hitler stanford essay

Stanford Essays Examples

Stanford essays examples – introduction.

Located in sunny California, Stanford is a top choice school for many students. In this guide, we’ll look at the Stanford supplemental essays. Then, we’ll review some Stanford essays examples and discuss how they can help you write your own Stanford essay.

Stanford is ranked as one of the best colleges in the US , and for good reason. Students are in control of their learning, whether that means exploring STEM research opportunities or double majoring thanks to Stanford’s quarter system .

It’s no surprise that with Stanford’s popularity, it is a hard school to get into. According to US News, the Stanford acceptance rate is just 4%. The Stanford acceptance rate also ranks Stanford among the most selective schools, so receiving a Stanford acceptance letter is no small feat. 

As you begin the Stanford application process, it can be helpful to review Stanford essays that worked. Then, you can apply the tools from these Stanford essays examples to your own writing.

Our guide to the Stanford essays examples will include:

• The number of Stanford essays to expect on the application
• What matters to you and why Stanford essay examples
• Stanford roommate essay examples, and more!

How many essays does Stanford require?

There are eight required stanford supplemental essays for 2022-23 applicants ..

While eight Stanford essays may seem like a lot, remember that not all the Stanford essays are full-length essays, like the two-to-five-page essays you write for class or the 650-word personal statement you will write for the Common Application. Your Stanford essays help the admissions team get to know you. 

Before we dive into some Stanford supplemental essays examples, let’s think about the Stanford essay prompts. Unlike other schools that only require applicants to write one or two supplemental essays , Stanford requires students to answer multiple short answer and short essay prompts.

Put simply, your Stanford essays help the admissions team learn about you on your own terms.  Just wait until you read our Stanford roommate essay examples – how many college applications ask you to write a letter to your future roommate?

There are two types of Stanford essays: short answer and short essay. 

Stanford short answer.

Short answer Stanford essays can only be 50 words max , so they are only a few sentences long. As you’ll see in our Stanford supplemental essays examples, 50 words is not a lot of space. When answering the short answer Stanford essays, you’ll need to learn how to use your words carefully to make a clear and memorable impact on your reader.

Before you’ve read some Stanford essays examples, you may think these types of Stanford essays don’t allow students much room to express their thoughts and ideas. Later, when we look at Stanford essays that worked, you’ll see just how creative you can be when answering the short answer Stanford essays.

Stanford Short Essay

The short essays are slightly longer. These Stanford essays are between 100 and 250 words long , so you can expect these Stanford essays prompts to be more comprehensive than the short answer prompts. As you read our why Stanford essay examples, note that they fall into this category. Instead of being quick snapshots, the Stanford essays that worked will have more of a narrative , taking the reader through a beginning, middle, and end.

No matter if you are responding to the short essay or short answer Stanford essays, make sure you answer the prompts completely. As the admissions team reviews your Stanford essays, they’ll quickly notice whether you successfully answer the prompt . That means if there is a “what” and “why” section of the prompt, your Stanford essay should thoroughly address both.

By now, you’re probably ready to get into some Stanford essays that worked. First, let’s take a look at the prompts behind our Stanford supplemental essays examples.

What are the Stanford essay prompts?

Next up is the Stanford essay prompts. As previously mentioned, Stanford supplemental essays are two lengths: up to 50 words or 100-250 words. 

Since the Stanford essays are so short, you might think they matter less. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Stanford is a prestigious and selective school. So, Stanford Admissions will expect your most thoughtful and well-executed responses to their questions.

Currently, there are three Stanford short essays (100-250 words) and five short answer Stanford essay prompts (50 words max). These prompts are subject to change each year, so make sure you’ve done your research and found the most up-to-date prompts on Stanford’s application and essays page for first-year applicants and transfer applicants .

Note that some of the Stanford essay examples in this guide are from previous admissions cycles. This means that your Stanford application may ask you to complete a slightly different prompt than you’ll see in our Stanford essays examples. While some of the examples included in this guide may not reflect the current Stanford essay prompts, they can still help you complete your Stanford application.

The short answer Stanford supplemental essay prompts (50 words max) include:

• What is the most significant challenge that society faces today?
• How did you spend your last two summers?
• What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed?
• Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family.
• Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford.

The longer Stanford supplemental essay prompts (100-250 words) include:

• The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.
• Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why.
• Virtually all of Stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate – and us – know you better.

Before we dive into the Stanford essays examples we’ve provided below, let’s start thinking about what it takes to write a great Stanford essay.

How do I write a good Stanford essay?

Just like there is no easy answer to how to get into Stanford, there is no easy answer to how to write a good Stanford essay. Our Stanford supplemental essays examples are all as different and unique as the students that wrote them. You’ll especially notice this once we start looking at Stanford essays that worked (like our what matters to you and why Stanford essay examples). While these Stanford essay examples all respond to the same prompt, each is unique.

That being said, when you look at different Stanford essays examples, you’ll start to notice they have some things in common. All of our Stanford essays examples clearly and concisely answer all aspects of the prompt. They do so in an engaging and specific voice that reflects some element of the writer’s character. This may include their creativity, humor, intellect, or values.

Overall, good Stanford essays examples will reflect positively on who a student is and why they’d be a good fit for Stanford. Part of Stanford’s vision is making a difference, so don’t be afraid to keep that in mind when reviewing our Stanford essays examples.

Stanford Essay Examples

Now, let’s jump into our Stanford supplemental essays examples. Rather than showing you a random collection of Stanford essays, we are focusing on Stanford essays that worked. Each of these Stanford essay examples is well executed . Each of these Stanford essay examples takes a strong approach to the prompts and shows a clear sense of identity and perspective.

First, we’ll take a look at some short answer Stanford supplemental essays examples. Then, we’ll move on to the longer Stanford essay examples, including our Stanford roommate essay examples and our what matters to you and why Stanford essay examples. 

Stanford Essays Examples- Short Answers

What is the most significant challenge that society faces today (50 words), stanford essay examples #1:.

The deterioration of political and personal empathy. There’s been an aggressive devaluing of inclusive mindsets and common ground rules—the kind of solidarity of purpose necessary to accommodate divergent viewpoints, respect evidence, share burdens, and tackle national/international emergencies like climate change and immigration. We are fumbling—in backwards tribalism—while the world burns.

Stanford Essay Examples #2:

Where’s Waldo books. 

By searching for Waldo, we subconsciously teach children that certain people aren’t meant to belong–they are meant to be hunted. Our brains may be hardwired to notice people who are different, but we are instructed to treat those people differently. 

Searching for Waldo must be consciously unlearned. 

Stanford Essay Examples #3:

Ignorance poses a paradoxical issue: we can’t solve a problem that we don’t know exists.

For fifteen years, I heard gentrification and thought humanitarian. The Oxford English Dictionary had even taught me that gentrification means “positive change.” How can such atrocities become noticed when our perceptions are so skewed?

Stanford Essay Examples #4:

Greed. The root of all evil. To make momentous strides towards improving societal conditions, people and corporations must put aside their greed. Unfortunately, greed – the deep, dark desire for power and money – is the dominant force at work in many aspects of society, making it society’s most significant challenge.

These Stanford essays examples are powerful. Each of these Stanford essays examples is also unique. In each response, the writer uses the prompt to showcase their core values and beliefs. 

You might be surprised how much these Stanford essay examples are able to contain in just 50 words. While this prompt does not contain two separate parts asking “what” and “why,” the above Stanford essays that worked answered both parts anyway. All four Stanford essay examples start by clearly naming the challenge (“deterioration of political and personal empathy,” “Where’s Waldo books,” “ignorance,” and “greed”), then explaining why it is a challenge or what this challenge keeps us from.

Next, let’s look at more Stanford essays that worked for other short answer prompts.

How did you spend your last two summers? ( 50 words )

Stanford essays that worked #1.

Learned to drive; internship in Silicon Valley (learned to live alone and cook for myself!); a government Honors program; wrote articles for a publication; lobbied at the Capitol; attended a young writers’ program; read a whole lot.

Stanford Essays that Worked #2

My goal: Adventure

2015: Moved from North Carolina to Texas (mission trip to Birmingham, Alabama in between), vacationed in Orlando.

2016: Pre-college math program in Boston, engineering program at another university, Ann Arbor, mission trip to Laredo, Texas, vacation to northern California including the lovely Palo Alto.

These two Stanford essay examples are snapshots that capture your life outside of school . Both of these Stanford essay examples choose to forego typical sentence structures for a more abbreviated, list-type presentation. This can give you room to include more experiences from your summers.

While these two Stanford essays examples are good, these Stanford essays examples aren’t the end-all be-all for this type of prompt. To improve your response, you might sneak in a “why” element to your answer. 

You might not wish to just list what activities you did over the summer , as this may repeat the kind of information found in an extracurricular or resume portion of your application. So, try to touch on what you learned or how you grew from these activities.

The second of our Stanford essay examples does this well by framing up their experiences into a unified goal: adventure. We then learn more about this student by the fact that adventure to them means exploring STEM topics and giving back to their church community. 

What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? ( 50 words )

Stanford essay examples #1.

Valentina Tereshkova’s 1963 spaceflight. Tereshkova’s skill, grit, and persistence carried her from working in a textile factory, through grueling tests and training, to becoming the first woman to fly solo in space. Her accomplishment remains symbolic of women’s empowerment and the expanded progress that’s possible with equity in STEM opportunities.

Stanford Essay Examples #2

In 2001, Egyptian authorities raided a gay nightclub, arresting 55 men. The prosecutors tried them under fujur laws—initially passed by Egyptian nationalists to counter British ‘immorality’ during colonization. 

Watching the prosecution construct homosexuality as un-Egyptian would illustrate the extent anti-Western sentiment drove homophobia and how similar anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric remains today. 

Stanford Essay Examples #3

Most definitely Paganini’s legendary one-stringed performance; one-by-one, his violin strings snapped mid-performance until he was left with only the G-string. Being Paganini, he simply continued to play flawlessly all on that single string!

Stanford Essay Examples #4

Change does not happen without courage. I wish I could have witnessed the courage it took for the four A&T students sit in at the Woolworth’s counter in my hometown. I want to see the light overcoming darkness that created a change to last forever.

These Stanford essays examples show what each writer cares about. They also illustrate how these students connect with the world around them. In each of the above Stanford essays examples, the reader learns more about what the writers are passionate about as well as what they value: perseverance, courage, justice, and beauty.

While these are not exactly why Stanford essay examples, they do showcase what kind of revolutionary or impactful work you might dream of accomplishing with your Stanford education. Never underestimate the opportunity to layer meaning into your essays. Each of these Stanford supplemental essays examples use an external event to show something about an individual student. 

What five words best describe you? (5 words)

Stanford essays #1.

Speak up. Take action. Together.

Stanford Essays #2

Peter Parker meets Atticus Finch

Stanford Essays #3

The light of the world

Although these are the shortest of the Stanford essays examples, they are perhaps the most difficult to write. Summing yourself up in five words is no easy task. Each of these Stanford essays examples takes a different approach, whether that is a few small sentences, a cross of characters, or a poetic line.

When the choice is yours, what do you read, listen to, or watch? (50 words)

Read: The New York Times, Vox, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Quora. Favorite authors include Siddhartha Mukherjee, Atul Gawande, Dushka Zapata, and Zora Neale Hurston. 

Listen: This American Life, The Daily, Radiolab, Invisibilia, U.S. and French pop. 

Watch: The Good Place, Brooklyn 99, YouTube science, baking, and fingerstyle guitar videos.

Read—an unhealthy number of self-help books, re-reading Just Kids by Patti Smith, every one of Audre Lorde’s books… 

Listen to—Danez Smith’s slam poetry (my personal favorite? Dinosaurs in the Hood), Still Woozy, Invisibilia… 

Watch—all the television I was forbidden from watching when I was twelve, POSE, ContraPoints, YouTubers criticizing ContraPoints… 

Read: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, The Wendigo, How To Write an Autobiographical Novel, Night Sky With Exit Wounds, Brainpickings.org weekly newsletter

Listen: Shostakovich, Lauv, Atlas, 20-hour-rain soundtrack on Spotify 

Watch: Avatar, Forrest Gump, Schindler’s List, Hachi (if in the mood to cry), any Marvel movie!

These Stanford essays examples showcase each writer’s interests and influences. They highlight intellectual media where appropriate, but they also remain honest. As you write your own Stanford essays, remember to stay authentic. 

Name your favorite books, authors, films, and/or artists. (50 words)

Stanford essay that worked.

I love literature and art that helps me explore my roots and learn to love myself. These works and authors include: The Color Purple, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Maya Angelou, Day of Tears, Hope for the Flowers, and Langston Hughes.

