The saying goes that history repeats itself. Despite our best efforts to learn from the past to prevent future conflict, humans continuously find themselves in a constant cycle of peace, conflict, and war. For every current conflict or event, there is likely a precedent. Take Ancient Greece, for example. In Ancient Greece, the Greek city-states had placed their trust in Athens as the superior navy to take the lead when it came to defeating the Persians. They paid tribute in money or supplies, and allowed Athens to do whatever it took to shut down the Persian Empire. Little did they realize that the true danger was laying right under their noses. To combat the Persians, the Delian League was implemented with Athens as its head. Once the Persians were defeated, there would be no reason to keep the Delian League intact. However, despite the efforts of various city-states in Greece, the Athenians refused to allow any member to withdraw from the League once the war ended and demanded continual tribute, attacking any city-state who challenged Athens. It wasn’t unit the Spartans allied with Persia in the final Peloponnesian war that the Athens was brought to her knees.
Centuries later, we a see Germany attempt a similar stunt in its quest to conquer first Europe. Similar to the leaders of Athens, and Pericles in particular, Hitler had a talent for public speaking. He projected an image to the citizens of Germany, and the rest of the world The same way Pericles took complete control of the Athenian assembly and turned what appeared on the surface as a complete democracy into “government of the first” (Thucydides ____), so Hitler was able bring the Nazi’s to power and seize Germany without anyone batting eye. And just like it was up to the Spartans and their ally with Persia to bring down Athens tyranny, so it fell to the United States and the Allied Forces to bring down Germany.]
Looking at how these two empires we see many similarities. First and foremost, both Pericles and Hitler were phenomenal public speakers. In an article on how exactly Hitler came to gain so much power, he is described as being able to “[whip] crowds into frenzies” and “not only the Chancellor of Germany, but a beloved celebrity”. Through there charm both Hitler and Pericles were able to gain favor of the people. When looking at the actions of Athens as a whole, they were able to use the policies in place from the Delian League, such as the demand for tribute, to continue their growth as a city-state and the strongest power in Greece. This power enabled them to establish dominance over other city-states, they did not need permission to act on anything from anyone but themselves. In a slightly similar case, Hitler was able to implement the Enabling, allowing his cabinet to act without consent from parliament, making it much easier for him expand his power over the government. Both nations had a gradual and strategic rise to power, and both nations were taken down by the unified efforts of rivaling nations. On the surface, these two nations seem very different, however, if we strip away all the extra details and look at the core of what these two nations planned to accomplish and how they went about it, we see the repeating cycle of human nature in history.
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https://www.livescience.com/54441-how-hitler-rose-to-power.html
The West in the Pre-Modern World 
I liked your comparison to Hitler’s reign in Germany. It is a standout example of one person’s influence on a country/empire. To add to your comparison, there are plenty of examples of this type of leadership in history. Looking at people like Napoleon or Khrushchev and even modern day Putin, we see the idea of influence and expansionary mindsets repeatedly. While tamer and more controlled in the modern context, it is not impossible to imagine scenarios like these emerging again. Under the right influence and circumstances a dominant figure could do it. I think it was easier in premodern history because people and society we were not as developed and complex, but it is something people should look at as an example of what not to do. I think it is also interesting that the example you chose involved people who were good public speakers and well-liked by the people. As preferable as it is to have a well-like and respected leader, in most situations where a dominant figure rises to power it is because they are feared and use their military or monetary prowess to succeed. (189)
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I thought that this was an excellent example of learning from the past, as history very often repeats itself. Looking at the example of leaders, by comparing Pericles and Hitler is very applicable to us as future Navy and Marine Corps leaders, since we have to continuously consider what values we are emulating. There is nothing wrong with being a strong public speaker, and Pericles and Hitler are both examples of how influencing the power of speech can be, but what we are influencing people towards is something that we will have to regularly consider as officers. Hitler and Pericles both used nationalism, and division to move people. In his Funeral Oration, Pericles made listeners proud to be Athenians, and fueled hatred towards Spartans, with his “us vs. them” speak. Hitler took a struggling German nation after World War I and encouraged them to be proud of their nationality while blaming Jews for their misfortune. As future officers in the military, we can learn from their power of persuasion—while encouraging sailors and Marines to be proud of the country that they represent is harmless, it is harmful to fuel this pride into a dividing misbelief that it makes one better than someone else. (204)
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