Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote that “what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”. The inner workings of one’s mind is what composes their most notable actions; it drives them to their utmost extent. In George Victor’s Hitler: The Pathology of Evil, he delves into the surrounding environment of Hitler’s youth, developed insecurities, and their impact on his political life. Victor’s educational background is briefly discussed in his book, The Pearl Harbor Myth. He earned his Ph.D in psychology, studying at schools such as Harvard and Columbia University. As both of these are Ivy League schools, it can be assumed that Victor’s work has merit; The Pathology of Evil alone references over 250 …show more content…
Although a strong sense of this did stem from the leader, outside influences led to these “traditional” values of the German population. By stating that his “unconventional and abstemious” (Victor 64) mannerisms pushed Hitler to portray himself as more manly, Victor leads the audience to believe that this was pushed on to the regime. However, John Simkin, a historian with Tressell Publications, explains that Mussolini’s rule had influenced the German population with the idea of fascism; the fascism that would modify German ideals in Nazi Germany. The new rule would push for the archetype of a strong male role, and subservient female role. Yet, this was not entirely Hitler’s doing. Nicole Loroff explains the intensity in which the Nazi Party held these standards. She explains that marriage within the party encouraged men to find partners who were “hereditarily fit” (Loroff). This displays the wider support for traditionalist concepts rather than a single catalyst. It proposed that men should initiate relations and maintain stability for their families. While each author does include Hitler’s part in this social making, Victor’s idea of a single cause is not …show more content…
He dove into topics such as sexual practices similar to those of the current B.D.S.M. scene, and speculation of Hitler’s craving for degradation. Finding a published source that explained this with such depth was difficult, but not impossible. Victor explains that Hitler had various desires, but did not openly express them. Stating this opens the door to the practices of secrecy. Allan Hall gladly opens this door. He records the details of speculations made about the leader’s sexuality, ultimately concluding that he upheld “heterosexual abstinence” (Hall). Victor acknowledges this, saying the man “ lived like a eunuch” (Victor 42), meaning he could not perform, or chose not to engage in such acts. Since the activities Hitler partook in are not accurately recorded, it can be concluded that Victor heightened these properties to attract the attention of a larger and much more curious audience. His detailed analysis of Adolf Hitler’s self loathing leads to the speculation of his sexual practices, rather than the proof of their existence. He bases this off the typical model of a masochist, which similarly to Sigmund Freud, implies that they are “in need of treatment”
The rise of fascism in Germany in the 1930’s and the acts of aggression and atrocities committed by the Nazis during the Second World War led to questions being asked as to why some people where prone to such levels of violence and hate in the name of political ideology. The ‘Authoritarian Personality’ was a concept suggested in 1950 by German sociologist Theodor Adorno and colleagues following their research identifying the personality traits believed to allow an individual to be bias towards and follow a fascist ideology. Although initially met with great excitement, over time the authoritarian personality alone
To fully answer this question one must look at the underlying philosophies behind Hitler’s leadership. What did he stand for and did his ideologies have any redeeming characteristics? Indisputably he had an ability to lead and motivate. He was revered with almost God – like fanaticisms by his people. This essay will set out to establish the basis of his leadership and within that framework, the nature of the man and his vision for the world.
From the time Hitler and the Nazi’s took control of Germany in 1933 until the collapse of the Third Reich in 1945, the aim of the regime under the calculating guidance of Hitler himself sought no less than global conquest. This ambitious objective can be further dissected into short term and long term goals that provide insight into Hitler’s character, thoughts and actions.
“The Meaning Of Hitler,” by Sebastian Haffner, translated by Ewald Osers, is an excellent read for those that wish to jump inside the mind of the military and orator genius, Adolf Hitler. The negative stigma surrounding Hitler is very well accounted for; he killed of millions from the relatively defenseless, Jewish population. However, this book breaks down Hitler’s life from his childhood to his eventual suicide at the end of World War II, and looks at the side of Hitler that made him stand out from the rest, explaining Adolf without the stigma attached. While doing this, he also realizes that Hitler was a normal human being, so he includes his mistakes and crimes alongside. The book is split into seven different sections, explaining the wonders
inferiority.” he goes on to speak on the fact hitler was craving power because of his childhood
The rise and subsequent take-over of power in Germany by Hitler and the Nazi Party in the early 1930s was the culmination and continuation not of Enlightenment thought from the 18th and 19th century but the logical conclusion of unstable and cultural conditions that pre-existed in Germany. Hitler’s Nazi Party’s clear manipulation of the weak state of the Weimar Republic through its continued failure economically and socially, plus its undermining of popular support through the signing the Treaty of Versailles all lead to the creation of a Nazi dictatorship under the cult of personality of Hitler. This clear take-over of power and subsequent destruction of any
Eva Braun was the twenty-three years younger girlfriend and then wife of Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi party. Historians argue over how involved in her partners’ tyranny; did she take support the ideologies and cruelty from behind the scenes or was she in denial about the events she knew were happening? This essay will look into these questions.
