Hitlers Biggest Mistake

[Friedrich H]

The entire Goverment of Germany and its ever increasing empire was ruled by oppression and fear and not by consent and this situation was worsoning as the war progressed, as witnessed perhaps by the attempts on his life.

Well, not entirely. At least, not after 1943, when the Stalingrad débâcle couldn't be disguised and when material hardships and the bombings started affecting the bulk of the population, the régime's only support was its repression machinery. The 'Hitler Myth' didn't entirely crumbled until this date, but from 1938 until 1942 it remained at its peak. That's why the German 'resistance' didn't attempt anything back then.

But the German totalitarian State was based on popular consent and wide collaboration. Otherwise, how could the Gestapo with its 35.000-50.000 men watch over 60.000.000 people and effectively isolate the Jewish population, get rid of the political opposition and closely guard the population's sexual behaviour?

The truth is that the enormous wave of massive denunciation and delation of 'crimes' did the job. Only until late 1943 the number of denounces decreased (but didn't stop at all, even if by the time, the punishments had became far harsher).

Totalitarian societies are ruled from above, but work from below.

[DigglerWJ]

In my opinion Hitlers biggest mistake was invading Poland in September 1939 which started World War II.
Obviously another mistake was stabbing the Soviets in the back with Operation "Barbarossa" the invasion of The Soviet Union which meant The Germans were fighting a war on two fronts West and now East. Hitler got too greedy too fast.

[Kiwiwriter]

Originally posted by Friedrich H@Jul 5 2005, 06:59 PM

Well, not entirely. At least, not after 1943, when the Stalingrad débâcle couldn't be disguised and when material hardships and the bombings started affecting the bulk of the population, the régime's only support was its repression machinery. The 'Hitler Myth' didn't entirely crumbled until this date, but from 1938 until 1942 it remained at its peak. That's why the German 'resistance' didn't attempt anything back then.

But the German totalitarian State was based on popular consent and wide collaboration. Otherwise, how could the Gestapo with its 35.000-50.000 men watch over 60.000.000 people and effectively isolate the Jewish population, get rid of the political opposition and closely guard the population's sexual behaviour?

The truth is that the enormous wave of massive denunciation and delation of 'crimes' did the job. Only until late 1943 the number of denounces decreased (but didn't stop at all, even if by the time, the punishments had became far harsher).

Totalitarian societies are ruled from above, but work from below.

Quoted post

Very much so. I would add that many people continued to believe the "Hitler Myth until 1945. The invaders found heavy resistance right up to the Reichstag, mostly from three groups: Hitler Youth/cadets, who had been infused with Nazi propaganda from the start; SS men, who were also fanatics by definition; and renegade members of the German "Foreign Legions" who had nowhere to go. They could die in battle, die in a Russian POW camp, or die on the gallows after being found guilty of treason by their rejected homelands. Many of them chose to die in the ruins of Berlin.

[redcoat]

deleted post

[8th KRI]

[quote=Friedrich H,Jul 5 2005, 11:59 PM]

Totalitarian societies are ruled from above, but work from below.

Quoted post

I don't disagree - however in order for the totalitarian society to work at all, there needs to be considerable attention paid to effective propaganda and deceit, coupled with ruthless and swift removal of dissent. "Consent" is dependant on adherence to the party line and the genuine belief that the dictator is "good for the country", and in the case of Hitler, initially this was true, following the WW1. Ultimately consent was (or would have become) only the priviledge of the master race, all other races becoming either slaves or exterminated (was Hitler a fan of Plato, by any chance?)

Chris

[morse1001]

(was Hitler a fan of Plato, by any chance?)

Not so much a fan of Plato more a fan of Nietzsche, who was classically trained and therefore would have both studied and absorbed in the teachings contained in platonic texts.

However, Hitler and the nazis took two basic ideas of Nietzsche "Will to Power" and Obermench" and corrupted them to suit there own needs

[Friedrich H]

Not so much a fan of Plato more a fan of Nietzsche, who was classically trained and therefore would have both studied and absorbed in the teachings contained in platonic texts.

However, Hitler and the nazis took two basic ideas of Nietzsche "Will to Power" and Obermench" and corrupted them to suit there own needs

Of course, they absorbed the most megalomaniac ideas of Nietzsche. But they just ignored that in which he said that Germany would conquer the world with the help of the Slav's brute force and the Jewish's capital…

I highly recommend T. L. Jarman's Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany for a ideological-philosophical analysis of the III Reich.