Why Was Nazi Propaganda So Successful

Why was Nazi propaganda so successful?
23 Answers
Piret Kivi
, lives in Tartu
Answered November 30, 2019 · Upvoted by
Mike Johnson
, Ph.d Psychology & Philosophy, University of New South Wales · Author has 2.5K answers and 1.5M answer views
Because at least some of it was divinely smart in my opinion. Soviet propaganda was mostly for braindead idiots. It didn’t take a lot to see through it and just
laugh at it. Nazi propaganda used a lot of truth in a sauce of certain evil twists.
E.g. let’s take the infamous Jud Süß (1940 film) - Wikipedia.
According to Wikipedia it was considered one of the most antisemitic films of all time.
The film is about Joseph Süß Oppenheimer - Wikipedia who most probably (read: definitely) was not a nice man. According to Wikipedia he was accused of
various things, including fraud, embezzlement, treason, lecherous relations with the court ladies, accepting bribes, and trying to reestablish Catholicism.
His lord and master Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg - Wikipedia (the great-grandfather of Alexander I of Russia - Wikipedia; Alexander is important in
Estonia because he reopened the University of Tartu and abolished serfdom in current Estonia minus the small area that was not under the Baltic German rule; in
other countries he might be important because he defeated Napoleon) converted to Catholicism (his subjects were mostly Lutheran). I suppose the final
accusation (and trying to reestablish Catholicism) is really he sucked up to his lord and master big time because it made him richer.
Oppenheimer caused a lot of damage to the economy of the country he was supposed to serve and he was sexually a very deviant person (nowadays he would
be considered a sex offender or something like that). His execution was a symbol of that deviance. His victims were from noble families and their names had to
be kept secret during the trial. The times were different. Oppenheimer was hanged in a bird cage. Bird in German is Vogel. Vögeln means to fuck. Same root. The
innuendo was obvious. The execution was etymological!
His immoral and criminal activities are also described by a German-Jewish novelist called Lion Feuchtwanger - Wikipedia in his famous novel. The novel is very
deep and shows Oppenheimer’s final regret (I suppose he felt sorry at the end).
Basically the Nazis took a man who was not nice and who happened to be Jewish and used him to show that all Jews were bad.
However, it got more complicated. The people who made the film were very pro-Jewish themselves. Ferdinand Marian - Wikipedia (the actor who portrayed
Joseph Süß Oppenheimer) had a daughter who according to Jewish law was a Jew. And he had other close and friendly relationships with the Jews. According to
Wikipedia: Marian's personal life contradicted his role in the film Jud Süß. He had a daughter from his first marriage to Jewish pianist Irene Saager. His second wife's
former husband Julius Gellner was also Jewish and Marian and his wife protected him from reprisals by hiding him in their home.
The film was directed by Veit Harlan - Wikipedia. His first wife (Dora Gerson - Wikipedia) died in Auschwitz.
Shorter answer: It didn’t overdo it. If you look at the film Jud Süß (1940 film) - Wikipedia, you can notice a very smart choice of topic. The film is mostly true. Just
exaggerated and with a wrong message. If the ghost of Joseph Goebbels decided to make a film about Harvey Weinstein - Wikipedia or Jeffrey Epstein -
Wikipedia (believe me, he would want to make these films asap!) then the events in the films would be mostly correct. Just after the films a lot of people would
think that all Jews are perverts. That is clearly not true.
Short answer: It was intelligent. More intelligent than many other types of propaganda. It worked with the truth.
I wrote about an evil Soviet propaganda film here: Piret Kivi's answer to How do you make a good propaganda film or ad? Its truth value is extremely low. The
Nazis would have made much better propaganda. Remember, you can’t just lie!
Edit: I think most people can now see why the elite of a strong and stable country must be moral and ethical. The opposite just gives ammunition to the
enemies. You shouldn't make the life of your enemies easy. Oppenheimer did a lot of damage to the nation he was supposed to serve and posthumously to his
own people.
31.5K views
View 394 Upvoters
View Sharers
Not for Reproduction
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Tom Schwarzkopf
, Amateur Historian
Answered November 28, 2011 · Author has 148 answers and 231.9K answer views
I have family members that lived in Nazi Germany, and we've previously covered similar subjects.
1. Propaganda permeated every facet of life. If you were a good party member, rest assured there was a picture of the Führer visible in your house.
2. Hitler had a tremendous cult of personality. Like it or not, he was a very influential speaker and knew how to incite the masses. He spoke, people listened.
3. Got them young. Hitler Youth heavily influenced young Germans, especially those nearing the war fighting age.
4. Hitler appealed to them psychologically. The Germans felt they had been wronged with the Treaty of Versailles. Forced to pay much of the war debt left them
impoverished. Land seizures and strict military regulation by rival European nations left them embarrassed.
5. As mentioned above, they were broke. Post WWI Germany experienced some of the highest inflation ever, where 8 billion Deutschmarks were needed to buy a
loaf of bread. The bartering system was making a comeback in between breadlines and using nearly worthless currency to re-wallpaper their walls.
6. Hitler seemed to be superhuman. He turned the struggling and starving Germans into the envy of the world. Germany was hailed as the prototypical example
of how a country can pick itself up by it's bootstraps and amaze. Every German had a car (Volkswagen- translates to People's Car), a roof over their head, food
on the table, and extra money to have fun. Hitler was elected Time's Man of The Year and Berlin hosted the Summer Olympics- the man produced results.
7. Hitler inspired huge loyalty from his people due to all of the above. It was almost Augustan the love people had for their leader, he had saved them and
turned the country around.
Note, I constantly refer to Hitler instead of just the Nazi party because everything was focused on him back in the day. Unwavering loyalty to Hitler, not as much
the party. Hitler and the Nazi Party probably did this to feed his ego in addition to giving people a face to turn to. In my opinion, Hitler is the ultimate
incarnation of the Batman expression "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"'.
1 view
View 32 Upvoters
Joel Postman
, Student of history, old enough to be a part of it
Updated July 20, 2017 · Author has 1.9K answers and 4.7M answer views
Never before or since in the history of modern "statecraft” did a nation have a better organized military machine promoted and justified with powerful,
coordinated messages directly to the people than did the Third Reich.
Hitler's Nuremberg Rally set a standard for media events that has perhaps never been equalled. An American journalist covering the rally wrote:
"every word dropped by Hitler seemed like an inspired word from on high. Man's – or at least the German's – critical faculty is swept away at such moments, and
every lie pronounced is accepted as high truth itself."
It was during this opening meeting that Hitler's victorious proclamation was read: "The German form of life is definitely determined for the next thousand years."
At Hitler's personal request, a 31-year-old actress and movie director named Leni Riefenstahl was filming the entire week-long Rally. Utilizing thirty film cameras
and 120 technicians, she produced an extraordinary film record of the festivities, featuring many unique camera angles and dramatic lighting effects.
This description reveals both the impact Hitler had as a speaker, as well as his command (in 1934!) of how to create a media event.
While Hitler talked about Germany's big picture, and a vision of racial purity, Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 1945, and a brilliant
propagandist and rhetorician, was basically the CMO of the Nazi party.
Hitler didn't have a cabinet or staff as much as he had an executive management team. And like any effective management team, each member had his
strengths and purpose.
Heinrich Himmler, an early anti-Semite (starting in 1919 when he began university) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Himmler was perhaps the most
outspoken on the matter of the extermination of the Jews. In a transcript from a 1943 speech, he declares:
I am now referring to the evacuation of the Jews, to the extermination of the Jewish People. This is something that is easily said: 'The Jewish People will be
exterminated', says every Party member, 'this is very obvious, it is in our program - elimination of the Jews, extermination, a small matter.'
The Nazi party attacked propaganda and media from all fronts. Authors and intellectuals were among those sent to the camps, thus eliminating dissenting
voices. The Germans burned banned books by Jews, intellectuals, dissidents, and others http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005852
The Nazis also destroyed what they called "decadent" art. http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/36288/trove-of-degenerate-artworks-thought-destroyed-by-nazis-
is-unearthed-in-berlin/ Oddly, much of the kind of art they called decadent and ruinous ended up in private Nazi collections. Some of this art is still being found
today, more than 70 years after the end of the war.
It's not hard for your propaganda machine to win out when you ban opposing propaganda, and destroy it and the people responsible for it.
The Germans were masters of propagandistic detail. I will not reproduce any of their many antisemitic posters as they are far too offensive. Joseph Goebbels
produced a highly offensive film titled Jud Süss (sometimes translated "the eternal Jew", and which one filmmaker called "A Film Without a Conscience").
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/feb/25/jud-suss-film-without-conscience The posters for this film, like all Nazi posters of this type, depicted Jews as
unattractively as possible to make the case that they were inferior, criminals, and racially impure.
The Nazis were relentless. There was no place that propaganda was not used. Here's a picture from a popular children's book:
The caption reads "Jews are our misfortune" and "How the Jew cheats." Germany, 1936. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_ph.php?
ModuleId=10005274&MediaId=606
Not only were messages embedded in every form of media, every merchant played the game, some voluntarily, others not. Here's a card in which Hugo Boss,
who produced many Nazi uniforms, offers uniforms for sale:
According to Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Boss Boss was a

member of the Nazi party, a sponsoring member of the SS, and later an official manufacturer and supplier of uniforms for the SS, Hitler Youth, among others. It
is a matter of some dispute as to whether he designed any uniforms or merely manufactured and sold them. (It’s a fine point, of little concern to me.)
In 1931 he reached an agreement with his creditors, leaving him with 6 sewing machines to start again. The same year, he became a member of the Nazi party
and a sponsoring member ("Förderndes Mitglied") of the Schutzstaffel. He later stated himself that he had joined the party because of their promise to end
unemployment and because he felt "temporarily" withdrawn from the Lutheran church. He joined the German Labour Front in 1936, the Reich Air Protection
Association in 1939, the National Socialist People's Welfare in 1941. His sales increased from 38,260 RM in 1932 to over 3,300,000 RM in 1941, while his profits
increased in the same period from 5,000 RM to 241,000 RM. Though he claimed in a 1934/1935 advertising he had been a “supplier for Nazi uniforms since
1924”, such supplies are probable since 1928/1929 and certain since 1934, when he became an Reichszeugmeisterei-licensed (official) supplier of uniforms to the
Sturmabteilung, Schutzstaffel, Hitler Youth, National Socialist Motor Corps and other party organizations.
Even today, many of the Nazi uniforms are recognized as the most well designed and attractive ever made. This, like everything else in the Nazi propaganda
machine, is no accident. They were carefully designed to instill pride in Germans and fear in others.
And while designers outfitted the German people in the latest atrocity couture, Dr. Ferdinand (Ferry) Porsche, founder of the automobile company that bears his
name today, worked closely with the German high command to design the first Volkswagen:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,637368,00.html
Adolf Hitler admires a model of the Volkswagen Beetle in this 1938 photo. He was apparently amused to find the engine in the trunk of the car. Ferdinand Porsche
can be seen on the left.
The VW was actually part of a German government-sanctioned pyramid scheme. Since few Germans could afford to purchase a Volkswagen (people's car)
outright, Hitler devised a scheme where they would purchase stamps through regular payroll deductions and once they had a full stamp book, they could
purchase a car. These deductions were not voluntary and were taken automatically from German workers. This generated badly needed cash for the German war
effort. I don’t believe any German received a new car under this program. (Note "Volkswagenwerk" on the cover of the card.)
Hitler also had his own architect, Albert Speer, who designed numerous well known German government buildings and monuments, all designed to instill a
sense of order, strength, and fear. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Speer1.html In a strange tale of "redemption, Speer was:
found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal in 1946. He had been charged with employing forced
laborers and concentration camp prisoners in the German armaments industry. His testimony was notable because he was the lone defendant to accept
responsibility for the practices of the Nazi regime — both for his actions and for those not under his control. He was sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment in
Spandau prison, after which he published his best-selling memoir...”
Speer's Zeppelinfeld Stadium
In conclusion, the reasons for the success of the Nazi propaganda machine include:
 An impoverished nation ravaged by depression and unemployment, looking for a scapegoat and a charismatic leader to show them the way
back to world leadership
 Exactly that charismatic leader, and powerful spokesperson, Hitler, and the right scapegoats, Jews, gypsies, intellectuals, Catholics,
homosexuals and handicapped persons
 Fanatics like Goebbels and Himmler in supporting roles
 A management team under Hitler more capable of delivering powerful, consistent "marketing" messages than any other military staff in
history
 A relentless focus on detail, extending the messages of propaganda to art, children's books, toys, clothing and architecture
 A ruthless willingness to do ANYTHING to achieve its means

Note: In my response I am referring specifically to the question, hence the success of Nazi propaganda, and not the general success of the Nazis.
1 view
View 95 Upvoters
Anonymous
Answered September 17, 2014
National-Socialism was a form of Socialism not based on Marxism, but on traditional pre-Christian Germanic values. Where Marxism promoted class as a
fundamental real distinction and race as an irrelevant artificial distinction, National-Socialism did the opposite.
Class was considered irrelevant. Germans of different social backgrounds were encouraged to collaborate rather than fight among themselves. Class distinctions
were expected to gradually disappear by teaching children from an early age to think beyond the boundaries of class.
On the other hand, the "volk" was considered an essential natural separator that cannot and should not be overcome. National-Socialism was life as a battle of
survival between not just different species but also segments within the same species. The "volk" is a segment of the human species defined by both ethnic and
cultural terms. National-Socialists believed that each "volk" was determined to rule itself and free itself from any outside forces that intended to harm the "volk",
much like Marxists wanted to get rid of the bourgeois and aristocrats with the purpose of freeing the proletariat.
As hostile as the Nazis could be towards those it considered enemies of the "volk", as friendly they were towards those they considered the future of the "volk".
The Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF) was the National Socialist trade union which replaced the various trade unions of the Weimar Republic after Adolf Hitler's rise to
power. They provided affordable social housing, affordable holidays, affordable sports facilities and various other service to the German public that were
unprecedented at the time.
The KDF-wagen was an affordable car for the masses and one of the many programs of the DAF. After the collapse of the Nazi regime, this car would become
the Volkswagen Beetle : one of the most popular cars ever produced.
The nuclear family was considered the cornerstone of German society. Many efforts were taken to improve the living standards of the German nuclear family!
While American cigarette advertisements would still continued claiming that cigarettes were perfectly harmless for decades, the Nazis were the first to start an
anti-tobacco campaign that warned Germans of the hazards of smoking.
The Nazis rejected anthropocentric reasons for animal protection. Animals were not to be protected for human interests—but for themselves. In 1927, a Nazi
representative to the Reichstag called for actions against cruelty to animals and kosher butchering. In 1931, the Nazi party proposed a ban on vivisection. In early
1933, representatives of the Nazi party to the Prussian parliament held a meeting to enact this ban. On April 21, 1933, almost immediately after the Nazis came
to power, the parliament began to pass laws for the regulation of animal slaughter.
The Nazi regime supported euthanasia for people who suffered from certain disorders, both to save these individuals decades of suffering and to save the
German people the money needed to maintain lifelong support for these people. From the Nazi perspective, quality of life was more important than life.
The Nazis were among the first to recognize that the elimination of natural selection would lead to the degeneration of the population, as those at the bottom
of the social ladder tend to procreate more than those at the top. They were actively looking for ways to restore this balance and therewith stop the
degeneration of the population.
Jewish culture was considered an essentially sociopathic culture, with its members living parasitic lives and exploiting the masses without remorse. Ridding
Germany of Jewish influence was considered essential for the revival of Germany.
The Hitler Youth was an egalitarian folk movement. It was mandatory for boys of German from all social classes, as one way to erode class distinctions organicly
Unlike the Hitler Youth for boys, the Bundesmädel for girls was not mandatory. The focus was also different. While the Hitler Youth was very much like a scouts
movement, the Bundesmädel prepared girls for motherhood. This included teaching them to help old and sick people.
From June 1935 onwards, men aged between 18 and 24 had to serve the Reichsarbeitsdienst six months before their military service. Like the Hitler Youth, the
RAD was egalitarian and had young men of all classes doing manual labor together. RAD members were to provide service for military, civic and agricultural
construction projects. This allowed the government to improve the living standard of the German people with limited funds, while also teaching young men the
value of physical labor as well as respect for members of other classes.
Poster for Winterhilfswerk 1943
Young girls college money for Winterhilfswerk.
Winterhilfswerk packages are being prepared to sent out to the poor.
In general it should not be forgotten that the highest aim of human existence is not the preservation of a state, let alone a government, but the preservation of
the species.
[...]
The state is a means to an end. Its end lies in the preservation and advancement of a community of physically and spiritually similar beings. This preservation
comprises first of all existence as a race, and thereby permits free development of all the forces dormant in this race.
[...]
For in the long run systems of government are not maintained by the pressure of force, but by faith in their soundness and in the truthfulness with which they
represent and advance the interests of a people.
[...]
Thus, in principle, it [national socialism] embraces the basic principle of Nature and believes in the validity of this law down to the last individual. It sees not only
the different value of races, but also the different value of individual men. From the mass it extracts the importance of the person, and thus, in contrast to
Marxism with its disorganizing effect, it acts in an organizing way.
-- Adolf Hitler
1.2K views
View 2 Upvoters
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Candice Smith
, studied World History & Psychology at University of Kent
Answered August 22, 2020 · Author has 538 answers and 498.1K answer views
People are often fearful of what their minds aren’t able to logically explain. They may become hostile, form a wide range of conspiracy theories and alienate
others based on specific criteria.
 Sexual orientation.
 Religion.
 Ethnicity.
 Race.
 Sex.
People who are unworldly and unaware of other ethnic groups and cultures, may come to regard them with suspicion and disdain.
When not properly addressed, this may materialize into something more sinister, such as racial hatred, nationwide (xenophobia), which will more often than not
lead to persecution and violence.
This had occurred in Germany in the 1930s, where an impoverished and demoralized nation needed a scapegoat, to blame for their nations ills, and yearned for
a leader, who would lead them to greatness and prosperity.
Popular “children’s” Fairy Tales, many of which are Germanic in origin, do not have a happy ending, the original Brothers Grimm tales are filled with
incest, cannibalism, torture and death. Where each story ends in human tragedy and suffering.
Adolf Hitler had appeared at the right time and place, he had answered the call of the nation. He had appealed to the hearts and minds of the German people
and had exploited their prejudices and fears.
“Only Hitler”
He had told them what they wanted to hear and he had kept most of his promises.
Herr Hitler’s strategy was rather simple, where the public “booed”, he would adapt and improvise until he heard the majority of them “heil”.
When they “heiled”, then they agreed with Herr Hitler.
When they “booed”, then they disagreed with Herr Hitler.
“Freedom, Work and Bread”
This was the tactic, which Herr Hitler had used, to gain the trust and minds of the German majority in his early stages of rise to power.
Adolf Hitler had adapted to the mood of the nation.

