Who besides me is fascinated with the history of Nazi Germany?

[Philosoraptor]

Ever since I was a kid, I've been morbidly fascinated with the bizarre history of Adolph Hitler and what he left in his path, what motivated him and more importantly, his followers. I'm watching a documentary on Hitler right now in fact, I can only watch them when I'm alone, because they bother my wife.

But I've always been amazed at every aspect of the Hitler years, and that of course is why I am so alarmed at what I see going on now in our country.

So without calling anyone a Nazi, which is so socially unacceptable, does anyone else besides me see how we are descending into some sort of Twilight Zone Nazi nightmare scenario?

It's the prescott bush curse I guess, to be haunted by Hitler all these years later.

[rug]

1. I'm fascinated by the Nuremberg trials.

[Philosoraptor]

4. Me too.

They make me drool almost, just thinking about how prescott bush's grandson could someday be brought up on war crimes, similar to Eichman or Hess.

[Taxloss]

2. Not fascinated, as such, but I do tend to read about it a lot.

I'm presently reading "The Third Reich in Power" by Richard J Evans. It's new, and VERY good.

[Arger68]

3. Me too, it's morbidly fascinating to

see how easy it is to get a substantial portion of the population to think like that. It's also extremely frightening.:scared:

[BuhByeChimp]

5. I don't see it, but I do have an interest in the history.

You may try reading about Pol Pot, Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung.

It's interesting to read the history on these three, but you will realize that we are not even close to being in a situation perpetuated by these guys.

[Taxloss]

7. I second that. Not even close. n/t

[Philosoraptor]

9. Oh yeah, I've heard of them.

not even close? hhhmmm...

[meegbear]

6. Joseph Geobbels

Learned about him in high school and got me interested in him and propaganda.

[Taxloss]

10. He's an interesting fellow. He was a rival of Hitler's for a while.

He thought that the "socialism" part of National Socialism actually meant something, and wanted to see the Nazis take a more left-wing approach. Hitler and the gang put a stop to that pretty quick.

He was a serial womaniser as well. The drippy rubbish he fills his diaries with is incredible.

[Philosoraptor]

11. always amazed at their decadence

and depravity in their personal private lives.

[bryant69]

8. I am more interested in Mussolini actually

Italian fascism is pretty intersting.

I think we might be on the brink - it's possible that in a few years this post (if it is still allowed to exist) would seem terribly prophetic. Or, alternatively, Democrats take back congress (or one of the houses) in the fall), Republicans lose in 2008, Bush goes back to his ranch awaiting war crimes trials, and this post looks rather non-prophetic.

I'd rather the later than the former - and I believe the later is more likely.

Bryatn
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[rman]

27. The history of Mussolini clearly shows support for fascism by the rich

and powerful of the world - the industrialists as they used to be called.
Italy's recent history also ties in nicely with Operation Gladio (wide spread false-flag terrorist attacks all over Europe).

[citizen snips]

12. I am not fascinated by the history of nazi germany

but the rise of fascism is a real threat to this country.

[Cary]

13. Of course the truly "scary" thing is that the evil resides within us all.

However you should take a step back and look a little closer at the history of Germany. Tradition and unwritten laws play such a crucial, underlying role. We have a tradition and a history that is powerful. Germany did not.

Germany had more than its share of great philosophers, yet when Germany was united it was not united under any German philosophy. Rather it was united under the Realpolitick of Bismarck. When lesser talent succeeded Bismarck you got WWI, a two front war that was Bismarck's nightmare. Then Germany suffered hard times between the wars. Along came Hitler with a uniquely German philosophical underpinning.

Hitler took advantage of the situation, and the German people took advantage of Hitler.

As disturbing as the neo-cons' power grab seems to be, I don't see the same forces at play. At least not yet.

War unleashes all kinds of forces though.

[meldroc]

17. You may be right

in that Bush and company don't have the same something that Hitler had that enabled him to accumulate so much power. Call it charisma, call it a talent for manipulating the populace. What I find scary is that while Bush might seize power and become dictator, it's also likely that Bush will serve out his presidency relatively normally, but his legacy will be the power structure and precedents (signing statements, unitary executive, no checks on the president's lawbreaking) that will enable the next sociopath to backstab his way to the top, then seize power and destroy everything that remains of America's democracy and liberty.

[Tyler Durden]

14. I have no problem with calling the Bushites Nazis.

Them, or ANY of their followers.

A NAZI is a NAZI is a NAZI is a NAZI. And we've got more of them around here today than Hitler had.

[BuhByeChimp]

21. And how exactly does it help anything?

Other than making you feel better..or does it even do that?

Seriously, what are you accomplishing other than making people totally disregard your opinion on other issues?

What you are doing is effectively killing discussion between yourself and people of differing opinions.

[Tyler Durden]

30. No offense, but I haven't seen "discussion" since before 2004.

As to what the FACIST NAZI PIG BUSHITES think, if I may indelicately suggest:

WHO THE FUCK CARES WHAT THEY THINK?

I don't mean to be too much of a killjoy, but I live near Flint and Pontiac Michigan. The bad parts of these formerly affluent, clean working class cities now resemble the good parts of Port-Au-Prince.

And just for shits and grins, WHEN was the last time you had a discussion with these people where they not only gave an inch, but didn't refer to you or fellow liberals in nasty untrue scatalogical terms?

At least when I call them NAZI's, I'm being accurate.

