Alcocer1

PatsyAlcocer
Mrs.Housepian/Mr.Conner
English2HPeriod5
20May2016
PowerAttractsAll
Powercanbemanipulatedinmanydifferentways,butitisuptothepersonwho
possessesthatpowertodecidehowitwillbeusedfortheiradvantage.Likesomereallife
dictators,AdolfHitlerandJosephStalinbothusedtheirideologytocorruptthecitizens.
Examplesofeffectivepowerwerealsointegratedintofablesandnovelswhereleaders,like
Napoleon,thepig,wasinchargeofalloftheanimals,andchosetotakeadvantageofhis
followers.Everyleaderhasdifferentmethodstoslowlyblindandgainthetrustofthecitizens.
Powerismainlyusedeffectivelybytheleaderswhentheyimplementmodernization,use
propaganda,andperformbrutalactsuponthecitizens,creatingasufferingamongthepeople.
Leaderssecuretheirpowerbychoosingtoimplementmodernizationuponthelivesofthe
ruled.AsaresultoftheRussianRevolution,StalinwishedtotransformtheSovietUnioninto
somethingbetterthanwhattheAlliedpowerswerecapableofowning.JosephStalinthoughtof
differentproposalsthatcouldimpacttheindustriesandproductivityinthecountryandthe
variouswaysitwouldbenefithimself.AsaresultofStalinsmethodofcollectivizationthe
Peasantswereurgedtoworkinbrigades,asinindustry,toincreaseproductivity(Voron).The
peoplelackedsuffrageonthelawofworkingthatwasforceduponthem.
Thecitizensshowed
theirbestpotentialinordertoavoidthefeelingofsufferingthattheleaderswouldprovokeupon
themiftheywerenotperformingthetaskinstructedbythecommander.
Inadditiontocollective

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farmingintheSovietUnion,thefable
AnimalFarm
introducesSnowball,oneofthepigleaders,
whoproposedthebuildingofawindmillthatwouldkeeptheanimalsandespeciallythefarm
modernized:Theanimalshadneverheardofanythingofthiskind[windmill]before(forthe
farmwasanoldfashionedoneandhadonlythemostprimitivemachinery)...(Orwell64).The
animalswereastoundedthattheadvancedmachinewouldsoonbecomepartofthefarm.What
theanimalswerenotabletorealizeisthattheywentthroughlaboriousworkfullofeffortin
ordertoobtainthedesiredwindmillandsatisfyNapoleon.Evenifthecitizensoranimalsdo
accepttheactofmodernization,theyaretheonlyoneswhowillworktoreconstructtheir
countrywithoutbeingawareoftheinjusticeofforcedworkthatisbeingcommittedagainst
them.
Furthermore,thecitizenstendtolackaccurateknowledgeandinformationwhenaleader
abusestheuseofpropaganda.AdolfHitlerwastheleaderofGermanywhodiscriminatedmany
socialgroups,butwasmainlyknownforeliminatingtheJews.
Hewantedtohavetheperfect
societyinGermanyandalsowantedtorestorethecountryfromthedestructionthatWWIhad
caused.
SinceHitlerhadmanypropositionsthatwouldhelpGermany,hewasalsoseenasa
heroicicon,savingthenonJewsfromallthreatsanddangers:Nuremberg,Germany,Hitler
standinginhiscarandtouchinghandswithSAmembers,1993(Nuremberg1933).
EverybodyofthenonJewraceadmiredHitlerandhiswayofruling,whichiswhytheywentto
himandrespectedhim,likeifhewastheSaviorthattheylongedfor.
ThecitizensofGermany
trustedandreliedonHitlerbecauseheconveyedtheideaofafriendlyandhelpfulhumanthat
wasillustratedontheposters,butonlytheJewsknewhowmuchgriefandmisfortunethey
sufferedbecauseofHitlersidealoftheFinalSolution.
Likewise,inthenovel,
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byKristinHannah,whentheGermansinvadeFrance,therearemultiplebiasedpostersthatare
intendedtoinfluencetheFrench,Itwasjustpropaganda,afterall,theenemysheavyhanded
attempttoblametheJewishpeoplefortheillsoftheworld,andthiswar(Hannah93).Most
JewsofFrancewereaccustomedtowitnessingthedifferentpostersbeingdistributedthroughout
thecountry,blamingthemfortheeconomicandsocialstrugglesthatGermanywasgoing
through.
TheJewsinFrancealwayssufferedfromguiltthinkingandbelievingthattheywerethe
onlycauseforGermanysdownfall.
Thecitizenswere,inmanyways,fooledbytheleaderand
blindlyledtobelievewhattheleaderproclaimed.
Simultaneously,leadersdonotjustfindtheeasiestwaystomanipulatethepeople,they
alsotakeadvantagebyenforcingsevereactionsuponthem.JosephStalinwasknownasoneof
themostruthlessleadersinpowerduringWorldWarII.Stalinonlybelievedinacommunist
government,takingtheindependencethatahumanbeingoncepossessed.Whichiswhyduring
JosephStalinsreignintheSovietUnion,henegativelyimpactedothersviewpointsabouthim:
Stalin,ontheotherhand,usedextrememethodsandmassrepressionsatatimewhenthe
revolutionwasalreadyvictorious(Khrushchev).JosephStalinalwaysusedthemostabusive
andsupremeactionsagainsttheinnocenteventhoughtherewasnoneedforthem.Hecausedthe
people,mainlytheinnocent,tosufferfromtortureandevendeath.Moreover,inthememoir
Night,
byElieWieseltheprisonerswereforcefullydeportedtoothercampsandhadtobearwith
themercilesstreatmentagainstthem,Eliesorrowfullynarrateshisownexperience,Wereceived
nofood.Welivedonsnowittooktheplaceofbread.Thedaysresemblednights,andthenights
leftinoursoulsthedregsoftheirdarkness(Wiesel100).
Elieandtherestoftheprisonerswere
indesperatesituationswhichgeneratedthemtoresorttowardsfreezingunsanitarysnowinorder