Once Adolf Hitler had secured his stronghold over Germany, he had censored the media and had physically eliminated and persecuted all political opposition
and other Germans who had disagreed with his politics and had defied his policies.
The German media had propagated an image of Adolf Hitler aka (Hitler Myth) to the German nation, who was portrayed as a “GOD” like, messianic figure, sent
by providence, to lead the German people into prosperity.
“Our constitution is the will of the Fuhrer” - Hans Frank

Herr Hitler, together with a small group of like minded individuals, who much like himself felt betrayed and demoralized, by the humiliation of the Versailles
Treaty, by the incompetence and weakness of the Weirmar leadership and by the negative impact of the cataclysmic economic crises which followed and had
spread over Germany like wild fire, leaving millions of Germans starving and unemployed.
The merry band of volkish dreamers, had grouped together and eventually seized power.
The Third Reich leadership had exploited the media and the German cinema, to persecute “others” it had deemed “undesirable”.
A page from the children’s book published by “Der Sturmer”

Nazi Party (NSDAP) Election Poster
Adolf Hitler, with the help of his obedient and unquestionably loyal adjutants, had efficiently utilized the latest technological advancements and capabilities of
the 20th century Europe, to pursue his political and ideological aims.
Working cooperatively with other governmental spheres of the Third Reich-
“Eternal Jew”
 Judicial.
 Economic.
 Media.
 Art.
 Political.
 Academia.
 Culture.
 Science.
 Medicine.
 Military.
 Industrial.
 Law Enforcement.
-they were able to stage a well organized persecution and an industrial human slaughter, which may be justly compared with the 13th century Mongol invasion
of Europe.
(How to identify a Jew)

A children’s board game “Juden Raus” (Jew Out)

A quote by Adolf Hitler
Hitler Jugend (German political youth organization in the Third Reich)
The Hitler Jugend, had served as potential recruitment for the SS.
(SS “Schutzstaffel” the political organization in the Third Reich, entrenched in ideological principles of National Socialism and racial dogma)
A quote by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler addresses the Reichstag parliament on 30 January 1939.

The German/Soviet invasion of Poland starts on 1st September 1939.
The WWII officially starts with the invasion and occupation of Poland, by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
Adolf Hitler blames the Jew for the start of the WWII.
(remember what he had said in his speech)
“He is to blame for the war” - 1943
(an antisemitic conspiracy theory promoted in Nazi propaganda which asserts that Jews, acting as a single historical actor, started World War II and sought the
destruction of Germany).
Published by “Der Sturmer” - “The Jew is our misfortune”

On 29 August 1939, World Zionist Organization president Chaim Weizmann wrote a letter to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, which included the
following statement:
In this hour of supreme crisis the consciousness that Jews have a contribution to make to the defense of sacred values impels me to write this letter. I
wish to confirm in the most explicit manner the declarations which I and my colleagues have made during the last month and especially in the last
week: that the Jews stand by Great Britain and will fight on the side of the democracies
In Nazi propaganda, the letter was presented as a "Jewish declaration of war" against Nazi Germany, and a threat of an actual attack by "the Jews".
The "Jewish declaration of war" became a common motif in right-wing antisemitism after World War II. The Nazis also claimed that Weizmann had sent a
telegram in 1942 to a "Zionist group" stating: "The Jews desire their place in the ranks, among those who have as their goal the annihilation of Germany". No
evidence that Weizmann sent such a telegram has been discovered.
The head of the Reich League of the German Press, Otto Dietrich, issued directives requiring all German newspapers to promote the Jewish war conspiracy
theory.
One March 1943 directive required newspapers to report that: "The declaration of war by the Jews against the European nations resulted in energetic measures
being taken against the Jews, not only in Germany but also in many other European states."
The Führerprinzip prescribed the fundamental basis of political authority in the governmental structures of the Third Reich. This principle can be most succinctly
understood to mean that "the Führer's word is above all written law" and that governmental policies, decisions, and offices ought to work toward the
realization of this end.
“The Fuhrer is always right”
“Who Wears This Sign is a Sworn Enemy of Our People” - 1943

(Put the man in a uniform, hand this man a rifle, convince this man that he is saving the world from the global plague, reward this man for his actions
with a gold medal).
(Herr Eichmann is referring to Jews)
Herr Eichmann states - “I obeyed the laws of war”
Adolf Hitler calls the WWII - “Heiliger Krieg gegen Juden”
(holy crusade against the Jew)

1 view
View 2 Upvoters
View Sharers
Scott McCabe
, Propaganda is interesting from a social psychological perspective.
Answered May 8, 2016
Much of the Nazi's propaganda seemed to originate from American published books by Edward Bernays such as "Propaganda", "Crystallizing Public Opinion"
which were later found in Joseph Goebbels personal library and it was said they were his favorite books to read. This later would come to lay the foundations
that the Nazis would use to not only change Hitler's image, but to cement it in the minds of others.
Adolf Hitler wasn't a very good speaker at first. Actually much of his earlier pictures showed him happy and smiling, but most of them were destroyed during
Hitler's rise. His poses or facial expressions weren't all that great. So instead he'd practice and have people take photographs like this :
Which then led to this:

You did not see or hear anything they didn't want you to. They had full control over all printed material and other media all under the direction of Goebbels.
Everything was carefully crafted to deliver the right message to others even if some of it had been faked or spliced together - no one was the wiser.
So on one hand, you could say they had success because they were able to take control over all avenues of media however before that much work went into
marketing Hitler and turning him from flop to fuhrer. After that I suspect things came real easy. It began with the works of Sigmund Freud's nephew who moved
to the US to write some books that would ultimately be used as a rule book for Goebbels beginning with the Nazi's party's rise and people bought into it.
The sad truth is, is that much of that same work applied prior to WW2 is still alive and well today.
2.4K views
View 9 Upvoters
Sue Tokuyama
, Technologist and fiction writer, fascinated by the human condition, with a strong bias for action!
My mother was born in Austria in 1941, in a small village outside of Vienna. I asked her this question when I was a child, and her answer had two parts, neither of
which really had anything to do with the "quality" of the propaganda.
First, Germany had been beaten in WWI, which was humiliating, and then they were slammed with reparation bills, during the worst economic period of the
century. Hitler told them they were a master race, that they deserved so much better. To a population in despair, it was an amazingly uplifting message, and they
wanted to believe.
Second, there were many fewer mass communication channels. If a family was lucky (at least where my mother's family lived), they had a radio, and could listen
to his speeches. On Sundays, my mother's family would take the train into Vienna to go to mass there and then to the movie theater to watch the news reels,
which featured Hitler's messages. It wasn't like they heard many points of view, or had many sources of information.
Of course, she was repeating what her mother and aunts told her. But apparently, her father couldn't wait to join Hitler's army. He only saw her once when he
came home on leave and was killed by the Russians in Hungary, if memory serves.
At the end of the day, Hitler made them feel proud, when much of the rest of the world condemned them. It's easy, I think, to be seduced by a message that
makes you feel good, particularly when that's virtually the only message you hear.
1.6K views
View 6 Upvoters
Fred Landis
, Investigative Reporter
Answered January 17, 2012 · Author has 13.7K answers and 22.8M answer views
 Germany was a pioneer in the use of TV, radio, and movies for propaganda.
 TV was in use in Germany since 1935, the first regular TV broadcasts in the world. Programming was 8-10 PM available in TV parlors, mostly in
Berlin, sitting 20 people. By the time of the 1936 Olympics, there were 160,000 viewers (still in parlors). This may be the best argument against
McCluhan that the medium is the message, independent of content.
 Former CIA director Richard Helms gives as his principal reason for going to Nazi Germany to study their use of radio. The Party subsidized the
production of inexpensive radios which were built so that you could not receive foreign broadcasts, 70% of German homes had a radio.
 In Mein Kampf Hitler argues that Germany lost WWl because British propaganda was better than German. While the argument about being
stabbed in the back is false, his belief in the superiority of British propaganda is endorsed by the founder of CIA propaganda efforts, Paul
Linebarger in his 1948 book Psychological Warfare.
 Movies. Having Lennie Riefenstahl was a bit of luck.
1.9K views
View 1 Upvoter
Andrew Warinner
, Code monkey, expat, utility infielder
Answered November 29, 2011 · Author has 1.7K answers and 9.1M answer views
Nazi propaganda was successful for several obvious reasons: the regime controlled all media from 1933 to 1945, took steps to spread the reach of that media
(subsidizing the sale of the "People's Radio" - Volksempfänger) and enlisted, more or less willingly, top notch artists and writers in the production of
propaganda.
The Volksempfänger. Its receiver was less sensitive making it difficult to pick up foreign radio broadcasts (it was a crime to listen to foreign broadcasts during the
war). Its dial did not show the frequency of
"All Germany is listening to the Führer with the Volksempfänger."
However, one important factor to its success is not commonly appreciated: the monitoring of public opinion by the Nazi regime. As a police state, the regime
had unfettered access to private communications and used that access to gauge the effectiveness of its propaganda.
All varieties of opinion were monitored, soldiers and the home front, factory workers, different German regions, to form a nuanced picture.
Internal reports on sentiment were relatively unvarnished and were not simply reporting what the regime wanted to hear even in the last months of the war.
1 view
View 7 Upvoters
Karthik Kamath
, history buff
Answered June 29, 2017 · Author has 243 answers and 386.9K answer views
The Nazis propaganda was very well planned . People were told what they need to hear, they saw what they had to see and they felt - through expert
engineering of events - what they had to feel.The socialists,Jews,intellectuals were held responsible for the disgrace at Versailles. Therefore the People hated the
Wiemar Republic Even.Propaganda fed the citizens with the oncoming victory. Nazi ideas were spread through films,posters,radio…Groups identified as the
‘enemies’ of Germans were stereotyped, mocked and described as evil. Jews were stereotyped and showed as evil men with strange customs. Movies like The
Eternal Jew were made in which Jews are portrayed as an uncivilized, parasitic people with low social standing. Nazism worked on the minds of the people,and
turned their hatred and anger at those marked as ‘undesirable’ by the Nazis.The Nazis also sought to win the support of the people by suggesting that the Nazis
could only solve all their problems
Typical Nazi Poster: Money Is The God Of The Jews : "The God of the Jews is money. To earn money, he commits the greatest crimes. He will not rest until he can
sit on a big sack of money,until he has become the king of money”
821 views
View 5 Upvoters
Sancar Seckiner
, Film Enthusiast
Answered September 7, 2019 · Author has 1.5K answers and 7M answer views
 From orchestrated mass events to kitschy knick-knacks, the Nazis were aware of the importance of design. An exhibition in the Netherlands
shows how they used it to achieve their destructive goals.
 Propaganda of dark forces: 'Design of the Third Reich' :
o At the 1938 Nazi party rally in Nuremberg, thousands of members of the League of German Girls stood in an impressive formation.
Uniform, obedient, functioning : The message was clear. It was a political demonstration staged by Adolf Hitler's command staff.
o Director Leni Riefenstahl documented the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin as an epic "Festival of Peoples" and "Festival of Beauty."
More than 40 cameramen were in action. Riefenstahl's films were designed to be an ode to the body, a celebration of the Nazis' ideal
of beauty.
o In the above scene from the Olympics film, Riefenstahl captures the lighting of the Olympic flame while thousands of people stretch
their arms in salutation to their leader. Using the masses as ornamentation is undoubtedly what makes the opening ceremony so
impressive.
o Riefenstahl called her propaganda film about the Nazi party's sixth rally in Nuremberg in 1934 "Triumph of the Will." Today, it is
regarded as one of the director's most influential works.
o Built in stone, Nazi architecture stood for their claim to power. Gigantic, with a hint of megalomania: That was the blueprint for the
Nazi party rally grounds in Nuremberg.
o The Nazis also designed symbols of identification to be worn by concentration camp prisoners, a uniform aesthetic for their
extermination process.
Resource : DW
275 views
View 1 Upvoter
Niklaus Hostettler
Answered December 1, 2019 · Author has 1.4K answers and 1M answer views
Look no further than right here at home.
Most think about politics when it comes to propaganda, and this is just the problem. Propaganda is to manipulate the masses to behave in ways that it benefits
the distributor of the propaganda. Biggest has always been marketing (in the stores) and advertisement in the capitalistic world.
Most Germans did not fall for the nazi propaganda, but for sure backed up the nazis for removing the shame put on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles and
getting the country out of the mess. What is unfortunately not told enough is that not supporting the nazi soon became suspicious, and speaking against them
was not very good for ones health; the browns did the dirty work initially.
For sure there has been a similar terror-based propaganda in the US: The white supremacy movements of the 19th century, overt in the South and covert in the
North. Does this make every American a racist? Don’t think so.
I dare say that there is no country in the world that fell for the propaganda as the Americans, and then did nothing when the lies were exposed. Can’t come up
with any better examples than the two Gulf wars.
If we look very critical at the US history, focusing more on the books written based on governmental documentaries of what happened behind the scenes and
less about what made the media, then there is plenty that simply doesn’t support the prevalent accepted history as found in text books, then we quickly see
another form of “falling for the propaganda.” This more of what we want history to be, one that makes us look good, the us of course mostly the whites within
the country, and the US world wide.
As long as one cannot accept that “we do have dirt at our hand, if not even blood,” or have our personal identity tied closely to some believe system, be it
socially, economically, ethnically, religiously, …, we set us up to fall for propaganda.
234 views
View 1 Upvoter
Marshall Reed Kuehl
, lives in Honolulu
Answered October 13, 2019 · Author has 106 answers and 582.9K answer views
German propaganda had themes based on ideas taught in primary schools. My country right or wrong, us against them were lessons stressed by teachers, many
who were returning WWI veterans.
This super-patriotism interpreted fact. The propaganda ministry put spin on normal news. This editorial aspect was covert. Picking what news to print or
broadcast sent a message. Continuing true stories about Jewish child molesters, pimps and rapists was used to create heated antisemitism. Or during an anti-
Catholic campaign, there would be real priest pedeaphile stories while ignoring a Catholic charity event. It appeared to be just the facts. People aren't thinking,
“Why am I reading about a perverted priest instead of the fire at the shoe factory?”
This propaganda was disseminated by true believers and the spin doctors believed what they wrote. Historians dwell on Joseph Goebbels' education, thinking
that a man with a PhD used sophisticated analysis to shape his message. But his training wasn't driven by evidence. Goebbels' PhD was in literature, specifically
fiction. Novels take real life events to create fantasy. That's what German propaganda did and people went along like readers of a good book.
390 views
View 3 Upvoters
Peter Stephan
, Instructor (2001-present)
It is widely agreed that Nazi propaganda was effective, yet I keep wondering how effective Goebbels' ministry would have been without the Gestapo, the SD, the
SS, and the network of informants in place. The ever-present threat of imprisonment, torture and execution would have forced everyone to at least pretend to
accept the Nazi program. Goebbels further tilted the playing field by insulating the nation against outside influences, monopolizing all sources of information,
and infiltrating communities and homes by means of loudspeakers and cheap radios. Take all that away, and what would be left? Another conversion experience
that fizzled out in a day or two? Annoyance? Or resistance, a determination to put an end to the barrage of unasked-for information once and for all?
1.2K views
View 1 Upvoter
Thom McCann
Answered January 24, 2020 · Author has 709 answers and 128.8K answer views
William Shirer wrote in his book "Berlin Diary" that before the U.S. got involved with WWII he would travel out of Germany and became aware of the Nazi's
propaganda. When he returned to Berlin, despite his knowledge of their lies, he fell in as well to the propaganda the media conveyed.
In his book "Berlin Diary" describes a bizarre scene in the office of Joseph Goebbels, Ministry of Propaganda..
Goebbels had called in reporters to deny the terrible happenings of Kristallnacht (the burning of synagogues, destruction of Jewish stores and the murder of
many Jews).
The reporters saw the actual carnage going on through the large window behind his desk while Goebbels stood in front of it facing them while brazenly denying
that anything was happening.
Years later when the Germans were losing the war Goebbels obliquely but unmistakably shared with the German nation in a grim 1943 exhortation to fight to
the bitter end:
“As for us, we’ve burned our bridges behind us ‘ We will either go down in history as the greatest statesmen of all time, or the greatest criminals.”
We know what history thinks of them.
And there is hell to pay.
•
750 views
Erica Friedman
Mostly because of the lovely outfits and mustaches, rockin in da boots baby!
"every word dropped by Hitler seemed like an inspired word from on

high. Man's – or at least the German's – critical faculty is swept away
at such moments, and every lie pronounced is accepted as high truth itself."
It was during this opening meeting that Hitler's victorious proclamation
was read: "The German form of life is definitely determined for the
next thousand years."
At Hitler's personal request, a 31-year-old actress and movie director

named Leni Riefenstahl was filming the entire week-long Rally. Utilizing
thirty film cameras and 120 technicians, she produced an extraordinary
film record of the festivities, featuring many unique camera angles and
dramatic lighting effects.
254 views
Batlan Alex
It was successful due to a few factors :
1. everyone wants his nation to be first and a head above others . So the Germans took it .
2. The Germans were offended by the result of the WWI and they were seeking for revenge .
3. It was different time , people having different mentality and different attitudes towards other people , the life of a man was worth nothing .
71 views
Ronald Weinger
Answered January 27, 2020 · Author has 16.6K answers and 3M answer views
Originally Answered: How did the Nazis manage to operate such an effective propaganda machine?
A propaganda machine is not necessary when you can provide jobs for people so they can put food on their tables and roofs over their heads. You get extra
points for telling them that their plight was someone else’s fault.
Propaganda is to convince people who do not already believe in you.

44 views
Jonathan Samuels
, studied Physics, Chemistry and Biology
Answered December 2, 2019 · Author has 2.2K answers and 283.4K answer views
Getting the masses to blame ‘the other’ isn’t exactly rocket science.
Giving simple solutions for complex problems to stupid/desperate/simple people is the very basis of populism.
Politicians either blame others or blame the electorate for a nations failings, guess which one they will choose
89 views
View 1 Upvoter
Jay Smoot
, lives in Germany (2005-present)
The idea that the Nazis were somehow better at propaganda than the other major powers at the time is very likely itself propaganda.
27 views
View 1 Upvoter
Brian Madigan
, lives in Chicago (1989-present)
Answered January 27, 2020 · Author has 540 answers and 2.2M answer views
All media in Nazi Germany was tightly controlled by the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, founded in 1933 and headed by Joseph
Goebbels. Also created at the time and headed by Goebbels was the Reich Chamber of Culture. The Ministry had around 2000 permanent employees,
beginning with an annual budget of 14 million Reichsmark in 1933, and swelling to 187m RM by 1941. Having complete state control of all media is achieved
primarily by production and censorship. All media is either produced or approved by the Ministry, and anything that is not is destroyed and banned under the
threat of criminal punishment.
116 views
View 1 Upvoter
Attila Horvath
, Director (2005-present)
Answered December 1, 2019 · Author has 2.3K answers and 336.6K answer views
Because it offered an alternative to the suffering, hunger, death and humuliation caused by the “peace” treaty after the WWI.
26 views
William May
, studied at Northrop Institute of Technology
Answered January 27, 2020 · Author has 410 answers and 1.6M answer views
Trump’s conduct is virtually identical to the conduct of Adolph Hitler in his rise to power.
Split the country. Blame all your problems on people who are defenseless. Say one thing and do the opposite.
His documented lies are now OVER 100,000 in number. i
Trump gave minor tax breaks to the middle class, and they expire in 3 years. Then he gave MASSIVE tax breaks to major corporations, and those are permanent.
He said he would have a medical care program “Much better than Obamacare” and then proceeded to try and destroy Obamacare. (He succeeded! I have no
health insurance now, thanks to him!)
Now he is looking at cutting Social Security disability payments.
I have never seen so many delusional people act against their own best interests.
The people who believe in Trump are eventually going to be very sorry.
Why was propaganda such a crucial part of Hitler's rise to power?

