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Rachael Scott
Mr. Premont
Honors 10 English
4/28/2016

World War II Argument Essay: Hitlers Downfall

One of the most horrific events that has ever occurred in history was World War Two.
Have people ever considered that it could still be a possibility today? The only reason it isnt is
because Hitler was stopped. Lets go back in time to World War One. Something new started
during that war; called total war. Governments were so desperate for more help and a better
advantage in the war that they implemented total war into their economies. Total war is when a
government takes full control of all industries, and pretty much dictates throughout the duration
of the war. Total war is when everyday civilians are affected by the war. Whether its warcentered jobs or rations, they were all involved in the fight. This method was used in almost
every country involved in WWI, including Germany (Schulz). Now fast forward twenty years to
WWII, specifically in Germany. Look, there is no total war. Hitler did not succeed in his
European conquest because he did not implement a system of total war into Germany. If he had,
WWII might still be a living nightmare.

Fortunately, this nightmare has been avoided because Hitler did not have the full
economic support of his country. Sure the Nazis had a lot of tanks and panzer divisions (large
groups of tanks, artillery, and planes), but imagine what it would have been like if every
industry/factory in Germany was making tanks, machine guns, and planes. They would have
been invincible. In the winter of 1942, Hitler sent Germans to invade Russia; and they were

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confident that they could do it. After reaching the city of Stalingrad, they were encircled by the
Russians, starved, and almost completely destroyed (Battle of Stalingrad, History.com). The
entire German Sixth Army of 300,000 men was lost (Spielvogel 794). A few more tanks could
have led to Nazi success. Russia may have been taken over, and eventually, every other European
country. We might still be living in a Germany ruled, cruel and fearful world. How would you
like it if Hitler and his followers were still dictators over you? If all of Germany had been
involved in the war, they might have had a chance. We should all be grateful that Hitler made
this huge mistake.

If it was such a big mistake, why did Hitler choose to not use total war? Hitler believed
that if he made life better and more enjoyable for the German civilians, than they would be even
more supportive of him. He did not want them to bear the strains of war, and to have to be
involved in it (Schulz). He was trying to boost the German economy, which was badly damaged
after WWI because of the peace treaty made then. Called the Treaty of Versailles, it was made by
Britain, France, and Italy (the winning nations); with Germany as the loser. Germany was forced
to pay war reparations (or the debt costs) of all the other countries involved in WWI. Their army
was reduced, and their land taken away. Because of these restrictions, Germanys economy was
destroyed, making their money worthless. The only way they came out of those horrible
conditions was through the leadership of Hitler. He gave them what they wanted and made them
strong again. He thought that if the people still had factories that made refrigerators, washing
machines, and other basic essentials, then they would be happier than if all that was being made
were war supplies (Schulz).

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Was Hitler right in his assumptions that the Germans would be happier? Perhaps they
would have been excited to drive all their effort into bringing Germany to victory. But according
to Jackson Spielvogel in Western Civilization, the German people were worried that this war
would further devastate Germany. Hitler was most likely aware of their concerns, so he tried to
assure them by making them as comfortable as possible. Of course, he only did this for the
pure Germans; everyone else was treated poorly. Hitler had to gauge between keeping the
people happy and creating a full war economy. He was probably aware of the benefits of total
war. It can quickly and extensively grow an economy by providing jobs for many, and was
beneficial if you wanted to unite your people, because they would already be fighting and
working together for the same cause. But he deemed their comfort and positive support of him
more important.

If total war can be useful, then Hitlers biggest disadvantage was not using total war in
Germany during WWII. Why is this important? If he had, Germany would have been stronger,
and he may have been able to fulfill his desires of European/World domination, and the
extermination of inferior races (according to the Nazis), such as Jews, Gypsies, and Slavics
(Spielvogel 801). Almost every German would have been involved. He would have had more
soldiers and military supplies. The whole world should be infinitely relieved that Hitler did not
become this powerful, and destroy life as we know it. If Hitler had won the war, we would still
be suffering today. Germany might literally rule the world, and the Jews and inferior races
could be extinct. Even without the use of total war Hitler was drastically damaging Europe and
defeating others; imagine what it would have been like if he had used total war. So those of us

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that live good, free lives should all be grateful that Hitler made his biggest mistake--not making
full use of total war.

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Works Cited

Battle of Stalingrad. History.com. 2009. Web. April 14, 2016.

Schulz, Tiffany. AP European Class. Fremont High School, Room 216, Plain City, UT. March
2016. Lecture.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization. Canada: Clark Baxter, 2006. Print.