Racism and sexism are very big and important issues in our society today.  Discriminating against others based on skin color or gender can be seen throughout the history of the world.  The leaders of groups relating to these topics are usually mean and cruel.  Although there are many similarities in the way that these leaders act and how they treat others, there are also many differences. This is true today as well as in the past.  The most famous leader of racism and sexismwas Adolf Hitler during the Holocaust.  He authorized the murdering of millions of Jews, women, men and children during World War II. The most current group for racism and sexism is the Ku Klux Klan.  It is a violent group that fights for white supremacy.  These leaders and group are very similar in their views and ways, but also different in their extremeness.

The leaders of racism and sexism are alike in some ways, but different in others.  Hitler was an extreme racist and sexist who seized power in Germany after World War I.  He believed in a perfect world with white supremacy.  In 1935, he helped pass the Nuremberg Laws, which took away German citizenship from the Jews and banned them from marrying non-Jews.  Jews were removed from schools, excluded from the military and banned from their professions.  Hitler lead a movement that put a big importance on someone’s family tree-making it a matter of life and death. However, his family tree was messed up and brought him a lifetime of embarrassment.  A racist and sexist group that acts out violently against blacks is the Ku Klux Klan.  The leader of the Ku Klux Klan is called the Imperial Wizard. They organize the meetings of the group and lead them.  The KKK would burn churches of the blacks and murder or rape them. They would rarely get caught because the head officials in the towns were also members of the group.  There are many similarities between these two groups.  They are similar in the way that they target one major group and act out violently against them. Also, they both believe in the fact of white supremacy over other races and that is their reasons for acting out.  There are also many differences between these two.  They are different because they target different groups of people. The ways that they punish the people are different also.  Hitler murdered millions of helpless Jews while the Ku Klux Klan scared the blacks into fearing them and then killed them. 

Through Hitler’s reign the group that was targeted the most was Jews.  They were blamed for Germany’s loss in World War I and the economic hardships the country was going through.  Jews were also thought of as a less superior race that was keeping the Germans from being rulers of the world.  They went as far as to compare the Jews to a plague carrying rats.  The group that is targeted the most by the Ku Klux Klan is blacks.  They became a target right after the Civil War because of the new rights they had just obtained.  The KKK thought that the blacks were going to ruin the white’s power and their supremacy. They would frighten the blacks into being terrified of them and to fear for their lives. These groups are alike in the way that they were targeted by outside groups and were killed for being different.  They are also similar because they were targeted to make the world better for whites.  These groups are different because of the different groups that targeted them and how badly they were treated.  Although both groups were hurt, they are still around today.

The leaders of these groups obtained their power in different ways.  Hitler took control of Germany after World War I because he felt that they were cheated out of a win in the war.  The Ku Klux Klan leader started the group because of his beliefs and people just started following him and acting with him.  The way these leaders took power is different.  Hitler took his forcefully, while the leader of the KKK took his more peacefully and just started the group.  The way these leaders obtained power is also similar.  They both took the initiative to lead a group and be in charge of what goes on.  Also they both were scared of what would happen if they did not change something.  Although these leaders took their power in a different way, they were also similar.

The ways that these leaders maintained their power were pretty similar.  Both scared the rest of the people into fearing them and that’s how they were able to keep their power.  They both were very extreme and threatened the lives of others.  They are also different in how many people they had to keep fearing them and how much power they had.  Hitler reigned over an entire country and kept them under his power.  The KKK mostly just threatened the southern blacks and kept their power over them.  Even though these leaders maintain their power in different ways, they were also similar.

Racism and sexism are things in our society that should be gotten rid of.  Even though they are not as obviously shown as in the past, they are still big factors.  They have many similarities in the ways they have been used throughout history, but they also have many differences in them.  Racism and sexism have been around for a long time but there is still time for change.