Hitler’s People: The Faces of the Third Reich, Richard J. Evans, author; Leighton Pugh, narrator
This book is jam packed with details and facts about Hitler and his supporters in an attempt to discover why they flocked to him like bees to honey and what made them remain loyal after the honey dried up and Hitler’s failures, declining physical health and mental instability mounted. The driving force behind Hitler’s rise to power, and the inspiration for him and for his German followers to make Jews their scapegoat and enemy, was their pure and simple hatred of Jews, their virulent antisemitism birthed by the belief that the Jews were completely responsible for their failures and for all things wrong in their country. They were taught to believe that the Jews had as their ultimate goal, the destruction of Germany’s more perfect and preferred Aryan heritage.
These blinded victims of hateful, antisemitic dogma were guided by their hate. They truly believed that the Jews were parasites, inhuman, and not worthy of life itself. Since they were utterly different from them, not part of the human race, whatever was done to the Jews and their community was justified. Torture and murder, cruelty and humiliation were simply techniques they used to rid the world of the Jews who they viewed merely as lice, as inconveniences, that deserved whatever befell them. These “good and virtuous” Germans ignored their vile treatment of them and then even pretended not to know about the monstrous atrocities committed by their leaders with their tacit consent. Oh, yes, many were afraid to object because they feared for their own lives, but it took years before that total power over them was developed, though it began in the early 1930’s. It developed because they slowly acquiesced to the use of the Jews as a convenient scapegoat for all that had befallen them.
Germany’s instigation of World War I and the consequent restrictions placed upon them in punishment, were influential in creating the atmosphere that spawned this hateful behavior, but it was brought about by their own actions and they were not repentant, making World War II inevitable as they sought to regain their place of influence and power in the world. After reading the book, and learning about how easily the people were able to accept all of the injustices placed upon their Jewish friends and business associates, I wondered how hard it would be to recreate the same deplorable and barbaric atmosphere today. Knowing about the recent massacre in Israel and the blind acceptance of the Pro-Palestinian marchers supporting the murderous terrorists, gives me great pause as I realize that it would be very easy to make the Jews the scapegoat again, and perhaps, it has already begun.
Today, the entire world has learned that the protestations of Germans, who declared they were ignorant about the genocide their countrymen committed, should have fallen upon deaf ears. It was simply impossible with what we now know, that Hitler’s barbarism was unknown. Where did these good Germans, who believed in their Aryan purity, think their neighbors and business associates had gone, leaving their belongings behind, unattended, and did they not wonder why they never returned to claim them? Why did they think that packing Jews into cattle cars was acceptable? What did they make of the scent of burning flesh in the air from the crematoriums that ran day and night? Then, these good Germans, even after the war’s end, when the few weak and demoralized survivors attempted to return, accosted the already abused and tortured Jews, refusing to return to them what they had happily stolen without a second thought. Some, who had survived the disgusting behavior of the Germans in the Camps, were once again faced with violence and more good Aryans/Germans who had murderous intentions. The vicious and virulent German hatred for the Jews was still alive and well, and they blamed their defeat, not on their own depravity, but on the Jews, once again. That inability to accept responsibility for their own failures reminds me of the political atmosphere in the United States today, as like the author’s misguided representation of President Elect Trump, the losing, opposition party cannot deal with or accept its own defeat, and thus, blames Trump and his supporters for their loss, not their own behavior.
Now, unfortunately, though the Jews swore to make the world remember The Holocaust, so it would never happen again, today, the memory of that tragedy has faded, and the antisemitism is, once again, rising up from the depths of the degeneracy and perversion of the warped and depraved minds of the disturbed and sadistic that are looking for a scapegoat to blame for their own lack of success. The Germans knew about the savage and bestial behavior of their countrymen, but they simply didn’t care as they reaped the unearned benefits of their feral behavior.
The author was able to gather enormous amounts of information from documents written in the hands of the perpetrators or the believers, because at the time diaries and documents were printed or written out, providing a wealth of insight into the psyche of the person writing. It was often simply the pouring out of emotions and thoughts as they arrived in the mind of the author, untouched by revisions and editors. President Reagan’s diaries were eye-opening, but how many think that Biden was even capable of writing a diary? The written word was a gift to society and its loss is unfathomable.
In Part one of this book, Hitler’s life and the kind of world he was brought up in is revealed in detail, from his early days to his time in prison, to his writing of Mein Kamph and to his rise to power to become what has turned out to be Germany’s demonic leader. In Part two, the backgrounds and character of the people around him, most of whom worshiped and adored him, is explored in an attempt to discover what attracted these sadistic people to him, and what kept them enthralled even after his heinous desire, not only to rid Germany of those he didn’t deem perfectly Aryan, but to wipe out all Jews entirely, with whatever inhuman means could be devised, including the outright murder of innocent people. It is also in Part Two that the author condemns Donald Trump and compares his tactics to those used by Joseph Goebbels. For me, that comment was dangerous since it feeds his enemies a very dangerous idea which is totally erroneous. He does indicate that he does not think that Trump is as evil as Hitler, but he thinks his philosophy and behavior is just as dangerous. He never mentions Trump’s opposition mocked him, as a candidate, likening him to a clown, encouraging his sarcastic, but definitely not evil, responses. They used their bias to make Trump their scapegoat as Hitler used the Jews. Which behavior is more dangerous, making an innocent victim a scapegoat or making an inappropriate statement viewed as an insult?
What kind of people supported the depravity of Hitler? Ordinary people supported him, that’s what kind. It turns out that many were educated, came from varied background, good and bad environments at home and in school, some were trained classical musicians, some appreciated art. Some were also bullies, and some were bullied. Many were former soldiers who failed to achieve success in the military. Some were simply unhappy, disgruntled people who felt powerless and wanted someone to blame. They were all, however, sadistic reprobates. The influence of their families, friends, business associates and schools helped to create their extreme antisemitism. It provided the foundation for their hatred of the Jews and allowed it to thrive.
I did learn a great deal of information from this very well researched book, but because of the unnecessary and biased attack on Trump, I could not give it five stars. As the author explored the many supporters of Hitler, I realized that I was familiar with some, but I had never heard of others. For instance, I did not know the highly esteemed Leni Riefenstahl, the photographer who witnessed Hitler’s atrocities but denied seeing it, or Luise Solmitz, a gentile, whose diary proved she was an ardent supporter of Hitler until her marriage to a Jew who denied his relationship to Judaism, did not protect them from Hitler’s wrath. They thought they were better than those condemned Jews and associates. I learned that Goebbels and his wife murdered their children so they wouldn’t have to live in the world without Hitler, but that Magda Goebbels had another son, from her first marriage, that survived in a POW camp. I learned that Hitler had Parkinson’s disease very early in life, and he was actually in failing health for a long time before the war ended. He was in a weakened condition with the symptoms of the disease growing more noticeable, like the shaking and lack of affect in his facial expression. I learned that Alfred Rosenberg, a philosopher, promoted the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to destroy what he called the Jewish infection. I learned that Julius Streicher, actually absolutely believed in its veracity, though it was disproven. I learned that although the Jews were aware of the danger they were facing, they had no place to go because the world did not want them either. What I learned most, and what was most horrifying, however, is that antisemitism is alive, well, and thriving. Today. Jews are in danger again.