Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberia
All leaders, present and future and regardless of nation, need to viewed with skepticism. Less we all go down that terrible road again.
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Certainly wise words and if people like Hitler have done humanity any favours it would be they've set the standard of where evil lies.
Certainly some great opinions and insights put forth. For a little more, when I lived in Germany in the 70's several times I got glimpses into the thoughts of some Germans who still thought well of Hitler.
Once my buddies and I walked into a Gasthaus were there was a celebration of sorts, of Hitler birthday in progress, after they understood we didn't care (we were teens on a Beer Run), over a few beer, several of the them started to talk to us. They were Waffen SS members, they knew their gathering was illegal. They believed that Hitler had been Germany's savior and at some point he started to loose touch with reality, (something these guys clearly blamed on the drugs his so called Doctor kept him on.) Now clearly they were trying to convince us of Hitlers merits or maybe even themselves but somethings they said like the latter still rang true over my years focused on WWII.
They were SS veterans and as I recall of this incident, didn't seem to care for the Germany of those days (the 70's). Guest workers were a big beef with them, a sentiment many Germans had in those times. I had heard on more than one occasion if Hitler was here this (the Guest Worker program) wouldn't have happened.
These types of Revelations always seemed to be older Germans who had been in the war. My feeling has always been that these people were not bad folks, it's just the longing for a perceived better time, as our folks may pine for the 50's. Some how it had gone so wrong......Funny now I think of it I never did hear any Germans say anything against Hitler. The Youth of those days had no interest or expressed opinion of the Nazi Era, least wise that I ever heard. It was their parents problem was standard answer if asked.
Now bearing in mind the criteria for crazy, I believe Hitler's hold on reality began to falter when Barbarossa started to unravel at the gates of Moscow. The first real clues of it was his growing meddling in the plans of his Generals and the orders for positions and cities to be held to the death where the icing on the cake for me. I also believe he was a psychopath by modern definition which likely did not help his slide towards Never-never Land with a "healthy" push by his personal Doctor who was most accounts a quack.