It's incredible how all it takes is one person to lead a country and its people down a dark path through psychological manipulation. Adolph Hitler may be the most notorious leader in history, but the way by which he convinced his people to follow him should be something to ponder. Hitler was directly responsible for the killing and torturing of millions of European Jews. But why and how did he commit such horrendous acts? Why would the German people follow this particular man? A brief history of Germany is needed prior to explanation:
After WW1, Germany was destroyed economically from extremely high reparations. The monarchy had been run out of the country leaving Germany without a proper leader to take hold of the post-war mess. The country and its citizens were in shambles. It's important to note that the Jews in the country were sitting high and wealthy unlike the rest of the German citizens. Within just a few years, Adolph Hitler, rises to supreme chancellor and forms a socialist movement called the Nazis. From there, Hitler begins his manipulation of the German citizens.
Carl Yung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist that founded analytical psychology, met Hitler in Berlin in 1939 and was able to provide psychological accounts of him. Yung described Hitler as 'sexless and inhuman'. 'A man who was driven so immensely with a singular purpose of establishing the Third Reich.' Hitler was the master of coercion and an excellent speaker which made for a dangerous combo. The German people, lower than they'd ever been before, needed to have a scapegoat to blame their problems on and someone to look up too. Hitler preached the fact that while they're on the streets, the Jewish people are in their homes eating bountiful meals. German citizens ate it up and the green monster took over. 'Groupthink', a concept where members of a group 'see the world through a biased, narrow lens, reach premature conclusions, and make bad decisions,' can easily be see in the German people and the Third Reich imposed by Hitler. His ability to influence his followers and army with national pride, something that was so needed in the country at that time, allowed him to grow as such a great leader and blinded his people of his immoral decisions. Hitler surprisingly wrote a book, called Mein Kampf, that discusses his formula for coercion and how he was able to engage his people so well. "Hitler was nothing, and from nothing he became everything to most Germans" -NY Times. The fact that Hitler started from the bottom probably had a lot to do with his outrageous appetite for power. In an Economist article titled, 'All power tends to corrupt', they did a study with a participants that tested power and status and the effect it has on how you treat other people. They found that 'participants who were low in status but high in power—the classic “little Hitler” combination—chose more times for their partner to engage in the demeaning tasks done in the study.' Statistically, it greatly stood out in the research. So because of Hitler's origins, the condition of Germany, and his excellent use of coercion, he was able to gain Germany's loyalty which in turn led to a mass genocide and a war that put them back under the bus once again.
But could this happen in the modern world? Could Hitler do what he did today?
While I personally think that group-think is a valid reason as the success of Nazi Germany, it was not just Hitler responsible for captivating and reforming the German populous in the early 1930's and 40's. Most of the world was entranced and or mystified by the sudden German progression and reconstruction following the fall of the Wiemar Republic accomplished by the concentrated efforts of one of Hitler's most highly respected officials.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda had a firm grip and spin on Germany's "artistic" functions, film, art, music, and so forth. He recreated museums to show the strength and fortitude of the Aryans, he created events and parades that brought people simultaneously under one cause, he showed the rest of the world how great the Nazi efforts in reconstruction were through many, many films and clips. Nazi Germany wanted to emulate "Hollywood," show the outside world how glamorous this Third Reich had become. This was the Golden Age for Nazi Cinema and Propaganda, using big stars, big screenplays and a big budget Of course the recreation of the German Artists Guild and what produced these films cost many artists to lose their jobs and homes on account of ethnicity, ancestry, political standing and political affiliation. Goebbels, with the help of what was left of Germany's finest artists, made everything from straight up Nazi propaganda, to more subtly Nazi movies that glorified dying for one's country, patriotism and nationalism, and of course the German race and strong and ethnically pure.
