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History, being a record of past events, holds evidence to humans’ atrocities as much as to their heroic acts. Disloyalty, deceit and cowardice are likely to be detected in history as often as self-sacrifice, chivalry, and bravery. Unlike what most people think, historical figures are not always heroes. In fact, many of these figures are said to have been psychopathic, power-obsessed, and blinded by greed and ambition. Unfortunately, examples of these cases are endless, and are not exclusively found in the history of one or a group of countries apart from others. The fact is, in the history of every nation, there is at least one leader that brought misery upon thousands of people.
One undeniable example is Adolf Hitler, who is considered still by many people to be the embodiment of evil. Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany. Besides, it was him who started World War II; a war that has profoundly influenced the 20th century man in many ways. Like World War I, it resulted in mass- destruction and devastation, only that there was one difference. World War II was characterized by being the first war in which atomic bombs were used. In just few seconds, millions of people died and entire cities were destroyed. This is of course in addition to the environmental, health, and financial problems that arose as an unfortunate consequence of such a war. Ironically, the man who started this nightmare was said to have had a poor record at school and to have left it, without completing his tuition, with an ambition to become an artist.
The real tragedy does not lie in the war itself, as much as it lies in the reasons behind it. The fact is World War II took place because of the personal ambitions of a sick person. Hitler did not feel the least guilty for having millions of people killed just to expand the area of his land and therefore, satisfy his desire of being the leader of the most powerful country in the world. He shrugged off the fact that the land he coveted belonged to others. "The attacker, “he said, "always comes up against a possessor." Of course, Hitler was defeated eventually, but this came after the death of millions of soldiers and civilians.
Greed, however, is not always the case when leaders are concerned. Some leaders are psychopathic to the extent of finding life, without massacres, unbearable. One of the many examples is Israeli Prime Minister, Arial Sharon. Arial Sharon occupied many important military and political posts. He served as a Security Adviser to Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, a Minister of Agriculture in Menachem Began’s first government, and a Defense Minister during the Lebanon War. He, then, resigned as a result of being found directly responsible for the September 1982 of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
This particular massacre is unforgettable. It resulted in the death of a very large number of innocent, unarmed, civilian Palestinians, and is, up till this moment, remembered as one of the most brutal crimes committed by Israel. But brutality became the name of the game since Sharon was elected to be the Prime Minister of Israel. The painful history, now, repeats itself everyday with Palestinians. Babies are mercilessly killed in their cradles. Women, men and children are reasonless shot while walking in the streets. Even practicing their religion became something for which Muslim Palestinians should be punished, as many of them are shot dead while praying in their mosques.
Hitler and Sharon, having as many similarities and differences as they do, are only two of the many shameful figures of human history. In every country and in every age, there existed a man who was a disgrace on history and humanity. This is, in fact, due to the instability of human nature, where good and evil, selflessness and selfishness, love and hatred, stand side by side. Faces are different, so as nationalities, languages, religions, and beliefs. Yet, the one thing that is still the same; wild, unpredictable and full of contradictions, is the human nature. That is, in my opinion, the reason why human history is not just a gallery of heroes.
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Nourhan Mohammad Aboulabbas
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