[NotGivingUp]

41. no...YOU are guilty of what you are accusing

[earth mom]

33. You said it and I agree! eom

[patricia92243]

15. My sister and brother are both morbidly fascinated with that era. I've heared

heard my sister wonder out loud "How did the Germans let that happen."

She doesn't know ANYTHING that is going on here in the US. We have a thousand times better communications today than Germany ever dreamed.

After reading this, it sounds awfully harsh. I do love my sister dearly.

[Individualist]

16. Have you read What We Knew:

Terror, Mass Murder and Everyday Life in Nazi Germany by Eric Johnson? www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=17-0465085717-0

I read it recently and was reminded, once again, of the similarities of what occurred in the early stages of the Nazi movement and what is happening here now.

[Taxloss]

19. "Hitler's Willing Executioners" by Gitta Sereny is a good study of the

complicity of the German people.

[truebrit71]

24. That is a very good book, and puts to rest alot of the favourite...

...rebuttals that naysayers have had about that era vis a vis "they HAD to go along with it.."

[Individualist]

32. Thanks for mentioning it

I haven't read it before but will do so.

[raccoon]

18. For many years, I was fascinated by Hitler and Nazi Germany.

It started when I was about 13. It ended, mysteriously about the year 2000...hmmm...what was it happened then?

[leesa]

20. Oh absolutely. The parallels to the early years are astounding.

Complete with a Reichstag Fire, an invasion of Poland, it's deja vu all over again. They used the same playbook. They have Rove as Goebbels, I suppose even the remnants of Prescott's financial team is still bankrolling the business. These are the same people, why not?

[Bonhomme Richard]

22. They may not be nazi's but it is the closest............

this nation has ever witnessed.
A great book about how the nazi's came to power is "The Coming of the Third Reich" by Richard Evans.
If you haven't read it you won't be disappointed.
Quite a few realistic parallels between then and now.

[baldguy]

23. The lesson to be learned from Nazi Germany:

Evil is not an aberration. People who love freedom & justice must continually vigilant against those who want to take it away from us.

[Hardrada]

25. Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty.

Emerson (I think).

[Jim__]

26. For years I was fascinated with the question of how Hitler came to power.

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that in the post WWI chaos that was Germany, something tragic had to happen. The average German was suffering tremendously from the instability; and it was only natural to reach out to someone who offered answers. The extreme left and the extreme right seemed to be offering more that the weak center. It was a situation that was headed for tragedy. The Germans were trying to survive and were reaching for any potential savior. This reaching out to radicals was understandable under the circumstances.

It is this radicalization of the German population that I think and hope is still missing in the US. Most Americans have it pretty good; and I'm not sure they are willing to bet everything on some political pipe dream. Even though people supported bush in his run for president, bush was not promisisng radical solutions. I don't believe the American people in their present circumstance will follow anyone down such a radical path as the Germans were willing to follow Hitler.

[rman]

28. I'm particularly fascinated by support for the Nazis by wealthy Americans-

Dupont, Morgan, Bush etc.

[Taxloss]

29. They were worried about Europe going Communist.

You could add Ford to your list, as well.

And Coke:

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~class/coke/coke2.html

[Philosoraptor]

35. and Disney and Lindberg

[Cleita]

31. *raises hand* Moi.

I don't have any problem calling them Nazis though because although they haven't reached the pinnacles of degeneracy that the German Nazis did, give them time. Ideologically they are in lock goose step with the German Nazis.

Isn't it funny though that the neo-cons are projecting and calling our left wing leaders Nazis? All these years we were so shushed, "but you can't call us Nazis. The horrors!". There was a reason for it. That was so the word wouldn't be over used until they wanted to use it against us.

[Blue Belle]

39. That Nazi projections from the Neocons...

seems straight out of Joseph Goebels play book. The name calling, the playing of the "Victim" when someone else calls them on their bullshit... it's all come round before. I can see why people would have an interest in the Nazi's - I've often wondered how they could rise to such power in a relatively short time, or how they could be motivated to commit such atrocities. It is scary to see the same tactics being enforced here... to see that 30% still back W even though they are losing their jobs, healthcare, and pensions, and seeing their kids enlist in the National Guard because that's the only way they can pay for college. They still need to believe he is great even though he's leading our country to disater.

[bamacrat]

34. I am, more now than before though because of eerie similarities.....

:scared: :smoke: :scared:

[Nozebro]

36. Many Americans thought we fought on the wrong side in WW 2.

Rich people, especially, thought we should have allied with Germany in the fight against Russia.

[Cleita]

37. Well, I guess that explains our present unelected government's

tendency toward racism, aggressive invasions of other countries, torture, the politics of fear, propaganda news and psycopathic lying. Both Germany and Russia excelled at these in the last century. Yeesch!

[NotGivingUp]

38. nazi nightmare has been descending upon us for the past 6 yrs

actually much longer than that, but they've really been successful in the past 6.

[ComerPerro]

40. Fascinated? Hell. I'm living it. So are you.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

42. I am- always have been.

Pehaps it's my eastern european jewish heritage, or maybe it's the way that a progressive state could descend into such a totalitarian state so quickly. THe propaganda aspects have always fascinated me. I feel privledged to have had a seminar in college with one of the more prominent scholars on the Nazi state/ holocaust history. Best class I ever took- the reading kicked my butt in its enormity, but I feel like that class was a gift. That was one of the few classes that I kept all of the books from- didn't even think of selling them back- even though some were hardcover and probably would have given me more than the $1.50-$3.00 that a normal history course book would yield.