaliwood, J. (2012). Operation Texas: Lyndon B. Johnson, the Jewish Question and the Nazi
Holocaust. East Texas Historical Journal, 50(2), 88–106. https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=79191189&site=eds-live&scope=site