2 Answers
Sara Matthews
, Teacher/Student American history, American literature and ELL
Answered January 17, 2016 · Author has 17.2K answers and 8.4M answer views
Unknowns don't rise to poweR nor do they maintain power. So first - in any society - a leader has to be known. A leader has to have a persona - the peoole
don't follow Chancellor ? Or Supreme Leader ? Or President ?. There needs to be a name and qualities to associate with that name. That was be true in any
political system even one such s a monarchy or a fascist government neither of which have elections.
so anyone seeking power or hoping to maintain their power needs to put information about themself out there. Political information is often slanted - no
candidate running for office admits to any shortcomings or weaknesses. Political information in general tends to tell one side of the story and nit both sides.
In Hitler's case he was working to woo an entire country to embrace extreme beliefs- to say the least. Germany had a democratic system based on free elections.
He formed a new and extreme political party and sought supporters - extreme information I.e. propaganda was initially critical to gaining supporters.
Propaganda was critical to take the people's focus off his dismantling of Germany's democracy and direct it to fearful concentration on perceived threats posed
by Russia's communism for one example. Propaganda was critical to encouraging the masses of a literate people to accept and wage yet another war after
having been ravaged by war just two decades prior.
To foster extreme beliefs in an entire people and move them to accept and even participate in extreme behaviors - extreme information - extreme falsehoods-
play a critical role.
312 views
View 1 Upvoter
Related Questions
More Answers Below
How did Adolf Hitler come to be the leader of Nazi Germany? How did he achieve the power? By what means? What were the steps he took to achieve it?
How did Adolf Hitler become powerful?
What was Hitler’s Nazi propaganda?
How did Nicola Sturgeon rise to power?
What was Hitler's motivation to begin Germany's (Nazi Germany's) campaign to conquer the world?
Derrick Daines
, Widely travelled on four continents. Inventor, writer on IT topics.
It could be said that propaganda is (and always has been) an important part of any ruler's rise to power, as well as its maintenance. For evidence, witness any art
gallery. Hitler has become more widely associated with propaganda because he was the first to utilise radio and a compliant press.
Every dictatorship, especially modern one requires a strong propaganda arm. Communists ensured that every single mode of transmission was regulated and
strictly controlled. So radio was (tried didn’t work all that well) blocked by playing musing on same frequencies as Radio America was on. Newspapers were all
owned by the Government and printed only what Government wanted them to print, TV only showed Governmental approved stuff, etc..
All was aimed to make Communists look good, and West look evil. Movies that played were only those which would not in any way harm that message. The
reason I am starting with Communist is because I experienced this first hand.
Well there is a lick of difference between Communists and NAZIs, except for NAZIs having cooler uniforms. And they did the same thing.
NAZIs propaganda machine was run by Goebbels who was a master in spreading news. To the point that even today we take much of what was said as actually
fact.
For instance German Economical Miracle of 1933 - 1938 didn’t actually happened, but if you spread a lie often enough people will believe it as true.
He Controlled fully all newspapers (printing anything that wasn’t approve could and did earn you a visit from Gestapo), so that everything that was printed made
NAZIs looked like saints, and the enemy de jour as truly EVIL. So when, for instance, ribbentrop molotov agreement came into being. Russia all of a sudden
became cool. Prior to it Communists were the worst scum in the world, only behind Jews (and remember that according to NAZIs Communism was Jewish
invention that was meant to rule the world), and after operation Barbarossa once again Russia became the most evil thing on Earth.
The purpose of propaganda was to raise moral, to make ruling easier, to spread hate against Jews/Russia/West, to make minor victories into great, and major
losses into small setback, etc.. All designed so that your normal people only get their information from the approved place.
Now think about it very careful. Let’s look at today’s news “Three injured in Germany after someone drove a car on purpose into pedestrians”. You read the news,
you get mad that someone would do this, you form your opinion about the person who did this, and feel sorry about those hurt.
However, do you honestly know if this happened? Did you see it (movie can be doctored just look at Hollywood)? NO. You got your news from a news source,
that you believe told the truth. What if that news source was controlled by the Government who wants you to get angry at something. For instance, let’s say for a
second that Government wants you to hate Jews, so makes up a news that a Jew drove into innocent Germans and killed 30. Only heroic action of off duty SS
man, who shot the man dead, saved more from dying. How would you feel then?
Take another example the Kristallnacht (night of the broken glass). It was supposedly a spontaneous apprising against Jews by angry Germans against the evil
perpetrated by the Jews. Newspapers printed about how after all the years of suffering Germans finally arose and overthrew the evil Jew, how without any
direction people form into justice groups and vent their frustration, taking back that which was their. Well in reality Kristallnacht was actually well orchestrated
event by the NAZIs and Goebbels.
This was NAZIs propaganda machine. An organ of almost incomprehensible control over any means of communication in Germany during WW2, all designed
with one message and one narrative.
As an example watch a movie Eternal Jew. This is propaganda in full.
(For the record, I am not saying that report about 3 injured in Germany is false, just using it as an example and it was first thing I’ve noticed on news. Under no
circumstances should that be taken as anything less then a tragedy).
Why was the Nazi propaganda machine so successful in convincing people of their agenda?
Answer
Follow
·
3
Request
15 Answers
Eric Husher
, former Senior Balkan Intelligence Analyst (1992-1996)
Answered April 7, 2019
Because it used a combination of a set of political Philosophies, methodologies and principles created by Adolf Hitler, and defended them using he ’25 rules of
disinformation.’ You can see the Republicans, and particularly Trump making use of the same ‘MO’ today.
'All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of
Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of the people.'
'All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.'
'Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most
wretched sort of life as paradise.'
'As soon as by one's own propaganda even a glimpse of right on the other side is admitted, the cause for doubting one's own right is laid.'
'Hate is more lasting than dislike.'
'Humanitarianism is the expression of stupidity and cowardice.'
'How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.'
'I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few.'
'It is always more difficult to fight against faith than against knowledge.'
'The receptivity of the masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective
propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to
understand by your slogan.'
'The leader of genius must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one category. '
'Keep a very firm grasp on reality, so you can strangle it at any time.'
'The doom of a nation can be averted only by a storm of flowing passion, but only those who are passionate themselves can arouse passion in others.'
'Universal education is the most corroding and disintegrating poison that liberalism has ever invented for its own destruction.'
'When an opponent declares, “I will not come over to your side,” I calmly say, “Your child belongs to us already… What are you? You will pass on. Your
descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.'
'I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator.'
'It is not truth that matters, but victory.'
Does ANY of this sound 'familiar?' Sound like Trump?? Sound like Trump's 'political strategy?'
Here's a TIP; every one of those quotes is from Adolf Hitler.
The ’25 Rules of Disinformation:’
These 25 rules are everywhere in media, from political debates, to television shows, to comments on a blog.
1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know, don’t discuss it — especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it’s not
reported, it didn’t happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.
2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as being critical of some
otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the “How dare you!” gambit.
3. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other
derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public can learn of
the facts are through such “arguable rumors”. If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a “wild rumor” which can have no basis
in fact.
4. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent’s argument which you can easily knock down to make yourself look good and the
opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation, or
select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and
fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.
5. Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule. This is also known as the primary attack the messenger ploy, though other methods qualify as variants of
that approach. Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as “kooks”, “right-wing”, “liberal”, “left-wing”, “terrorists”, “conspiracy buffs”, “radicals”, “militia”,
“racists”, “religious fanatics”, “sexual deviates”, and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing
with issues.
6. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or
simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called
upon without having to explain criticism reasoning — simply make an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent
response, for that would dignify the opponent’s viewpoint.
7. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could so taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This
avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.
8. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough “jargon” and “minutiae” to illustrate you are
“one who knows”, and simply say it isn’t so without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.
9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues with denial they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any
proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.
10. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the straw man usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early
on which can be or were already easily dealt with. Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of
the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually have them be associated with the original charge
and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues — so much the better where the opponent is or was involved with the original
source.
11. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions. Using a minor matter or element of the facts, take the “high road” and “confess” with candor that some innocent
mistake, in hindsight, was made — but that opponents have seized on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities which, “just
isn’t so.” Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later. Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for “coming clean” and “owning up” to your
mistakes without addressing more serious issues.
12. Enigmas have no solution. Drawing upon the overall umbrella of events surrounding the crime and the multitude of players and events, paint the entire affair
as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise following the matter to begin to lose interest more quickly without having to address the actual issues.
13. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion of the issues by reasoning backwards with an apparent deductive logic in a way that forbears any actual material
fact.
14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime at hand completely, a ploy which works best for items qualifying for
rule 10.
15. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions. This requires creative thinking unless the crime was planned with contingency conclusions in place.
16. Vanishing evidence and witnesses. If it does not exist, it is not fact, and you won’t have to address the issue.
17. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial
comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can “argue” with you over the new
topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.
18. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can’t do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses
which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing
the issues in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue, you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how “sensitive they
are to criticism”.
19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the “play dumb” rule. Regardless of what material may be presented by an
opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his
disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a murder weapon). In order to completely avoid discussing issues
may require you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made
by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.
20. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations as useful tools to
neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best when the crime was designed with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot be easily
separated from the fabrications.
21. Call a Grand Jury, Special Prosecutor, or other empowered investigative body. Subvert the (process) to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive
issues without open discussion. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be secret when properly handled. For instance, if you own the
prosecuting attorney, it can insure a Grand Jury hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed an unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a
favorable verdict (usually, this technique is applied to find the guilty innocent, but it can also be used to obtain charges when seeking to frame a victim) is
achieved, the matter can be considered officially closed.
22. Manufacture a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s), leader(s) or influence existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific,
investigative, or social research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually address issues, you can do so authoritatively.
23. Create bigger distractions. If the above does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted media coverage of
unstoppable events such as trials, create bigger news stories (or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.
24. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail, consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that the need to address
issues is removed entirely. This can be by their death, arrest and detention, blackmail or destruction of their character by release of blackmail information, or
merely by proper intimidation with blackmail or other threats.
25. Vanish. If you are a key holder of secrets or otherwise overly illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid the issues, vacate the kitchen.’
You will have seen ALL of these in use here on Quora and elsewhere.
139 views
View Upvoters
View Sharers
1
1
Add Comment
Emmanuel Brun d'Aubignosc
, Self Employed IT
Answered March 31, 2019
Because it was based on US propaganda.
As a child a used to watch documentaries on Nazi propaganda on German TV. I couldn’t believe that people at the time were able to believe such nonsense. I
was absurd. I was convinced that this could never happen again.
However, as a teen, I wondered by the free media used the same techniques used by the Nazis. I thought they copied Goebbels propaganda and should be
ashamed of it. What I found really mind boggling was the people still believed the same kind nonsense, even if the message wasn’t the same anymore.
Modern propaganda didn’t actually copy Nazi techniques, it was the other way around.
The father of modern propaganda is a man called Edward Bernays, Freud’s double nephew.
Hitler’s Nazi Germany Used an American PR Agency
The manipulation of the American mind: Edward Bernays and the birth of public relations
I can’t find the reference here, but the fact that Bernays turned down the offer of the Nazi regime to work for them, didn’t prevent Goebbels of reading Bernays.
If I remember correctly, a reporter who interviewed Goebbels found a book of Bernays in Goebbels’ bookshelf.
Meet Edward Bernays, Master of Propaganda
United States Propaganda Techniques That Inspired The Nazis
302 views
View Upvoters
· Answer requested by
Paul Krzemuski
1
Add Comment
Related Spaces (More Answers Below)
Germany (Deutschland)
Admission, Job and Life in Germany ( https://tinyurl.com/y6oe96hp )
Follow
31.3K
World War II
The biggest conflict ever fought in history
Follow
34.6K
Kevinball comments
I just wanted people who are willing to use to tell the truth in politi 1states
Follow
9
The History of War
The History of War across the World and its historical impact.
Follow
506.9K
The Holocaust
The WWII systematic murder of six million Jews
Follow
1.2K
A Clash In The East

A space dedicated for the Eastern front in World War Two.
Follow
15.5K
Fresh Look at World War 2

I give my own perspective on strategy, battles, and individuals.
Follow
18K
Germany and Germans

This space is a repository for interesting and fair Answers about Germany.
Follow
10.7K
Das Dritte Reich
All about the Nazis, coming to power, WW2 and their malevolent moral fiber.
Follow
1.3K
Teutonic Titwillows
A humorous look at Germans and German culture. Pickelhaube optional.
Follow
8.9K
Historical Oracle
History raises a lot of questions, this site has some answers.
Follow
8.1K
Man of Steel
Defending the legacy of Joseph Stalin
Follow
3K
Marxism-Leninism-Maoism
Dedicated to the study of the practical application of Marxism
Follow
33.4K
Study In Germany Advice
Education In Germany (Bachelor, Master, MBA) & Study / Language Visa Questions
Follow
7K
Poland & Polish culture

Here we share some Polish: news, music, films ect. culture in general
Follow
7.3K
Anti-Communist Propaganda
A space to share the finest anti-Communist misinformation humanity has to offer:
Follow
1.4K
Discussions of Fascism
Multi-sided discussion of the most controversial worldview
Follow
1.1K
War in history
Learn about war in history and discuss it.
Follow
1.4K
DPRK
A space defending the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Follow
1.6K
History & Mystery. Oh My!

A place to share Quora's best answers on history and discuss history.
Follow
514.9K
IMPERIUM ROMANUM
Curiosities and discoveries in the world of ancient Romans
Follow
18.8K
Jewish Secrets and Stuff

This is all about the world explained from a Jewish perspective.
Follow
298
Mad for Germany

Mad for Germany for all the amazing & interesting things about Germany/Germans.
Follow
2.1K
Resisting Anti-Semitism
Discussing anti-Semitism and coordinating responses
Follow
4.4K
Anti-Capitalism
Dedicated to the analysis and critique of capitalism
Follow
41K
History
For history lovers...
Follow
20.1K
War Photos
Photos taken at various times in war in various locations.
Follow
2.4K
Historical Tidbits
A spot for Quorans to share their slice of history.
Follow
116.7K
WarZone
Wise words and war stories: strategy, tactics and technology from all eras
Follow
33.7K
Bread and Roses

Quorans of the Web, unite! Anti-capitalist, anti-fascist libertarian politics.
Follow
12K
CDG - Career Development

Focus on career growth and development
Follow
18.5K
The Armchair Generals
For those who prefer a more flame war oriented way of discussing warfare
Follow
24.1K
Polymaths' Corner
In this space all knowledge is equally interesting.
Follow
49.7K
Czechia
All about Czechia (pronounced 'Checki-ya')
Follow
958
Tanks, Tanks & more Tanks

Dedicated to tanks from Warthunder, WOT, WWI, WWII & other conflicts
Follow
361
Intermarium
Territory of freedom from Black to Baltic sea.
Follow
235
Imperial Russia/Romanovs
The rise and fall of Imperial Russia and members of the Romanov dynasty
Follow
239
The Russian Bear

A space dedicated to Russia and the Russian people.
Follow
12.3K
Slavic World
Slavic mythology, culture, countries, news etc.
Follow
5.9K
The Communist Party

A place where we unite to talk about communism, socialism and society’s behavior
Follow
1K
View More Spaces

Christian Winter
, interested in history for 20 years
The same way right wingers still do it today. They tell people that they are superior because of something they are, usually it’s about skin color or religion,
declare everyone who is different the enemy and make everyone believe that every problem will disappear if they just follow a strong leader figure without
asking any questions. Weak characters usually cannot resist being allowed to furiously hate someone and feel superior without having to achieve anything.
This message is than cudgeled into everybody’s brain by permanent repetition via propaganda outlets. The radio back then, tv and social media now. Alternative
news sources are declared enemy broadcasts and forbidden. If you cannot forbid them because democratic structures are still intact, you simply let your
propaganda outlets call it fake news no matter what they report.
The Nazis were not in any way special in that approach. It can happen again. And it already is happening.
2.6K views
View Upvoters
View Sharers
230
1
5
5 comments from Louise Goodwin Petersen and more
Related Questions
More Answers Below
What is it about Nazi propaganda that makes it so powerful? It's been 70 years since they lost, their crimes had been uncovered, their philosophy has been
disproven time and time again, but still people fall for Nazi propaganda even today.
How effective was and is Nazi propaganda up to now?
Michael Doherty
, Researched for over 25 years, read hundreds of books.
Because it was so pervasive in the lives of every German. Goebbels had a radio put in every home, or at least 1 in every block of flats, and had block informers
that made sure people were listening to the broadcasts. Children were taught Nazi racial theory in school every day, and during Hitler Youth outings. Adults were
subjected to the same kind of indoctrination at work, at home and even on holiday through Nazi movements like Strength Through Joy, where they went on
Nazi Party organised retreats. The Nazis had complete control over the printed media as well, so the only “news” the people go
… (more)
4
3
3 comments from Andrew Stone and more
Tony Meeks
, Avid reader of WWII books
I can think of several reasons why their propaganda was so effective.
1. Technology. The Nazis were pioneers in using radio and film to influence people. Hitler used air transport to give speeches all over Germany
which had not been done before.
2. Performance: Nazi events did not just happen. They were well planned and executed events that were designed to entrance people. Also Hitler
knew how to give speeches. He would start out slow and then gradually build up to a frenzy.
3. Susceptibility: The people of Germany were very open to someone who offered a solution to their problems. The Germans had been defeated
in a war, faced threats of revolution and coups, forced to sign the hated Treaty of Versailles, suffered through high inflation, and then the
depression hit. Hitler offered a way to improve the economy and restore national pride.
206 views
View Upvoters
Paul Krzemuski
1
Add Comment
Bill Hanson
, lives in The United Kingdom
because it was good.
a lot of the propaganda it pumped out was disguised. Goebbels was a master at hiding the messages.
in fact the techniques used by Goebbels are still used today.
He was the first to use short punchy sentences, now seen as sound bytes.
He also used every media possible to give out the message, newspapers radio, art cinema….. and immersed the people in the message.
pretty much what modern mainstream media tries to do to us today.
there are hidden messages and ideas in a lot of what we consume.
anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool… i liken it to this:
50 views
Add Comment
Gerhard Ditsch
, lives in Europe
Because the people had no other source of information else than what government told them. The Nazi government held absolute monopol.
Even the new radio. The Volksempfänger was blocked to receive only their frequency.
Some arrived to trick the apparatus so to hear BBC or AFN. Good mooorning, America !
My father had done so. My mother too.
When someone was caught doing so, they were shot.

