Students told Margaret Thatcher had ‘similar leadership style to Adolf Hitler’

Students were reportedly taught that Margaret Thatcher had a similar leadership style to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

A University of Leicester business studies class reportedly heard Donald Trump described as a ‘terrorist leader’ type of business chief.

The Iron Lady was compared to both the Nazi dictator and Russian President Vladimir Putin for having ‘dictated policies and procedures’ while demanding obedience from others.

Trump was reportedly grouped with the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden, and incel posterboy Elliot Rodger – the murderer who is known for killing six people, injuring 14 others.

A spokesman for the university, consistently ranked in the country’s top 30, said they would be exploring the ideas discussed in Monday’s ‘leadership theory’ class further in the coming term.

One student told The Sun: ‘No one understands why they are going out of their way to make these comparisons.

‘We’re not even doing a politics degree. It makes no sense to bring up Thatcher, Putin, or especially Hitler.

‘Trump was a businessman, so that makes sense, but why are we talking about him in the same breath as Bin Laden?

‘I think they should just say sorry. This was a totally pointless exercise.’

Politics expert Alistair Jones added there is a ‘lot of context missing in this story.’

‘We don’t even know the subject of the lecture. This could be a student who is simply out of their comfort zone.

‘In relation to Thatcher, the comparison with Hitler is inappropriate. Thatcher was a dominant personality who expected her cabinet and MPs to ‘toe her line’.

‘This is not unusual in any leader of a major political party in the UK it is a specific leadership style that anyone studying a business degree ought to be aware.

‘As for the criticism that they are studying business not politics, this is a sad indictment of how politics is seen today.

‘My response is to ask for a subject to be identified that does not contain politics.’

A University of Leicester spokesperson told Metro: ‘The slides represent a snapshot of a lecture exploring leadership theory.

‘This was one of the first lectures in the course and considered how theoretical frameworks relate to a range of well-known people and the different situations within which they lead. Future sessions will explore this further and consider the extent to which these ideas are supported or refuted.

‘At no point do these slides, equate the leadership styles of Thatcher and Hitler or put forward any moral equivalence.

‘As a university we remain committed to academic freedom and freedom of speech. As part of their education students are provided a broad curriculum and will sometimes be exposed to ideas that are controversial or uncomfortable.’