This essay is very similar to the Stanford essays examples above. It gives the reader a sense of this student’s interests and shows what they might engage with on Stanford’s campus. 

What newspapers, magazines, and/or websites do you enjoy? (50 words)

Stanford essays that worked.

I enjoy newspapers and magazines that enable me to learn something everyday. I like National Geographic because it lets me learn more about science. Once it even inspired me to do a self directed project on albatrosses. I also enjoy The Economist as it gives me a well rounded view of today’s politics and economics.

This essay is another of the “content” Stanford essays examples. This prompt, however, asks students to articulate the sites and sources where they turn to find content. 

Unlike our other Stanford supplemental essays examples, this example limits itself to two sources. Generally, we wouldn’t recommend essentially repeating the prompt, as this essay does in its first sentence. Instead, jump right into your details and specifics, and utilize that extra space to tie in something more valuable.

What were your favorite events (e.g., performances, exhibits, competitions, conferences, etc.) in recent years? (50 words)

“December 24th, 9pm, Eastern Standard time.” Rent began. I was sitting in between my best friends. We were losing circulation in our hands from holding on too tight and washing off our make-up with our tears. I felt an immense sense of harmony with the play and it was fantastic.

This is another variation of the above Stanford essays examples. This prompt, however, focuses on events. The narrative quality drops you right into the moment, which says so much about how this writer felt about the performance by showing an action rather than only explaining with words.

Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford. ( 50 words )

I live by my motto: “Dare!” in all instances of Truth or Dare.

Apparently, so do the students who brave Secret Snowflake. It spotlights what I love most, Truth or Dare minus the truth. Will I attempt to break the jalapeno eating record? Hop into The Claw in sub-zero temperatures? 

One of the reasons this “why Stanford essay example” works so well is its specificity. The level of detail included in this “why Stanford essay example” shows that this writer has done research into what Stanford has to offer. This highlights their enthusiasm and dedication to Stanford over another top college. 

If you aren’t able to take an in-person tour to visit the campus, there are plenty of ways to learn more about Stanford and its campus culture. We have countless webinars to help you get a sense of what life at Stanford is like. Check out our virtual college tour , Stanford University panel , and our How to get into Stanford: My Admissions Journey series to learn more about Stanford.

Imagine you had an extra hour in the day — how would you spend that time? (50 words)

I’d split my hour two ways, investing time in my own wellbeing and in others. Half I’d spend baking treats for friends, which would double as a personal gift, since I find baking—like running—relaxing and restorative. The second half I’d spend answering Quora questions—something I’ve been meaning to pay forward.

At eight, I dreamed of becoming a YouTuber, documenting life in rectangular video. Each year, this dream drew further from reach.

With extra time, I’d retrieve what time stole. Creating comedic skits or simply talking about my day, I’d pursue what I value most—making others laugh and capturing beautiful moments.

These Stanford essays examples show how some prompts are more open-ended than others. There’s an infinite number of possibilities you could explore with more time. However, both of these Stanford essays examples discuss something the writer values. Making others laugh, and giving to others—these are traits of people who will likely want to build community with their peers on campus.

Stanford Supplemental Essay Examples – Short Essays

The stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (250 words), stanford essays examples:.

From my earliest days, I have been a storyteller. I have imagined futuristic worlds where climate change has turned plants carnivorous, or where simulation technology has allowed us to learn history by experiencing it. But of all of these worlds that I write into stories, there is one in particular that captivates me:

“Which face should I get? I’m debating between these two, but I think I like the nasal bridge on this one more.”

In this futuristic world, people shop for faces that can be affixed with a head transplant. The people simply browse through a catalog and choose from the available options in the way we might shop for wedding cakes. Following the transplant procedure, one’s previous head is added to the catalog for purchase by the next buyer. 

The idea seems completely bizarre.

That is, until we begin to more carefully consider the present. On Earth, beauty sways society, leading to the emergence of cosmetic surgery as one of the fastest-growing industries. Here, rapid scientific advancement trumps every earthly limitation, and scientists have recently completed the first successful head transplant on a monkey. 

These considerations coalescing, my bizarre idea suddenly comes to life. What is to say that, in 100 years or so, we won’t break the barriers of cosmetic limitations and wear a head that we weren’t born with? The idea terrifies me, but perhaps that is why I am so drawn to it: Science eliminates limitations. It is already eliminating the “fiction” in my “science fiction.”

Many of our other Stanford essays examples explicitly answer the prompt in the opening line. This essay, however, begins by revealing a broader truth about the writer: that they are a storyteller. This is something they embody throughout their essay, allowing the reader to imagine what the writer was like as a child before plunging them into a futuristic idea of their own.

They then connect this with the real-world science that connects to this broader idea. This grounds their interest and imagination with something going on in our world. By the end of the first of our short Stanford supplemental essays examples, we understand that this individual has passions across multiple disciplines. This essay merges science and literature to create a vivid picture of who the writer is and how they’d contribute to Stanford’s campus. 

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development. (250 words)

“Indefinita eres.” Latin for “you are limitless.” I believe that we are all limitless. That with passion, hard work, and resilience almost any dream can be accomplished. And I have a lot of dreams.

My entire life, except for the two years I wanted to be Hannah Montana, I have strived to help others. My dream is to be a leader in bioengineering, shaping and contributing to the forefront of bioengineering research, in order to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Through my endless passion for math, science, and engineering, combined with my resilience and collaborative abilities, I know I will be able to accomplish this.

I have countless other dreams and aspirations as well. I started Latin in 6th grade and I was terrible at it. I decided I would become a “Latin master” to lay a foundation for Spanish fluency in college. I studied hard for four years and by my sophomore year I was extremely honored to earn a silver medal in the Latin III National Latin Exam. I want to run a half marathon (after my sprint triathlon, of course). Through dedication and discipline I have worked from barely being able to run to morning 7 mile runs and will be at 13.1 by April 2nd for the Big D half marathon.

Like other Stanford supplemental essays examples, this piece showcases how much information and personality you can fit into a single essay. This writer chose to focus on an idea versus an experience, which allowed them to talk about multiple moments of growth and perseverance and their variety of passions.

Great Stanford supplemental essays examples will make the most of any prompt. So long as you answer the prompt completely, don’t be afraid to pull together different moments of your life. Just make sure you have a through line to keep everything focused and connected!

Stanford Roommate Essay Examples

Virtually all of stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate – and us – know you better. (250 words), stanford roommate essay examples #1.

In the spirit of inaugurating the life-long relationship I hope we’ll build this year, let me tell you a little about myself.

Hi, I’m Tom. I’m the second child of a comically over-optimistic refugee mother (my Vietnamese name translates, literally, to “celestial being”) and a proud Kentuckian with a deep passion for student-driven advocacy. I have two parents, two stepparents, a nineteen-year-old sister (a junior in Product Design, here, at Stanford), a three-year-old half-sister, two cats, one dog, and a complicated life that spans two households. So, I’m used to sharing space and managing shifting schedules.

I’ve also always been the “Mom” friend. To me, the little things—a chocolate chip cookie when I know a friend has a rough day ahead, words of encouragement before a big presentation, or staying up late to explain a tough physics problem—mean the most. I’ll be there when you need me—be it studying for tests or navigating personal challenges.

I recycle incessantly and am known to snatch cans out of the trash, wash them, and relocate them to neighboring blue bins. I keep a regular sleep schedule, rarely going to bed past midnight or waking up later than 8:30. I’m averse to gyms, opting instead to go for runs in the morning or follow along to a YouTube workout in the afternoon. 

I’m passionate, but also even-keeled. I think life is best taken in stride—worrying has never gotten me anywhere, but flexibility has taken me everywhere. I look forward to an awesome year!

Stanford Roommate Essay Examples #2

Dear Roomie, 

Some disclaimers before we room together: 

1. If I arrive before you, don’t be alarmed by the tissue boxes everywhere. My parents made the conscious decision to expand our cat population despite (or because of) my allergies, and my four cats probably ambushed my suitcase while I was packing. So don’t be surprised if I invite you to one-too-many games of Exploding Kittens. It’s me projecting my fantasies, so please indulge me.

2. Whenever you open a Google Doc around me, change the font to Georgia or Cambria (my personal favorites). If you’re a seasoned Arial user, you’re likely mindlessly going along with what everyone else is doing—I get it. But Arial is objectively a bad font; the only acceptable time to use Arial is if you’re being passive aggressive… and even then, just use comic sans… (Criticizing people’s font choices is only half my personality, I promise.) 

3. You’ll see me embarrassing myself around campus by flailing on the dance floor, doing improv, or in drag, and I hope to see the same from you. I want to get excited about everything you’re passionate about– interests I’ve probably never even thought about before. 

When I’m armed with a bottle of Zyrtec, being my roommate isn’t all bad. I’ll bring copious amounts of Peach Snapple bottles, probably enough to last the semester. You can take as many bottles as you want, so long as you leave me the Snapple “Facts”…. I’m an avid collector. 

Stanford Roommate Essay Examples #3

Hey Roomie! Yesterday was insane. I still can’t quite get over the energy in that stadium after that final play. I guess Berkeley couldn’t take back the axe to cut down these Trees!

I’m writing you this since I have an 8:30 Syntax and Morphology with Dr. Gribanov. I know, it’s early, but that class is honestly worth waking up for. Last Friday, he spent the entire period rambling about why regardless and irregardless are the same thing, but responsible and irresponsible aren’t. Just a fun little thought to start your day.

I’m also writing you this as a quick apology. I won’t be back from Mock Trial until late evening, and then I’ll be practicing for Stanford Symphony auditions. So, if you hear cacophonous noises in your sleep, it’s most likely me. Plus, it’s Mahler Symphony No. 1, so you might not sleep much anyway. Kidding.

These next few days are jam-packed, but I’m craving some much-needed bonding time! I have a proposal: how does a jam session this Friday at Terman Fountain sound? I’ll bring the guitar and plenty of oldies sheet music, you just gotta bring a snack and the desire to sing! I’ve sold a few people already. Join us?

Well, I’m headed to breakfast now. Text me if you want me to grab you anything.

Stanford Roommate Essay Examples #4

Dear Roomie,

Tupac Shakur is not dead. You might believe that he is, because yes, his body is buried somewhere. But many of his messages are still very much alive. So future roomie, if we are going to be as close as I hope (and if you see me rapping “Life Goes On” in my Star Wars pajamas), you should know this about me:

As a biracial person, I have felt extremely troubled for the past few years regarding the social inequalities and injustices in our society. 2PAC says in his song “Changes,” “I’m tired of bein’ poor and even worse I’m black.” He says “I see no changes.”

I want to change this. I want Tupac’s spirit to behold a United States in which everyone has equal access to education and to healthcare. A U.S. where no one is discriminated against based on their race, gender, sexuality, or religion. I have already begun working towards equality, through educational outreach and political volunteerism. I will continue this at Stanford, through participating in peaceful protests and spreading awareness of the issues at hand. This might mean you’ll notice me coming and going a lot or going on frustrated rants about the ignorance and injustices in our society and our world. However, I hope you’re a person who will not only understand my perspective but be willing to march towards equality with me.

I am so excited for this year and the many years to come!

As noted in our Stanford Essays Guide , the Stanford roommate essay shows up nearly every year. These Stanford roommate essay examples show how fun a prompt like this can be to answer. Each of our Stanford roommate essay examples takes a slightly different approach. Some students write from the perspective of already attending Stanford; others opt for a list of important need-to-know facts.

The Stanford roommate essay examples show how open-ended this prompt actually is. If, after reading our Stanford roommate essay examples, you feel like you have no idea what to write about, know that there is no perfect recipe for responding to this prompt. Each of our Stanford roommate essay examples has a unique quality and flair.

A good rule of thumb you can take from our Stanford roommate essay examples is to remember who your audience is. Some essays touch on classic roommate topics, like sleep schedules, activities, and sharing snacks. However, the writer only includes these facts as a means of showing who they are. 

What Matters to You and Why Stanford Essay Examples

What matters to you, and why (250 words), ‘what matters to you and why’ stanford essay examples:.

“You’re stupid!!” exclaimed James. “Well you’re ugly!” shouted Ethan. We were sitting around the dinner table and my brothers, as usual, were bickering. After about two minutes of this, my dad broke into song. He sang, in a mostly on pitch falsetto, “what the world needs now, is love sweet love.” My brothers, my mom and I all rolled our eyes, but of course we kept singing. Then we sang “All you need is love” and “I’ll be there.” After years of this constant playlist, during laundry, dinners, and hikes, I realized what truly matters to me: love.