My parents survived. They met after WW II, so I am here, now :-)
45 views
1
1 comment from David Lothrop Stoddard
William Travis
, works at Indoors and Outdoors
Because the 1st thing they said was ‘all your problems are a result of the minorities’ which appealed to the majority’s desire to feel superior.
The Nazi’s told the white Germans that foreigners (gypsies) and people with a different religion (the Jewish) and or had different ideas of sexuality (LGBT) were
bad, they called them criminals, said they didn’t belong and were a drag on the economy and were destroying the German way of life.
Sound familiar? The only difference between the Nazi propaganda and the trump propaganda is that he changed two out of three targets, gypsies became
Mexicans and Jews became Muslims.
64 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
John Mahaney
, lives in Port Huron, MI
It was only successful in areas they controlled. It was due to those people almost totally heard just what the Nazi controlled media had to say. If you only here
one side you tend but may not even know the other side says something else will tend to believe what you hear. Example today is if all you hear or read is the
main stream media then you probably view Trump as a bad President or even worst ever. This is how all totalitarian states control what the public know and thus
believe to be the facts.
32 views · Answer requested by
Paul Krzemuski
Add Comment
Larry Mathews
, former Retired Mortician (1978-2016)
If your not working, and can not feed your family, and seeing that any money you do have is worth more for starting a fire then spending it, then it's easy to see
how it happened. Throw in an entire group of people to blame it on, and then being able to convince your citizens that they are the master race. It was a winning
formula. And, under the same conditions, I don't believe it's to hard to imagine that it could happen here.
33 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Reginal Smith
, Historian
There are so many great replies out here. I encourage everyone to read them. But It boils down to Nazi propaganda worked because it told them what they
wanted to believe about themselves.
Nothing has changed in our own time.

15 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Gerry Abueno
, former Writer/gun Instructor/LEO/counter-terror old fart
Many reasons, most of which still apply today.
But there’s another reason that doesn’t apply much today — germans of the 20s and 30s were particularly prone to the messages that nazis pushed. Something
in the socio-cultural psyche of germans in that era.
15 views
1
1 comment from David Lothrop Stoddard
Ray Lancaster
, lived in Germany (1980-1981)
True, millions of Germans, although never a voting majority, wholeheartedly embraced Nazi ideology.
But millions of others just went along because the threat of Nazi violence was never far away.
Any propaganda can be ‘successful’ if ignoring it has a cost.

61 views
View Upvoters
Paul Krzemuski
1
Add Comment
Dudley Ristow
, What is more interesting than History ?
Make others scapegoats as the scamming demons of the citizenry eg in Nazi Germany the Jews and keep on repeating the lie until people believe it.
Trump uses the press, the Democrats, Muslims and migrants as "the enemy" and his base - mostly rural - buy it hook, line and sinker.
Different cast, same someone else's fault ideology.
Paul Krzemuski
Add Comment
Jesse Ackerson
, Studied the field for 8 years.
The NSDAP worked in the favor of the German people. Why wouldn't they want what was in their best interest
What are some examples of Nazi Propaganda?

Answer
Follow
·
5
Request
Ad by Power Life
Celebrity trainer: I feel better at 60 thanks to these 4 foods.
Tony Horton reveals the revolutionary at home trick that saved his life.
Watch More
5 Answers
Steven Rusling
, lives in The United Kingdom
Answered October 3, 2017
After the January 16th ‘45 raid on Dresden (not the one that flattened the city, but the second of two American raids, the other was on October 7th ‘44)
the Dresdner Zeitung carried articles to cheer the population up, emphasising the effect of the German V-weapons on the British civil population. Supposedly
quoting a speech from ‘the Mayor of Manchester’, there was no such person at the time and wasn’t until 2015, it reported
“Many of London’s inhabitants are living in half collapsed houses and have to spend the nights in underground shelters, just to get a few hours sleep. Often no fewer
than 185 bombs have fallen in the space of 24 hours. The population has declined to half its previous level, and a third of all material assets have been destroyed in
just this short period of time time.”
What the ‘Mayor of Manchester’ would have known about conditions in London is questionable, but it’s all nonsense anyway. There is not a word of truth in it.
The people of Dresden, who had suffered two light raids in four months, killing a few hundred people believed it because they chose to believe it.
206 views
Add Comment
Sponsored by Y-Jesus.com
Jesus died - and then what really happened?
Discover the shocking evidence about Jesus's resurrection!
Read More
Cem Arslan
, Amateur military historian and fiction writer
Answered November 6, 2017
Originally Answered: What was the Nazi Party's Ministry of Propaganda?
The Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda, RMVP for short, translated as Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, was the chief
governmental organization for the centralization of the Nazi control of all aspects of German cultural and intellectual life, and presenting the image of
unconditional support of the people to the regime. Founded on 14 March 1933 with its headquarters on the Ordenspalais, it controlled the news media, visual
arts, literature, filmmaking, theatre, music, and broadcasting.
By 1939 it had 2000 employees organized in seven divisions:
1. Division I: Administration and legal

2. Division II: Mass rallies; public health; youth; race
3. Division III: Broadcasting
4. Division IV: National and foreign press
5. Division V: Films and film censorship
6. Division VI: Art, music, and theatre
7. Division VII: Protection against counter-propaganda, both foreign and domestic
The Minister during most of the existence of the Third Reich was Joseph Goebbels. He was eventually raised to Chancellor by Hitler’s will dated 29 April 1945,
and his state secretary Werner Naumann replaced him as Minister.
997 views
View Upvoters
15
4
4 comments from Michael J. McFadden and more
Follow
31.3K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.5K
Political Assassinations
About political assassinations all around the world throughout the history.
Follow
9
World War II
Follow
34.6K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Das Dritte Reich
Follow
1.3K
Follow
1.1K

Follow
18K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K

Follow
7.3K
View More Spaces

Alexander Berkley Easterbrook
, former Self Employed
Mein Kampf was the only thing I know about, but the Nazis, also, had Houston Stewart Chamberlain's racist writings and post-Hitler there are works like The
Myth of the Six Million and other books denying the mass murders. I have read references to a second Hitler book on foreign policy, but I've never seen it. Hitler,
also, had a Strasser who wrote anti-Semitic stuff and there was a Baltic German (Rosenberg?) who wrote racist literature. And the grand-pappy of anti-Semitic
literature is the Russian work, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. That I think was done by the Tsar's secret police.
114 views
Add Comment
Sponsored by Post Fun
How to you escape a zip-tie in a few easy steps.
Everyone should know how to escape from zip-ties if you are ever bound in one for some reason.
Read More
Related Questions
More Answers Below
How effective was and is Nazi propaganda up to now?

What were the types of of Nazi propaganda?
Charles O'Connor
, former Retired
Updated November 8, 2017
Originally Answered: What was the Nazi Party's Ministry of Propaganda?
Joseph Goebbels was the Nazi Minister of Propaganda. The best example of Nazi propaganda was the film Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl. But
Goebbels genius lay in his attention to mission; German film, radio, and publishing continually and constantly kept up a stream of Nationalist, martial, anti
Semitic and pro Hitler pieces. Often all at once, intertwined setting a consistent Nazi world view.
81 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Tyler Stormo
, God Emperor at Occasionally Tricking Others Out of Their Money (2000-present)
The most well known would be Triumph of the Will - Wikipedia, a Nazi propoganda film with surprisingly good production value for what is was and it is still
used by some white supremacist and neo-nazi groups around the world today.
How did the Nazi government balance outright propaganda with elements of truth when major negative
events occurred during the war?
Answer
Follow
·
2
Request
Ad by Grammarly
Want to banish typos and clarify confusing sentences?
Grammarly's writing app makes sure everything you type is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free.
Download
4 Answers
Jens Johansson
Answered January 9
If a Government controls all levels of information dissemination for a population, then the Government can very much ignore any events be it bad, catastrophic
or otherwise.
After the war everyone was impressed with these propaganda machines of Nazi and Communist origin so they were exported to all Governments for use as they
see fit. Nowadays the internet has so to say almost taken away the singular voice mechanics of these propaganda machines except for possible older people
who still could be dependent on public service tv for their correct version of the event, news or whatever.
In Sweden as an example, there is plenty of examples of these propaganda examples, for example described or referenced in
Anmärkningar till litteraturhänvisningarna
Most of the material is Swedish or mixed languages, regards legal issues and may need translation.
Cheers!
Thomas Pirrello
Add Comment
Sponsored by Power Life
Celebrity trainer: I feel better at 60 thanks to these 4 foods.
Tony Horton reveals the revolutionary at home trick that saved his life.
Watch More
Ted Faraone
, studied Economics & Theater Arts at Columbia University
Answered January 9
Poorly. For a while Dr. Goebbels was able to fool Germans because the German misfortunes happened far from Germany, but as the Allies advanced on the west
and the Soviet Union advanced on the east, that was no longer possible. Goebbels, however, was a master propagandist. He managed to sponsor theatrical films
that were very entertaining but also supported the Nazi cause. The propaganda worked in large measure until the turn of 1944 to 1945 when the defeat of
Germany became apparent to anyone with a brain. It is a credit to his evil genius that he got as far as he was able.
55 views
View Upvoters
Thomas Pirrello
1
Add Comment
The History of War

Follow
506.9K
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Kevinball comments
Follow
9
Follow
31.3K

Follow
18K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.5K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Science and Math Geeks

Science and Math Geeks is for any Science and/or Mathematics Geek or Nerd.
Follow
2.4M

Follow
514.9K
Your Health
Answers to all health conditions
Follow
1.3M
Das Dritte Reich
Follow
1.3K
Follow
33.4K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
Follow
1.1K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
Follow
7.3K
Germany and Germans

Follow
10.7K
Entrepreneurial Mindset
A space to think like an entrepreneur.
Follow
1.7M
History Mystery
This space is all about the historical facts and trivia.
Follow
35.2K
History
Follow
20.1K
Interesting Information
This space is a collection of random information & stories that are interesting.
Follow
1.5M
Follow
1.4K
Intermarium
Territory of freedom from Black to Baltic sea.
Follow
235
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Poet's Corner
FOR POSTING YOUR OWN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE POEMS WITH DISCUSSION BY THE GROUP
Follow
145.2K
Weird Science
This space is about science. From physics, chemistry, genetics and the universe!
Follow
893.2K

Follow
7K
Polymaths' Corner
In this space all knowledge is equally interesting.
Follow
49.7K
Technological Ideas
This space is for those who're new or who've already advance in technology.
Follow
1.3M
No Filter Necessary
We love the freaky, funny, ironic, scary, funky stuff. Anything goes here! Vent!
Follow
664.7K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
IMPERIUM ROMANUM
Follow
18.8K
Psychiatric Enlightenment
Supportive and awareness information from mental health professionals!
Follow
589.6K
War in history
Follow
1.4K
Resisting Anti-Semitism
Discussing anti-Semitism and coordinating responses
Follow
4.4K
DPRK
Follow
1.6K
Jewish Secrets and Stuff

This is all about the world explained from a Jewish perspective.
Follow
298
RuByUa Issues
A space about issues regarding Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine
Follow
505

Follow
24.1K
Czechia
All about Czechia (pronounced 'Checki-ya')
Follow
958
View More Spaces
Gerard Van Geleuken

, writing a book about Operation Sealion
Answered January 9
Defeats were presented as terrible but necessary sacrifices which should inspire all Germans to work and fight even harder.
Here’s the front page of the Völkischer Beobachter, the main press organ of the regime, after the remnants of the 6th Army surrendered at Stalingrad. The
headline says: “They died so that Germany may live”. The image of the suffering soldier is almost Christ-like.
118 views
Add Comment
Sponsored by Y-Jesus.com
Jesus died - and then what really happened?
Discover the shocking evidence about Jesus's resurrection!
Read More
Related Questions
More Answers Below
At what point did Nazi Germany realize the war was lost?
How did Nazi Germany portray the war to the German public between 1943-45 when they were losing?
Is it true that some Nazis knew they were lying in their propaganda?
William Reinhart
, lives in Richmond, VA
Answered January 9
“Truth is the first casualty of war”. WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Middle East . . you pick. Please attribute the aphorism to Winston Churchill.
No one tells the truth when it comes to war.
Was Hitler's charisma real or was it built up and facilitated by the media and propaganda?
Answer
Follow
·
6
Request
5 Answers
Nick Hodgson
, Teacher/ Mentor/ Coach/ Father
Answered January 15, 2015
Originally Answered: Was Hitler's Charisma real or was it built up and facilitated by media and propaganda?
It was real.
Media and propaganda can be used to harness that charisma but from the accounts of millions who lived through the Nazi era - the man had some serious
charismatic appeal.
From what I've heard even the ladies used to get all wound up about him.
Must have been that little moustache.

539 views
View Upvoters
4
3
3 comments from Clive Thomas and more
Russell Matson
, I am a geek who has absorbed a lot of info about WW2.
Updated February 21, 2016
He was a very charismatic man, he was able to get millions of votes and attract a following and control a country on his force of personality. He and his inner
circle understood how to use propaganda as well.
387 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Follow
31.3K
The History of War
Follow
506.9K
Kevinball comments
Follow
9
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Germany and Germans
Follow
10.7K

Follow
18K

Follow
7K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K

Follow
514.9K
Mad for Germany

Follow
2.1K
Das Dritte Reich

Follow
1.3K
History
Follow
20.1K

Follow
18.5K
Follow
33.4K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
IMPERIUM ROMANUM
Follow
18.8K
War in history
Follow
1.4K
RealPolitics
Let's make our own plans for the future!
Follow
354.1K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
Follow
2.4M

Follow
7.3K
Celebrity Footballers
Footballers are celebrities. Let’s share and enjoy the bios of Footballers.
Follow
17.2K
View More Spaces

Doga Atay
, works at Students
Answered February 2, 2016
Hitler was extremly charismatic. Just like any other Dictatorship he used propoganda to gain public support. But besides that you can view his extreme charisma
by the way he acts and talks during his speeches.
334 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Did Hitler have "charisma" or was it something else?
How did Hitler achieve such charisma and charm in his speeches?
Was Hitler charismatic? If yes, what are some famous examples and was it important for his rise to power?
Sara Matthews
Originally Answered: Was Hitler's Charisma real or was it built up and facilitated by media and propaganda?
It's said he was very capable of speaking for a solid two hours with no notes but with tremendous energy - he was said to be a captivating speaker some of
which derived from the tragic popularity of his nationalist message but the rest from his ability to speak for hours with incredible energy and without a pause.
280 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Clarissa Audely Orellana

He was a very reserved man even with his wife. He keep a charismatic image to persuade people
What were the good qualities Adolf Hitler possessed as a political leader?
Answer
Follow
·
53
Request
1
15 Answers
Vandio Zuccarelli
Originally Answered: What were the good qualities Adolf Hitler possessed as a political leader, Der Fuehrer?
As a young child Hitler enjoyed 3 activities, which, to my opinion assisted to develop his leadership abilities; these were
 he enjoyed "preaching" to the family at home
 he enjoyed painting and drawing, deeming himself adept
 he relentlessly played "cowboys and Indians" and later on war games, with his friends until they tired and he found others to play these games.
From these activities he developed the 3 areas where, in my opinion, his strengths wwere most evident.
 GOOD ORATOR
This was probably his greatest attribute that propelled him into the hearts of the people. Donations into the Party Coffers came pouring in when he delivered an
extemporaneous but emotionally charged speech 16 October 1919. His popularity grew and many would gather to listen to Hitler give a speech.
 A VISIONARY
Hitler, being the Conservative Nationalist that he was, exploited the state of depression and hyperinflation that Germany was suffering under and built a picture
of a prosperous Germany, having ample Lebensraum, living space for the perfect society to grow and restore their National pride. Hitler saw that livingspace
coming from a Jewish controlled Russia, which he aimed to annex.
 STRATEGIST
Having stumbled on his fathers war books, Hitler became obsessed with the military strategy in those pages. This prepared him for his ruthless and meteoric rise
to power. Some salient points were
1. His decision to take power politically and not forcefully

2. Transforming the Workers Party from a discussion group into a political party
3. Becoming Chairman of the Party in 1921
4. Runnning for election from 1930 to 1933 and eventually becoming chancellor in a coalition government with President Von Lindenberg
5. By 1937, Hitler was ready to outline the plan for military aggression in Europe.
In all his political career, Hitler would deal ruthlessly with anyone who opposed him and was relentless in his quest to become the Dictator of Germany
111.7K views
View Upvoters
32
Add Comment
Yash Bhandari
, Founder at Digital Conquering
Apart from absolute racism Hitler possessed , I can't find much fault in his personality.And remember history belongs to the winner , so it might be inappropriate
to label him as evil and war monger and it could be other way round also. Anyway following are the good qualities he possessed as a political leader.
1. Visionary - After watching his nation completely devastated in the treaty of versailles preceded by the world war 1 , he still had much optimism left to start
from scratch and to make the germany stand again.
2. Brilliant economic policies - After paying the reparation of massive 130 billion marks which is roughly around 450 billion dollars of present day to the allies ,
he brought back life in the economy of Germany once again by his great policies, which is among the greatest economic rises in the history .
3. Improved weapon manufacturing - With the rise in economy , he spent large amount on improving their military and weapon manufacturing industries. He
prepared an aviation army called Luftwaffe which was the worlds first air force ever used in the military.
4.Military war strategist - His military strategies are among the best of his skills which proved him to be a great leader and helped him conquer around 80 % of
the europe at some point of time . However the defeat of the germany also goes to his decision of attacking and conquering Russia who was a German ally.
5.Exceptional orating skills - The highest quality any leader can possess is his ability to communicate and express himself to the public. The major contribution
in the rise of his socialist workers party was his excellent orating skills . His speeches gathered him large amount of activist which eventually lead him to power.
There are speeches of him on youtube with subtitles , I would recommend you to listen to it and realize yourself
39.8K views
View Upvoters
View Sharers
37
1
3
3 comments from Steven Ramirez and more
The History of War

Follow
506.9K
Follow
31.3K
Green-Leben
Describing the real purpose of life
Follow
21
RealPolitics
Follow
354.1K
Germany and Germans

Follow
10.7K
Follow
33.4K
Follow
514.9K
World War II
Follow
34.6K

Follow
7K
Anti-Capitalism
Follow
41K

Follow
18K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
Mad for Germany

Follow
2.1K

Follow
2.4M
Politics Insider
The latest political news and analysis from Business Insider
Follow
130.6K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
DPRK
Follow
1.6K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
Follow
1.4K
Das Dritte Reich
Follow
1.3K
Bring Back Democracy

