* Lew’s review (ongoing) of “Backing Hitler” by Robert Gellately … It is getting harder for me to reconcile the horrors of the totalitarian state graphically described by Gellately with his contention that “a huge majority of Germans supported Hitler’s pol
In his introduction, Gellately sets the premise that Hitler was well received in 1933 by most Germans who applauded his goals of “restoring the grandeur of the Reich” and “cleaning out undesirable aliens.” He argues that this widespread support for Hitler did not waver substantially until more than a decade later when it was obvious [...]
date
newest »
newest »
Interesting, Lew. I think when I look at the state of the US today similar comparisons can be found, and it may be that humans too often are conditioned and even eager to follow a leader - sometimes just based on a single issue (as in current single-issue voters). Perhaps for many Germans this was an improvement in the economy; perhaps for some it was the removal of the "undesirable" element - which would not just be Jews, but of course in the beginning those people who WOULD actually stand up to the Nazis: political leftists, primarily, Communists and so on. I think it's really easy for us in this day and age to look back to the time between the end of WWI (when Bavaria even, for a short time, became a Communist state) and all the complications that arose in Germany, from the Versailles Treaty to the very first republic seen in that country -- which was still a young country -- and expect people to have behaved in an honorable way, or to be able to see and predict the future. To this day we recognize horrors happening everywhere, and no, not as mechanized as the concentration camps, but workers committing suicide in Apple factories in China; child sex slaves; immigrants working in tomato fields for Taco Bell under gun-toting watchers; repeated rape of women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo and their subsequent shunning by their husbands and fathers in far too many cases; even the destruction of the environment which statistics show happening without question -- and we simply go about our lives as if nothing else matters but the new iPhone, our "entitlement" to cheap plastic toys and cheap chocolate and cheap clothes. It's different in specificity, but it's the same in human nature, unfortunately.
Ruth Andreas-Friedrich wrote a fascinating book called "Berlin Underground 1938-1945" where she addressed, as a political activist and young woman during that time, about the perception of non-Germans to Germans' complicity with Hitler. The whole book isn't about that, but it's in there and it stops and makes you think a bit.
Wendy wrote: "Interesting, Lew. I think when I look at the state of the US today similar comparisons can be found, and it may be that humans too often are conditioned and even eager to follow a leader - sometime..."Wendy:
Thoughtful and very interesting comments. You've added much to this discussion, the parallels and similarities.
Thanks, Cathy
From everything I've read, which, I admit is limited, Hilter was indeed accepted by 'most Germans' because of what you quoted above.
In fact I can recall many, many years ago meeting a man who was in the German Army and that's what he said. Basically, that he was German and was called upon to serve. He didn't go into detail, but being a German patroit, he served because he was German, there and had no reason to flee. His life, I'm pretty sure, was somewhat 'normal' whatever that is under such circumstances. He did state that he did not participate in any of the concentratioin camps, etc. But we can probably surmise that his feelings toward the Jews were much like Hilter's and he probably knew of the atrocities which defined Hitler's leadership of Germany and the war itself. (Due to time, I'm purposely being non-specific since we know what the subject is.)
Further, due to time limitations, I just glanced through your extented review on your website, but didn't see that you disagreed with that. Is that a correct assumption? Got off on tangent, but hope you can decipher my original question.
Thanks and hope you're doing well. I always learn from your reviews and appreciate them; appreciate them very much.
Thanks, Cathy