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toconsumetheclosestthingpossibletofood.Theynolongerhadbrightsunnydays,butendless
nightsthatscarredtheirsoulsforever.
Theprisonerswereforcedtosufferfromstarvationduring
thesemournfultimes,when,unfortunately,theywereatthehandsoftheNazis.Thebrutal
actionsimplementedbyaleaderonlycauseunnecessarysufferingforthepowerless.
Effectivepowerbyleadersisusedthroughmodernization,propaganda,andbrutalacts
whichallowstheleaderstomanipulatethecitizenswiththeprodigiouspowertheytakeholdof.
Withmodernizationthecitizenssufferfromgruelingwork,propagandacreatestormentationof
selfcondemnation,andbrutalactscauseshardshipsofpainthatwillleavescarsonthehumans
fortherestoftheirlives.
Allinall,thereisnothingpleasantthatthecivilianscantakeawayfrom
beingdominatedbyaleaderwhoholdsdangerouspower.

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WorksCited
Hannah,Kristin.
TheNightingale
.St.Martin's,2015.Print.
Khrushchev,Nikita.SecretSpeech.TwentiethPartyCongressoftheCommunistPartyof
theSovietUnion.n.d.Speech.
Nuremberg,Germany.1933.HitlerStandinginhiscartouchinghandswithSAmembers.
11May2016.
http://collections.yadvashem.org/photosarchive/enus/67457.html
Orwell,George.
AnimalFarm
.NewYork:HoughtonMifflinHarcourt,1945.Print.
Voron,Maria.ShockbrigadeReapingforaBolshevikHarvest(1934).
Persuasive
Images:PostersofWarandRevolutionfromtheHooverInstitutionArchives
.
PrincetonNJ:PrincetonUniversityPress.1992.Print.
Wiesel,Elie,andMarionWiesel.
Night
.NewYork,NY:HillandWang,aDivisionofFarrar,
StrausandGiroux,1988.Print.