- The Nazis rose to power legally
- Protestants, Big Business and social conservatives supported the Nazis
- The Nazis simplified issues for the masses through propaganda
- There was a shared hatred between the Nazis and Communists. Both were extremely violent.
- Inflation after WWI and the Great Depression gave rise to a lot of discontent which was channeled into nationalism, racism and social Darwinism.
- The penultimate step for Nazi rule was the German governmet thinking Hitler was a lame duck and trying to use him for their own political ends
- As "lame duck", Hitler had control of the police. With this control, he was able to let the SS and Brownshirts conduct their "business" with little restraint.
- Hitler took the action of a lone communist arson attack to strike fear that the communists were at the eve of a Bolshevic-type revolution... which lead to his own executive order
October 14, 2007
Rise Of The Third Reich
Still too tired to write about this... but here a few points that may not relate:
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7 comments:
Wowee... you know, when the Cold War was over and the Berlin wall came down, when Russia was becoming a democarcy...I think it felt like our world was headed for democary, for freedom... But now, Putin...Africa...Darfur...North Korea...Burma...the insanity in the middle East...etc... it is all very depressing. And we are at war. Why?
I don't know much about Nietchze (sp?), but I think (somebody correct me) his answer (me oversimplifying it) would be that the history of man (maybe something more Western) is one of a power struggle.
And I find myself struggling with this too. I don't know the answer, but maybe today, just today, I'll take a back seat and rest.
My understanding of Nietzsche is that the underlying universal force behind human behavior is the will to power. This is not only manifest in obvious things like dictatorships. It also happens when one person does something good for another, for example, putting the other person in their debt. Nietzsche's problem with Christianity is that it is fundamentally dishonest to teach people the goodness of being gentle and self-effacing when these traits are, in fact, manipulations -- attempts to gain power. The honest person recognizes the will to power and the "revaluation of all values" that it implies.
I don't believe in the equation of democracy and freedom. Democracy nowadays means only that you have a vote. But you have to vote for candidates produced by the existing power structures, which are largely owned by special interests. Freedom is more complex. For a start, there's "freedom from" and "freedom to." The former says "don't constrain me," while the latter says, "I am empowered." Democracy and "freedom from" come together in the Enlightenment in the concept of "autonomy" -- I make my own rules; there's a direct line between Kant and Ariel (The Little Mermaid). "Freedom to" is harder to gauge, but I think it is essential for happiness, and without it democracy doesn't mean much.
Random thoughts.
I'd give an arm and a leg for random thoughts like these.
Wow - that is very interesting! I agree about democracy = freedom not necessarily being true. The working poor are not free to have good healthcare and normal workloads and healthy foods. Their pursuit of happiness is very limited here. Is that an example of what you are talking about? We are not free to have children that aren't inundated with commercials, etc urging them to eat processed junk to support the processed food industry.
I only know America...
I really think America offers a decent shake of hand in terms of freedom. While it does take a lot of work, connection and education; I think there are open doors for that.
I grew up in Government housing. Went to college. I am getting to help NASA reach for Mars. I have no system or glass ceiling that has kept me from pursuing whatever course I dream up.
At the same time, much of what this country does scares me.
BTW, we have the freedom to vote for people other than the mainliners, and there is Tivo for commercial skipping... and maybe a desert island is in order... :-)
I think I was describing a Meritocracy, not a Democracy.
Well, I'm at work so can't elaborate.
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