The idea here is to post and comment on articles about how we can achieve this.
Follow
134.1K
No Filter Necessary
Follow
664.7K
Weird Science
Follow
893.3K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
History
Follow
20.1K
War Moose
Vote for Biden or I'll punch you. (I deleted the picture and can't fix it)
Follow
30.6K
US Politics
A place to discuss American politics. All political views are welcome
Follow
72.9K
Follow
1.7M
View More Spaces
David Stewart
, Teacher from Australia.
Apparently he was a brilliant orator. It's hard for a non-German speaker to judge but his speeches had a real ability to touch the German people. Which is no
mean achievement considering he wasn't even German himself. It takes a special kind of fervour to whip up patriotism and national pride when you're not even
from that country.
He was also a man of extreme conviction, which you can clearly see in his speech giving even if you don't understand the language. In uncertain times people
are drawn to those who are extremely sure of themselves and convinced of their own beliefs. Hitler wasn't the sort of guy who had any doubts about his mission
or ability.
He was incredibly single minded. He didn't chase women, do drugs or abuse his power. He wasn't interested in using his position to gain wealth and personal
adornments. He was really, really committed to making Germany the world's superpower and committing genocide.
He was ruthless. There are lots of political leaders in the world who would love to be able to dispose of their political enemies permanently but don't have the
guts. Hitler was happy to have anyone who disagreed with him murdered and to dispose of his political enemies with either the threat of violence or actual
violence. It definitely helped him to obtain and hold power.
As long as you're prepared to overlook his total lack of morals, barking insanity and inherently evil ideology he had all the hallmarks of a great leader.
69.6K views
View Upvoters
37
5
5 comments from Nick Baily and more
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Was Adolf Hitler a good leader?
What were Hitler's good qualities?
How true is the information presented in "Adolf Hitler: The Greatest Story NEVER Told"? I’ve been watching this series right now and one thing comes into my
mind: “Was Germany (or Hitler) provoked?”
Germinal Van
, B.A. Political Science
Answered August 31, 2014
According to me, Adolf Hitler is the greatest political leader of the 20th century. He was primarily a great orator. He always delivered powerful speeches. He
knew how to manipulate the masses. According to Hitler, "the masses are feminine and stupid. Only emotions and hatred can keep them under control". Once
speaking to an audience, especially at the national level, he knew that the only way to get the people behind him is to preach nationalism. In politics, nationalism
is the worst enemy of the state because nationalism always leads to war. Hitler was an extreme nationalist, abrasive and aggressive politician. He is the
incarnation of machiavelism in practice. To keep the masses under control, he established a great propaganda system. He was charismatic, and a brilliant orator.
By himself, he was able to shape an entire nation, which is not even his nation of birth. He changed the mentality of the German people. Adolf Hitler was also a
ruthless and brutal leader. Knowing to be famous for his ability of attacking, Hitler did never hesitate to use coercion to keep the masses under control, to
eradicate his opponents and to shut down any kind of form of coup d'état. As a politician, he was cold blooded and unpredictable. One of his main strengths
that brought him into power. In political science, Adolf Hitler belongs to the school of Machiavelli.
26.2K views
View Upvoters
14
Add Comment
Rohan Jain
, studied at NIT Rourkela, Through GATE
One of the greatest qualities that Adolf Hitler had was:Oratory. In the words of 5'3"-30 kg-drumstick Joseph Goebbels:
"He combines clear diction with simple argumentation, and instinct tells him what to say and how to say it. Language is united with ideas. He knows
the secret corners and aspects of the mass soul and knows how to reach and touch them. His speeches are masterpieces of declamation. He outlines
people and conditions; he inscribes his theses on the tablet of the age; with deep and noble passion he explains the pillars of his world view. His voice
reaches out from the depths of his blood into the depths of the souls of his listeners. He brings to expression the secrets of the human soul. He rouses
the tired and lazy, fires up the indifferent and the doubting, turns cowards into men and weaklings into heroes".
Of course,that is true. How else do you make up your mind for war and then convince 18 million people to fight in the frontlines?
This is quoted from the following.
Goebbels on Hitler as a Speaker
14.5K views
View Upvoters
9
Add Comment
Gerhard Schubert
He knew,at least until the failed invasion of Russia,when to listen to his educated,in whole europe unique generals,like in France,and when to ignore their fears
and just rush forward,like in the recapturing of the Rhine Land or in the battle against Poland,where he left the western border against France nearly
defenseless,well knowing,that the French wont invade and when he started to mistrust his generals in nearly every decision after Moskau,he lost the battles of
Stalingrad and Kursk and couldnt hold the soviet armies back anymore and instead ordered static defensive tactics,with which the Wehrmacht lost its only
advantage over the allied armies,so the soviets had an relatively easy game after then
Also,he knew,how to explain complex themes to the main folk simple and understandable and even today some of his themes,he spoke about,are relevant,so he
did understand his decisions,he wasnt the crazy maniac,he is often thought of,eventhough the killing of jews was useless and in status of war with superior
enemies contraproductive.
1.4K views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Kiran Gaikwad
, Acute Writer
Answered December 12, 2015
After reading these quotes you will definitly say that he was born to become great dictator and politician.
1 "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."
2 "The victor will never be asked if he told the truth."
3 "I do not see why man should not be just as cruel as nature."
4 "Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future."
5 "Great liars are also great magicians."
6 "It is not truth that matters, but victory."
7 "Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live."
8 "I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few."
9 "Words build bridges into unexplored regions."
10 "Hate is more lasting than dislike."

10.8K views
View Upvoters
9
1
1 comment from Swadeept Sinha
Greg Maguire
, BioRegenerative Sciences is a Nevada based C corporation headquarterd in San Diego, CA., with a majority owne…
Originally Answered: What were the good qualities Adolf Hitler possessed as a political leader, Der Führer?
If you ask Hitler himself, he would tell you that he was from Germany. The area of Austria where he was born was part of unified Germany from 1871-1918. This
was a Germany that was culturally and scientifically more advanced than other countries, and at the time time had emancipated all people, including the Jews,
who were an important part of Germany's culture and symbolized modernity and capitalism within Germany. While Hitler succeeded in unifying many of the
Germanic people, and overcame Britain's divide and conquer tactics at the end of WWI, he, unfortunately, attempted to implement this unification at the
expense of many who had successfully integrated into German culture, including the German Jews.
18.1K views
View Upvoters
4
1
1 comment from Mark Patterson
Lav Pandey
He led first anti smoking campaigns in modern history...

He promoted science and technology...
He always considered Germany and it's people to be superior more than anyone else...
He always worked for the betterment of Germans...
He fulfilled all the assurances that he gave to his people through his provocative speeches...
8.5K views
View Upvoters
9
Add Comment
Rob Wright
He was a very moving, inspirational speaker. He had the ability to convince millions of people that he was Bigger Than Life, a messiah of sorts, not due to any of
his experience or qualifications but just due to the force of his personality. He made even cynical people believe in him, believe in Hope, believe in Change,
convince them They Could Do It! no matter what any rational analysis of the situation said was true or whether anyone really even knew what he was talking
about...hey...wait...
1 view
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Anonymous
Some leadership qualities which Hitler had was that he was:
 Very Charismatic
 Good Public Speaker
 Powerful
 Patriotic
 Inspiring
 Demanding
 Reliant
 Controlling
 Confident
 Determined
 Passionate
6.5K views
View Upvoters
7
Add Comment
Mark Patterson
, Founding University Ombuds at California State University, Channel Islands (2019-present)
David Stewart and Vandio Zuccarelli answered this question pretty fully. The only quality I would add would be his capacity to absorb and recall details.
Contemporaries of Hitler frequently noted his ability to recall and marshall information in very compelling ways.
1 view
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Anonymous
He understood strengths of different people e.g. Dr. Joseph Goebbels
1 view
View Upvoters
5
Add Comment
Kiran Kulkarni
I would like to add one more quality of the great Hietler is that he was a cleen observer...Observation skills helped him...When prostitution was the
huge subject in Germany in his early time...His observation skill helped him...
1 view
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Pravesh Painuly
, works at Capgemini
Top 7 Leadership Qualities that Make You a Perfect Leader
What are some of the most interesting examples of Hitler's charismatic power over individuals?
Answer
Follow
·
3
Request
3 Answers
Tennille Charlton
, Descended from Nazis. History Teacher.
I love this question because when you look up the meaning of charisma in the dictionary it says “compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire
devotion in others.” - when you consider this definition the word charisma tends to have a positive connotation in everyday use which is completely opposite
to the connotations associated with the name Adolf Hitler. But the thing is that charisma and Adolf Hitler kind of go hand in hand.
Adolf Hitler was charismatic, we can see that on so many YouTube videos where he is speaking. So much so that even if you do not understand Deutsch and
there is no subtitles you can still get a general idea of what he is talking about by his facial expressions, hand movements, tone in his voice, the passion that
seemed to radiate off him in waves as well as the reactions from those around him - for example, this speech in 1933 (which does have subtitles but even
without them when you close your eyes you get an idea) -
The funny thing is that Hitler defies and challenges not only the positive connotations of the word charisma but also the way we look at charismatic people in
general. When you first see or hear one of his speeches for instance you would assume Hitler was a social being all of his life, which was not true at all - Hitler
was not a very social person. He was unable to build intimate relationships with people and failed at making friends. Yet, it was already clear at the time that
Hitler possessed charisma.
So using the definition of charisma and the factors that make a person charismatic here are just a few examples of Hitler’s charisma and how he was able to
convince so many people who would otherwise oppose someone like him that he was right, that his answer was the solution to all of their problems with
examples of course of some of the more obscure things I found on my searches
Vision and Determination -

According to his former housemate Kubizek, one day Hitler wanted to write an opera and the next, with equal vigour, he would decide to renew the sewage
system in Vienna.
This, according to the historian Laurence Rees who wrote the book, The dark charisma of Adolf Hitler, is the basis for charisma: having a clear vision and a mission
on a subject and the determination to convince the world of that mission.
Kubizek in this regard recalled that Hitler, who was a passionate reader, tended to lecture him on the texts he would read and on what he thought about them. If
Kubizek would question or argue with him, Hitler would lecture him further.
This attitude was a persistent feature that Hitler would later apply in his political speeches and that would make him a charismatic orator later in life (see above
speech as example, the amount of times he repeats the same argument so to speak but in different ways)
During the First World War Hitler voluntarily enrolled in the German army and this experience greatly shaped the political ideas he formed later.
The outcome of the war, the severe humiliation of Germany, laid the foundation for Hitler’s political agenda. It was the perfect weapon so to speak to use in
order to gain power. The German people were always a proud people, as most people are, and they were knocked down a few too many places after WWI. The
economy was suffering, the cost for a crust of bread would almost literally cost you the life of your first born child and as a whole you were treated unfairly and
made to look the fool. Hitler was determined to rise to power, he had a vision, and after WWI he had the ammo to make it happen.
Just as he had lectured Kubizek a couple of years earlier, he would now lecture his audiences. Although he was still unable to establish a personal contact with
people, large crowds did not hinder him, he could work a crowd as though they were nothing more than baby animals slinking up to eat out of the palm of his
hand.
In his speeches he built upon feelings which were already present in German society and said out loud what many were thinking privately. In addition to this he
also magnified these pre-existent sentiments. of a large number of Europeans during that time. Anti-Semitism was nothing new in Germany, especially among
the middle class, but Hitler propelled this notion by persistently scapegoating the Jews for all the wrongs within German society and by blaming them for the
humiliating loss WWI.
Unwavering conviction -
In the 1920s, only a minority of Germans sympathised with Hitler, as became clear with his failed putsch in 1923 and his defeat in the elections of 1928, where he
obtained only 2,6 percent of the votes.
What proves Hitler’s charisma in these tougher times was the way he dealt with them. Loss only strengthened his conviction and he would share his ideas with
increased vigour with everyone who crossed his path.
Hitler wrote Mein Kampf during the period of imprisonment that followed his lost putsch and he stated after the elections of 1928 that he soon would become
the next Chancellor of Germany. Hardly anyone believed him.
Self-Confidence -
Considering that he would have to make so many speeches in public it was evidently his never-decreasing self-confidence that rounds up the charisma bubble
that is Adolf Hitler perfectly. Consider all the work he put in prior to him becoming chancellor, I mean yes, some will argue that the Great Depression helped him
because he could get inside of the minds of people who were suffering but as much as it obviously did help him drive home his point it was his vision,
determination, conviction and self confidence that had people flocking to him like a baby bird to its mother bird.
Here was a young man who served in WWI that was giving the German people a solution. He promised money and jobs, he promised that Deutschland would
return to where it once was, he expressed his upset about the unfair treatment of the German people post WWI and (unfairly) blamed the Jews, thus providing
them with an answer.
So I think it is obvious that even from a younger age, prior to even becoming chancellor, that Hitler had the charismatic power it took to rule a country, take
them to war, twist the minds of so many people to the point that most of them (not all) actually admit that they believed everything Hitler was saying. To quote
my own grandfather on the subject (I asked him about Hitler and his charisma seeing as how he had stood there many times in person looking up at the Nazi
leader during some speech or other and could tell me what those youtube videos I have watched many times now were like in person) -
I had not actually met a Jewish person where I lived in Bavaria at the time. I believed what I was hearing though because there was surely no way that a man who
had such passion for our country and her people could ever be wrong, if he said that it was these Jews then he had to be telling the truth - nobody could be that
passionate about something if it wasn’t the truth right? Nobody who had served our country in war as Hitler had done would lie. He made me feel good, he made
me feel like there was a future again, he often said that us kids were the way of the future, that Deutschland needed us. He made us feel special, he made us feel
important. Now I know better but I also know that even if I was older, like my brothers ages or even my fathers, I probably still would have gotten swept up in Hitler
and his madness because he seemed so real, he was saying what was on the minds of the people and he was giving a solution to it all. Does that tell you how
charismatic the guy was? I stood there many a time listening to him speaking to the masses, waving my Hitler Youth flag proudly and smiling because every time
that man spoke (in the beginning anyway) you just couldn’t help but listen.
When it comes to how he felt personally when listening to Hitler speak he said -
It was like nothing I have experienced since. It was basically like taking your favourite music concert performance ever and multiplying the stage presence of said
artist by like a thousand. There are not many people in the world I can say make me want to listen to them, especially now when I am a grumpy old man, but, if you
put on one of them internet video’s with Hitler and I will still to this day listen to his every word. Not because I believe in what he is saying any more, but because
the way he speaks demands my attention even still to this day. It used to give me goosebumps, it would build excited fluttering butterfly feelings in the pit of my
stomach. It isn’t really something you can explain to someone, it is one of those things where you have to see it to believe it and the true scope of that mans
charisma is definitely something you needed to be lucky (or unlucky) enough to experience yourself.
Anyway, yeah, that took me an hour and I just know I am going to come back and add some more later when I think of it but yeah, I suggest reading the book I
mention and link in my sources if this topic interests you, and I think there is a mini series that BBC ran of the same name but I haven’t watched that yet myself
so I can’t vouch for it being about Hitler and his charisma and charm and so on. If someone has watched it though please tell me if it is worth me hunting down
to watch, appreciate it.
source: The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler: Laurence Rees: 9780091917654: Amazon.com: Books
New German Biography: Hitler's Underestimated Charisma - SPIEGEL ONLINE
YouTube
and the last source of course coming from my grandfather Artur when I called him up and asked him for a first hand account on hearing one of Hitler’s speeches
in person.
Answer
Follow
·
3
Request
3 Answers
Tennille Charlton
, Descended from Nazis. History Teacher.
I love this question because when you look up the meaning of charisma in the dictionary it says “compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire
devotion in others.” - when you consider this definition the word charisma tends to have a positive connotation in everyday use which is completely opposite
to the connotations associated with the name Adolf Hitler. But the thing is that charisma and Adolf Hitler kind of go hand in hand.
Adolf Hitler was charismatic, we can see that on so many YouTube videos where he is speaking. So much so that even if you do not understand Deutsch and
there is no subtitles you can still get a general idea of what he is talking about by his facial expressions, hand movements, tone in his voice, the passion that
seemed to radiate off him in waves as well as the reactions from those around him - for example, this speech in 1933 (which does have subtitles but even
without them when you close your eyes you get an idea) -
The funny thing is that Hitler defies and challenges not only the positive connotations of the word charisma but also the way we look at charismatic people in
general. When you first see or hear one of his speeches for instance you would assume Hitler was a social being all of his life, which was not true at all - Hitler
was not a very social person. He was unable to build intimate relationships with people and failed at making friends. Yet, it was already clear at the time that
Hitler possessed charisma.
So using the definition of charisma and the factors that make a person charismatic here are just a few examples of Hitler’s charisma and how he was able to
convince so many people who would otherwise oppose someone like him that he was right, that his answer was the solution to all of their problems with
examples of course of some of the more obscure things I found on my searches
Vision and Determination -
According to his former housemate Kubizek, one day Hitler wanted to write an opera and the next, with equal vigour, he would decide to renew the sewage
system in Vienna.
This, according to the historian Laurence Rees who wrote the book, The dark charisma of Adolf Hitler, is the basis for charisma: having a clear vision and a mission
on a subject and the determination to convince the world of that mission.
Kubizek in this regard recalled that Hitler, who was a passionate reader, tended to lecture him on the texts he would read and on what he thought about them. If
Kubizek would question or argue with him, Hitler would lecture him further.
This attitude was a persistent feature that Hitler would later apply in his political speeches and that would make him a charismatic orator later in life (see above
speech as example, the amount of times he repeats the same argument so to speak but in different ways)
During the First World War Hitler voluntarily enrolled in the German army and this experience greatly shaped the political ideas he formed later.
The outcome of the war, the severe humiliation of Germany, laid the foundation for Hitler’s political agenda. It was the perfect weapon so to speak to use in
order to gain power. The German people were always a proud people, as most people are, and they were knocked down a few too many places after WWI. The
economy was suffering, the cost for a crust of bread would almost literally cost you the life of your first born child and as a whole you were treated unfairly and
made to look the fool. Hitler was determined to rise to power, he had a vision, and after WWI he had the ammo to make it happen.
Just as he had lectured Kubizek a couple of years earlier, he would now lecture his audiences. Although he was still unable to establish a personal contact with
people, large crowds did not hinder him, he could work a crowd as though they were nothing more than baby animals slinking up to eat out of the palm of his
hand.
In his speeches he built upon feelings which were already present in German society and said out loud what many were thinking privately. In addition to this he
also magnified these pre-existent sentiments. of a large number of Europeans during that time. Anti-Semitism was nothing new in Germany, especially among
the middle class, but Hitler propelled this notion by persistently scapegoating the Jews for all the wrongs within German society and by blaming them for the
humiliating loss WWI.
Unwavering conviction -
In the 1920s, only a minority of Germans sympathised with Hitler, as became clear with his failed putsch in 1923 and his defeat in the elections of 1928, where he
obtained only 2,6 percent of the votes.
What proves Hitler’s charisma in these tougher times was the way he dealt with them. Loss only strengthened his conviction and he would share his ideas with
increased vigour with everyone who crossed his path.
Hitler wrote Mein Kampf during the period of imprisonment that followed his lost putsch and he stated after the elections of 1928 that he soon would become
the next Chancellor of Germany. Hardly anyone believed him.
Self-Confidence -
Considering that he would have to make so many speeches in public it was evidently his never-decreasing self-confidence that rounds up the charisma bubble
that is Adolf Hitler perfectly. Consider all the work he put in prior to him becoming chancellor, I mean yes, some will argue that the Great Depression helped him
because he could get inside of the minds of people who were suffering but as much as it obviously did help him drive home his point it was his vision,
determination, conviction and self confidence that had people flocking to him like a baby bird to its mother bird.
Here was a young man who served in WWI that was giving the German people a solution. He promised money and jobs, he promised that Deutschland would
return to where it once was, he expressed his upset about the unfair treatment of the German people post WWI and (unfairly) blamed the Jews, thus providing
them with an answer.
So I think it is obvious that even from a younger age, prior to even becoming chancellor, that Hitler had the charismatic power it took to rule a country, take
them to war, twist the minds of so many people to the point that most of them (not all) actually admit that they believed everything Hitler was saying. To quote
my own grandfather on the subject (I asked him about Hitler and his charisma seeing as how he had stood there many times in person looking up at the Nazi
leader during some speech or other and could tell me what those youtube videos I have watched many times now were like in person) -
I had not actually met a Jewish person where I lived in Bavaria at the time. I believed what I was hearing though because there was surely no way that a man who
had such passion for our country and her people could ever be wrong, if he said that it was these Jews then he had to be telling the truth - nobody could be that
passionate about something if it wasn’t the truth right? Nobody who had served our country in war as Hitler had done would lie. He made me feel good, he made
me feel like there was a future again, he often said that us kids were the way of the future, that Deutschland needed us. He made us feel special, he made us feel
important. Now I know better but I also know that even if I was older, like my brothers ages or even my fathers, I probably still would have gotten swept up in Hitler
and his madness because he seemed so real, he was saying what was on the minds of the people and he was giving a solution to it all. Does that tell you how
charismatic the guy was? I stood there many a time listening to him speaking to the masses, waving my Hitler Youth flag proudly and smiling because every time
that man spoke (in the beginning anyway) you just couldn’t help but listen.
When it comes to how he felt personally when listening to Hitler speak he said -
It was like nothing I have experienced since. It was basically like taking your favourite music concert performance ever and multiplying the stage presence of said
artist by like a thousand. There are not many people in the world I can say make me want to listen to them, especially now when I am a grumpy old man, but, if you
put on one of them internet video’s with Hitler and I will still to this day listen to his every word. Not because I believe in what he is saying any more, but because
the way he speaks demands my attention even still to this day. It used to give me goosebumps, it would build excited fluttering butterfly feelings in the pit of my
stomach. It isn’t really something you can explain to someone, it is one of those things where you have to see it to believe it and the true scope of that mans
charisma is definitely something you needed to be lucky (or unlucky) enough to experience yourself.
Anyway, yeah, that took me an hour and I just know I am going to come back and add some more later when I think of it but yeah, I suggest reading the book I
mention and link in my sources if this topic interests you, and I think there is a mini series that BBC ran of the same name but I haven’t watched that yet myself
so I can’t vouch for it being about Hitler and his charisma and charm and so on. If someone has watched it though please tell me if it is worth me hunting down
to watch, appreciate it.
source: The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler: Laurence Rees: 9780091917654: Amazon.com: Books
New German Biography: Hitler's Underestimated Charisma - SPIEGEL ONLINE
YouTube
and the last source of course coming from my grandfather Artur when I called him up and asked him for a first hand account on hearing one of Hitler’s speeches
in person.
1.3K views
View Upvoters
Jeremy Hiebert
9
1
1 comment from Mitch Rigby
Miles Ridley
, lives in Sydney, Australia
Leni Riefenstahl. The main person behind the most significant Nazi propaganda films (Triumph of the Will, Olympia etc), and Hitler’s favorite woman.
She was basically a self absorbed, sheltered, very artistic, manipulative, and ambitious ordinary German girl. She had a privileged childhood, and cared little
about the going-ons of the world outside of her own pursuit for fame and some sort of power.
After a moderately successful dancing career in the early 1920’s, she became a film actress and director, purely out of persuasion, and then her own
demonstrated ability and creative prowess.
A friend convinced her to go to a Nazi party rally in the Berlin sports palace in 1932 - from then onwards she admired Hitler’s charisma, ability, and strong
personality. When she heard Hitler speak for the first time, she was completely overtaken by his passionate speaking, and from then on was interested in being
around him. She sent a letter expressing a desire to meet him, and he ordered her to be taken to Wilmershaven where he could meet her. He had been an
admirer of hers since she came to some prominence with her films in the late 1920’s, and especiallly with her film the Blue Light (‘Das Blau Licht’).
By 1939, she was a close associate of his, and had made several critically acclaimed and influential films for the Nazi party - from rallies to outright propaganda
and narrative story.
327 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
MBTI Lounge
A Sitting Room for the MBTI Types to Get Together. For Types, by the Types.
Follow
47.4K
MBTI Nerds
Let's talk personalities!
Follow
50.8K
Temperament development
Teach you how to develop a good temperament.
Follow
78
INFP Daydreams
INFP thoughts, daydreams, and information
Follow
25.2K
MBTI Dating
A place to share advice, stories, and thoughts on dating with MBTI.
Follow
7.5K
The History of War

