Why factors in German society/psychology at the time of WWII made them more prone to obeying Hitler's edicts with so little opposition?
Is there a book on this?
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ANSWERS: 5
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Listen this is not all true. Over 200,000 german farmers were killed because they would not fight or suppoert Hitler.
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I've read there was a lot of resentment toward Jews for their banking practices. I think they controlled most of the banks.
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Victorine No. The German population was only 1% Jewish. They didn't have remotely the power that anti-Semites like you think they did. They never have. There was a claim that Jewish arms dealers and bankers somehow "stabbed German in the back" and caused them to lose World War I, but this was untrue. Jewish-Germans fought for Germany in the war. Some people were merely looking for scapegoats, and Hitler took full advantage. -
Army Veteran If you understood the difference between Judaism and Zionism, the stab-in-the-back claim would make sense. Some Germans who were part of the political Zionism movement left Germany for the United States before the end of WW1. These are the ones who manipulated the United States into getting involved in WWI against Germany - this was the stab-in-the-back that mainstream history sweeps under the rug. ΒΆ You are correct, however. Jews, Soviets, Americans, British, etc fought for Germany. The reason was that, like Charles Lindbergh, they were able to see more in Hitler than what Western hate propaganda portrayed.
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there might be a book on it, goodle it on amazon
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When the government (of any nation) says, "Do this, on pain of legal consequence", the "common people" typically "do that". The fear of the SS made compliance more urgent. Propaganda made compliance palatable. With regard to the military in particular, punishment for disobedience of one's superiors is of course much harsher than is typical of civilian legal consequences. * * * * It's not odd that people obeyed. What's odd is what the government required people to do.
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Army Veteran
The "fear" factor in Germany has to be questioned. Why would a government that was fighting to regain its sovereignty impose such harsh demands on its own citizens? Much of what is believed about Nazi Germany (such as the "brainwashing") has proven to be hogwash - western propaganda. Yes, it's true that there were some strict rules during the Hitler years, but those were mainly directed at the Jews. One must ask if the same fear factor would have been present had the Germans been successful in kicking the Jews out of Europe as they intended to do. Bear in mind that Hogan's Heroes was a gross exaggeration of what the Nazis were supposed to be like. -
www.bible-reviews.com
To 1465: it was gradual. As time went on, Hitler and the Nazis consolidated their power more and more, and began to require more and more from the citizens as a result. The regime became totalitarian over a period of several years. For the same sorts of things see: Stalinist USSR, Maoist China. Once power firmly held by the leader, the leader can make more outrageous demands. I don't know who claims "brainwashing", but that has nothing to do with it. Childhood indoctrination had some effect in teens, but overall the propaganda (not brainwashing) is what made it palatable, and the seeming impossibility for the typical citizen to institute any sort of radical change (without suffering dire consequences, as very many did) "sealed the deal". -
Army Veteran
The examples you cite are all Communist. And for the record, Hitler was against Communism - so how (or why) would he implement policies that were contrary to what he stood for? "As time went on"? Hitler passed the Enabling Act in March of 1933 giving him full power. I wouldn't call "three months" "as time went on". And to what "outrageous demands" are you referring- "we want peace"? Granted, this was "an outrageous demand" in the eyes of the British, considering they spat on every peace offer he made. -
www.bible-reviews.com
To 1465: you might want to look up "Communism". You don't seem to understand what it is.
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This is a complex subject on which much has been written, though it's mostly academic books and articles. There were a number of factors that are often cited. One involves Germany's defeat in World War I and the subsequent economic crisis. However, many people don't realize that that was largely over by the time of Hitler's rise to power. Germany suffered from the Great Depression, but so did many other nations. I suggest that you simply go to a good library and look for books on Germany between the wars. There are a number of them, some of which you can google. You might also find this article interesting. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-superhuman-mind/201807/group-hatred-in-nazi-germany-80-years-later Finally, I'd recommend Daniel Goldhagen's book "Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust," which discusses some of the issues that interest you.
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Army Veteran
I might suggest a video called "The Greatest Story Never Told" but it's nearly impossible to find - that side of the story is being censored. WW2 is the only one-sided event in history. -
Victorine
Entirely untrue, my dear. You are poorly informed. Historians have told the story. They simply don't tell it in the sort of material the general public reads. But it's not hard to find. It's sitting right there on library shelves. -
Army Veteran
The "historians" you refer to are the "keepers of the one-sided narrative" - they're not interested in the truth. Go on Youtube and watch the video I suggested. When you can't find it, then come back here and explain why it's been censored.
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