Enablers

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

The book is really a biography of Hitler, who was the person most critical to the rise and fall.  This is one of the things that is stunning about Hitler's life-he was the lynchpin for the continued success of the Nazis, and yet few opposed him once he gained power.

What is truly frustrating about the book is how EASY it was for Hitler to rise to power and obtain what he wanted for the next several years.  Sure, the Beer Hall Putsch failed, and it was several years before Hitler would obtain "Fuhror" status.  But the Putsch was a ridiculous attempt to overthrow the government.  Hitler was punished for his treason with an incredibly light sentence that ended up being a few months of home confinement.  Hitler smartly used the "down" time to write Mein Kamph.  Which brings me to another point that Shirer brought up again and again-Hitler spelled out his true feelings and radicalism in Mein Kamph.  It should have been no surprise what he would do to the Jews, nor was it out of character for him to take an imperialist, expansionist stance toward Europe.

The Allies made mistake after mistake in their handling of Hitler and Germany.  They underestimated the extremists views of the Nazis, despite plenty of prior warning.  If the regime would be so severe to its own people (concentration camps were already numerous in the mid 1930s, thanks to the incarceration of political enemies and "undesirables") then what stance would it take towards its neighbors?  Even after war had been officially declared, the Allies sat on their hands and let Poland try to defend itself.  England had by far the strongest navy, and yet Germany was allowed to float into Norway, where most of the resistance came from the somewhat disorganized Norwegian resistance.  While the German army was focused on Poland, western Germany was at the mercy of French and English "invading" forces, which sat still, waiting to go on the defensive.  Months later Germany was ready to head west.  The Netherlands and Belgium also neglected the threat, assuming Germany would not invade France by way of those Northern countries.  Then there was France, whose lackadaisical response was made worse by poor tactical decisions.  Mistakes continued to be made by the Allies throughout the war, but they would  benefit from Germany's dwindling supplies and the massive miscalculations by Hitler regarding the possibility of conquering Russia.

A long war was unwinnable by Germany, and by 1943 Germany was doomed.  But Hitler was embarking on a "lose at all cost" path while spreading blame around.  His belief that the German people were superior in mind and body to their enemies made it inconceivable (I don't think you know the meaning of that word) to Hitler that Germany could be defeated.  During the last few months Hitler ordered a scorched earth policy towards Germany itself.  Fortunately for Germany, some Germans finally started to ignore Hitler's orders.  Too little, too late for many.

Nationalism is dangerous.  Patriotism is the refuge of scoundrels.  People value money over freedom.  People are gullible.  These are recurring themes of the rise, and I could not help but think about the United States and the rise of nationalistic fervor in the time following 9/11.  Hitler was convinced that he needed to justify his actions, whether those actions involved punishing groups of people for their race or political beliefs, lessening freedom in the homeland to strengthen his control, or invading other nations.  Hitler's early support was never very strong.  He never obtained over 50% of the vote in any election, until already in power when elections were managed to the appropriate (for Hitler) results.  They were managed so well that Hitler received almost unanimous approval.  Right.

How was the government dysfunctional to the point that Hitler was allowed to assume power to begin with?  There was too much division.  There were several parties and factions.  They could not come together and agree on important issues, which left the government impotent during an economic crisis.  Sound familiar?

Hitler's actions became more and more extreme.  More and more people were being condemned to concentration camps (especially former supporters who did not fit the plan), Jews were being eradicated from public life, and countries were being invaded to ensure Germany's safety.  At some point one would think that the German people would come to their senses.  But years of "success" had made them feel righteous about the 1930s government, and some wanted to believe Hitler's "truth" rather than reality, to placate their own egos.  Of course, Hitler's truth was whatever he wanted them to believe.

I would rather not break down people by race or nationality.  I prefer to say that everyone is an Earthling.  This "one people, one planet" idea has become more and more sensible with the increasing contact between Earthlings thanks to the Internet.  The spread of knowledge, ideas, and values without the interference of a particular politicial regime is paving the way towards a worldcentric way of life.  So when I look back and see how foolish the German majority was during this time, I see it as a warning.  Yes, people are that stupid and shortsighted.  Whenever things are going poorly, they will grasp on to whatever seems to work, regardless of the long term consequences.  Find someone to blame, and hype yourself up in the process.

It might look ugly now, but Hitler tapped into primordial urges while taking advantage of economic upheaval and local impoverishment.  Evil was at the right place at the right time.