Follow
506.9K
Follow
31.3K
Introverts and Shy people

A space to interact without the commitment of actually showing up.
Follow
10.6K
Follow
1.7M
INFJ (The Paradox) 🏔

Anything to do with the MBTI-INFJ personality type. Made by an INFJ-T.
Follow
8K
Life According to INTPs

Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'. Viktor E. Frankl
Follow
4.3K
INFJ 101
A space for non-INFJs to understand the nuances and quirks of INFJs.
Follow
6.7K
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Alpha Male
A place for people who know who they are, what they want, and how to get it.
Follow
179.3K
Follow
589.7K

Follow
18K
Life Lessons
Knowledge to help you grow as a human being. Contains Adult Content. NSFW.
Follow
765.6K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K

Follow
514.9K
No Filter Necessary
Follow
664.7K
View More Spaces

Nicholas Bishop
Those who met him I’ve heard tell he had seemingly magnetic eyes that seemed to look right through you. Its like you were under his power and you could do
nothing about it.
Others have said there was something spooky about him and odd yet they still found him persuasive and appealing.
Hitler was an odd looking chap but he managed to hold the gaze of individuals and crowds alike like he had some kind of magnetism.
How did Hitler initially rise to power?

Answer
Follow
·
75
Request
60 Answers
Jef Jacobs
, studied at Sint Ursula Instituut
Answered April 25
Oh boy this is a long story…
After the First World War Germany was in a terrible financial state, Germany had to pay a lot of money to France, Belgium, Britain and many others. The
governments solution was to just print out more money. This of course resulted in huge inflation. To give an example, a loaf of bread before WW1 cost about 13
cents but around mid-1923 that same loaf of bread costs around $100 billion. The German market completely crashed.
And now Hitler’s story…
After being rejected out of art school, he started some kind of political career. When he held a speech in the beerhalls in Munich about some edgy jew stuff (he
hasn’t gone full racist yet), some guys saw great potential in his political talents. Those guys where the beginning of the NSDAP or later the NAZI party.
Some months have passed and Hitler and the boys were thinking about starting a coup that would begin in Munich and end in Berlin where they would
overthrow the German government. You could ask, overthrow the government… wouldn’t that take an entire army?
Yes, but they had one.

These are called the SA or Stormabteilung (in English “stormtroopers”).
However the NSDAP didn’t get enough support from the people (yet) and the coup (or putsch as it is called in German) was put down by the local police. Hitler
was also captured and put in prison.
Normally he would get a like 30 to 40 years in prison but you know… it’s Hitler.
During his trial he held this flawless charismatic speech about his right wing ideas about saving Germany. He blamed the Jews, communists and France for the
rough financial state of Germany. His speech was so convincing that the right wing conservative judge suddenly became pro Hitler and he was out of jail before
the end of the year.
In prison he began to write his famous book Mein Kampf, in jail he blamed the Jews for almost everything and this is where he went full racist. The trial was a
gigantic publicity stunt and while in prison he had the public’s almost full support.
After being released from prison he stated that the only way for the NSDAP to rise to power is trough democracy. This meant that the following German
elections would include a new party called the NSDAP or NAZI party. The national socialists still weren’t that democratic as the SA continued to harass political
opponents on the street.
The elections results however weren’t as good as Hitler had expected, they only got less than 3% of the votes. They didn’t give up and kept on giving speeches
to the populace about who was to blame for everything. They gave the poor German people (almost everyone at that time) the reason why they couldn’t feed
their children or why they didn’t find a job. For Hitler it was obvious that the Jews and communists were to blame. The SA began full out assaults on the KPD (the
communist party), left-wingers and the Social Democratic Party. Those were the biggest party’s at that time.
Finally at the German federal election of 1933 the NSDAP got 43,9% of the votes. This meant they had to form a coalition with the other right-wing conservative
party called the DNVP. They now had a small majority in the parliament called the Reichstag. German president Paul Von Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor
of Germany.
2 weeks after the elections Hitler passed the Enabling Act through parliament on 23 March which gave him dictatorial powers, anyone not agreeing was put to
silence by the SA and the newly formed SS. All other German party’s were banned out of the reichstag and only nazi’s were welcome.
The 23th of March would sound the beginning of 12 years of censorship, racism, opression and eventually a war that would set Europe on fire.
1K views
View Upvoters
7
Add Comment
Shreya Yadav
, knows Hindi
Answered July 18, 2018
Originally Answered: What was the reason for Hitler's rise to power?
A lot of factors contributed to the rise of the dictator , Adolf hitler.
First and the foremost was the treaty of Versailles. This treaty was signed as a result of World war I . This treaty was very humiliating for germany as it declared
germany guilty of aggression and also her military power was crippled. She had to cede large chunks of her empire ti the victorious allies. The German people
were very angry and looked at with suspicion to the Weimar republic that had signed such a disgraceful treaty and thus the people were ready to listen to
anyone who talked of reviving Germany's past glory . Hitler's charismatic personality attracted the people . He was also a gifted orator which added to his
personality and he could convey his ideas well to the people.
He held anti sematic (anti jew) views and claimed that the Jews had committed treason during the 1st world war and could again do so. His ideology was
admired among the people so they provided support him.
He also convinced the people that the Nazi party was the only party that could stop the rising tide of communism. He claimed that the communists would
become slaves of their Russian masters .
Thus all these reasons in combination with the failure of the League of Nations led to the rise of dictatorship in Germany.
366 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Follow
31.3K
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Kevinball comments
Follow
10
The History of War

Follow
507K

Follow
18K
Germany and Germans
Follow
10.7K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K

Follow
7K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Das Dritte Reich

Follow
1.3K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Mad for Germany

Follow
2.1K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
Follow
33.4K
History
Follow
20.1K
War in history
Follow
1.4K

Follow
514.9K
Follow
17.2K
WarZone
Follow
33.7K
Follow
1.4K

Follow
7.3K
War Photos
Photos taken at various times in war in various locations.
Follow
2.4K
Follow
18.5K
Follow
1.1K
View More Spaces
Markos Kapnakis
, Wannabe Sniper
Updated June 6, 2017
Originally Answered: How did Hitler rise to power?
This a very interesting question actually
After WWI, Germany's military had to be reduced from 13 million personnel to just 100k
Because of that he couldn't be a soldier any more but he instead started working as an informant for the army
His job was to investigate newly formed political parties, as the rise of support for communism was worrying the president
One day, a party called “German Workers' Party” threw a bunch of red flags so Hitler went to investigate, as he knew red flags represent communism
When he arrived he found out that they weren't communists at all. They were extreme right and shared many of his beliefs, so Hitler left the army and became a
member of that party
His speeches were also extraordinary. He inspired his fellow party members to believe his ideals. He made extravagant promises of restoring Germany to its
former glory, by undoing the treaty of Versailles and reuniting all ethnic Germans in one nation
He also said that only pure Aryan people were allowed to live in Germany and that Jews would lose their citizenship
He decided that the party needed a few changes, so he renamed it to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers’
Party, also abbreviated as NSDAP), or Nazi for short and he gave it a new color scheme
Many German right wing parties had paramilitary forces, and the Nazis were not an exception. They organized and started recruiting members for the “Meeting
Hall Protection Detachment”, later the “Gymnastics And Sports Division” and finally the “Storm Detachment”, or SA for short. Their job was to protect Nazi
meetings, intimidate political opponents and they often engaged in fightlo the streets with communists
Since Germany's military had to be reduced, many soldiers were left unemployed. They liked the Nazi ideology and it was only natural for them to join the SA
Since WWI, the Allies had installed a new democratic government, namely the Weimar republic
The Germans also had to pay 800 billion marks for war reparations, but they didn't have that money, so they decided to start printing more and more money
The problem with printing money though is that it doesn't necessarily mean that you have more money, but it certainly makes the currency less valuable
By 1919, 1 USD was worth about 4.5 German marks
By 1923, 1 USD was worth 4.2 trillion marks
The price of bread rose to 800 billion marks and bank accounts were useless
The Allies wanted the money, so to get paid, France occupied the Ruhr, an area full of factories, took the economic output of the area and killed about 130
Germans in the process
Seeing the poor situation and inspired by what Mussolini did a year earlier, Hitler decided now would be a great time to lead a revolution
He stormed a bar with some SA officers, made the people inside follow him and marched around the streets of Munich, hoping the police would join his cause.
They did not
Hitler was put on trial for treason, and he could have served a lifetime sentence, but the right wing judges thought he was kinda cute
Hitler knew those judges, so he took the chance and started making passionate speeches
He ended up with a 5 year sentence, of which he only served 9 months. And by prison, I mean a luxurious hotel where he had enough time write a book
The USA wanted to help so they started lending money to Germany so they can pay their debts
However, the Wall Street Crash in 1928 happened and the US wanted its money back
This only made things worse for Germany as their debt alone was impossible to pay off
It was clear that the new democrat government was not working, and the people demanded change
If you were one if those Germans, you'd either side with the communists or the Nazis
The Nazi party had just made in the German parliament in 1928, but they only 2.6% of the vote
German Elections, 1928. The Nazi party is abbreviated as NSDAP
They did much better in the 1930 elections
German elections, 1930
They eventually became the ruling party in 1932
German elections, 1932
At this point, Hitler turned megalomaniac
He decided to run for president,but still lost to the much more famous WWI general Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
So Hitler decided that chancellor is just fine
However, Hindenburg was reluctant to make him chancellor because of the screaming, background and character that Hitler had (also because he was very
racist)
The public however, and the industrial managers who were communists in specific, demanded that Hindenburg give Hitler chancellorship
So the leader of the Independent party Franz von Papen came up with a solution and said to Hindenburg:
“How about we make Hitler chancellor, on the condition that I become vice chancellor and almost all government jobs go to us. That way I get to keep my power I
MEAN we get to keep our power and we control Hitler like he's our angry little puppet”
Franz von Papen
What could possibly go wrong?
As it turned out, everything went wrong
Hitler became chancellor of Germany in January 1933, but he wasn't yet a dictator
Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany in January 1933
On February the German parliamentary building was set on fire. Historians are unsure as to who did, and many suspect it was the Nazis themselves, although
Hitler blamed the communists
He also managed to convince Hindenburg to sign an emergency deal that would imprison all communist politicians. So all communists went to the first
concentration camps in Dachau
A month later. Hindenburg died in office, so Hitler took the chance and presented an act in the parliament that would give him the power to make all decisions
on his own. With all opponents in prison and the SA intimidating others, the law passed and just 2 months after becoming chancellor, Hitler was now a dictator
Just one last problem
The SA leader Ernst Rohm wanted the SA to take over the job of the German army, but the army didn't want to. Hitler wanted to maintain the support of his
professionally trained army, more than the rough and roudy SA
So one night in 1934, he rounded up Rohm and a bunch of other officers who supported him and murdered them
While he was at it, Hitler took the opportunity and brutally settled a few personal scores with other people
Politicians who disagreed with him on the past
Kurt von Schleicher
Reporters who had printed negative articles about Hitler
Fritz Gerlich
One guy who did nothing but was thought to be someone else
Wilhelm Eduard Schmidt, AKA Willi Schmid
In some cases, even their families were murdered
Elizabeth von Schleicher
And many othersothers
Herbert Bose
Ferdinand von Bredow
In total, up to 200 people died in what is now known as, The Night of the Long Knives
The army, satisfied with the fact that they wouldn't be replaced, pledged total allegiance to their new führer
Hitler's power, was now absolute
Life in Germany changed drastically
The freedom of expression, press and public assembly were all abolished
The standard greeting changed (to the infamous “Heil Hitler”), and if you dared not use it you'd sent to a concentration camp (needless to say what happened
you dared oppose him)
Judes were initially branded and the stores were boycotted
He forced hundreds of thousands to sterilization, for physical and mental imperfections
He also established the Hitler Youth, a method to brainwash young kids
Young boys would be sent to camps and be trained to fight and they would return home with a very violent attitude
Girls were taught that their jobs was to produce pure Aryan kids, and many of them returned home from camp pregnant.
When their parents were understandably horrified, their kids would threaten them to turn them in for standing in the way of Germany's greatness
This way it seemed like everyone was Nazi supporter

To conclude
German nationalism festered in young Adolph (as a kid)
Antisemitism grew larger and larger inside of him as a homeless man in the streets of Munich
WWI helped grow hatred and lust for revenge inside him
A political movement that treated him like a god, with hundreds of thousands looking up to him like he's their savior made him a megalomaniac
The rest is history

