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re: Why do you think people flocked to Hitler?
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:08 pm to Chromdome35
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:08 pm to Chromdome35
quote:
There isn't a simple 1 size fits all answer to that question.
Germany was suffering a terrible economy, high unemployment, and was resentful of the conditions imposed on it by the treaty of Versailles at the end of WW1.
Hitler played to all of these and slanted his rhetoric towards the grievances of the German people.
He was a very strong public speaker who knew how to connect with his audience.
This in a nutshell. My grandmother was a teenager in Germany during WWII. Her stories revolved around Hitler bringing stability, things like healthcare to the masses, etc. One particular story she told was being on a train and it being strafed by allied fighters. The Soldiers threw the children off the train and covered them with their bodies.
That kind of thing regardless of the overarching ideology tends to cement a people's resolve.
I say all this not as an excuse but as an explanation. The German people really did see things as the world versus them because of how post WWI turned out. Hitler played that shite like a violin.
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:09 pm to OMLandshark
quote:
What we saw in Charlottesville last week was straight out of the 20s with the Brownshirts vs the Reds. I
I, sir, APPLAUD YOU!
The result, once it gets to that point, is either STALIN (hundreds of millions dead) or Hitlers Millions dead.
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:11 pm to MButterfly
The German states had their balls removed after WWI. German people are proud, and the country was dying for a strong leader. Hitler was that leader. He didn't start the overt craziness until well into the war, so many Germans embraced the Nazi party based largely on propaganda without knowing their underlying motives.
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:11 pm to MButterfly
Hitler was gifted ascetic priest.
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:14 pm to graychef
I have read dozens of books about Nazi Germany and WWII. If you want to invest the time and energy in the most definitive work, read Richard J. Evans trilogy about the Third Reich. It is about 1800 pages and covers 1933 to 1945. He is English, studied at Oxford and University of London is fluent in German and teaches at Cambridge. The first volume will leave you in no doubt about why the Germans "flocked" to Hitler. On the other hand, if you really want to understand the essence of these people, just read Winston Churchill and how he saved our collective asses.
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:14 pm to Vacherie Saint
quote:
The German states had their balls removed after WWI. German people are proud, and the country was dying for a strong leader.
They were looking for a leader. But they were also forced to choose a side. REDS or Brownshirts.
Which do YOU prefer?
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:15 pm to MButterfly
quote:
Or Franco?
Or Mussolini?
uh no.
And I'm not going to bother with the history lesson for you because it's something you won't listen to anyway.
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:16 pm to beachdude
quote:
Germany, almost 100 years ago has as little to do with contemporary Western society as the Roman Republic in 100 BC had to do with 10th Century AD Vikings.
So do 100 year old statues matter?
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:23 pm to DumbCollegeKid
quote:
Hitler was gifted ascetic priest.
He was a gifted speaker. That helped. But before that, there were fights in the streets.
Those fights were between the reds and the brownshirts. Both used the same tactics.
We are at the beginning stages. We have REDS in the street and most of america sees that speech is being silenced.
They see the right as not defending those rights.
THAT is where we are at.
What is the next step?
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:24 pm to MButterfly
I don't know if I would describe the German people as flocking to Hitler. He definitely had support but he also used the fear of violence to silence his opposition.
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:26 pm to MButterfly
An ascetic priest gives permission to his flock, but he also gives will to power. Hitler gave the German people a goal and an enemy. Those are two vital components to an ideology.
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:28 pm to MButterfly
quote:
Those fights were between the reds and the brownshirts. Both used the same tactics.
Well that's easy you silly bear. Reds are freedom fighters and champions of (approved) free speech. Sure, sure...they may beat up the random old guy or lady for no reason, but what can you do?
This post was edited on 8/20/17 at 11:31 pm
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:30 pm to Centinel
quote:
champions of approved free speech
Fify
Posted on 8/20/17 at 11:31 pm to OMLandshark
quote:
That's bullshite...read rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Thanks for the advice. I read it 50 years ago and then again about 25 years ago. There are other works you know. I absolutely like the relatively contemporary and immediate language of Shirer's work, but do not think that it is the definitive history of Nazi Germany. He was deceived and lied to routinely by the people he interviewed and his ability to discover certain facts at the time were restricted by the nature of the regime itself. He could merely make observations about Berlin mostly, people's behavior and what he read in the German newspapers. It frustrated him until the day he died that he could not get at the real facts until way after WWII was over.
Posted on 8/21/17 at 1:53 am to MButterfly
Treaty of Versailles. Fact.
Posted on 8/21/17 at 2:08 am to Stingray
Hitler was a very powerful speaker saying what they wanted to hear.
Posted on 8/21/17 at 2:16 am to Blizzard of Chizz
Once Hitler was appointed Chancellor he disbanded unions, closed newspapers, and outlawed other political parties. He also made laws that were clearly unconstitutional. People -then- began to flock to him. He was stong. The time for thinking was past.
Posted on 8/21/17 at 5:25 am to MButterfly
I think, while certainly the events, motivations and characters are different throughout history, human nature is very much the same. What leads to specific human conditions especially when it comes to having a blind spot to the lead up to authoritarianism seems to have similar elements. One in particular is the need to feel part of something bigger than thou with other fellow humans. It's why we are all interested in politics.
It's also what creates the mass hysteria bubble. You don't realize you're in the bubble until it's too late.
We should try to look more at the collective human psychology rather than the specific events that took place in order to understand why these things happened. There are recurring themes from that standpoint and in that way the OP has a point.
I liken our current situation to the mass hysteria and lead up to the French Revolution.
It's also what creates the mass hysteria bubble. You don't realize you're in the bubble until it's too late.
We should try to look more at the collective human psychology rather than the specific events that took place in order to understand why these things happened. There are recurring themes from that standpoint and in that way the OP has a point.
I liken our current situation to the mass hysteria and lead up to the French Revolution.
Posted on 8/21/17 at 7:15 am to MButterfly
My mother grew up in Nazi Germany.
Hitler's popularity can be described in one word: jobs. He promised them and he delivered.
If you can meet people's basic needs, there is very little they will NOT do for you. Especially when you tell them that a particular group is threatening to take the jobs you provided.
Hitler's popularity can be described in one word: jobs. He promised them and he delivered.
If you can meet people's basic needs, there is very little they will NOT do for you. Especially when you tell them that a particular group is threatening to take the jobs you provided.
This post was edited on 8/21/17 at 7:16 am
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