Love is what makes my life worth living. Whether it be love of my family, of my friends, of my activities, or of my future it makes me excited to get up and start my day. The sense of harmony I feel when dancing in the car with my family, or painting with my friends, or working with my team on our solar car is indescribably fulfilling. Through playing ukelele and singing with my family to working diligently in a lab to create a process that will alleviate the pain of another person, I will have the love that is of utmost importance to me. I will fill my life and the lives of others with love and harmony.

The last of our Stanford supplemental essays examples shows just how honest and vulnerable you can be in your essays. This essay does a great job of showing rather than telling. It gives us a great example of what love looks like to this student and how love continues to be the most important thing in their life.

How to write Stanford Supplemental Essays: 5 Tips!

1. start early.

If you’re worried about getting your Stanford essays up to par with these Stanford essays examples, don’t leave them to the last second. Begin by familiarizing yourself with the Stanford prompts and reviewing our Stanford supplemental essays examples. This can be the first step in your writing process. Next, start brainstorming topics and ideas you can start incorporating into your drafts.

2. Keep an idea journal

Now that you’ve reviewed different Stanford supplemental essay examples and have read Stanford essays that worked, it’s time to get brainstorming. Try writing down the main topics of each Stanford essay prompt, like “roommates,” “important experiences,” or “content I like.” Have a place where you can write down all your ideas as soon as they come to you. That way, when it comes time to start drafting your Stanford essays, you’ll have plenty of ideas.

3. Think outside the box

If you’re having trouble coming up with an answer to one of the Stanford essay prompts, don’t worry. Remember our “what matters to you and why Stanford essay examples?” These questions are at the core of what Stanford admissions is looking for. You’ll include traces of them in every Stanford essay you write regardless of which prompt you answer.

4. Consider what Stanford Admissions will take away from your Stanford essays

For instance, think about the Stanford roommate essay examples. While the prompt asked students to direct their attention to their future roommate. Remember your reader will be coming in with the perspective of an admissions officer, not your potential future roommate. While this may seem like the space to offer up fun, random facts about yourself and your interests, consider how the characteristics you choose to highlight build upon other aspects of your application and Stanford essays.

5. Draft, edit, rewrite, edit, and edit again

These Stanford supplemental essays examples weren’t written overnight. You can’t expect to produce Stanford essays as engaging and effective as our Stanford essay examples unless you put in enough time and effort. Remember, our Stanford essays examples are final drafts. Make sure you get your first draft down on paper as soon as you can so you have plenty of time to edit, proofread, and finalize your essays.

Stanford Essay Examples- Final Thoughts

Applying to Stanford can feel overwhelming, especially given the low Stanford acceptance rate. If Stanford is your dream school , you should do all you can to ensure your Stanford essays shine.  

If you’re looking for answers on how to get into Stanford, think carefully about every aspect of the Stanford application. Knowing the requirements for the Stanford application will be much more helpful than worrying about the Stanford acceptance rate.

Focus on what you can control

So, focus on the parts of the Stanford admissions process you can control, like your responses to the Stanford essay prompts. Understanding the prompts, then looking at Stanford essays that worked, can give you a sense of what Stanford admissions looks for when reviewing applications. Then, you can take the lessons and learnings from Stanford essay examples and incorporate them into your own essays.

Take a look at our how to get into Stanford guide for more tips on the Stanford application process. We discuss how Stanford Admissions reviews applications, the Stanford acceptance rate, the interview process, and more strategies on how to get into Stanford.

As you begin working on your Stanford essays, feel free to look back on these Stanford essays examples. Rather than using them as a shining example you need to model your own Stanford essay after, think about why they worked, the impact they had on you, and how you can incorporate those techniques into your own essay. So remember, get started early, and good luck.

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Is this Hitler essay good?

<p>I have no idea if this essay I found on APstudynotes even real or not. Apparently they got accepted and the moderators say confirm that no essay is posted until proof of admission is shown. That person basically threatened Stanford with a genocide. What do you guys think of the essay? I think it’s a complete joke. </p>

<p><a href=“ Top 41 Stanford Admissions Essays - Study Notes ”> http://www.apstudynotes.org/stanford/hitler-essay/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt ;

<p>I like this comment from the website:

<p> It is OK to post a link, and it is OK to excerpt snippets from copyrighted material. It is not OK to reprint copyrighted material, which I assume this is, in whole. Therefore a post that had the entire essay was deleted - FC </p>

<p>I doubt it’s real tbh. The funniest part is: ‘Whatever it is, when you are making the decision of my admission, just remember you just might be changing the course of history’. I definitely don’t think Stanford would find that threat funny. </p>

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Nazi propaganda.

On March 12, 1938, the German army moved into Austria to annex the country. To justify the annexation, Hitler called for a public vote on whether the unification should stand. On April 10, 1938, Germans and Austrians voted overwhelmingly in favor of the  Anschluss . In this lesson, students analyze and compare three different forms of propaganda that influenced the vote – a speech delivered by Hitler, a campaign poster, and a voting ballot.

[Lesson Plan updated on 11/07/14.] 

Image: 1938 Nazi referendum poster. From the  Nazi Propaganda Archive .

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The Outcome of Influence: Hitler’s American Model and Transnational Legal History

117 Michigan Law Review 1179 (2019).

17 Pages Posted: 13 May 2019

Mary L. Dudziak

Emory University School of Law

Date Written: April 29, 2019

James Q. Whitman’s powerful book, Hitler’s American Model: The United States and the Making of Race Law, offers a chilling example of the way the United States can negatively influence the world. This review essay sets the book within the context of foreign relations history and transnational legal history. I first trace Whitman’s careful examination of Nazi uses of American law. His evidence of direct and substantial Nazi discussion of U.S. law when writing the Nuremburg Laws makes his core claim indisputable that American law was a model for the Nazis. Whitman shows that Nazi law sometimes did not go as far as American law due to foreign relations concerns. I argue that attention to Nazi foreign policy history would deepen this history, helping to explain how and when foreign criticism led Germany to modify its approach to race law. Hitler’s ultimate goal was the expansion of German power, not the maintenance of a positive German image, so any moderation in the Nuremberg Laws due to foreign criticism was likely tied to specific goals, like the importance of particular trade relations to Hitler’s goal to expand Germany. Finally, the essay sets Hitler’s American Model within the broader history of the international impact of domestic law. The foreign relations impact of U.S. race discrimination provides an illuminating comparison because foreign criticism played a different role than the German experience. Negative international reaction to American racism during the early Cold War years led American leaders to believe that civil rights reform was essential to protecting the U.S. global image, which mattered to maintaining American Cold War leadership. In comparison, Nazi concerns may have been tied to efforts to build up their arms industry as a means of enabling German power. Comparing the two examples can illuminate the varied relationships between domestic law and international affairs. The international role of domestic law is not limited to the borrowing of legal texts, and the transnational promotion of legal norms. Domestic law can also be an aspect of a nation’s diplomacy. The essay suggests questions for future scholars to pursue, and includes in the footnotes concrete ideas and resources for researching the transnational history of domestic law.

Keywords: legal history, comparative law, transnational, international, Germany, German, Nazi, anti-semitism, race, civil rights

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Mary L. Dudziak (Contact Author)

Emory university school of law ( email ).

1301 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30322 United States

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Peterson on Weinberg, 'Germany, Hitler, and World War II: Essays in Modern German and World History'

Gerhard L. Weinberg. Germany, Hitler, and World War II: Essays in Modern German and World History. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. vi + 347 pp. $27.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-521-47407-8.

Reviewed by Agnes F. Peterson (Stanford University) Published on H-German (September, 1995)

For historians, students, archivists, and the general public, it is good to have at hand this compact volume of essays by one of the great experts on the history of Germany and the Second World War. While the author was working for fourteen years on his magisterial history of World War II, A World at Arms (1994), he also found time and energy for a series of widely varied and very challenging essays, each of which gives a novel and nonhackneyed point of view on an old and familiar problem. In fact these essays are so illuminating and have been so well received that copies of the volume disappeared immediately after its initial appearance and a new printing had to be arranged.

Though most of the essays have appeared as articles and conference papers over the past three decades, the author has revised them to reflect both new scholarship and new access to archival sources. References are sensibly provided at the bottom of the pages and are therefore easily accessible. Weinberg divides the volume into four parts: "Background," "The Nazi System," "The Background for War," and "World War II." Surprisingly all of the essays fit nicely into these categories despite the fact that the author wrote them at different and nonsequential times. It would go beyond the limits of this review to comment individually on each of the twenty-three essays in a meaningful way, but several particularly seminal ones deserve extensive mention.

The first group of essays includes a discussion of the German defeat of 1918 and an assessment of the Versailles Peace Treaty, which has been incorrectly maligned in the author's view. Weinberg does not consider the treaty to have been particularly harsh or unreasonable; instead he reasons that the parochialism that gripped Germany persuaded its inhabitants that they alone were suffering and that an unjust peace had been imposed on them. Since the Germans had never envisaged the possibility of losing the war, defeat came as an especially bitter shock. Also included in this group of essays is "The World Through Hitler's Eyes" which originally appeared in The Foreign Policy of Hitler's Germany (1970) and which contains the author's considered opinion of Hitler's world view. "In 1933," says Weinberg, "Hitler's ideology consisted primarily of two related systems of ideas, acquired and developed in chronological sequence. The doctrine of race took form first and is clearly delineated by 1923; the partly derivative doctrine of space came to be defined, in the formulation to which Hitler subsequently adhered, in the immediately following years "(31-2). Hitler's aims thus included vast agricultural settlement areas in Eastern Europe -- enough to satisfy a growing German population for ages to come -- along with the racially-inspired elimination of the original inhabitants. To expand and consolidate the position of the German Volk for all time, Hitler envisioned a series of wars. Germany would first attack the decadent West in order to eliminate all future threats from that area. After France and possibly Great Britain had been defeated, Germany would attack the Eastern European states, particularly Poland and the Soviet Union. Finally, Germany would confront the United States. This argument forms the background to all of the subsequent essays. The chapter "Propaganda for Peace and Preparation for War" in Part II explains Hitler's foreign policy ideas at greater length, showing that they were closely linked to internal policies, which in turn were based on racial principles. These racial principles manifested themselves against Jews and Poles while also fitting together with the unending campaign against the Versailles Treaty.

"Germany, Munich, and Appeasement" in Part III deserves careful study. In the space of ten pages, Weinberg outlines the background of Hitler's decision to seek Czechoslovakia's complete destruction through arms in 1938 and describes Hitler's fury when the Munich negotiations deprived him of his war. Compromise over Czechoslovakia resulted because the European powers dreaded the possibility of a conflict for which they were unprepared. Hitler had to settle for the Sudetenland, which was to have been the pretext for war. Closely allied with this piece is the chapter entitled "The German Generals and the Outbreak of War, l938-1939." It describes the German command's basic assumption that war would be "an acceptable instrument of national policy for Germany, as well as for other countries" (131). It is striking to contrast this idea with the fervent present day assurance that a war will never again be started from German soil. The German generals do not rank highly in the author's esteem in any case. In Part IV (289) he takes them to task for smokescreening the truth in their memoirs and for accepting large bribes from Hitler in the form of landed estates and cash gifts. Of special interest in Part IV are also the chapters dealing with the German perception of Pearl Harbor and a wrap-up chapter on "Global Conflict" where the author discusses the interaction between the European and Pacific theaters of war.

The final essay reflects on the fate of the sources for twentieth century history and contains admonitions dear to the hearts of historians, archivists, and librarians. The poor quality of twentieth century paper condemns it to decomposition. Stringent and for the most part nonsensical security classifications thus need to be changed. Government departments must institute proceedings to do their own screening and classification and they must also foster a spirit of much greater accessibility. The rush to store information on computer disks combined with the constant demand to upgrade computer software and hardware will, moreover, bring about a state where such source materials will be unreadable on current state-of-the-art machinery. To preserve precious source materials, the author recommends the tried and true method of microfilming. It is interesting to recall in this connection that Gerhard Weinberg was the first director of the American Historical Association's project in the 1950s which microfilmed the so-called Captured German Records -- a project which has been a boon to historical scholarship ever since. This thoughtful essay provides an appropriate conclusion to this volume, which as a considerate, carefully reasoned, and well-documented fiftieth year assessment of the World War II era will be consulted by scholars for many years.

Copyright (c) 1995 by H-Net, all rights reserved. This work may be copied for non-profit educational use if proper credit is given to the author and the list. For other permission, please contact [email protected].

Printable Version: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=163

Citation: Agnes F. Peterson. Review of Weinberg, Gerhard L., Germany, Hitler, and World War II: Essays in Modern German and World History . H-German, H-Net Reviews. September, 1995. URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=163

Copyright © 1995 by H-Net, all rights reserved. H-Net permits the redistribution and reprinting of this work for nonprofit, educational purposes, with full and accurate attribution to the author, web location, date of publication, originating list, and H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online. For any other proposed use, contact the Reviews editorial staff at [email protected] .