When the war began to turn on Germany, destabilizing their economy and internal strength, it was Goebbels and his crew that produced works like “Heini” and “Triumph of the Will” that portrayed thematic occurrences such as self sacrifice, honor, loyalty and glory still strong in the characters of the movies. The existence of film, the propaganda that was both subtly recorded, and the glorification of war and "justified" ethnic cleansing are what helped Hitler become so popular. It's the reason that when you ask anyone who the "worst person in history" could be, Hitler is the primary answer. The Rape of Manchuria is not mentioned nearly as much as Nazi death camps. Stalin's absolute communist power and Kim Jon Il's human rights abuses are not as easily recognizable as Hitlers face alone, and “Hitlers Actions” still remained common global themes in cinema beyond WWII. He gained such notoriety and following about how he was depicted, and his audience reached outside of the German borders, and stood the testament of time. There was always a team of administrators, curators, generals behind the infamous German dictator. But never was he alone in his efforts, as the odd popularity he received was a culmination of successful propaganda, cultural reconstruction, and the German desperation to make ramifications for losing WWI.
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DeleteThis sounds exactly like the class "Inside Nazi Germany" I took last semester, did you happen to take that class, Ray?
ReplyDeleteYeah. But my family resides in Germany and as part of my heritage I try to learn as much as I can. Had a personal tour at the Holocaust museum in Nuremberg a few years back (they all live like 25 mins away from the city) and became really fascinated with Goebbels history and interaction. This topic gets me going. Have personal history in WW2 as well, my relatives were in the SS. So yes, I did take the class, but I consider myself decently informed. I hope you enjoyed the class as much as I had.
DeleteDylan, I noticed you said that Hitler "surprisingly" wrote a book. I think the way you discussed the psychology of Hitler and the NSDAP is totally on point, I especially enjoyed reading about Yung's experience with Hitler. I am, however, curious as to whether you were really surprised that he wrote Mein Kampf. I personally didn't find it surprising because he was in jail and frankly didn't have much else to do. Not to mention it was written well before the Holocaust and although he briefly discusses anti-semitism, he is more anti-Marxist than anything in this particular text. Also, to put it bluntly, he's not a very good writer. Mein Kampf was not written to persuade, but rather to speak to those who were already with him. It's a very descriptive and informative text. Adolf Hitler was able to persuade through his speeches and appearances, as you mentioned. I find it fascinating how exclusive the NSDAP was while campaigning, it's almost surprising they got on the ticket. People would pay to see Hitler speak, which made him seem even more important. The events prior to Hitler becoming chancellor explain why he was able to rise to power so quickly. It's still incredible that he was able to do it, but reading Mein Kampf definitely gave me new perspective on what was going on in his twisted mind. He was initially more focused on eliminating Marxism, not so much Jews. It wasn't until he reached the conclusion that all Jews were Marxists or a product of Marxism that he decided to attempt to eliminate them (which nonetheless is a ridiculous conclusion to make). I'm so glad someone posted about Nazi Germany though. I'm fascinated by it!
ReplyDeleteFrom a psychological standpoint, the idea of in-groups and out-groups is very relevant to Hitler's ascent. As Stein describes, conflict can occur when two differentiating groups are not compatible. In the mobilization of an in-group, an image of the enemy is developed. I believe this is exactly how Hitler was able to gain popular support. He was able to appeal to an in-group (Nazi Germany) and form a stereotype of the out-group (the Jews and other ethnic targets of Hitler). With in-group support, Hitler was able mobilize his followers against the out-group which were considered to be incompatible and, thus, conflict arose. This could certainly happen in the modern world, and, in fact, I would argue that it has been happening, just not to the extent of Hitler's Nazi Germany. In-group/out-group related conflict can be seen in the constant fighting between Israel and Palestine and between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. In both of these examples there exists an in-group and out-group sentiment and incompatibility of the two that fuels the conflict.
ReplyDeleteThe question you pose at the end is certainly worth thinking about. Hitler's rise to power in the wake of the Weimer Republic was an incredible political feat. During his time with the NSDAP, the party made a very gradual rise to power; initially winning very small numbers of votes in the Reichstag. The fact that he was able to coherently outline his political agenda in "Mein Kampf" while imprisoned and ultimately fulfill these ambitions is absolutely incredible. I think it is very possible for a modern day leader who possess the same charisma and drive to emerge as national leader. However, the lessons learned from allowing such a leader ultimate power are too ingrained in modern global society. The concepts of racism and antisemitism that Hitler justified in his politics are far too extreme to survive today.
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