WWII: Leadership Styles of Allied & Axis Powers - Essay Sample

Introduction

World War II ended in 1945 after the Axis powers were defeated by the Allied Powers. To mark the end of the war, both the Axis and the Allied powers' leaders utilized different leadership styles. The common leadership styles that the leaders showed in the final year were self-courage, determination, and unity.

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At the end of World War II, leaders from the Allied powers expressed the leadership aspect of self-confidence. For example, at the beginning of World War II, the United States was reluctant in joining the war because they thought the war was a European affair. However, after Japan attacked the United States by bombing Pearl Harbor, the United States was forced to join the war against the Axis powers leading to the pacific war. For years, the United States fought together with other Allied powers against the Axis powers. However, in 1945, the leaders of the United States had gained self-confidence that they could defeat the Axis. The self-confidence of the Allied powers encouraged them to intensify the attacks against Germany and its counterparts. This expression of self-confidence of the Allied powers allowed them to win several battles such as the pacific war thus giving them the advantage of winning the war.

Additionally, by the end of World War II, the Allied power leaders were determined to end the war. Initially, the Allied powers were less aggressive compared to the Axis powers, which employed a lot of excess power to intimidate the Allied powers. However, by the end of the war, the Allied powers were prepared to bring the war into an end by being more aggressive towards the Axis powers. For instance, to defeat Japan, the United States decided to use atomic bombs in bombing two major cities in Japan. This determination of the United States and to use powerful weapons weakened the Axis powers leading to its defeat.

Another leadership aspect in the final year of World War II was unity. At the beginning of the war, Germany had made proper preparations that gave an upper hand in the war. However, at the beginning of the war, Allied powers hadn't formed a strong partnership to defeat Germany as a single force. For instance, the United States concentrated on negotiating with Japan, while Britain, France, and Russia were protecting their boundaries and neighboring countries. However, in 1944, the Allied powers had joined the force and were fighting as a single unit. The unity gave the Allied side more power to conquer and push Germany out of their territories. At the end of the war, the Axis powers were attacked in both the Eastern and western front leading to their defeat and the end of World War II. The unity leadership aspect allowed the Ailed powers to win the war easily.

Key Disadvantages of the Axis Powers

World War II was initiated by Germany, which controlled other Axis powers. The Axis felt that they were ready for the war against the Allies powers and were confident that they could win the war. However, The Axis powers faced several disadvantages that led to their defeat in 1945.

Firstly, the Axis powers lacked democratic leadership because they were controlled by Adolf Hitler who exercised a lot of dictatorships. Adolf Hitler was the main leader of the Axis powers. He did not trust either of his generals to contribute ideas that would help the Axis powers executes war plans. As such, he generated all the ideas and made the final decision on how the Axis powers would organize themselves in the war. Lack of democratic leadership among the Axis powers led to miscalculations of war plans, which overtime weakened the Axis powers leading to their defeat. For example, during the war, Hitler would refuse to give orders for the army to change positions or improve on their battle lines. Even though his generals tried to convince him, he thought his decision was the best. It was a disadvantage that the Axis powers were ruled through dictatorship making it difficult for them to win the war.

Another disadvantage of the Axis powers was that they miscalculated the involvement of the United States in the war. At the beginning of the war, the United States remained neutral because they did not want to interfere with European affairs. However, after Japan was attacked by the United States, it declared war against the Axis powers. The Axis power was forced to divide its army to fight in the Pacific war and this weakened them further. It was a disadvantage to the Axis powers for the United States to join the war because it weakened them and finally led to their defeat.

Moreover, the Axis powers lacked proper coordination of attacks. The Axis powers were divided and each of its members acted as an independent party. For instance, When Germany was invading France; Japan was busy initiating a war with the United States. The lack of coordinated attacks against the Allied powers weakened the Axis powers because they were outnumbered by the Allied powers who shared a common goal when coordinating attacks. The lack of coordinated attacks disadvantaged the Axis powers promoting their military strengths.

Bibliography

Holzwarth, Larry. 2019. "20 Mistakes The Axis Powers Made In World War II". Historycollection.Co.https://historycollection.co/20-mistakes-the-axis-powers-made-in-world-war-ii/. Accessed 24 December 2019.

Megargee, Geoffrey. 2011."BBC - History - World Wars: Hitler's Leadership Style". Bbc.Co.Uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/hitler_commander_01.shtml. Accessed 24 December 2019.

Murray, Williamson, and Allan, Reed Millett. A war to be won: fighting the Second World War. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000.

Ross, Sherwood. "How the United States Reversed Its Policy on Bombing Civilians." HUMANIST-BUFFALO- 65, no. 4 (2005)