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Stanford University investigates swastikas and Hitler image left on student's door

Jonathan Franklin

People walk on the Stanford University campus beneath Hoover Tower in Stanford, Calif., on March 14, 2019. Stanford University says it is investigating after multiple swastikas and an image of Adolf Hitler were found on a door Saturday at a Stanford student residence hall. Ben Margot/AP hide caption

People walk on the Stanford University campus beneath Hoover Tower in Stanford, Calif., on March 14, 2019. Stanford University says it is investigating after multiple swastikas and an image of Adolf Hitler were found on a door Saturday at a Stanford student residence hall.

Stanford University officials say an investigation is underway after multiple swastikas and an image of Adolf Hitler were found on a student's door last week.

In a letter sent to students Saturday, school officials said the images were discovered on a whiteboard attached to a student's door in one of its residence halls. The student residing in the room identifies as Jewish — as the university officials said the symbols may have been meant to intimidate the student, according to the letter.

School officials said its campus safety department is investigating the incident as a hate crime.

"We wish to be clear: Stanford wholeheartedly rejects antisemitism, racism, hatred, and associated symbols, which are reprehensible and will not be tolerated," university officials said in the letter.

As of Sunday evening, the university has not determined who was responsible for the incident.

How antisemitic rhetoric is impacting Jewish communities, and what to do about it

News of this instance of antisemitism is one of several hate incidents reported on Stanford's campus this academic year.

Earlier this month , another student reported a swastika with the words "KKK" surrounding it carved into the wall of a men's disabled restroom stall. The vandalized damage was reported to the school's building manager and was eventually painted over, according to officials.

In February , a student discovered hateful language and symbols scratched into a metal panel on a bathroom wall in a men's bathroom on the campus' Main Quad. University officials said this vandalism was in the form of multiple swastikas, the n-word, and the letters "KKK". Both incidents were classified as hate crimes, officials said.

In September , a mezuzah was torn off a door frame of the dorm room door of two Jewish graduate students in a residence hall. The incident, according to the university, occurred on the last day of the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah.

A campus investigation was unable to identify who was responsible for the incident. However, campus officials determined the incident was a hate crime.

Last year, Stanford issued an extensive apology for its treatment of Jewish students in the 1950s following a report released by a task force formed by the institution.

Stanford University apologizes for excluding Jewish students in the 1950s

"This ugly component of Stanford's history, confirmed by this new report, is saddening and deeply troubling," wrote President Marc Tessier-Lavigne in a university-wide communication .

While the university had previously denied allegations of anti-Jewish bias for decades, Tessier-Lavigne pledged that Stanford would undertake a comprehensive examination of campus life for current Jewish students and embrace "religious and cultural needs."

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World War II provided two contradictory lessons: war must be avoided at all costs and democracies must resist aggression, says Stanford historian James J. Sheehan .

James Sheehan (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

On the 75th anniversary of “Victory in Europe Day” – the day when people from across the world celebrated the acceptance of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender to the Allied forces of the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union on May 8, 1945 – Sheehan discusses the difficult challenges ahead, despite war in Europe being over.

Sheehan is the Dickason Professor in the Humanities and Professor of History emeritus in the School of Humanities and Sciences. He is the author of Where Have All the Soldiers Gone? The Transformation of Modern Europe , a history of war and peace in 20th-century Europe.

Are there any elements to VE Day that you think have been largely forgotten, overlooked or misunderstood?

It is important to realize what actually occurred on May 8, 1945. Most wars end when one side either surrenders or agrees to a cease-fire. That is what happened on Nov. 11, 1918, when the representatives of the German government agreed to an armistice and then, seven months later, signed a peace treaty. On May 8, 1945, there was no German state recognized by its enemies. In three different places, the commanders of the German armed forces surrendered unconditionally. Civil and military authority in what had been the German state was assumed by the allies. Germany was divided among them. Although peace treaties were signed with Germany’s allies in 1947, a final treaty that recognized Germany as a fully sovereign state did not take place until 1991. One of the ironies of the postwar settlement is that, despite the absence of a formal peace treaty, it turned out to be so durable.

You have studied how, for centuries, war defined Europe’s narrative and affected every aspect of political, social and cultural life. How did World War II change Europe’s relationship to war?

In many ways, Europeans’ view of war was transformed by the First World War, which demonstrated the full destructive potential of modern combat. Pacificism, which had always been a fringe movement, now became much more widespread. Unfortunately, there were still those, like Adolf Hitler, who saw war as a necessary means of expanding their state and reorganizing their societies. Without Hitler, and the resources of Europe’s most powerful state, a second European war would not have happened. In 1939, when the war began in Europe, there was very little popular enthusiasm, even in Germany. People knew what modern war could mean, although few imagined just how devastating it would be.

How did World War II transform views on pacifism and militarism?

The war provided two contradictory lessons: the first was that war was to be avoided at all costs, the second was that democracies had to be ready to resist aggression. The second lesson led most western European states, including Germany, to rearm and join the Atlantic alliance. Gradually, as the European system evolved into a stalemate between the United States and the Soviet Union, each armed with nuclear weapons, the first lesson prevailed. By the 1970s, many Europeans feared a war between the two global superpowers, but few believed that war among the European states could ever happen again.

As the world remembers 75 years since VE Day, what legacies remain today?

On May 8, 1945, the Allied forces of the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union officially accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. “Victory in Europe Day,” commonly known as “VE Day,” was celebrated across Europe, America and other parts of the world. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

VE Day has a different meaning in each of the countries involved in the war. For Americans, it recalls a moment of triumph, a time to remember the accomplishments and sacrifices that made victory possible. The Second World War has a moral clarity for Americans that is not shared by the other participants, in large part because the U.S. was the only one to emerge from the war with greater wealth and power. Britain remembers the resolve personified by [Prime Minister Winston] Churchill, but the cost of the war was great and the immediate postwar years were dreary. For the British, the legacy of 1945 is less potent than that of 1918. For them, Nov. 11, not May 8, is the most important day of national commemoration. In France, the war left a complicated legacy. After the French armies were defeated in a matter of weeks in 1940, France was allied with Germany. French president Charles de Gaulle managed to transform this dismal record into a legacy of resistance and regeneration, but the truth of France’s wartime role keeps intruding on this legend. For Germans, the war ended in the midst of enormous destruction and death. Only as Germany (especially in the western half) began to recover could May 1945 seem like a new beginning rather than a catastrophic end. May 8, 1945, is especially important for Russians, whose suffering was greatest and whose contribution to the German defeat was the most significant. This is why Putin planned to have a great celebration in Moscow this year that was designed to remind Russians of what they had done and what they could do again.

What would you say to your current students about VE Day?

May 8, 1945, began the longest period of peace in European history. We should not take the absence of war for granted, nor should we lose sight of the policies that made a peaceful Europe possible and the vigilance that is still necessary to preserve it. The establishment of peace, the British historian Michael Howard wrote, “is a task which has to be tackled afresh every day of our lives … no formula, no organization and no political or social revolution can ever free mankind from this inexorable duty.” The Second World war reminds us how essential this task remains.

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Joseph Stalin: Waiting For Hitler

How Stalin engineered the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Hitler and the consequences of his decision.

Did you miss part one? Listen to part one of the episode here .

Recorded on January 25, 2018.

 “If you're interested in power, [if] you're interested in how power is accumulated and exercised, and what the consequences are, the subject of Stalin is just unbelievably deep, it's bottomless.” – Stephen Kotkin

In part two, Stephen Kotkin, author of Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929–1941 , discusses the relationship between Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler leading up to and throughout World War II. Kotkin describes what motivated Stalin to make the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Hitler and the consequences of his decision.

Kotkin dives into the history of the USSR and its relationship with Germany during WWII, analyzing the two leaders' decisions, strategies, and thought processes. He explains Stalin's and Hitler’s motivations to enter into the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact even without the support of their respective regimes. Stalin’s goal was to defeat the West and he saw the pact as an opportunity to do so by driving a wedge between Germany and the capitalist West. Kotkin analyzes Stalin’s decisions leading up to the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union and the disinformation Germany was feeding soviet spies to prevent Stalin from moving against Hitler first.

Additional Resources:

• Why Does Joseph Stalin Matter?
• Stalin: Waiting For Hitler, 1929-1941
• The Past Isn’t Even Past
• Communism’s Bloody Century
• When Stalin Faced Hitler

Peter Robinson: Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. With us today, a guest who can talk about the relationship of both with deep knowledge. Stephen Kotkin on Uncommon Knowledge now.

Peter Robinson: Welcome to Uncommon Knowledge . I'm Peter Robinson. The son of a factory worker, Stephen Kotkin attended Rochester University. Then came to the University of California at Berkeley where he learned Russian. Developed a fascination with Soviet history. And earned a doctorate. Dr. Kotkin is now and has been for three decades, a professor of history at Princeton. He is also a fellow here at the Hoover institution at Stanford University. I should add by the way that we are shooting here today in the Hauck auditorium at the Traitel building. A new building of the Hoover Institution here at Stanford. In 2014 Dr. Kotkin published Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878 to 1928 . The first volume of his projected three-volume biography of Joseph Stalin. Now he has published the second volume Stalin: Waiting for Hitler 1929 to 1941. In part one of our conversation we talked about collectivization and the Great Terror. Now we come to Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. Hitler becomes Chancellor, Stephen in 1933. And it becomes clear within months that he is rearming and aggressive. You write in Stalin: Waiting for Hitler , "Stalin was defiant towards the Western powers and solicitous towards Hitler's Germany. But fearful of an anti-Soviet coalition incorporating Nazi Germany too. The resulting pas de trois. Chamberlain and Great Britain. Hitler and Nazi Germany. And Joseph Stalin and the USSR, became in effect a Chamberlain versus Stalin contest to win over Adolf Hitler."

Peter Robinson: Hitler comes to power 1933, and much of the rest of the 30's Stalin is competing with Chamberlain for Hitler's good graces.

Stephen Kotkin: Yes.

Peter Robinson: Explain that thesis.

Stephen Kotkin: Well we have to go back momentarily briefly to the Versailles Treaty of 1919. Which is the main treaty, it's not the only one, it's the main treaty from World War One. And that treaty is a harsh punitive treaty towards Germany which is labeled the aggressor, in the first World War. And has to pay punitive damages and many restrictions are put on Germany. The size of its army is very small. It can't have this it can't have that. The Soviet Union is not a party to the treaty  at all. They don't even invite them to the treaty negotiations. So you have this anomalous moment. The only time post Bismarck, since the unification of Germany, that both Germany and Russia are flat on their back. That's why the British and the French along with Americans are able to impose this Versailles treaty on Germany without any Russian participation. This treaty can't last. Even if the British and the French have the willpower to enforce it, it's going to come at some time, it's going to happen that Germany and or Russia rises up from it's back again. And becomes a power. It is so happened that both of them, Germany and Russia as the Soviet Union, became great Powers again within a single generation.

Peter Robinson: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Stephen Kotkin: So here's the problem. What do you do with a treaty that was imposed at this anomalous time and now you have these two great powers, that were either not part of the treaty at all or were the object of the treaty? And they want to revise this treaty. So the British spend the entire interwar period attempting to revise their own Versailles treaty. The French are opposed to the revision, and this complicates the factor the French live next to Germany and suffered most of the damage of World War One, which was fought not on British soil but on French soil. And then Hitler comes into the picture in 1933 and further complicates the story because he begins to violate the Versailles restrictions. And what are the British going to do? They themselves have been trying to get Germany inside a European security agreement. A kind of new deal.

Stephen Kotkin: Where Germany is motivated to be part of this. They're incentivized to behave properly and help uphold the international order. Rather than to try to revise it. But then Hitler comes to power, and he begins proactively, defiantly to work against the Versailles order. Stalin on the other hand, has a different motivation from the British. The British want a deal that brings Germany back into Europe, with a tweak, a slight revision of Versailles. Stalin is against the entire international order ipso facto. Because it's imperialist. Capitalist or imperialist as he calls it. But he's fearful that all of the imperialist powers will form a coalition and gang up on him. To invade and overthrow his regime. And so he spends all his time, trying to prevent an imperialist or all capitalist coalition. He wants to drive a wedge, between the British and the French, and Germany. So he spends a lot of time recruiting Germany away from the British and the French. This happens before Hitler comes to power in 1933, but it continues even after Hitler's come to power. Hitler is spouting the most venomous ... In his speeches, the most venomous anti-communist, anti-Soviet, anti-Russian, anti-Bolshevik verbiage imaginable.

