1. Then guide us, you Messiah dressed in purple robesmy breakfast. wrote:1. This thread seems to be taking a weird course.
2. The more I think about it the more I don't think we can learn anything much about the rise of the Nazis that would prevent it happening again, and I don't mean that in a typical stoner "we live in a police state man" sort of way...
3. The role of propaganda
4. Hitler's possible mental health issues (autism? the guy sure hated intimacy) that actually gave him a good chance as a leader because nobody wanted to be close to him but he also had a transcendental air about him that somehow inspired many.
5. However at the end of the day you just see desperation and mutual deferred responsibility when you look at it.
2. I never said that Fascism can be prevented. In fact, to the contrary, I say that is somewhat the "default" political situation a human community falls on when they are sick of ineffective democracies and wound up in problems (like inflation and unemployment). I don't even get why people are drawing parallels with Islamists and Nazis.
3. Well, the Nazis were brilliant at that, weren't they? If you're game enough, I suggest you get a copy of Mein Kampf (if you can get it where you live). Anyways, there's this fantastic part where Hitler delves into propoganda, blaming Germany for having a weak propoganda system in the First World War, and how it should be aimed towards the public to stir their emotions. Goebbels was undoubtedly brilliant in that.
4. Autism? Plausible but I think unlikely. What's more noticeable of Hitler's traits are that he was always a hysterical person. I can suggest a possible diagnosis of bipolar, as there are periods where he extremely manic and also periods in 1918/1919 and his years in Vienna where he was severely depressed (it's hard to claim he was depressed after 1933, though ). There's also the rumour of syphilis that people say Hitler contracted from a prostitute. I think it's unlikely.
I also agree with you on how Hitler had a seemingly "mystical" air about him. Indeed, it strengthened his aura during his speeches. If you get some of speeches translated and view them and look at the atmosphere, you can see that Hitler taps into some power of deeply moving the soul, which is admirable IMHO.
5. Yeah sure, but what i don't get is why you mentioned the thread is taking a weird course.