film/book review The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler: Leading millions into the abyss . By Laurence Rees

[RattlesnakeBob]

Quite a read to select for my long haul flight book on my recent journey but !

For anyone that may have wondered ( or been asked ) the simple question of

'How and why did the German people follow Hitler?' you could do a lot worse than read this one.....

Not as heavy a read as you at first may think due to Laurence Rees' style and pace of writing. All the salient points of Hitlers 'career' are covered starting briefly with his pre WW1 life and moving swiftly to the late 20s and the start of his extraordinary ascension to total power..

..the Rhineland , the Austrian Anschluss , The Sudetenland , Czechsolvakia etc and ultimately his march into the Soviet Union with Barbarossa that lead to his demise are all covered politically and militarily , and more importantly ...just how did he keep the vast majority of the German people 'happy' with what he was doing ?

but don't worry ...the book doesn't get bogged down in un-necessary finicky detail.

Even if you've read many works on Hitler and the Nazi's, this book really does provide you with a total understanding of just 'how' it was possible for one man to 'con' so many people..... and to such a bitter end.

If there is one criticism ...it does seem to 'rush' the last 6 months of the War but, I would say that by then you have all the information that you need to be able to answer that original question should you ever be asked or indeed still ponder it yourself.

[Big ray]

Actually, if you are in command of all the facts, its very easy to understand why........ the second world war had its seeds sown in 1919.

[RattlesnakeBob]

Actually, if you are in command of all the facts, its very easy to understand why........ the second world war had its seeds sown in 1919.

 

In my opinion... Socially and Politically it's actually not as straight forward as just

'understanding 1918/1919 and the Versailles treaty and the German peoples rejection of it's ramifications and implications '

.....not even perhaps for folk that have more knowledge than the ordinary everyday person may have of those times....

A lot of folk in these modern times (and not just the younger generation either) are still mystified as to just why did the German people ( and not all of them 'died in the wool Nazi's' either) a modern , developed and supposedly civilised Nation....follow him so blindly and for so long and almost so unquestionably.....into an absolute 'abyss' of death and horror and total destruction?

I've read an awful lot on the general subject including 'Mein Kampf' , John Tolands excellent 'Adolf Hitler and 'A Study in tyranny' by Alan Bullock ... all exceptional books (Yes , even Mein Kampf is worth reading if you can stick with it ) along with quite a few others over the years but , if you were 'new' to the subject or still a little intrigued ?....

then 'Charisma' is for my money, the easiest way to understand the labyrinth

[Tony B]

I agree with Ray. As the Centenary of the Great War approches a lot of information that was held under 75, 80 and 100 year seal is starting to come out. If you have the intrest to dig through such things, it is putting a whole knew slant on 'What everyone knows...' I'll throw you a controversial thought though. Given the social views at the time, if Hitler had stopped in 1938, he'd be considered one of the greatest poloticians of the 20th Century.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Tony B

[RattlesnakeBob]

mmhh sort of agree Tony ......but should you not have the inclination, interest or the time to wade through the facts?...but are still intrigued as to 'why' etc?....then this one book does a cracking job (imho) on giving you probably all you need to know

It's not enough to say the people of Germany were frightened of him and his dictatorial methods ..nor to say they were simply frightened of the SS and the Gestapo..nor even is it enough to say they 'loved' him ...none of these statements nor beliefs adequately explain why..they still followed him , almost without exception to a very bitter end...

..and that's not baffling ?..

I would have thought it was especially when he was actually being advised relatively early on that Germany could not win the war he had brought.

One of his production ministerial team (I could trot back through the book and give his name..) was documented as one who stood in front of Hitler and boldly (or stupidly?) told him the war was not winnable if it went on.....and this was in November 1941 as Barbarossa was grinding down to a slog just before it's eventual winter halt...

This chap was switched on enough to work out the simple enough mathematics ......adding up coal and oil requirements , food , steel production for armaments to continue the war for another year or so..plus add on the colossal loss's the German army was already taking....the numbers simply didn't add up.......but!..

It has to be said..he never resigned and somewhat miraculously also managed to stay in his job and out of a concentration camp too.....those that spoke out in a similar manner only a year or so later were not so fortunate...

Later there were more who albeit quietly voiced their doubts but....for the most part ..they still followed Hitlers orders and decree's more or less all the way through to the bitter end of May 1945. .

Is that not baffling ? even if you knew all the facts available then or now?...

[Tony B]

I've spent a lot of time digging through obscure bits of military paperwork and numerous published editions .The more you know the less you definite you become. The German high command was tyring to Get a negotiated peace in the later part of 1915, through Woodrow Wilson.

[RattlesnakeBob]

it is all very intriguing ...and the sad fact of that is, at least in the First World War Germany did at least still have a 'political structure / government' and a High Command (albeit one almost totally dominated by Hindenburg and Ludendorff ) that could at the very least make an attempt to end the carnage .........whereas....

by WW2 Hitler had dismantled and absorbed all the offices of power and any resemblance whatsoever of any nature of 'civil government' that could of , or even may have attempted to hold him slightly in check?...