Stephen Kotkin: And yet Stalin still, because he's motivated by this geopolitical understanding of preventing an all imperialist coalition. Stalin believes that if he can avoid an attack on himself, and he can somehow get the imperialists, that is the capitalist powers, to go to war against each other he can get a socialist revolution in Germany or in France. So his motivation, and Chamberlains motivation coincide in the sense that both are attempting to recruit Hitler away from the other and to their side but obviously for different motivations.

Peter Robinson: And on August 23rd, 1929-

Stephen Kotkin: 1939.

Peter Robinson: I beg your ... I beg you pardon yes of course. August 23rd 1939-

Stephen Kotkin: Right.

Peter Robinson: Thank you. It's amazing. I can put my pen down on any page in this book and you can make sure I've got the date right.

Stephen Kotkin: The fact that you can lift that book alone is already impressive.

Peter Robinson: August 23rd, 1939. Joachim Ribbentrop-

Peter Robinson: Is in Moscow.

Peter Robinson: And he signs and  Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet foreign minister cosigns, a pact. A non-aggression pact.

Peter Robinson: Between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Stalin is standing in the background the pictures show. Looking quite contented.

Stephen Kotkin: Yes he was.

Peter Robinson: This is the highpoint of his diplomacy. He's got Hitler promising not only that it won't invade, but that the Soviet Union may have bits of Poland.

Peter Robinson: September 1st 1939, the Nazis invade Poland. 17 days later the Soviets invade. They also within a period of months, they pick up the Baltic states. South of Poland they move into Bessarabia. So they move Westward across a whole front.

Stephen Kotkin: Yes they do.

Peter Robinson: As a result of this non-aggression pact. So I guess what I'm ... The puzzle here is, to what extent ... Stalin knows that Hitler hates him. That Hitler has been talking about Slavic subhumans. He writes a phrase similar to that in Mein Kampf.

Peter Robinson: Stalin wants to defeat the entire West. And yet he's willing to make this agreement with Nazi Germany on behalf of what? The old czarist impulse to retake old czarist territory? What is going on here? And how does it fit with ... In part one you stressed again and again ... In part one of this conversation, you stressed again and again, Stalin is a communist true believer. How does that pact fit with his communist true belief?

Stephen Kotkin: You're right. The Communists were shocked at the pact. And in fact many of them, repudiated their communist beliefs. Because they thought that communism was anti-fascist to the core. And the idea of doing a pact with Hitler, the Nazi whom they called the fascist, was beyond belief. It was very disillusioning for many true believers.

Peter Robinson: Especially, or particularly or at least in part in this country. The communist party in this country.

Peter Robinson: It was a terrible moment for them.

Stephen Kotkin: It was a blow. It was an emotional psychological blow. I have to say the pact among the Nazis was also a blow. Because Nazis were committed against what they call Judaeo-bolshevism or the Communist regime. And the idea of doing even a temporary marriage of convenience with the Communists, was anathema to the Nazi rank-and-file also. But Hitler and Stalin didn't have to stand before the voters. Ad so they could impose these pacts, which seemed to vitiate the ideological precepts. But here's the thinking once again. In the competition with Chamberlain for Hitler's favor, Stalin won. And what does that mean? That meant that Stalin had been able to turn Hitler westward. When Hitler invaded Poland on September 1st 1939, a few days after, following some hesitation, Britain and France declare war on Nazi Germany. So Stalin had his intra imperialist war. It couldn't have been more brilliant from his point of view. He would gain just as you rightfully said, new territories which the czarist empire had controlled, but he had lost. The Soviet Union had lost during the revolution and Civil War. They became independent. The three Baltic countries, part of Poland, that part of what became Romania known as Bessarabia. He recovered all those territories.

Stephen Kotkin: Moreover, there was an economic dimension to the pact, whereby Stalin would trade raw materials like grain and oil and manganese and other minerals, metals, to Nazi Germany in exchange for the latest prototypes of the best weapons Germany was producing. So Stalin was getting a cornucopia of machine tools and armaments, which he could then reproduce in his own factories, reverse engineer. Sometimes he even got the blueprints, and he didn't have to reverse engineer. So the pact was extremely beneficial to Stalin. Hitler had given up his leverage in the negotiation. He wanted to invade Poland and Britain and France had said that they would defend Poland's sovereignty. So Hitler was facing the possibility of a coalition against himself of Britain and France on one side, and the Soviet Union on the other. Which would have been a two-front war. So Hitler desperately needed to eliminate that possibility and he gave Stalin a wonderful deal. Stalin essentially dictated the terms. The big gain of all the gains was that France and Britain became the object of Nazi invasion. Of Nazi warfare. And so Stalin looked like he won in the pact a great geopolitical victory. And so from a communist point of view Peter, it does make sense.

Peter Robinson: All right.

Stephen Kotkin: Preventing the all capitalist coalition. Turning the capitalist war against themselves and then standing on the sidelines and waiting to benefit because the destruction will enable a socialist revolution in the west.

Peter Robinson: All right. Hitler moves West. He goes through Belgium. He takes France, he drives the British expeditionary ... And the movie Dunkirk presents that retreat across the English Channel as a Great British victory. In fact it was a retreat.

Peter Robinson: They'd been driven from the continent of Europe. But then the game shifts. Or at least Hitler's thinking shifts. And he decides he's going to open a second front after all. And of course as we know, this book ends on June 21st 1944. Deep into the night hours. Just a few hours before the Nazis invade. Which of course will open volume three. We want that volume quickly please.

Stephen Kotkin: So do I.

Peter Robinson: So we know as we read this book, we know what's going to happen. That the Nazis are going to put three million troops against the Soviet Union. They're going ...They're going to go drive to the South, they'll drive straight at Moscow. They'll drive up towards Leningrad. And Stalin will reel and reel and reel. And 20 million Soviets are going to die in this conflict. We know all that. What this book shows is that Stalin misses all the signals. We know what's going to happen. He misses the signals. You close ... Again it's an absolutely fascinating and thrilling, although tremendously annoying that you can't turn the page and get onto the invasion. We have to wait for volume three. But you close with the night before the invasion. And you make the the German invasion of the Soviet Union, and you make the point, Stalin is almost grudgingly ... His commanders see all kinds of German activity, and he grudgingly permits the commander's to raise the combat readiness of his troops but under strict instructions to avoid anything that might serve as a provocation for the Nazis. And a few hours after, the Germans give the signal to deploy and begin the invasion. There's this Soviet train that crosses the border carrying supplies for the Germans. How did Stalin miss it?

Stephen Kotkin: We have to remember ... That's a great question and it's very difficult. We have to remember though, that Stalin built a military power. He spent a lot of time in his office. Known as the little corner. Inside the Kremlin. Meeting with officials about military factories, about new armaments. About the latest and the greatest tanks and planes and artillery and even small arms. And so he had prepared. This was the greatest military in size of any. The Soviet military in 1941.

Peter Robinson: In history? In world history?

Stephen Kotkin: It had the most troops. It had the most tanks and planes. Not all of them however were up to date. Part of Soviet militarization, because it had started so early, in the early 1930's, was that they had an obsolete tank park, and obsolete planes. Meaning they had been built years earlier, the technology had improved but they still had those older ones in their tank park or on their airfields. Nonetheless he had prepared to fight a war. However he was afraid. He was afraid of the German army. He had watched them overrun Poland. Overrun like you said, the low countries and then smash France. Six weeks, France fell. Here Stalin's thinking, the Germans are going to become embroiled in a war in the West. After all, World War One lasted four years and a couple of months. The idea that this would happen in six weeks, that a great power like France, and France was a great power with a gigantic military. And great technology. The idea that France would fall so quickly was really unthinkable to Stalin.

Stephen Kotkin: So things had shifted on him and the pact was no longer as brilliant after the fall of France. The entire thing was predicated on, all the capitalists remaining at war for a long period of time destroying each other. But instead the Germans destroy their French enemy, and were still fully intact and began to move their troops to the Eastern border with the Soviet Union/ Let's remember when Stalin's borders moved West, and all that land he acquired, the result was now a border with Nazi Germany.

Peter Robinson: Right.

Stephen Kotkin: And the German buildup was right, it was impossible to conceal. And Soviet intelligence reported on the buildup. The storing of gasoline near the border. The movement of tanks towards the border. The number of troops up and down the border. This was  information Stalin was receiving.

Peter Robinson: You have a document, you have a photocopy of a document in here, where Stalin receives an intelligence report that there's trouble coming. That the Germans are moving in. And he writes across it in the top, "Tell your officer to send it to his," and then there's a expletive, mother. This is not information this is disinformation.

Stephen Kotkin: One of the things about intelligence is that it's always contaminated with information, which is not true. Known as disinformation.

Stephen Kotkin: So we sweep up electronically, everything imaginable in Russia today. And we think that that electronic surveillance of their cell phones, and their internet, and their land lines. We think that that's first-hand knowledge. But the Russians are deliberately putting false information into that stream in order to confuse us. And a little bit of disinformation can distract from accurate information that you've acquired.

Stephen Kotkin: So this is what the Nazis did to Stalin as well. They inserted obviously false information into the intelligence. So he was getting unbelievably good intelligence, Stalin was. But it was contaminated by falsehoods that he could recognize. And so this led him to disbelieve the veracity of the entire report. He couldn't pick out what was the disinformation and what was the accurate information. This contamination process was extremely successful on the German side. Moreover the Germans planted fake stories that were plausible, knowing Stalin's psychology. How to explain the troop buildup? The first explanation was that it was there on the Soviet Eastern border in South Eastern Europe, in order to attack British positions in the Middle East. Because the British had still not capitulated. They couldn't dislodge Nazi Germany from the continent, from the occupation of France, but the Germans couldn't invade across the channel. So the British were holding out, So the Germans told Stalin, by implanting the information.

Stephen Kotkin: Let's remember the Soviets had the best spy network in the world. Which the German suspected. And so by allowing whispering of information they knew that it would get back to Stalin. So they told Stalin that those troops in Southeastern Europe on his boarder were not to attack him. But they were to attack the British positions in the Middle East and undermine ... Force British capitulation that way. Then they came up with a second story. The second story was that, oh there won't be an invasion. There's going to be blackmail. The troops are there to intimidate, so that Hitler can get what he wants without fighting. So for example, he wants Ukraine. Stalin will have to hand over the breadbasket and industry of Ukraine. And if he doesn't the troops will invade. So the blackmail theory captures Stalin.

Peter Robinson: So the book ends. I have one more question which is dear to me because I really want to hear what you have to say about this. So I want to get to this one last question, in this part two of our conversation. But the book ends, this wonderful, apart from anything else, highly dramatic, but in the collectivization part and then the section on the Great Terror, you can begin to get the feeling that this man is just omnipotent. But as the book closes and he's confused by the German disinformation.

Peter Robinson: And he's believing what he wants to believe.

Peter Robinson: You see a human being. Uncertain. Well trapped so-to-speak by his own patterns of thought.

Peter Robinson: He's not omnipotent and he's about to reel as volume three opens.

Peter Robinson: But here are my last couple of questions about volume two, Stalin: Waiting for Hitler . This question ... He  pushes the country through famine into collectivization. Then comes the Great Terror when he eliminates over 800,000. Kills over 800,000 .

Peter Robinson: People who are with him.

Peter Robinson: How does he do it? At the human level? And I have two specific examples. Vyacheslav Molotov. Molotov's own wife is arrested and she is sent into internal exile and she stays there until Stalin dies. Stalin keeps her in internal exile.

Peter Robinson: And Vyacheslav Molotov remains loyal to Stalin and to Stalin's memory. Molotov is one of the last of the old Bolsheviks to die. He lives until 1986. And never utters a word of regret or disloyalty to Joseph Stalin.

Stephen Kotkin: You're right.

Peter Robinson: Stalin's personal assistant. The one who sits in the ante-room and controls who's going to go in to see him.

Stephen Kotkin: Poskrebyshev.

Peter Robinson: Thank you for pronouncing it. Alexander Poskrebyshev.

Stephen Kotkin: You got it.

Peter Robinson: Stalin permits his wife, Poskrebyshev's wife-

Stephen Kotkin: Yeah.

Peter Robinson: To be imprisoned and executed. And Poskrebyshev remains loyal to Stalin. During the second World War he's working 20 hours a day with Stalin. And again he dies in the sixties as I recall. Not a word of regret. Not a word of disloyalty. This is just incomprehensible. How?

