Comparing Hitler and Stalin: Certain Cultural Considerations

Abstract

There is a great temptation to compare the Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. This is true for two reasons: first, the careers of both men converged at the same point in history, thus doubling the impact both made and second, because the names Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin have become metaphors for ideologies and crimes that today are reviled. The question then arises: who was worse, Hitler or Stalin? This project shows that there is no viable, credible, definitive, or final answer to this question, and that prevailing attitudes about Hitler and Stalin have become so ingrained in contemporary society as to render any meaningful or useful comparison virtually impossible. Tragically, it might even be impossible to render a final totally objective judgment of their actions. This is the most disturbing element of this work