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Hitler as the "Feel Good Dictator"

A new book's description of Hitler's methods to win the hearts (not the minds) of the German people bring to mind some obvious parallels to modern American politics. Here is a review from Der Spiegel :

Hitler not only fattened his adoring "Volk" with jobs and low taxes, he also fed his war machine through robbery and murder, says a German historian in a stunning new book. Far from considering Nazism oppressive, most Germans thought of it as warm-hearted, asserts Goetz Aly. The book is generating significant buzz in Germany and it may mark the beginning of a new level of Holocaust discourse.
Hitler took great care to pamper and coddle his people and they loved him -- and the Nazi regime -- for it. A well-respected German historian has a radical new theory to explain a nagging question: Why did average Germans so heartily support the Nazis and Third Reich? Hitler, says Goetz Aly, was a "feel good dictator," a leader who not only made Germans feel important, but also made sure they were well cared-for by the state.

Read the rest here .

Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 at 11:16 AM | Comments (6) | Return

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