Stephen Kotkin: Yes to us it's very difficult to understand. But let's remember once again. Stalin is a communist. He's midwifing historical necessity. He doesn't have time. Nor should he, devote himself to worries about morality, pangs of conscience, individual victims. Who will forgive him if the revolution is overthrown? Who will forgive him if he fails to build a communist state? He will be guilty before history, for having failed in his historical duty. So everything becomes subsume to this. And mass murder becomes justified. Because it's part of the movement of history, and the supposed greater good of humanity. We don't have any documents that show second thoughts. That show Stalin wondering if he should have killed so many people. Or feeling guilt about the peasants who starved. The documents we have, and they're very voluminous, are about Stalin not wanting to fall short in building a great Communist power. And being angry at those who criticized him for doing so. His minions, they were in awe of him. Stalin had capabilities, that they didn't have. He had a diligence. He worked long hours. He read hundreds of documents a day. He was in charge of culture, the economy, the political regime, international relations.

Stephen Kotkin: Imagine, if you were responsible for Washington DC, New York City, and Hollywood, all at the same time. One person. And he was able to put in the time, to be on top of his brief. Sure blunders, mistakes, limited horizons, but he was able to do it. He was a dictator of immense aptitude. And they saw that first-hand. That he was advancing the cause. He had no harem . Few mistresses. He was utterly devoted to the destruction of capitalism. Sure, a big story is what the costs are. The tremendous costs of eliminating markets and private property. And how , what we think, what some leftists think is the solution is worse. The elimination of markets and property doesn't get you to freedom. Yeah that's part of the story. But for Stalin, it was necessary. Historically necessary. And for those around him, they shared that view with him, and they were in awe of his power. I am also. I don't have very much admiration for Stalin in many ways. He was this murderous mendacious. Murderous and mendacious are too ... They don't even begin to describe what he's like. But if you're interested in power, you're interested in how power is accumulated and exercised, and what the consequences are.

Stephen Kotkin: The subject of Stalin is just unbelievably deep, it's bottomless. I've learned so many lessons about power. Evil power. Power that kills. But power that also was motivated by ideals. And those around him look like opportunists and cynics. But they too believed in this dream, of a better world. It was the false god. A false dream. And the world wasn't better. And we know that now. And some of them figured that out along the way. But in the meantime, this guy Stalin was carrying all of this on his back.

Peter Robinson: Stephen Kotkin, the author of Stalin: Waiting for Hitler 1929 to 1941 . Thank you for part two of our conversation. By the way, I said that was the last question and it's not. What's the publication date of volume three?

Stephen Kotkin: You were right, the previous question was the last question.

Peter Robinson: Stephen thank you.

Stephen Kotkin: Thank you.

Peter Robinson: For Uncommon Knowledge and the Hoover Institution, I'm Peter Robinson.

View the discussion thread.

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Adolf Hitler, Essay Example

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Adolf Hitler is a name, which instills terror into human beings now, 65 years after Fuehrer’s mysterious death. As defined by BBC Historic Figures, Hitler, “ military and political leader of Germany 1933 – 1945, launched World War Two and bears responsibility for the deaths of millions, including six million Jewish people in the Nazi genocide.” Born to become an artist, this man eventually turned into the curse of the 20 st century. These days, looking back at the deeds of German Nazi Party leader, one can only wonder how one man could bring so much evil and terror into being. Whether he was a madman, a fanatic, a genius or a living embodiment of devil is still to ask. It is obvious, however, that his triumph was not due to who he was solely, but rather to how the circumstances were, since, as Conrad Adenauer once said, “history is the sum total of the things that could have been avoided.”

Adolf Hitler was born in Austria in 1889, in the family of a customs official. Having failed to succeed as an artist in Vienna, young man moved to Munich in 1913. As the World War I broke out, he enlisted in the German army, where he was injured and consequently decorated. He became the leader of the Nazi Party in 1921. Hitler’s interest number one had always been an establishment of a pure race of German people through a policy of nationalism, anti-Semitism, anti-capitalism and anti-communism.

“Against a background of economic depression and political turmoil, the Nazis grew stronger and in the 1932 elections became the largest party in the German parliament.” (BBC Histroy) In 1933, Hitler was elected as a chancellor of a coalition government. He took his chance immediately, established himself as a dictator and started off with instituting the anti-Jewish laws. The course of action he took implied the process of German militarization and territorial expansion that eventually resulted into World War Two, started in 1939 by Hitler’s commanding his armies to enter Poland. He eventually committed suicide in 1945, just before Germany lost the war, in order to avoid capture by Soviet forces.

“The world has come to know Adolph Hitler for his insatiable greed for power, his ruthlessness, cruelty and utter lack of feeling, his contempt for established institutions and his lack of moral restraints.” (Langer) The question is not, however, whether he was a madman or not, but rather is what influenced his psychological development to make him what he was. Hitler’s early life, when his basic mentality and mindset were obviously formed, is believed to have the most profound impact on his adult character.

“Freud’s earliest and greatest contribution to psychiatry in particular and to an understanding of human conduct in general was his discovery of the importance of the first years of a child’s life in shaping his future character.” (Langer) It is, however, questionable whether Freud’s theory of psychosexual development can be applied when discussing Hitler’s case. Attempting to relate Hitler’s behavior to a diversity of unproven sexual oddities attributed to future dictator seems far-fetched.

It is true, nevertheless, that during early years, when a child’s view of life is still immature, there is a serious threat of misinterpreting the nature of the world around him. The intellect of a child is not enough adequate to comprehend the complex requirements of society he is supposed to meet, as well as a perplexing experience to which he is constantly exposed. As a result, the child’s personality may turn out to be composed of wrong ideas about the world he lives in.

Close analyses of Hitler’s personal statements and the available information about his background, family in particular, allows for an assumption that Hitler’s ill nature was indeed formed at very young age. His view of reality was deeply affected by family issues. Even though he claims himself to be growing up in a normal middle class family, with “father a faithful civil servant, the mother devoting herself to the cares of the household and looking after her children with eternally the same loving care”, the actual state of affairs appears to be somewhat different (Hitler, 1925). Hitler seems to conceal very carefully his true family environment. Nowhere else in the whole book any of his family members are mentioned. Never did he as well refer to any of his brothers or sisters to his associate, with the only exception of his half-sister, Angela. His mentions of own beloved mother are met not quite more often.

Why would he be so secretive about own family if, as he claimed in statement quoted above, living in a perfectly friendly and peaceful environment? The explanation is provided by third person descriptions of the low class family life, he declares to be witnessing personally for many times in his life, that are included in ‘Mein Kampf’.  For instance, he writes: “Among the five children there is a boy, let us say, of three… When the parents fight almost daily, their brutality leaves nothing to the imagination; then the results of such visual education must slowly but inevitably become apparent to the little one. Those who are not familiar with such conditions can hardly imagine the results, especially when the mutual differences express themselves in the form of brutal attacks on the part of the father towards the mother or to assaults due to drunkenness. The poor little boy at the age of six, senses things which would make even a grown-up person shudder…” (Mein Kampf) Many more references to hard family conditions are present in his writings. And even though he rejects to be a full participant of those scenes, one may assume Hitler is in fact describing his personal experience, which aroused revulsion and resentment in his early childhood.

Relationship with his father turned him into a rebellious young man. Instead of providing an image of a reliable, balanced, socially-adjusted and outstanding individual, which the little boy could perceive as a guiding model, Hitler’s father proved to be full of inconsistency. “As a child Hitler must have felt this lack very keenly for throughout his later life we find him searching for a strong masculine figure whom he can respect and emulate.” (Langer) In contrast, Hitler’s mother is believed to be an extremely respectable woman. There are numerous evidences that show there was an exceptional attachment between herself and Adolph, which is no surprise, since she obviously supplied her little son with all the love and care she had to give.

The great amount of love provided to him by his mother and the unattractive character of his father contributed to dynamic development of Hitler’s complexes. Naturally, he became more and more needy for the warmth his mother gave him and more and more aggressive towards his useless father.  The later was viewed by Hitler as intruder and could possible provoke Adolf’s ultimate desire for “pure race”. It is also quite possible that all the affection and love he had once felt for his mother became instinctively relocated to Germany after her untimely death.

Naturally, Hitler was no less influenced by social forces as a young man, than he was by family issues as being a child. For young Hitler, German Nationalism became an obsession as an alternative way to rebel against his father. The later served the Austrian government, greatly respected his position and the society he lived in, and tended to require that all others, including his own son, were doing same way.  The majority of people who lived alongside the German-Austrian border regarded themselves as German-Austrian citizens, but Hitler, in contrast, declared devotion only to Germany. Provoked by desire to disobey own father, Hitler refused to comply with the Austrian Monarchy.

The development of anti-Semitism is ascribed to his Vienna period. Historians still argue about the reasons that provoked such a fatal hatred to the entire race. Hitler was probably influenced by anti-Semitism moods widespread in Vienna. The extensive propaganda against Jews, popularized among Austrian citizens, turned possibly indifferent or even sympathetic Adolf into a hawkish racist. Hitler described Jews as disgraceful and corrupt human beings accountable for most of society’s problems. Whether he truly supported general believes, or simply adjusted own attitudes to be better accepted among peers, is an open question.

He led a passive, pathetic, beggarly life at Vienna, “in which activity was held at the lowest level consistent with survival. He seemed to enjoy being dirty and even filthy in his appearance and personal cleanliness.”(Stein) After all, he finally found his proper place in German army during World War I.  Hitler’s political and religious extremism at last began to fully absorb him while his short military service. He proved himself to be a courageous soldier, and also learned strategy and warfare tactics firsthand. Outraged by Germany’s surrender and the political outcomes of war, Hitler decided to become active in politics, and that is when the world was changed for good.

Apparently, Hitler’s awkward manner, nervous temperament and antisocial behavior were provoked by environment he was growing up in. His views of life and people were maturing under brutal guidance of his father. His emotional instability, aggressiveness and violence as a child and teenager, however, appear to be the innate characteristics of his personality, rather than acquired traits that were produced under the influence of given circumstances. His unhappy childhood eventually shaped an unstable human being who lived in a world of pure fancy.  However, if not for his inborn cruelty and for the way the history had played out, Hitler would probably have just been a one more miserable teenager from a dysfunctional family.

It is clear now that some exceptional traits of Hitler’s personality were formed during his childhood years. In what exact way did they however influence him? If applying Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development to Adolf Hitler, one can observe where he failed as a personality and what were the psychological development gaps that eventually caused him to become the man he was. Hitler who had a troublesome childhood failed on the very first stages of psychological growth.  According to Erikson, on each stage of development people go through a conflict that serves as a turning point in personality formation. “These conflicts are centered on either developing a psychological quality or failing to develop that quality. During these times, the potential for personal growth is high, but so is the potential for failure.” (About.com). Thus, Hitler obviously failed on first and second stages (Trust vs. Mistrust and Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt correspondingly), which provoked fear and developed in him a belief that the world is unpredictable and changeable, as well as a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt. Hitler seems to be failing on almost all of the following stages, since one failure negatively affects the success when facing the subsequent conflict. Hitler however appeared to be having a strong identity and sense of self, which contradicts the theory. Fuehrer’s triumph over this or that conflict probably depended on the current stage of his political career development and social interaction he was going through.

Social Learning Theory explains how a personality is formed through the observation of society. Albert Bandura stated: “Most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.” (About.com) It can, therefore, be assumed that Hitler’s cruelty was provoked by the observation of his father’s brutality. The fact that Hitler failed to alter his behavior through the observation of his mother as well fits the theory, since it specifies that learning does not automatically cause a change in behavior. The theory does not, however, clarify why a person chooses to change or not to change own behavior, and what knowledge leads to transformation.

Therefore, Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development seems to be the most suitable when talking about Adolf Hitler. Being based on person’s ability to resolve various psychological conflicts, it provides more sufficient explanation for the complexity and contradictoriness of Hitler’s nature. His failure on first stages resulted into increasing number of complexes, growing into feeling of superiority.

Hitler’s personality is, however, too extraordinary to be fully explained by one single theory; some of his behaviors seem to contradict all theories at once. Despite being a bad-tempered, violent, anti-social person, he eventually developed into a charismatic, outstanding leader and brilliant strategist. Tragically, “it was not only Hitler, the madman, who created German madness, but German madness which created Hitler. Having created him as its spokesman and leader, it has been carried along by his momentum, perhaps far beyond the point where it was originally prepared to go.” (Langer) It is always important to remember that Hitler, in spite of the chaos that he was responsible for, failed monumentally in all his major intentions, leaving, however, such a profound track in the history of 20 st century that his personality is to be studied for centuries to come.

Works Cited

About.com. Psychology Theories. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/u/psychology-theories.htm

BBC. Historic Figures: Adolf Hitler . Retrieved April 10, 2010, from  http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/hitler_adolf.shtml

Hitler, A. (1925). Mein Kampf .

Langer, Walter C. A Psychological Profile of Adolph Hitler. His Life and Legend.   Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/documents/osstitle.htm

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After being seated at three large white round tables with folding white chairs, the real Clam Bake began. We attacked the buffet tables, buttered our lobsters, and still had room for dessert. While devou...

