[InTheArena]

I read another article by this author recently it wasn’t impressed, but this is a pretty impressive piece.

The one thing I wish the author went into is the piece: Why is it that people dismissed Hitler with their stereotype of “the small man“ ?

I would argue that it was because of confirmation biases and an overwhelming sense that everyone saw the world the same way that they did, and anyone who did not was not worth taking seriously. They saw the benefits of individual rights, liberalism and socialism.

This is especially important because Hitler’s appeal was rooted and rejecting the international order. Rejecting how far Europe in general, and Germany in particular had fallen.

He saw how the economic order that was so catastrophic to the Germans and connected with Germans who were already disenchanted with liberal and press elites.

The fact that he really did not have any solutions other than scapegoating and war for each of those things didn’t really matter because he saw and tapped into anger that others ignored. That made them adore him.

I think the Hitler and Trump comparisons are catastrophic bad and misplaced (you can easily convince me of more parallels to Mussolini) - but in this sense, I think ithe comparison here makes easier to understand why Trump supporters see the bile and disregard that the media and political opponents as badges of honor - they increase, not decrease their adoration of him.

[watwut]

German elites were not liberal nor internationally focused. What are you going on in here. German elites were conservative and generally aristocratic pro-monarchy leaning.

Hitlers program went very much beyond scapegoating - he demanded more land for Germans as in more "living space". He demanded to build stron nation

Oh, he has seen empathy as weakness, word as competition where winners have no responsibility to loosers. Musk and other conservative representatives nazi salute are perfectly fitting.

[InTheArena]

You seem to think the monarchists were the only elites. The three parties in control - the catholic center party, the SPD and others were relatively liberal and associated with the Weimar government.

The monarchists did not have any real power until the last dying days of the Weimar Republic - which violence between the communists (who had split from the SPD after the failed revolutions) and nazis had accelerated dramatically. (Along with the collapse of international finance and easy American loans).

It was the collapse of the three parties that led to the rise of the militarists (not necessarily monarchists) and ultimately to Hitler.

Sources - Richard Evan’s three volume history of nazi germany is great.

[watwut]

I read the same book and liberal elites were ot a thing in that book. Seriously.

The goverment workers were ex-soldiers, leaning right and supporting dictatorship. Judges, cops and prosecutors were leaning right and much more lenient to the right. Country leadership were former aristocracy and pro monarchy. Journals belonged to parties, each having own.

There was real communist uprising, having nothing to do with the only pro democratic party social democrats. Which was NOT elite and more of middle class thing.

Social democrats did not collapsed until Hitler took power and imprisoned them in amos right as he took power. And that last election was quite violent, with a lot of violence from the nazi side and a lot of attempts to tie communists to social democrats. Hitler did not had to win, altrought he did.

[InTheArena]

I would (humbly) suggest you look a the state of the government during the entire Weimar period, not just the end. Here is a list of the Chancellors during that period:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chancellors_of_Germany...

The Centre Party, the SPD, the GPP dominated that period - they all recognized the weimar government, human rights, liberal economics.

(BTW, it's not one book - it's a trilogy of books).

[cyberge99]

Trump never laughs because it makes him look weak.

[vunderba]

Trump is a constant reminder that it has almost always been easier to build a fanatical following based on mutual hatred then mutual love.

"You hate X? I hate X too".

[impendingchange]

And burning crosses on front lawns brings people together like nothing else.

[InTheArena]

Welcome to the last 28 years of American political parties. Hating republicans/democrats has been the single simply rallying cry of our political system since George H Bush left office.