7.9K views
View Upvoters
27
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
What were the main factors that contributed to Hitler’s rise to power in January 1933?
What circumstances led to rise the Hitler?
Faheem Farooq
, history geek
Here are 10 ways in which Hitler rose to power:-
1. He was a powerful orator - His passion and his words moved people , He would shudder at every word he spoke . It was said that he would take out his
pistol and fire at the sky after his speech. He had the gifted ability to influence the people through his words.
2. He promised to build a strong nation - Germany which was facing great socio-economic depression that time was a very weak nation after the world war 1 ,
Hitler promised to build a strong nation and make germany a superpower .
3.He promised to undo the injustice of the treaty of versailles - The citizens of germany where outraged at the unfair treaty of versailles , which had unfair
policies and had accused only germany for starting the world war 1 . Hitler promised to the people that he would undo the injustice of the treaty of versailles
and that he would restore the dignity of the german people .
4. Promised to weed out all foreign influences out of germany - There where many foreign influences in germany after the world war 1 , He promised to
resist all foreign ‘conspiracies’ against germany.
5. New style of politics - He understood the significance of rituals and spectacle in mass mobilisation . Nazis held massive rallies and public meetings to
demonstrate their support for hitler and instill a sense of unity among his people . The red banners with the swastika , the nazi salute and the ritualised rounds of
applause where all part of this spectacle of power.
6. Nazi propaganda - Projected hitler as a messiah , a saviour , as someone who had arrived to deliver people from their distress. It is an image that captured
the imagination of people whose sense of dignity and pride had been shattered and who were living in a time of acute economic and political crisis.
1.7K views
View Upvoters
12
1
1 comment from Norman Cook
Rok Ruzic
, Programmer, dad, hockey fan and history enthusiast.
Answered June 24, 2018
Originally Answered: What went wrong in Germany that let Hitler gain power? How was Hitler able to get away with committing such atrocities?
What went wrong in Germany was the contingency plan that Hitler's predecessor as chancellor, Franz von Papen, put in place for himself.
The big fear in early 1930s Germany was communist revolution. That was the big boogie man that kept politicians of right, centrist and moderate left up at night.
So during chancellorship of Hitler's predecessor Franz von Papen they came up with a contingency plan in case a communist revolution started. The contingency
plan included giving the chancellor dictatorial powers and opening a bunch of concentration camps for communist insurgents.
So when in late January 1933 Hitler became chancellor, that wasn't the beginning of the dark nightmare that was the Nazi era. He became a chancellor of a
democratic country, he couldn't just do whatever he liked, he had to operate within the framework of checks and balances that are in place in democratic
systems in order to prevent dictatorship from developing and corruption from spreading. Furthermore, his party didn't even have majority in the parliament, he
was a chancellor of a coalition government of which the Nazis party was a member. If he overreached himself, other parties could break coalition and kick him
out of the position of chancellor.
The big nightmare started some 2 months into Hitler's chancellorship. Somebody burned down the German parliament, the Reichstag. That was perceived as the
beginning of the communist revolution they had all been fearing for years. So the contingency plan came into effect, instantly transforming Hitler from a
relatively powerless chancellor of a relatively weak coalition government into an all powerful dictator. Dictatorship literally fell into Hitler's lap.
The only institution in Germany that still had some power that wasn't directly controlled by Hitler was the presidency. President Hindenburg held a lot of power
in Germany, particularly in times of political instability a lot of power fell to the president. So for a while, Hitler had dictatorial powers, somewhat checked by
Hindenburg.
But Hindenburg was old and while he commanded huge respect and moral authority in Germany, he didn't have the energy to control Hitler's every move. So
Hitler was able to get away with quite a lot during the first year as chancellor. For example, he used his dictatorial powers to outlaw all political parties except the
Nazi party. In 1933 there were 2 more elections, in the next election in March 1933, when Hitler was already dictator, Nazis won 44% of seats, and in the next
election in November 1933, when other parties were already outlawed, Nazis gained 100% of parliament. That made Hitler pretty powerful. But Hindenburg was
still there and theoretically he could still kick Hitler from his position and dissolve the parliament, so Hitler's power wasn't absolute just yet.
But a year later Hindenburg was dead. That eliminated the last checks on Hitler's power. Instead of electing a new president, Hitler held a referendum asking
Germans whether instead of having a president they wanted to give Hitler presidential powers on top of his already dictatorial powers. Hitler won that
referendum with 96% of votes, but it has to be noted, that the referendum happened a year and a half into Hitler's dictatorship, where German voters had to
endure a year and a half of SA tyranny in the streets, in an atmosphere where all rival political leaders, not just national leaders but regional and local leaders as
well, were thrown into concentration camps and mostly intimidated into publicly supporting Hitler. Those that refused were tortured and mostly relented after a
few rounds of torture, and those who didn't ended up dead.
So that's how Hitler's power went from regular chancellor of a weak coalition government to absolute power over all aspects of life in Germany. After that Hitler
could legislate to his will, for example he outlawed all traditional German greetings, like Guten Tag (good day), Grüß Gott (Greeting with God), Tschüß (hello),
and made the only permitted greeting in Germany “Heil Hitler”.
Then Hitler's SA thugs went around the streets and beerhalls and taverns looking for people who didn't use the official “Heil Hitler” greeting and they
imprisoned them and bullied them into submission. At the time Hitler's SA got a sort of auxiliary police status, they acted as police in official capacity, so they
could do that.
And we know the rest, by 1936 Germany was powerful enough to start bullying small neighbouring countries and openly breaking provisions of the Versailles
treaty, and by 1939 the big war started.
1.5K views
View Upvoters
Mary Hope
3
Add Comment
Moses Anderson
, lives in Germany (2017-present)
Originally Answered: How did Hitler rise to power?
The Great Depression during 30’s provided a political opportunity for Hitler. Germans were ambivalent about the parliamentary republic, which faced challenges
from right- and left-wing extremists. The moderate political parties were increasingly unable to stem the tide of extremism, and the German referendum of 1929
helped to elevate Nazi ideology.
The elections of September 1930 resulted in the break-up of a grand coalition and its replacement with a minority cabinet. Its leader, chancellor Heinrich Brüning
of the Centre Party, governed through emergency decrees from President Paul von Hindenburg. Governance by decree became the new norm and paved the
way for authoritarian forms of government.
The NSDAP rose from obscurity to win 18.3 percent of the vote and 107 parliamentary seats in the 1930 election, becoming the second-largest party in
parliament.
Hitler made a prominent appearance at the trial of two Reichswehr officers, Lieutenants Richard Scheringer and Hans Ludin, in late 1930. Both were charged with
membership in the NSDAP, at that time illegal for Reichswehr personnel.
The prosecution argued that the NSDAP was an extremist party, prompting defence lawyer Hans Frank to call on Hitler to testify.
On 25 September 1930, Hitler testified that his party would pursue political power solely through democratic elections,
which won him many supporters in the officer corps.
Brüning's austerity measures brought little economic improvement and were extremely unpopular.
Hitler exploited this by targeting his political messages specifically at people who had been affected by the inflation of the 1920s and the Depression, such as
farmers, war veterans, and the middle class.
Although Hitler had terminated his Austrian citizenship in 1925, he did not acquire German citizenship for almost seven years. This meant he was stateless,
unable to run for public office, and still faced the risk of deportation.
On 25 February 1932, the interior minister of Brunswick, Dietrich Klagges, who was a member of the NSDAP, appointed Hitler as administrator for the state's
delegation to the Reichsrat in Berlin, making Hitler a citizen of Brunswick,
and thus of Germany.
Hitler ran against Hindenburg in the 1932 presidential elections. A 27 January 1932 speech to the Industry Club in Düsseldorf won him support from many of
Germany's most powerful industrialists.
Hindenburg had support from various nationalist, monarchist, Catholic, and republican parties, and some Social Democrats. Hitler used the campaign slogan
"Hitler über Deutschland" ("Hitler over Germany"), a reference to his political ambitions and his campaigning by aircraft.
He was one of the first politicians to use aircraft travel for political purposes, and utilised it effectively.
Hitler came in second in both rounds of the election, garnering more than 35 per cent of the vote in the final election. Although he lost to Hindenburg, this
election established Hitler as a strong force in German politics.
1.6K views
View Upvoters
6
Add Comment
Marsha Cope Huie

, I'm almost finished with my book entitled "Berlin Madness 1933."
Updated April 12, 2016
This is not intended to be a timeline: it is not chronological. The following numbered items reflect my selection of major events and facts leading to the rise to
power of Hitler.
One. The Stabbed-in-the Back Lie. World War Two began in spirit with the end of World War One and the Big Lie, which immediately emerged from the
surrender to the Allies. In the Great War (1914-1918) the German army was truly beaten militarily, yet the German people were fed the Big Lie that their political
leaders had stabbed the German military--and the German people--in the back by surrendering to the Allies. Smouldering resentment and desire for vindication
in a new war was destined to result. The "Bohemian corporal" Hitler, a lowly Meldegänger or dispatch runner to the trenches who was born in Austria not
Germany, raged that the armistice of November 11, 1918, was the greatest villainy of a century.
Two. The post-Great War Allied blockade of Germany (from the armistice dated Nov. 11, 1918, on into 1919). The naval blockade caused the starvation death of
many Germans, with estimates running from 1/2 million dead to 3/4 million dead from hunger. Whatever the true number of starvation deaths, Germans
believed that the prolonged blockade was a "hunger blockade." German resentment festered over the Allied Powers' naval blockade of Germany during the
Great War, and the prolonged blockade after the armistice sewed even more bitterness.
Three. The Treaty of Versailles (1919) between the Allies and Germany. The most astute politicians of the time saw in the treaty the seeds of a new war, which in
fact was to begin in 1939 with Hitler's invasion of Poland. Economist John Maynard Keynes called the treaty a rotten peace. And it was. The Treaty's reparations
demand on the Germans, which wouldn't be fully paid until 1988, grievously insulted the German love of the Fatherland. The treating parties arrogantly redrew
the map of Europe, forcing historically antagonistic ethnic groups together, as in the newly created Yugoslavia. They revivified Poland, which Hitler was to invade
only twenty years later. Later, because the Germans defaulted on a minor duty regarding the reparations payments, the French in 1923 occupied the industrial
Ruhr, situs of the Krupps munitions behemoth. Invasion of the Ruhr Valley served to unify the Germans against the foreigners occupying the Fatherland.
Four. Communism and the fall of Mother Russia in 1917 to Lenin and Trotsky's Bolshevik revolution. Many Germans feared the spread of Communism. Germans
watched post-war as Communists and National Socialists fought on the streets of Germany. Germany was withal a classist state, and the German aristocracy
feared most the expropriation of their property by the Communists--more than they at first feared the Nazis. They didn't like the postwar street fighting in
Germany between the Nazis and the communists but thought they could in the end control the Nazis. Their miscalculation, their waiting too late to speak out
against the Nazis, was fatal.
Five. The Great Depression and the collapse of much of the world economy, and ensuing bank failures in Austria and Germany. The collapse of the German
economy.We've all seen photos of German people carrying their marks stuffed in a wheelbarrow to use for buying their groceries. The desperate economic
situation set the field for the rise of dictatorship, giving Hitler his chance.
Six. The Reichstag Fire, February 27,1933, gave Hitler's henchmen an excuse immediately to abridge civil liberties. The Nazis themselves may have (and probably
did) set fire to their Parliament building in order to give themselves an excuse for clamping down on the Communists. I personally think that Herman Goering
was responsible for the arson.
(The Nazis never got an absolute majority vote in parliamentary elections and did not do so in the March 1933 election, after the Reichstag Fire.) Hitler used the
Reichstag Fire as pretext to get the aged, by then probably senile, President Hindenberg to let him dissolve all civil rights as formerly recognized in Germany,
and to name him, Hitler, as Chancellor. Almost immediately after the fire, Hitler got from the Reichstag the power to rule Germany by fiat.
Seven. The innate tendency of the Germans to give obedience to their leader. I think this, but cannot substantiate it.
Eight. The evil genius of Josef Goebbels, propaganda minister for the Nazis, cannot be ignored in listing factors and events that paved the way for Hitler to
assume absolute control of Germany. His anti-Semitic lies, his cunning, pro-Nazi propaganda, manipulated the German masses. And those Germans who knew
better waited too long to speak out en masse against the Big Lies.
1.8K views
View Upvoters
3
1
Georgette Wolf
, I majored in History, and particularly like World War II history
In a lesson to us all, Hitler was leader of a political party (the Nazis). It never won a majority in a democratic election although it did get a plurality in Germany’s
last free election in 1932. However he made grand promises to various rich people of influence, a bunch of small conservative political parties, and Von
Hindenburg, Germany’s elderly president. The rich people financed his advertising (and gave him a comfortable living). He told them that he was going to “revive
Germany” and thus give them lots of business. The conservative political parties thought they’d found a charming patriot and ally in the Reichstag, the German
parliament. They wanted vengeance for what France, the UK and the US did to Germany after World War I (and in this way bear some guilt for Hitler’s rise).
It seems people have forgotten that during his life, Hitler displayed both great public charisma and disarming private charisma. He played both to the hilt. This
coalition voted him Chancellor of Germany, and President Von Hindenburg (who disliked him but yielded to public pressure) gave him plenipotentiary powers
that allowed him to rule as a dictator. Von Hindenburg — 86 years old — died in 1934. Hitler then gave himself more powers by also becoming president (and
calling himself Fuhrer) then back stabbed all of those he thought were a threat; some slowly (the rich industrialists) and some quickly (his political allies) it even
included a few Nazis. Later, he did the same thing in negotiating with foreign powers.
Is it any surprise that the Germans (who are taught all of their history, including the warts) probably freaked out the most when Donald Trump became president
of the US despite losing the popular vote?
718 views
View Upvoters
5
Add Comment
Gianluca Salles
, Student
Here’s an overview of how the Nazis (and especially Hitler) started to proliferate in Europe.
First and foremost, here is the extensive story of how the National Socialists consolidated themselves in Germany, focused primarily on Hitler:
In 1920, a group of rebels denominating themselves as the German Workers' Party decided to create their own political faction. The leader, a man by the name
of Anton Drexler, stirred the party with eloquence and command. In the same year, a German citizen and government worker, inspired by his figure, decided to
go to Anton's meetings. From then on, this man became increasingly influential within his comrades, who began understanding and preaching the Nazi doctrine.
In 1921, this man replaced Drexler as the DAP leader. His energy and commitment to the Nazi ideology soon attracted national attention. Today, he is known
by his proper name, Adolf Hitler.
Born in Austria in 1889, Hitler was an aspiring artist. At the age of sixteen, he left school and moved to Vienna to pursue his ambition of becoming a painter.
Nonetheless, he did not find success in his endeavor and soon became a "down and out" in the streets of Vienna. During this thorny period of his life, he started
to amplify his resentment for foreigners and Jews. In 1914 – when the war broke out – Hitler served the German army with a noticeable devotion that earned
him the Iron Cross. Still, he found the armistice unacceptable and profoundly despised the Weimar government and abhorred the Treaty of Versailles. In
fact, just like many Germans Hitler also glorified the Kaiser government.
(Post-Treaty of Versailles newspaper cover.)
Some years after becoming the leader of the DAP, Hitler successfully turned the German Workers' Party into a potent and active political force, representing
threats towards different diplomatic groups. For instance, in 1922 the United States Intelligence Community stated that Hitler and his counterparts "has
recently acquired a political influence quite disproportionate to its actual numerical strengths," signifying that their development represented a major
increase in their belief system throughout Germany. Also, in a time when hyperinflation was rampant, German citizens sought change, and in doing so decided
to take refuge in Hitler's ideas and formidable addresses. "His ability to influence a popular assembly is uncanny," the CIA expressed when investigating the
Nazi Party. "Adolf Hitler from the very [beginning] has been the dominating force in the movement."
In his journal, German writer Carl Zuckmayer described what he felt when listening to one of Hitler's speeches. Expectedly, Carl was moved by his address and
felt a call to action to defend and preserve the National Socialists. He explains, in A Part of Myself, that the German leader inspired people not by his arguments,
but his manner: "the roaring and especially the power of his repetitions delivered in a certain infectious rhythm," saying that he would continuously shout "It's
all...the fault...of the Jews!" With that, Hitler's appeal was constructed less so from his ideas than through his powerful voice and its unique ability to paralyze
German citizens into listening.
Carl also writes that "his meetings were so successful that his opponents tried to disrupt him," and "to counter this, he set up the S.A., also known as the
stormtroopers to protect the reunions.” Conclusively, even though by the beginning of 1920 the Nazis were still a minority power, Hitler had established a high
profile by stimulating the hope of thousands of German citizens through his speeches. After all, they were living in a time of economic disparity and were
bounded to support any figure that presented a different approach to politics.
Eventually, Hitler decided to, once and for all, topple the Weimar government. After Stresemann – the Chancellor of the Republic – called off Germany's passive
resistance in the Ruhr, the Nazi leader decided to hijack a local government meeting to announce that he was taking over the leaders of Bavaria. A day after
this address, Weimar government forces decided to attack the Nazi-filled buildings. Even though sixteen Nazi soldiers died, Hitler escaped in a car. As a result, a
thin veil of realization rested upon Germany that what they thought was their future leader had, in reality, committed miscalculations of the population's mood.
Still, in court he impressed the judges, and he was freed from facing an extensive criminal sentence.
Lastly, here is a helpful timeline of the events that would later solidify both Hitler’s and the Nazi Party’s authority over Germany. (I will pretend this did not come
from an activity from my History class last year.)
2 May 1933
Trade unions are abolished (and their leaders arrested).
Result: By avoiding strikes to occur, the abolition of trade unions allowed Hitler to destroy a group that might have opposed him. It also gave him the
opportunity to set up the German Labour Front, which gave him control over German workers.
14 July 1933
Political parties are banned. Only the Nazi party is allowed to exist.
Result: Banning political parties made Germany a one-party state and destroyed democracy in the country. After this, Germans could no longer get rid of Hitler
in an election.
19 Aug 1934
Paul von Hindenburg dies. With this, Hitler declares himself jointly president, chancellor and head of the army. (Hindenburg and Von Papen agreed on doing
this.)
Result: It guaranteed Hitler's position of power.
30 June 1934
The Night of the Long Knives. Some SA leaders demanded that the Nazi Party carry out its socialist agenda, and that they take over the army. However, Hitler
can’t afford to annoy the businessmen nor the army, so the SS murders approximately 400(!) of SA members, including its leader Röhm (along with a number
of Hitler's other opponents).
Result: This destroyed virtually all opposition within the Nazi Party. It gave power to the brutal SS. It also showed the rest of the world what a tyrant Hitler was.
27 Feb 1933
Reichstag Fire. The Reichstag building is set on fire. A Dutch Communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, is caught red-handed in the burning building.
Result: Hitler used the fire to his advantage in two ways:
1. It gave him an opportunity to imprison many communist leaders, which stopped them campaigning during the election.
2. It allowed the Nazis to say that the country was in danger from the communists during its election campaign.
24 April 1934
People's Courts are established. Hitler sets up the Nazi people's courts, where judges have to swear an oath of loyalty to the Nazis.
Result: These were set up to give Hitler greater control over the judgements made in courts. Hitler was furious because the courts did not sentence the
communists to death for starting the Reichstag fire.
5 Mar 1933
General Election – only 44 per cent of the population vote for the Nazis, who win 288 seats in the Reichstag.
Result: Although it did not give the Nazis the majority that Hitler had hoped for, it gave them enough seats – after Hitler had arrested all the communist
deputies and the other parties had been intimidated by the SA – to get the Enabling Act passed, which is all Hitler truly needed to do.
20 June 1933
Concordat. Hitler makes an agreement with the Pope who sees him as someone who can destroy communism. This agreement allows Hitler to take over
political power in Germany as long as he leaves the Catholic Church alone.
Result: Hitler's agreement with the Pope was a temporary truce that allowed Hitler to ban the Catholic Zentrum party without opposition from the Catholic
Church.
26 April 1933
Local government is reorganized. The country is carved up into 42 Gaus, which are run by a Gauleiter. The Gaus are separated into areas, localities, and blocks of
flats run by a Blockleiter. Hitler sets up the Gestapo.
Result: This put the Nazis in control of local government, and allowed the Gestapo to rule by terror.
23 Mar 1933
Enabling Act. The SA (also known as Stormtroopers or Brownshirts; a military style organisation of the Nazi party formed in 1921 under Hitler) intimidates all the
remaining non-Nazi deputies. The Reichstag votes to give Hitler the right to make his own laws.
Result: Arguably the most critical event - it gave Hitler absolute power to make his laws.
–
Conclusion: In 1924, a simple judiciary decision allowed Hitler, an ever-growing political influencer, to continue bending the status-quo after nine months in
prison. There, he wrote the Mein Kampf and instantly discerned that the future of his country would most likely be upon his hands.
The rest is history.