6. Memories: from Then to Now

            While looking through my stacks of pictures, I realize how important the memories in my all-school photos are to me.  One particular picture, from ninth grade, is especially significant not because I like to look at what my classmates or teachers l...

7. Stanford MS in Computer Science

I'm hoping to do an MS in Computer Science at Stanford so that I can become more technical and obtain the skills I need to build the software that I want to exist, rather than just imagine it. I've had several jobs in technology-related fields, as an investment banker and as an early non-technical e...

8. Dear Future Roommate

As much as I had hoped our introductions would be made in person, I am just as glad that we will know each other before we even meet.

Like the people around me would say, I try my best to brighten everyone’s mood. But first, I have to keep myself in high spirits in order to help others, right? ...

9. Intellectual Vitality

     My life is a series of intense fascinations, which I dive into headfirst.

    Age ten. My dad shows me a family tree, and genealogy piques my interest. I collect data about my own family, interviewing relatives whenever I can, and construct a tree spanning hundreds ...

10. Stanford Profile Questions

Lord of the Rings/The Silmarillion - Tolkien; Gödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter; Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman - Feynman; The Code Book - Singh; The Elegant Universe - Greene. Films: Gattaca, Chariots of Fire. Music: Simon & Garfunkel, Basshunter.

NYTimes.com, ScientificAmerican.com, ...

11. Intellectual Development Essay for Stanford

I remember one of the worst moments of being a child is when you're bursting with something to say, and your parents just don’t have the time to acknowledge you. "Listen to me!" I would roar inside my head. Perhaps they could have turned and said, "Alex, you've...

12. What matters to you, and why?

“Look at her. She’s your baby sister.” I curiously walk over to the crib on the right of my mommy’s bed and stare down at this so-called “sister.” Suddenly, her mouth twitches as she chews on a strange object.

Memories. My first was of March 2nd, 1998, the day my s...

13. Stanford Supplement (Chemical Engineer)

“Let’s use sodium sulfide,” I decided.

I snatched the bottle labeled NaS and placed three drops of the foul-smelling liquid into a well on the well-plate. Then, I added some of the clear unknown solution I had been given and watched the reaction unfold. Upon contact, the two combined to form an obvio...

14. Common App Prompt 1: “You’re not going to school today”

Six a.m. and my mom’s shaking me awake. I open my crusty eyes and stare at her, bleary-eyed. My eleven year old eyes struggle to focus, in need of glasses and lacking the money to purchase them. She’s dressed in sweats and a ratty T-shirt, and it’s obvious where she needs to be.

15. Stanford Roommate Essay - "I'm like the ocean"

Greetings future roommate!

I look forward to sharing a room and a brand new experience altogether as college freshmen! If there is one thing that you should know about me, it is that although my personality is splotched with hundreds of shades, akin to a Jackson Pollock painting, you can most certain...

16. "Ubiquity" - Idea or experience that is intellectually engaging

Ubiquity is a beautiful piece of software. With constant use, it becomes part of you. All the world’s knowledge resides in your fingers. It’s the extension of a man’s mind, the slow but inevitable fusion of the brain and the computer.

But, sitting on a soft couch at a Starbucks in c...

17. What Makes Stanford Good For You? - "Least Squares Reduction"

In AP Statistics, I often utilized the Least Squares method to find correlations between two data sets. First, I would generate a curve that minimized the residuals: the differences between corresponding values of the two sets. Smaller residuals implied greater correlation, with a residual of r = 0 ...

18. Stanford Supplement - Golden Coast Girl

19. Stanford Extracurricular Activities Essay - "Key Club"

Key Club is not simply another community service organization, it is my high school family. Key Club spurs excitement within me as it represents a tolerant organization that brings positive change through community service events and fundraisers. My commitment to Key Club increased as I gained the p...

20. Stanford Short Questions

Lack of tolerance.

Society, and the world, would be greatly improved with greater tolerance. For extremist groups, criminals, and corrupt and/or inefficient leaders—their harm in failing to consider and tolerate others' feelings/beliefs leads to a stagnation of social prog...

21. Stanford Short Essays (Fall 2007)

I worked for my father's business during the summers designing and assembling testing devices and prototypes, and helped at the company’s Midwest Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair booth.  In addition to volunteering at the San Lorenzo Valley Museum, I often visited my grand...

22. What matters to you, and why? - "My Father"

On Christmas 2010, the one person I was working hardest for disappeared from my life.

My Dad fought leukemia all throughout 2010. In his struggle for survival, I found a means to work harder in my academic studies as a means to please him. I had disappointed him in my middle school years before, and ...

23. Roommate Essay - "Good Morning"

Good morning friend,

I tend to greet others with a “good morning” simply because I love mornings. This is ironic though, because I also have a great desire to stay up and really venture into the late night. Late night, when one resides in barren quiet and introspective analysis, is often ...

24. Losing My First Language

My grandmother was born and raised in Nigeria. Eunice Iwuchukwu was an old soul, who used to preach the word of God. My grandma had lived with my aunt, but moved in with my mom to assist with my care. Since I rarely saw my mother, or my father, or really any of my family, I had no one to teach me th...

25. What Matters

What matters.

It's one of those riddles a kindergartner knows they can sincerely answer and adults think they can logically answer. I, however, am a teenager, stuck awkwardly between that simplicity and heightened logic, and my dilemma is evident: is it my actions or feelings that really mat...

26. Stanford Short Answers

Books: Wuthering Heights, Harry Potter, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Rebecca Films: V for Vendetta, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, Transformers Musical Artists: Chopin and Prokofiev

Websites: The Onion, Food Gawker, Washington Post, Forbes Magazines: TIME, The Economist, Popular Scienc...

27. Hey roommate!

Hey roommate!

Looks like we both made it. Great! Just wanted to let you know a bit about my best traits, and hopefully in the end we won’t end up as room-hates.

I hail from the burbs of Chicago, and, yes, it snows all the way to your nose, and blackens your toes, but in the Windy City ...

28. The cure for homesickness

There is an old saying, “there is no place like home.” That philosophy has been spread everywhere from generation to generation, lands to lands, and families...

29. What matters most to you, and why? - "We can’t get lost anymore"

    The modern teenager craves information. Be it personal, political, or pointless, information has become the American teenager’s drug of choice. Information is an inebriant, and smart phones are the bottle in which it is stored. Without a comfortable flow of status updates an...

30. Intellectual Vitality Essay - "Legend of Zelda"

Rather than a single idea or experience, an entire series has been key to my intellectual development. Manifesting itself as a pointy-eared, green tunic-clad, tunic-wearing, Master Sword wielding hero on a quest to overthrow a treacherous warlord, sorcerer, or other malcontent and rescue the princes...

31. What do you care about and why?

I came out to my best friend as bisexual the summer before ninth grade. Unlike the countless "coming out" YouTube videos I had watched to prepare myself, I don't really remember the sigh of relief or heart fuzzies of acceptance when she said that it was fine. All I can remember is the ...

32. Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality

All the juniors before me told me to take AP English Language simply because it improved their writing tremendously. But the individuals before me never told me about the intellectual growth that comes from the English language. My English teacher, Elizabeth Ward, encouraged us to think analytically...

33. MS (Master of Science) in Mechanical Engineering

By all accounts, I have lived a blessed life. Though my family has never been wealthy, my parents’ self-sacrifice provided me with more than some children ever dream of: a nice home and access to a quality education. I am forever appreciative for this and have striven to make the most of the o...

34. Extracurricular activities essay - "Health internship"

By allowing myself to realize a greater connection to the rest of humanity, in the respect that health is a major essence of the human experience, as well as excavating deeper into my own interests, my experience interning in Dr. Loeser’s lab at Wake Forest was by far the most remarkable.

35. Roommate Essay - Snoop Dogg and Skrillex

    October 29th, 2011: I am alone. I am tired. I am at a Snoop Dogg concert. The drumbeat rattling my teeth is nearly overpowered by my deafening crash onto rock bottom. The 2011 school year cut me to pieces. I was a sophomore – a year notorious for being easier than the rest at my ...

36. God's view

I can sit there and stare at it for hours - sometimes watching, not watching others. "There" is a stair case of the 1st floor of a business center, and "it" is a view of the pavement outside through a 100 X 100cm window directly in front. To the open-minded, it is classically pic...

37. What matters to you, and why? - "Nurturing Kitties"

One thing that bears great importance to me is that those who cannot otherwise provide safety and security for themselves are given the appropriate help. To me, this matter manifested itself in the form of animals. Ever since I was little, my life was filled with the abandoned, the left behind, the ...

38. Intellectual Vitality Essay - "Technology consulting"

A command window pops onto my laptop screen; “C:\Users\Admin>” is written in white against a black background as I stare curiously at what this means.

Just at the end of 10th grade, I applied to intern for a technology consulting firm, COMPANY_NAME. As it was a newly founded company, t...

39. Intellectual – "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

I can honestly say that my most recent intellectually stimulating experience was a trip to the movie theater; I saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Of course the CGI was visually stimulating, and talking monkeys are always intriguing, but what really hit me was the rapid adv...

40. Describe a place – "God's View"

Essays that worked.

Read the top 40 college essays that worked at Stanford and more. Learn more.

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Hitler’s antisemitism. Why did he hate the Jews?

Antisemitism played a major role in Adolf Hitler’s thinking and in the Nazi ideology. Read here what inspired Hitler's hatred of Jews and what life events played a role in its development. Koen Smilde

Antisemitism: an age-old phenomenon

Hitler did not invent the hatred of Jews. Jews in Europe had been victims of discrimination and persecution since the Middle Ages, often for religious reasons. Christians saw the Jewish faith as an aberration that had to be quashed. Jews were sometimes forced to convert or they were not allowed to practise certain professions.

In the nineteenth century, religion played a less important role. It was replaced by theories about the differences between races and peoples. The idea that Jews belonged to a different people than the Germans, for instance, caught on. Even Jews who had converted to Christianity were still 'different' because of their bloodline.

Hitler is introduced to antisemitism

The origin of Hitler's hatred of Jews is not clear. In Mein Kampf, he described his development into an antisemite as the result of a long, personal struggle. Supposedly, his aversion to everything Jewish came to fruition when he was living and working as a painter in Vienna (1908-1913). Most historians believe that Hitler came up with this explanation in hindsight. He would have used it to assure people who were not yet convinced of his ideas that they would eventually see the light.

One way or another, it is clear that Hitler came into contact with antisemitic ideas at an early age. To what extent he shared them at that point, is not certain. If he was prejudiced against Jews while living in Vienna, his prejudice had not yet crystallised into a clear worldview. After all, one of the most loyal buyers of his paintings in Vienna was a Jew, Samuel Morgenstern. 

Imaginative explanations

There are countless imaginative explanations for the reasons for Hitler's antisemitism. Hitler is said to have been ashamed of his partly Jewish roots. Another explanation links his hatred of Jews to trauma caused by a poison gas attack in the First World War. Yet other theories suggest that Hitler had contracted a venereal disease from a Jewish prostitute. There are, however, no facts to support these explanations.

German nationalism and antisemitism

What we do know is that two Austrian politicians greatly influenced Hitler's thinking. The first, Georg Ritter von Schönerer (1842-1921), was a German nationalist. He believed that the German-speaking regions of Austria-Hungary should be added to the German empire. He also felt that Jews could never be fully-fledged German citizens.

From the second, the Viennese mayor Karl Lueger (1844-1910), Hitler learned how antisemitism and social reforms could be successful. In Mein Kampf, Hitler praised Lueger as 'the greatest German mayor of all times'.  When Hitler came to power in 1933, he put similar ideas into practice.

Hitler during the First World War

The First World War played a decisive role in Hitler’s life. It gave his life, which had been rather unsuccessful up until then, a new purpose. In 1914, he enlisted in the German army, which, together with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was fighting France, England, and Russia. Although he saw little action, he did receive an award for courage shown.

When Germany surrendered in November 1918, Hitler was in a military hospital. His eyes had been hurt in a poison gas attack in Belgium. Confined to his sickbed, he heard the news of the German surrender, which plunged him into a deep crisis. He wrote that ‘everything began to go black again before my eyes.’ Stumbling, he groped his way back to the dormitory and dug his ‘burning head in blanket and pillow. 

Jews as the scapegoats for the lost war

The German defeat was hard to swallow for many Germans, and for Hitler, too. In nationalist and right-wing conservative circles, the ‘stab-in-the-back legend’ became popular. According to this myth, Germany did not lose the war on the battlefield, but through betrayal at the home front. The Jews, Social Democrats, and Communists were held responsible.

