Adolf Hitler

This reading is a speech Adolf Hitler gave in 1933. He is very nationalistic. He speaks with endearing terms about Germany, and warns of the coming danger. He is vehemently against Communism and speaks of the horrible destruction that will come if Communism reigns. All of the ruin is the result of the war and has left thousands unemployed. He is trying to appeal to the people to allow the National Government to engage in two four year plans, and see if things are not better after the first four years. He plans to eliminate unemployment and rescue the German farmer. He makes a great speech, and I can see why people wanted to follow him. He seems very charismatic.

The textbook discusses Hitler's quick rise to power. Sadly, Hitler had spent much time in Vienna where anti-semitism was very strong. Hitler opposed socialism, trade unionism, and anything that emphasized class conflict or worker's rights. He exalted the nation, but he focused on race as a key struggle. The Jews were always a historic enemy and Hitler viewed them as a biological infection that could be passed to further generations and must be stopped. The Nazi party grew tremendously in just three years, and they went from a small minority to the largest political party. This speech was given just one month after Hitler had become chancellor. The men who worked with Hitler were sure he was no danger, and that in two months he would even want out, but they were wrong. Within six months Hitler had destroyed democracy in Germany and established Nazi dictatorship.

I think the sentence that stood out to me the most was the sentence, "Within four years unemployment must finally be overcome". I had to laugh when I read this sentence. Hitler seems to think he could totally eradicate unemployment, and in four years. No one can totally get rid of unemployment. Perhaps it can lessen significantly, but not be totally overcome. I think that he had some pretty unrealistic goals.

One new thought I had was about the progression of Hitler's power.  While he had anti-Semitic feelings the whole time, I wonder if he had the annihilation of the Jews in mind from the very beginning. I guess I'm wondering if he planned from before he was in power, that he would become a dictator and destroy the Jews, or if it was more of a spontaneous progression that snowballed into what occurred. Perhaps after getting a little more power here, and a little more there,  it snowballed as he acquired power but wasn't completely planned from the beginning. I suppose I'm trying to give Hitler some benefit of the doubt to make him seem not as horrible, but in all likelihood, he probably planned everything out from the beginning.

One modern parallel I saw was Joseph Kony. He is an African leader trying to purify the people. He enslaves children and makes them his soldiers, and uses them to kill millions of people. If that isn't a modern day Hitler, I don't know who is.