Much is made of Hitler’s bad treatment of the Jews, but it was not his undoing. Freeing the concentration camps was actually a surprise for many of the Allied forces as many did not know the extent of his killing enterprise.

Hitler’s need for control and power was insatiable and ultimately his and his country’s undoing. While he promised a glorious future, he brought suffering and devastation. It was not enough to rebuild Germany to its pre-world war one status, but he desired to control the whole world.

He started small, invading borderline lands and historically disputed areas. Then he moved on to countries with similar languages and cultures and finally, anything within his reach. When he had used up all the resources of his own country he devoured theirs. They called it the War Machine. Starvation killed as many as bullets. His armies spread further and further. Like ill-fated Napoleon before him, his attempt to topple Russia in winter weakened the military to the point of no return. The history of the battles is a study in itself, but briefly, he couldn’t fight all the fronts at once and his attempt to dominate the world was finally ended.

The Germans were devastated once again. They lost 5 million of their own soldiers, 900,000 conscripted from other countries and also had as many wounded. Hundreds of thousands of German civilians died from allied bombing. At the end of the conflict, Germany was carved up into four occupation zones and the country remained split for forty-five years until East and West reunited in 1990. There are still tens of thousands of US military stationed there, eighty years later.

Today, many Americans are attracted to the allure of a strong man. They want leadership that charges forward no matter the consequences politically, legally or morally. The problem is that these men never quit when they are ahead, but press on until everyone is ruined. Take care to whom you give your power, you may not be able to get it back. Ever.