The prejudices about the role of the Jews in the war were false. An investigation carried out by the German Government proved as much. Over one hundred thousand German and Austrian Jews had fought for their fatherland.  Otto Frank, who had fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916, was just one of them.

Hitler goes into politics

After the First World War, Germany was in chaos. Once the German emperor had gone, rebellions erupted everywhere. Left-wing groups tried to seize power in many places. In Munich, for instance, a 'People's Republic' of Bavaria was proclaimed during a brief revolution. It provoked a right-wing reaction, which in turn resulted in bloodshed. Hitler was very much impressed by these events.

At that point, he was still in the army, and that was where he discovered his oratory talents. Before long, the army had him give training courses, intended to warn soldiers of the communist danger and to stir up feelings of nationalism. In his new role, Hitler got to know the German Workers' Party, the forerunner of the NSDAP. It was the start of his political career.

Radicalisation of Hitler’s antisemitism

Against the backdrop of revolution and violence, Hitler's antisemitism was becoming increasingly radical. It is noteworthy that he said he did not support uncontrolled 'emotional' pogroms (outbursts of anti-Jewish violence). Instead, he argued for an ‘antisemitism of the mind'.  It had to be legal and would ultimately lead to the 'removal' of the Jews.

As early as August 1920, Hitler compared the Jews to germs. He stated that diseases cannot be controlled unless you destroy their causes. The influence of the Jews would never disappear without removing its cause, the Jew, from our midst, he said. These radical ideas paved the way for the mass murder of the Jews in the 1940s.

Capitalism and communism: a Jewish conspiracy?

Hitler blamed the Jews for everything that was wrong with the world. Germany was weak and in decline due to the 'Jewish influence'. According to Hitler, the Jews were after world dominance. And they would not hesitate to use all possible means, including capitalism. In this way, Hitler took advantage of the existing prejudice that linked the Jews to monetary power and financial gain.

Hitler was not bothered by the apparent contradictions in his thinking. He held that communism was a Jewish conspiracy, too, as the communist leaders include many Jews. Nevertheless, only a small proportion of the Jews were communists. This idea of 'Jewish communism' was to have awful repercussions in the war with the Soviet Union that started in 1941. The population and prisoners-of-war were treated brutally by the Germans.

Hitler’s racism: not just the Jews

Hitler viewed the world as an arena for the permanent struggle between peoples. He divided the world population into high and low races. The Germans belonged to the high peoples and the Jews to the low ones. He also had specific notions about other peoples. The Slavic people, for instance, were cast as inferior, predestined to be dominated.

Hitler felt that the German people could only be strong if they were 'pure'. As a consequence, people with hereditary diseases were considered harmful. These included people with physical or mental disabilities, as well as alcoholics and 'incorrigible' criminals. Once the Nazis had come to power, these ideas led to the forced sterilisation and killing of human beings.

The ideas that Hitler developed in the 1920s remained more or less the same until his death in 1945. What did change is that in 1933, he was handed the power to start realising them. During the 1930s, he did everything he could to expel the Jews from German society. Once the war had started, the Nazis resorted to mass murder. Nearly six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.

• Brechtken, Magnus, Die nationalsozialistische Herrschaft 1933-1939 (Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 2004).
• Burleigh, Michael, The Third Reich: A New History (Londen: Macmillan, 2000).
• Evans, Richard J., The Coming of the Third Reich (New York: The Penguin Press, 2004).
• Hamann, Brigitte, Hitler’s Vienna: A Portrait of the Tyrant as a Young Man (New York, NY & Oxford: Oxford University Press,  1999).
• Kershaw, Ian, Hitler: Profiles in Power (Londen 1991).
• Kershaw, Ian, Hitler, 1889-1945 (London : Allen Lane, 1998-2000).
• Longerich Peter, Hitler: Biographie (München: Siedler, 2015).
• Melching, Willem, Hitler: opkomst en ondergang van een Duits politicus (Amsterdam: Bakker, 2013).
• Ullrich, Volker, Hitler. Vol. 1: Ascent, 1889-1939 (New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2016) .

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stanford historical moment essay

how did you guys find the topic for your historical moment essay? or alternatively, what are you guys writing about? nothing is coming to mind and im trying to be uNiqUe so i don’t want to just select something from top 100 historical moments or smth like that. i came up w ideas for all other essays except this one amcbwjvnsifne

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Hitler as an inspiration in a personal statement

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Hitler und England : ein Essay zur nationalsozialistischen Aussenpolitik 1920 bis 1940

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This was apparently a real Stanford admission essay

Adolf Hitler applied twice to The Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, before doing what he did. Hitler’s application did not just turn into a rejection, both times. It changed world history. 1st September 2008: MP Israrullah Zehri comments on the killing of five women for choosing their own spouses. About forced marriages he said, “These are centuries old traditions and I will continue to defend them”. Abhorred by this statement, I lulled myself to sleep and had a dream: I dreamt of an acceptance from Stanford where I came in contact with an extremely gifted population of individuals, nourishing my public service experience. Going back to Pakistan I found the state of women no better than what I had left it. Struggling with the patriarchal tyrannical traditions that men conveniently and wrongly term as Islamic, all I could see in the eyes of women was destitute. And so, I dreamt of a change- a revolution. Educating and inspiring women, I aroused in them the feminism that crawled its way through fields as diverse as literature, religion and politics, penetrating every household, echoing in the cry of every woman rallying for her rights. Materializing this approach of upholding ideals in the female population, I dreamt of a land where every woman is free, equal and where I have fulfilled my responsibility. Then I had another dream. A rather disturbing one. A nightmare actually. I dreamt of a rejection letter from Stanford. Disappointed, I joined the Pakistani Army. Won Pakistani military honour “Nishan-e-Imtiaz”. I formed my own party “National Feminist Pakistani Workers’ Party”, became the first woman president of Pakistan and formed what they called “The Fourth Reich.” The rest… Too violent for words. Dreams are bizarre. Aren’t they? But they say dreams can serve as Divine inspiration or a prophecy… Whatever it is, when you are making the decision of my admission, just remember that you just might be changing the course of history. The only question remains, which dream do you want to see come true? [https://web.archive.org/web/20150210055041/https://www.apstudynotes.org/stanford/hitler-essay/](https://web.archive.org/web/20150210055041/https://www.apstudynotes.org/stanford/hitler-essay/)

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Here Are The Colleges With The Most 2024 Olympic Medals—And What To Know About Them

PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 2: A general view of Hoover Tower through the arches of the Main Quadrangle ... [+] on the campus of Stanford University before a college football game against the Oregon Ducks on October 2, 2021 played at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which concluded this week, showcased not only the incredible talents of athletes from around the world, but also the American universities where many of them trained for their successes. From exceptional programs in swimming and gymnastics to track and field, certain colleges have consistently produced Olympians who go on to achieve extraordinary success—both during and after their collegiate careers.

Whether you hope to join the ranks of Olympic athletes or simply dream of donning your school colors and cheering your classmates on to gold, here’s what you need to know about the U.S. colleges and universities whose athletes took home the most medals in Paris this summer:

Stanford University

Number of Medals: 39

Notable Athletes: Brody Malone (Gymnastics), Asher Hong (Gymnastics), Katie Ledecky (Swimming)

What to know about the school: Stanford University is known as one of the most prestigious universities in the nation; it is consistently ranked as a top ten school by U.S. News and World Report , ranking third in 2024. But academics is not the only area in which Stanford excels. With a litany of Olympic champions, the university has made a name for itself with student-athletes. Prior to this Olympic Games, the school boasted 296 medals from 177 medalists, including Katie Ledecky , the most decorated American female athlete in history. This summer marked a record-breaking year for Stanford athletics, taking home the most medals of any university and breaking their all-time record for most medals won in a single Olympic Games.

University of California, Berkeley

Number of Medals: 23

Notable Athletes: Ryan Murphy (Swimming), Abbey Weitzel (Swimming), Jack Alexy (Swimming)

What to know about the school: UC Berkeley, also known as Cal, is another highly ranked institution for both academics and athletics. With an impressive array of over 300 degree programs across 15 colleges and schools, the university offers a rich and diverse environment where students are encouraged to explore, innovate, and challenge themselves—whether in the classroom, on the field, or in the pool. The school’s athletic program, particularly in swimming, has produced numerous Olympians and medalists. This year, the school sent 59 athletes to the Games and earned 23 medals; tying with its already existing record of 23 medals. This number brings the school to 246 all-time Olympic medals, with 126 golds.

University of Texas, Austin

Number of Medals: 16

Notable Athletes: Scottie Scheffler (Golf), Ryan Crouser (Shot Put), Julien Alfred (Track & Field), Kevin Durant (Basketball)

What to know about the school: Established in 1883 , UT Austin has grown into a leading public research university with a diverse student body of over 50,000 students from all 50 states and 130 countries. The university has a vibrant sports culture that has consistently produced dozens of top-tier athletes. While the university has a history of Olympic excellence, with 162 athletes having earned 156 medals prior to this summer, the Paris Olympics saw a historic delegation from the school, with 30 UT-affiliated athletes competing. UT saw particular success in Track & Field, with the talents of Julien Alfred and Ryan Crouser captivating viewers from around the world.

University of Southern California

Number of Medals: 15

Notable Athletes: Rai Benjamin (Track & Field, formerly UCLA), Anna Cockrell (Track & Field)

What to know about the school: The University of Southern California holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by any U.S. institution, having earned 326 medals prior to the 2024 Olympic Games. This summer, USC saw particular success in water polo, with USC-affiliated athletes winning gold, silver, and bronze for Spain, Australia, and the U.S.A., respectively. The Trojan spirit , characterized by a deep sense of community and loyalty, permeates every aspect of campus life at USC, encouraging students to excel not only in their academic pursuits but also in their personal, professional, and athletic development.

University of California, Los Angeles

Number of Medals: 14

Notable Athletes: Jordan Chiles (Gymnastics), Tom Daly (Diving)

What to know about the school: The #1 ranked public university in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report , the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a highly sought-after institution for its academics—but UCLA is also an athletic powerhouse, boasting 284 Olympic medals in total. In addition to the high-profile wins of Jordan Chiles (who announced her intention to return to UCLA to compete following the Olympics) and Tom Daly, UCLA also saw Olympic success in Track & Field and water polo.

University of Virginia

Notable Athletes: Kate Douglass (Swimming), Gretchen Walsh (Swimming)

What to know about the school: Consistently ranked in the Top 5 athletic standings in the NCAA and with 750 student athletes competing on 27 varsity teams, University of Virginia is a hub for excellence both on and off the field. UVA is yet another U.S. school to dominate in the pool during the 2024 Olympic Games, taking home three gold medals in the women’s 4x100 meter relay, one in the mixed 4x100 meter relay, and another in the 200 meter breaststroke. In total, 11 of the 14 medals earned by Cavalier athletes were in swimming events. Given that UVA-affiliated athletes earned 10% of the medals won for Team U.S.A. during the Games, this summer is likely to boost the university’s recruiting efforts—particularly drawing new students into the pool.

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Trump Escalates Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric With ‘Poisoning the Blood’ Comment

When asked about immigration in a recent interview, the former president used language with echoes of white supremacy and Hitler.

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By Trip Gabriel

• Oct. 5, 2023

Former President Donald J. Trump said undocumented immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country” in a recent interview, language with echoes of white supremacy and the racial hatreds of Adolf Hitler.

Mr. Trump made the remark in a 37-minute video interview with The National Pulse, a right-leaning website, that was posted last week. It drew broader scrutiny on Wednesday after the liberal MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan surfaced the quote in a post on X.

Other commentators went on to point out that Mr. Trump’s attack invoked a theme of Hitler’s autobiographical manifesto “Mein Kampf,” in which the Nazi Party leader railed about what he claimed was the impurity of immigrants, Jews and interracial couples.

In the interview , Mr. Trump was asked about immigration and the Southern border.

He replied: “Nobody has any idea where these people are coming from, and we know they come from prisons. We know they come from mental institutions and insane asylums. We know they’re terrorists. Nobody has ever seen anything like we’re witnessing right now. It is a very sad thing for our country. It’s poisoning the blood of our country. It’s so bad, and people are coming in with disease. People are coming in with every possible thing that you could have.”

At campaign rallies, Mr. Trump has repeated that leaders of unspecified South American countries were releasing patients from mental hospitals to send as migrants to the United States, but fact checkers have found no evidence for the claim .

Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, called Mr. Trump’s comments racist and xenophobic. “Insinuating that immigrants are ‘poisoning the blood of our country’ echoes nativist talking points and has the potential to cause real danger and violence,’’ Mr. Greenblatt said in a statement. “We have seen this kind of toxic rhetoric inspire real-world violence before in places like Pittsburgh and El Paso. It should have no place in our politics, period.”

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