Columbus Vs. Hitler

Some may say that history has a tendency to repeat itself. From episodes regarding war, to expansionism, and incidents of genocide similar examples are present through modern day. While this phenomenon never ceases to replicate the past, there are always enough subtle nuances of change that prevent history from repeating itself exactly as before. At a time when European expansionism was begging to take shape war and genocide were prevalent. When Columbus set sail for Asia with the intent of establishing a trade monopoly between the vibrant culture of Asia and Spain and discovered the New World, along with it came the discovery of the Indians and a new trade and labor opportunity began to take place. Columbus’ discovery of the New World has been controversial. There are those who wish to honor him and therefore feel that the accusations concerning his crime of genocide are revisions of history. Blinded by greed Columbus turned into a vicious tyrant hungry for only gaining wealth and status. However, there are sources that describe the atrocities Columbus and the Spaniards committed against the Indians. These brutalities are all part of a bigger picture of genocide committed by Columbus when he discovered the New World. Many of the tribulations done are similar to those performed by the Nazis in World War II. Hitler’s “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” attempted to be solved through a mass genocide we know as the Holocaust. Some people would argue that Columbus “conquests” and “Hitler’s Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” are comparable. These people look at the atrocities that both parties committed against their victims and the amount of people who died. Although the methods and intent were different, the slavery and subjugation of the Indians and the Jews as compared through the two men Columbus and Hitler and had an affect on our modern world.

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Portrayed, as Americas first great hero Columbus still remains a mysterious and controversial figure in history. Described as one of the greatest mariners in time, a visionary genius, a mystic, a national hero, a failed administrator, a naive entrepreneur, and a ruthless and greedy imperialist Christopher Columbus is a pivotal character in history. Columbus was born in Genoa Italy in 1451 as the son of a wool weaver and small time merchant. As a teenager he went to sea and began in the merchant trade business. He traveled as far as Iceland and Guinea. Eventually he made Portugal his base. It was here that he first tried to gain royal patronage for a westward voyage to the Orient and create an enterprise with the Indies. When Columbus was born, Europe Africa and Asia were each apart of the Old World of the Eastern Hemisphere, but they were also separate worlds culturally, religiously, and politically. Throughout history, as land and sea trade routes were discovered these worlds came together. Columbus’ voyages broke the isolation barriers of the Old World once and for all, for he opened the gateway between human nations as no one had before.

Columbus never set out to discover the new world. He originally left his homeland because his career as a mariner and merchant prompted him to do so. He lived in Portugal for about a decade, during which was one of the most influential times in his life. He learned a tremendous amount about his trade and here began to believe in the possibility of sailing westward toward Asia. This idea, although not unique, was an extraordinary thought for the time period. He worked in the kingdom of Castile with merchants who had business dealings in Lisbon, Cadiz, and Seville. He sailed to Portuguese trading stations in parts of the world unknown to the previous generation. He gained knowledge and techniques of commerce from working with merchants in the lucrative sugar trade. Furthermore, with the early age of the printed book, a more wide range of books and ideas were available. Due to this Columbus read and created notions that the earth was round, and much smaller in circumference than it really is. This promoted him to go forth and ask for provisions from the King of Portugal to establish trade in Asia. Columbus envisages "The Enterprise of the Indies." Based on the maps and writings of Ptolemy and other navigational documents, he believed it would be a relatively easy westward voyage from Europe to the east coast of Asia. He calculated that it would be faster to sail westward from the north coast of Africa that from the coastal regions of northern Europe, but King John of Portugal denied Christopher Columbus, not willing to fund his trips. The Portuguese did not accept the writings of Ptolemy and believed Columbus would be unsuccessful. Also, they were more interested in establishing and controlling a trade route to the Orient around the southern tip of Africa. Determined