..by 1943 many in the OKW/OKH were increasingly aware of the cold fact that they were going to loose ........but precious few of them would consider and even less of them would ever attempt to remove Hitler and thus end the war....

Hitlers hold on power and his people and country was certainly one of iron .

[Locolines]

I can see this turning into a very long thread ! I think one word might describe why they did... Fear

[Tony B]

The period following the Great War, was total chaos. In 1918/19 Spanish Influenza killed 50 to 100 million people, a modern Black Death. With the same results, shortage of labour , food, work, infrastructure damaged, and Germany very near to Communist take over. England survived relativly well. America was coming to prominence , with a lot of links to what was left of the German economy, then came the Wall Street Crash and depression. Hitler was promosing a New Dawn, and he was not tainted with the stain of the Old Gaurd. Bear in mind at that time Germany had only existed as a unified state for about 50 years, and up till then had been an autocratic monoarchy. There was no tradition of Democracy, and franckly I doubt the average German citizen at the time cared. An empty belly calls very loud. Bread and Circusis, which the Nazi supplied would have looked very good, and the word Socialsit in the name implies a care about the well being of the avaerage person. You can add the baleful influence of Woodrow Wilson and his 14 point plan and his hunger for Imortallity. Hitler was an opertunist and attracted the right backers, what wa sleft of the Junker class who thought they'd use and dump him. Wrong wern't they!

[RattlesnakeBob]

...........Hitler was an opertunist and attracted the right backers, what was left of the Junker class who thought they'd use and dump him. Wrong wern't they!..........

 

That there Tony is a case of 'Nail Head Hammer' in some order

It is frightening to realise in those early days , just how many people in German politics and the Military and commerce had that silly silly idea....." yeah ..we can control him !"

[ruxy]

'How and why did the German people follow Hitler?' you could do a lot worse than read this one.....

 

You asked the question , well IMHO there were German "Hitlers" around before Adolf , it is just that Adolf was around at the right time (the earlier Hitlers were dead or coming up to retirement) . How and why did the German people follow Adolf - well that is sort of debatable , I would say he managed to get to the front (wangled democracy) and be accepted as the "superman" - well he did once say that he had seen the superman , possibly in his mirror ?

 

I have to say - I have never read Mein Kampf , possibly if I could get a full English translation in full (apparently the problem is 1/3rd content is no use).

I do have this book (interesting because it is dated 1939) , that explains fully this problem :-

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Hitler-wants-eo-lorimer/dp/B000N2X7BE

 

Anyway - I probably have a good idea of the contents of Mein Kampf

 

 

There were books around pre WW2 asking the same question you have in 2013 - 'How and why did the German people follow Hitler?'

 

I find these books printed before WW2 much more interesting than the modern works (although sometimes they turn out new info that is reliable).

 

Hitler did not like this book , fortunately there is free English translations on the internet :-

 

Bevor Hitler Kam

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/18941614/Bronder-Before-Hitler-Came-A-Historical-Study-English-Translation1975

 

 

-------------

 

A bit of heavy reading LoL - then try :-

 

The Roots of National Socialism 1783 - 1933 by Rohan D'O Butler (published abt. 1941 , so a war-economy hardback, rare & difficult + expensive to obtain in good condition).

 

 

 

Prussians - well yes, however for all the British , Dutch & American financers - Jim Marrs told a good story -

 

The Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Rise-Fourth-Reich-Societies/dp/0061245593

[ruxy]

The book :-

 

What Hitler Wants

by E. O. Lorimer

 

Here is a review , the reviewer gets a little wrong , inc. saying he - when in fact the author was a she. I believe this was sort of a best seller leading up to WW2 because it explained the deficiencies of the English translation of Mein Kampf + the author knew Germany well at the time, so quite a few British people were in the know. One thing that did amuse me was the author stated she could not know where Hitler received his finances very early , sufficient to set the ball rolling . Well she had not read the book by Kurt Ludeke first published in 1938 "I Knew Hitler". I think she actually credited the book , so how well did she read it ? , in any case Ludecke was a liar in part . If she could have read books by Ernst Hanfstaengl prior to WW2 - then she would have been even wiser. However IMHO Hanfstaengl wrote a good book , and a good book about Hitler & those close to him - but concealed much about himself, with the exception of possibly Hess - Hanfstaengl was as close as they got and that probably includes Eva Braun.

 

http://www.librarything.com/work/328777/reviews

Edited October 3, 2013 by ruxy
amd.

[Tony B]

F W Wintherbotham's The Nazi Connection is worth a read. Before becoming involved with Bletchley Park Winterbotham was an RAf 'Liason' officer in Germany. He personaly befriended many top Nazis. His account is writen in a very proffesional intelligence style.

[ruxy]

Yes, I have that book - purchased it more or less to read the Chapter 4. "Nazi Leaders" , the rest of the book was a very good read.. 1978 , took the author a long time to get around to writing it , gives time to crib / plagiarize, that is why I like the books written about the time of the happening. For me the fewer credits & notes the better !

[Tony B]

Trouble is, even books written at the time, are someone elses opinion. Try taking witness statments some time. All you can do is get as many diffrent opnions as you can, and try to figure it out for yourself!