In this critical article review, an analysis of Kater’s (1981” article “Hitler in a Social Context” will examine the strengths and weaknesses of the sociological aspects of Hilter’s rise to power during the Third Reich. Kater’s motivation for writing this article is primarily based on the need form of comprehensive socio-historical or sociological evaluation of Hitler, which will define the charismatic effects of Hitler’s leadership in the rise of Nazi power. In a historiographical context, various biographers and social historians have examined Hitler, but the overarching social background of Hitler’s rise through class analysis and an examination of psychological states is an important variable in Kater 's article. For instance, one famous biographer of Hitler, Alan Bullock, is criticized for not providing a more comprehensive sociological examination of Hitler in terms of class status, psychological background, and the social environment:
However, Thomsen et al. (2012) has a different conclusion and argued that diversity is not without its challenges. Diversity can also result in lower levels of cohesiveness and team work. This can lead to inability to agree on mutual goals, increased conflict and reduced information sharing. The empirical evidence (Bohren & Odegard, 2006; Wang et al., 2010; Ahern & Dittmar, 2010) does not support the idea that there is a business case for board diversity. They concluded that if anything, the available and emerging literature finds negative performance effects of
Throughout Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem, Scout, and Boo Radley played a meaningful and important role. As the novel progressed the relationship of Jem, Scout, and Boo Radley developed in a significant way. The children had a growing curiosity of Boo Radley in the first few chapters of the novel. Eventually the curiosity faded as the children became more mature and the novel lost its innocence. However, by the end of the novel the events caused Jem and Scout to obtain an amicable relationship with Boo Radley. The development of the relationship between Boo Radley and the children created a meaningful back story which allowed the novel to have a heartwarming touch on many people.
“Were the psychological tactics employed by the Nazi Party the primary factor resulting in fascism attaining a mass following in Germany?” Germany in the period of 1933 until 1945 had Hitler as their Chancellor and Dictator; Adolf Hitler gained these positions of power by manipulating the psyche of the German Nation to form a fascist nation under one ruler and obeyed without question. Psychological tactics that were used by Hitler included how Hitler impacted the youth with education and the Hitler Youth, how effective Hitler’s Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels was, and how anti-semitism was widely accepted and a common opinion amongst the German Nation. “To take away a man’s freedom of choice, even his freedom to make the wrong choice,
Hitler impresses the Reichstag with the ethos, credibility, of his leadership. Referring to the success of his government, Hitler entreats, “Allow me now to give you a short excerpt from our economic life which proves in plain figures whether and to what extent National Socialism has solved these problems.” Hitler then presents a simple, yet powerful statistic: a tremendous rise in annual German births. Hitler does not pick this statistic blindly. He chooses a statistic that he knows will be important, impactful, and personal to his audience. Not only is a rise in births a sign of increased prosperity (for people are unlikely to have kids if they are not in love and with the means of supporting their children), but it is also a statistic dear to his audience’s heart. After World War I, so many loved ones died. Accordingly, the babies and new life mentioned in the statistic must have brought great joy to a hurting nation. Further, Hitler reinforces his ethos as a leader when he remembers, “It was as an unknown German soldier at the front that I put together this bold program, fighting for fourteen years…” Mr. Hitler is proving his credibility as a planner and a thinker, describing his process of invention, how he carefully came up with the idea while fighting at the front. The thoughtful and planned politicians of the German Reichstag surely appreciate the care and attention their leader invested in this program. For his audience, Hitler could have no better credibility than that provided by increased birth statistics and his claim of careful
The issue of Hitler’s psychological abnormality and the cause being has many believed that it also stems from him being rejected twice to his dream school, the Academy of Arts in Vienna. He has been raised with the constant influence of anti-semitic beliefs and many believed that a staggering amount of Jewish people who were in power during the time had a lot of impact whether he would have been accepted to his dream school or not-- this obviously made him dislike the general Jewish population more than he already did. However, it is not just Hitler’s psychological state of mind that enabled him to commit barbaric and inhumane acts of aggression towards millions of Jewish people, but also the German citizens’ defeated and worn out feelings that also allowed for the horrendous acts to be committed. This is due to the fact that Germany lost the First World War and were deemed to be responsible for the reparations that totalled to 132 billion gold marks, or over $33 billion US dollars, and with this plus the fitful psychological state of mind of the dictator himself, Hitler and the Germans sought out for revenge and found the Jewish population as the main target to place their rage. The idea of using the Jewish population as the scapegoat for their
From January of 1933 to April of 1945, Adolf Hitler ruled over the German people and became known as one of the most notorious dictators the world has ever seen. Several studies done by scholars and historians show that Hitler “displayed substantial initiative, toughness of mind, self-confidence, and ruthlessness” (Housden 188). Using coercion techniques and his understanding of the human psyche, Hitler was able to bully and lie to his European neighbors in order to achieve his objectives. He fooled nations into believing his “peaceful” intentions, but his mission for World War II came to an ultimate failure leading to his suicide in April of 1945 (Housden 200). Adolf Hitler faced eventual failure as a military leader as a result of his misunderstandings of the “rules” of warfare. Hitler’s lack of experience and his inadequate knowledge of warfare were two of the key points that proved to be fatal.
Even though Germany was left in a period of struggle and economic weakness after WW1, Adolf Hitler would take a stand by creating a party that would help refine the structure of the economy. This party, when abbreviated, was called Nazi, would also create harsh laws and unrelentless punishment. Due to the Nazi party’s quick growth, there was an immediate impact on lifestyle and politics for the people of Germany. The long term impact brought forth by the consequences or legacy of the Nazi party included a population decrease and an increase in deaths. To make both of these impacts, Hitler had to overcome many hard challenges.