History Main / PromotedToScapegoat

* Obvious parody elements aside, the "Admiral Dönitz" comedy sketch discussed above is more-or-less how the real situation went down at the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The real Creator/KarlDonitz became [[UsefulNotes/ThePresidentsOfGermany President of Germany]] upon UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's death less through merit and more because everyone else who might have been in the running was either dead or had fled... and the field was pretty small to begin with, as Hitler thought that the Navy was the only military branch that hadn't betrayed him[[note]]Ironically, the German Navy was traditionally considered one of the ''least'' loyal branches of the German military, in terms of personal and political loyalty to Hitler and the Nazi Party at least[[/note]]. The real Dönitz was, of course, [[DontExplainTheJoke a tad less oblivious to the Battle of Berlin]], but for three whole weeks he was the leader of Nazi Germany, and even [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19738_5-iconic-scenes-from-history-everyone-pictures-incorrectly_p2.html held cabinet meetings]] despite having no communications with the outside world, no forces to lead, no resources and being surrounded by Allied troops the whole time.

* During UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne the German Supreme High Command basically took over the country as a military dictatorship, with a two-to-four-man Junta based around Generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff serving as the country's ''de facto'' leadership, with the Kaiser effectively reduced to a [[PuppetKing figurehead]]. On realizing that the war was lost, however, they handed over power to a civilian government which was forced to agree to the unpopular terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Hindenburg and Ludendorff then promoted the idea that an undefeated Germany had been stabbed in the back by a conspiracy including those same civilians, a myth eagerly taken up by the Nazis.
** The last Reichskanzler of the German Kaiserreich was likewise promoted to a position with little to do except cajole Wilhelm II into abdicating (or, as he did, simply announcing Wilhelm's abdication whether he actually did renounce the throne or not) and then get out of dodge once the revolutionary excrement really hit the fan. When appointed to the job, poor Max von Baden actually thought this would be his great chance to prove his mettle. No dice.
* Obvious parody elements aside, the "Admiral Dönitz" comedy sketch discussed above is more-or-less how the real situation went down at the end of the Second World War. The real Karl Dönitz became President of Germany upon Hitler's death less through merit and more because everyone else who might have been in the running was either dead or had fled... and the field was pretty small to begin with, as Hitler thought that the Navy was the only military branch that hadn't betrayed him[[note]]Ironically, the German Navy was traditionally considered one of the ''least'' loyal branches of the German military, in terms of personal and political loyalty to Hitler and the Nazi Party at least[[/note]]. The real Dönitz was, of course, [[DontExplainTheJoke a tad less oblivious to the Battle of Berlin]], but for three whole weeks he was the leader of Nazi Germany, and even [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19738_5-iconic-scenes-from-history-everyone-pictures-incorrectly_p2.html held cabinet meetings]] despite having no communications with the outside world, no forces to lead, no resources and being surrounded by Allied troops the whole time.

* Likewise, Admiral Kantaro Suzuki became prime minister of Japan in the final days of UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo. He was an octogenarian naval hero from the UsefulNotes/RussoJapaneseWar forty years prior and a long-time moderate politician (which made him the target of several assassination attempts). As prime minister, his only job was to arrange Japan's surrender to the Allies.