Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
View Post
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Why would 13M Germans vote for a guy with a small moustache?
Collapse
X
-
-
Quite true and leading to the common belief "if only the Fuhrer knew" disasters and the many imposts of the chaotic nazi state would have been avoided.
Some clever research has shown that contrary to the impression created by allied wartime propaganda the German population wasn't controlled by fear. There was a vast terror machine to be sure but this was only turned against the German people right at the end of the war, in 1945. The Gestapo for example controlled German cities with surprisingly small teams of agents. This was because widespread informing on suspect citizens made close surveillance unnecessary. The machinery of the nazi state buttressed the regime at all levels. It was almost impossible to avoid affiliation to some nazi organisation or another, like the Hitler Youth or the League of German Maidens, where everyone was watched by other ordinary citizens. The main source of monitoring of the German mood, to finetune the regime's message, was Goebbels propaganda machine, not the SS or Gestapo.
Complicity in Hitler's crimes and thus the need stick with him to the end was another binding, particularly for the armed forces, as was the oath to Hitler, which many German officers took as a matter of honour, perversely also seen by them as somehow exonerating the armed forces from crimes.
The nazi regime had a way of implicating everyone. The Sixth Army for example, before it was destroyed at Stalingrad was involved in crimes against humanity all the way from their jumping off point for the invasion of Russia, including the wholesale maltreatment of Russian POWs, the massacre of Jews at Barbi Yar outside Kiev and other places, and the wilful and quite inexplicably callous starvation of the population of Kharkov, Russia's third largest city, in the winter of 1941. They were involved in a vast monstrous criminal enterprise, and that was only one army.Any views I may express here are personal and certainly do not in any way reflect the views of my employer. Tis the rising of the moon..
Look, I just don't anymore, okay?
Comment
-
Originally posted by kentonio View PostA better question might be how long before the tiny mustache comes back in fashion!
Comment
-
Originally posted by Alexander's Horse View PostOne curious aspect of Hitlerism which has been pointed out by a number of historians, probably first by AJP Taylor, is that Hitler is the most popular leader that Germany has ever had up to the present day.
His popularity soared after the fall of France and it was only after the disaster at Stalingrad that it started to slip. But he still remained popular. The allied bombing offensive in 1944 and battlefield defeats from 1942 onwards further dented Hitler's popularity but it was strong enough to keep Germany fighting to the bitter end. Recent research indicates Hitler's "spell" wasn't broken until 1945, after the failure of the Ardennes offensive, the loss of East Prussia and the realisation that Germany was going to be invaded and the "wonder weapons" weren't going to materialise or change the course of the war if they did appear. It was too late by then.
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
Comment
-
I don't see Hitler as ever being the "most popular" especially since he never actually won an election but dozens of other leaders actually have.Try http://wordforge.net/index.php for discussion and debate.
Comment
Comment