992 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
John Dewar Gleissner

, Most Viewed Writer on Topic of WW2
German democracy was unorganized and unpopular, because it obeyed the Versailles Diktat. People were afraid of communism. The German economy was in
bad shape and many were unemployed.
Hitler gained power through elections, ostensibly as a regular politician, but could not get a majority. Hitler promised order out of chaos and jobs for
unemployed workers. Many saw him as a foil to the communists. Hitler was a great public speaker, won the Iron Cross in WW1, spoke often, and pounded away
on his main issue, namely that Germany should reverse the post-WW1 judgment of Versailles, which was unfair to Germany.
Hitler built representation in the Reichstag until he had enough power to be considered for the post of Chancellor in a new government. Once appointed
Chancellor by Hindenburg (shown above with Hitler), a rapid series of events gave Hitler dictatorial powers:
 January 30, 1933 - Hitler appointed Chancellor; Hindenburg dissolves Reichstag in favor of new elections.
 February 4, 1933 - Hitler's cabinet restricted the press and authorized the police to ban political meetings and marches.
 February 27, 1933 - Reichstag Fire, probably set by the Nazis
 February 28, 1933 - Reichstag Fire Decree (“Decree for the Protection of the People and the State”) suspended constitutional rights, allowed
arbitrary arrests & suppression of publications and organizations.
 March 5, 1933 - Election: Nazis win 43.91% of vote & 44.51% of seats in the Reichstag
 March 23, 1933 - Enabling Act; Hitler could decree laws without the Reichstag; thereafter, the German Reichstag was a mere rubber stamp and
admiration society.
 July 14, 1933 - Nazis ban other political parties
2.8K views
View Upvoters
Miguel Canas
and
Mary Hope
8
1
1 comment from Adam Edwards
Sean Lana
, lives in Germany
Originally Answered: How did Hitler come to power in Germany?
This is a very long story but I can only summarize.Hitler actually wasn’t German but from Austria.He knew that without German nationality,He won’t get to the
top.He Joined the party around 1920, a year after the end of First World War,in Munich.He was a very bold, confident man,He could talk to crowd and make
everyone believe him.He then needed to get German nationality which was given to him in Niedersachsen by one of the NSDAP member who was then an
interior minister.Exactly (1932),He became a German citizen and now he can become Chancellor.
Then in Weimar Republic,The President would appoint the Chancellor.Hitler was already loved in the Party.The parliament was burnt down and without effective
government, Some prominent people that love hitler wrote letter to Then President of the Republik ( Paul von Hindenburg ) that he should appoint Hitler as the
chancellor, He did and that was how he rose to power.
The absence of an effective government prompted two influential politicians, Franz von Papen and Alfred Hugenberg, along with several other industrialists and
businessmen, to write a letter to Hindenburg. The signers urged Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as leader of a government "independent from parliamentary
parties", which could turn into a movement that would "enrapture millions of people".
Hindenburg reluctantly agreed to appoint Hitler as chancellor after two further parliamentary elections—in July and November 1932—had not resulted in the
formation of a majority government.
574 views
Add Comment
Harold Scannell
Originally Answered: How was Hitler able to become the leader of Germany?
Hitler took this opportunity of the economic problems the Weimar government faced and started to market themselves as 'the party that may have the solutions
to Germany's many problems'. After the Wall Street Crash in 1929, the Nazis gained 107 seats in the Reichstag, 95 more seats have increased within the last two
years. Then in July 1932, the Nazis gained 230 seats in the Reichstag. Germany was very badly affected by the depression and since 1929; unemployment
increased. By January 1933 the unemployment figure in Germany had risen to 6,100,000. Businesses were failing; homelessness and poverty increased and was
common amongst people. Taxes were raised and unemployment benefits were cut. The government's failure to deal with the depression left the Nazis with a
disappointed nation especially workers, young people, farmers and businessmen. The economic crisis allowed Hitler and the Nazis to enter Germany's political
scene and take advantage as what was originally planned. The depression weakened the government as they introduced unpopular economic policies; the
chancellor raised taxes, cut wages, and reduced unemployment benefits, this made the Germans feel unsupportive as Weimar was no longer meeting the
expectations of Germany. This made the people turn to the more extreme groups such as the Communists and the Nazis who gained more support. The two
reasons; the depression and Weimar are closely linked because it was Weimar's failure to deal with the depression that allowed the Nazis to seize their
opportunity and put their new, more lawful approach into action.
1.3K views
View Upvoters
4
Add Comment
Patrick Bell
, Don't know much about history, but love it anyway...
Originally Answered: How was Hitler able to become the leader of Germany?
Just like every other demagogue who arises to articulate the existing disaffection in the population: the people liked the message and cast their lots (or at least
didn't oppose him) with someone who sounds like a winner. They don't even have to hear the solutions being proposed as good ones. Just hearing their truth
expressed in a way that satisfies them is usually enough. Sound familiar? We get the leaders we deserve, especially in a democracy. Keep in mind that Hitler took
advantage of the democratic vote in Germany in the early 30s, then changed the rules to ensure that both he as the leader and the Nazi party would be the only
ones standing, eliminating the opposition ruthlessly and systematically. I really don't think anyone would stand for that in the U.S. or any of the other countries
in the world with a long and well-established tradition of democracy and many, many peaceful transitions of power.
331 views
Add Comment
Dong Hyun Kang

Others here have talked about the Reichstag fire, the Stab-in-the-Back myth among others. While these can all be validly regarded as factors that ultimately
contributed to Hitler’s rise to power, the single most important explanation for me is imperialism. Why did World War I happen in the first place? It was because
competition between imperialist powers went off rails. The victorious imperialist powers subjected the defeated ones to heavy penalties. Not only did the
Germans lose their entire overseas empire, but they were subjugated to extreme humiliation, including the forced reduction of their army to 100′000 men, the
handing over of Alsace-Lorraine to France and a country in total bankruptcy. Hitler’s rise to power was therefore a predictable reaction of Germans who wanted
to restore their country to its former glory. The tens of millions who died in extermination camps and on the battlefield during World War II are a testament to
what happens when imperialist powers begin fighting amongst themselves and greed becomes their common creed.
138 views
Add Comment
Tom Suhadolc
, former Retired Canadian Physician
Originally Answered: Where did Hitler get all that power?
Nuremberg has an excellent museum dealing with just this question . How does an educated, moral and well off country eventually elect someone who spews
hatred war and ethnic division? The museum follow his early attempts to gain power, his jail time, derision by his opposition who laughed at him and just knew
that such a man with such extremist views could never be elected, his rise to power by targeting a smaller more extremist group (Hitler youth) them jailing
opposition in camps that were the prelude to concentration camps of the second world war.
Watching Trump’s rise to power in the US brought me back many times to think about the lessons learned at this museum. The German people presently make
this history lesson compulsory at school, rather than avoid an unpleasant truth in their past…
284 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Royal Haydes
, studies Toxicology at Purdue University (2022)
Originally Answered: How was Hitler able to rearm?
After the unfair treaties (treaty of Versailles), the Germans were very angry and Hitler was no exception to it. In order for him to rearm Germany, he had to
destroy the current German government which he did internally.
After the destruction of the government, he destroyed the banks that made Germany bankrupt. He created a new bank with a new currency and therefore
allowed jobs to be created out of this new currency.
With the new government in place and new currency in place, he disobeyed the treaties and started to rearm Germany.
The allies were split in between Germany's action with Britain saying it be okay while the French being very cautious and asked for immediate action. results is
that no interference ever happened as the French was worried of starting another war and the Brits still had the guilt they have in WW1.
This is how Hitler rearmed Germany.

362 views
Add Comment
Jloo
Originally Answered: How was Hitler able to rise to power and maintain his power?
the short answer is because of the treaty of versailles. because the treaty placed harsh reparations on germany, installed an unstable provisional government that
left room for extremist groups, and included a war guilt clause which brought down overall german morale and allowed them to be manipulated. hitler was able
to rise to power because the provisional gov was weak and unable to truly reform problems. the nazi party and hitler gained power after the reichstag fire (the
building where the german parliament met). hitler blamed the fire on the communists, which won the nazi party enough support to become the majority party in
the reichstag (because everyone hated communists at this time). this fire also allowed hitler to convince president hindenburg to appoint hitler to chancellor and
pass the enabling acts, which took away all freedoms of speech and press that the german people had. the reparations damaged the german economy and
caused massive inflation, which hitler fixed by using aspects of mercantilist economic theory (basically controlling the economy) and promising and delivering
more economic instability, especially during the great depression. hitler maintained his power because he was actually able to deliver on his economic promises
and he gave the german people some sense of stability. another reason hitler was able to maintain his power was because of the integration of the nazi party
into everyday german life. everyone was required to be a member of the nazi party and attended rallies. men served in the war to aid the nazi cause, while
women stayed home, raised “good aryan” german children, and entered the workforce to support the men in war. children were also included in the nazi party
very early on in life and grew up with the ideologies of the party, which obviously helped hitler maintain his power. children were a part of the hitler youth, a
youth group that held rallies and summer camps for kids, all while teaching them the nazi message. because this period was such a hard time for germany
financially and socially, the nazi party basically provided some of the only sources of entertainment of fun for adults and children, which led them to become
natural supporters of the party.
i swear this is the short version lol.

134 views
Add Comment
Jeffrey Jin
, studied World War II
Originally Answered: How did Hitler come to power?
All right buckle up
Hitler wasn't really a large in politics, he was actually a failed artist who served in WW1 and got one of testicles shot off… anyway he had one gift, he was super
persuasive, he expertly played on the Germans feelings after WW1 they were humiliated and angry the Treaty of Versailles. You could say that they got the short
end of the stick. The entire German economy was in ruins, cripple by sanctions, plus they had to pay large amounts of money to the victors, their land was ripped
away from them.
This is where hitler came in, he pretty much presented himself as a savior and people listened, he promised to bring Germany back to its glory days, and a lot of
people listened, put him in charge, but then, well you know, WW2 happened and yeah
So pretty much if u really think about it, it's all Britain and France's fault, and if they have been way less harsh with the treaty of Versailles and actually gave
Germany a chance and didn't cause their economic failure, perhaps WW2 and the holocaust plus hitler will never happen
558 views
View Upvoters
4
1
1 comment from Paul Soroka
Thomas Fugate
, Lifelong military enthusiast
Originally Answered: How did Hitler rose to power?
He rose to power for several reasons.
First, the time period after WW1 was full of hard times both economically and politically. People were poor, hungry, and there was a lack of motivated and good
leaders.
This caused increasingly extreme and divided political ideologies to emerge as people became more desperate. The society became more divided and the
groups engaged in more extreme behavior, which the government utterly failed to stop and made worse by not regulating the military.
Not to mention many in the society were looking for a scapegoat or other reason to blame their loss on after WW1 because the wartime propaganda made it
look as if they would win, and many were disappointing and had their hopes up that they would win.
The Soviet funded Communists (many of which were Jews adding to the Nazis Jewish hatred) so this created further social divide.
This created an environment in which a dictator could and would emerge or else the society would have likely collapsed. So really it is not surprising an
enthusiastic German patriot with a good speaking ability and well produced propaganda filled the spot perfectly, uniting people around the idea of putting their
nation first.
What came later is generally considered horrible, but this is how he rose to power, and if he didn’t, worse could of possibly happened.
528 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Alexander Kjellström
, Real Estate Broker
Originally Answered: How did Hitler get so much power?
Oh, dont make yourself any dellusions. On every step of the way to becoming an absolute dictator, he was supported by the mass of the population and the
german parliament and political establishment.
Firs he was granted some extra power, which lated was deemed inappropriate to with-draw, then som emergency power, then some extra emergeny powers,
then some more and more.
On his way of becoming a dictator, Hitler did not break one single law. Some six months into office, the parliament building caught fire and more or less burnt to
the ground. Strange as it is, this was the first occasion Hitler was granted extra powers. How can someone be granted extra powers because of a fire, strange
huh? Anyway, it is not certainly know why, how or by whom the fire started.
The german police (or the Gestapo whatever) soon blaimed a young comnunist for the arson.
Then it all accelerated. Up until 1939, Hitler did not brake a single law. Even his persecution of the jews came into legislation in the Nuremberg laws actually.
608 views
View Upvoters
4
Add Comment
J. Breedt
, former Tutor - Mathematics, European and Classic History
In a nutshell the first consideration is the result of Germany’s election of 1932 was that the NAZI party won the most seats, but not a majority. Hindenburg, the
President of the Reichs Tag asked Hitler to for a government (against his better judgement).
Another aspect was that while Hitler did not hide his sentiments at this stage other role players such as von Papen believed that they could contain or moderate
the NAZIS.
Through political maneuverings (quite an involved process) the NAZIS in succeeded in using Bolshevik fears to persuade other groups in the Reichs Tag to let
them rule with emergency powers. This they did for about 4 years, consolidating their powers.
It’s interesting to note that they did not pass a high amount of laws to reach their goals. Between 1932 and 1939 they got everything that they wanted through
three or four”enabling laws” that set Hitler up as virtual dictator of Germany and in essence, this is where the NAZI’s awesome power came from in the years
1932 - 1945.
347 views
View Upvoters
Anahit Ararat
1
Add Comment
Mangesh Kamble
, lives in Kolhapur, Maharashtra (2017-present)
After world war 1 Germany was in economic crisis .people in Germany were feeling helplessness in that time.they wanted someone who should solve their
problems .Hitler captured this as opportunity by creating his Nazism .initially he had limited response from people but later he got lots of support from
people .he also used different tactics to defeat his opposition.people in Germany saw some kind of hope for better future in his leadership.he used hatred
towards Jewish as tool for attention as a sign of true nationalism as well
97 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Jackson Morrissett
, Person trying to educate persons about Historic persons
Originally Answered: How did Hitler ever rise to power?
*Cracks Knuckles*
Ok hitler was a very good public speaker, and he was able to rise to power just from one event
The Great Depression
People In Germany had been sick of this Democracy ruling them and they thought they were failing, so when the Great Depressions came, people had wanted a
change.
When people heard in the news about this man that would help get there jobs back and restore there Honor, some people had been like “Yeah, I want money
and food for my family!”
But in the Election, Hitler had lost, but he was made Chancellor and Hitler knew how he could rise to Emperor.
burning of the german parliament
Now while it is undecided if Hitler had been the person who had burned the building but he knew it was his time to strike, He had immediately had asked for
emergency powers and with these powers he had eliminated his political rivals.
Hitler had then convinced the current president to step down and let him become president
While words aren’t as strong as a tank, they sure can make people powerful.
630 views
View Upvoters
6
Add Comment
Helen Matthews
, studies STEM Pre-engineering (2021)
Originally Answered: How was Hitler able to gain power?
Germany in the 1930’s wasn’t exactally an orderly place. There was quite a few elements in place that led to Hitler gaining power-
1. Bribing buisnesmen for money by making false promises

2. Blaming the burning of the Reichstag on the Communist party, giving him an excuse to take them out
3. His powerful oratory skills
4. A chaotic multi-party system in Germany made it easy for the Nazis to slide into the mix
5. Having the previous president of Germany be a really old guy that was going to obviously die in office, allowing Hitler to bribe the Army into
letting him, the current chancelor lead all parts of Germany
6. Having a “pre-made” party there for him to take charge of in the 1920’s
7. Mien Kampf brought him some publicity
8. Getting publicity for being the “crazy party” for a time
9. His false promises to everyone, even though he actually did resolve 80% of Germany’s unemployment in his first few years, which bought him
more support in the mid thirties.
603 views
View Upvoters
2
1
1 comment from Anders M Urberg-Carlson
Alex Ujah
, M.A. Military History and Wars , University of Wolverhampton
Originally Answered: What are the three causes of Hitler's rises to power?
1. Humiliation at the loss of WW1, Loss of sovereign territory and High reparations. The latter two being attributes of the punishing settlement of the Treaty of
Versailles.
2. Economic and social collapse, (high points 1923 & 1929), which led to a drastic fall in the living standards of the German people.
3. A continually unstable political environment after the fall of the established order at the end of WW1.
4. A Reaction against modernism which led to the rise of Volkisch ideology.

1.4K views
View Upvoters
16
Add Comment
Vishal Kesarwani
, Blogger
Originally Answered: How Hitler rise to power?
Hike in being a leader and dictator
Germany was in a crucial stage after losing the war and also German Public wasn’t happy about the Versailles treaty. German was hardly punched with
economic depression as the most of the people lost so many things due to the war most people were poor. At that hard times, Hitler entered the German
politics.
Adolf was enriched in delivering speeches in front of huge mob his words provoked the people and his speeches were so strong that people easily believed
every word closing their eyes. Adolf Hitler later joined Nazi party and soon became the dictator as well. Adolf Hitler committed to the people of German and
promised them that if he became the leader of German he would rule over Europe and will show his greatness on Europe. Very rapidly he became the leader
of Germany.
579 views
View Upvoters
5
Add Comment
Lucas S. DoCarmo
, n/a Geometry & History, Southwest Middle School (2018)
Originally Answered: How did Hitler raised to power?
Basically, Hitler rose up to power the same way a President would. He had a Nazi party from which he would gather public support. For a decade, or perhaps
even decades, he gathered more support until somewhere in the 30’s he became the leader of Germany. He then used propaganda, such as Judaism as a
scapegoat, to motivate the people to move with his will. He raised a great army of many numbers, and that was the birth of the Nazi Empire.
Ultimately, an empire built on false hatred. Sounds like something right out of a movie….
144 views
1
1 comment from Jake Beauchampe
Ronald Weinger
Following the failed “beer hall Putsch” Hitler wrote “The man who is born to be a dictator is not compelled. He wills it. He is not driven forward, but impels
himself. There is nothing immodest about this….The man who feels compelled to govern a people has no right to sat “If you want me or summon me I will
cooperate.” No! It is his duty to step forward.”
The Munich beer hall Putsch was an attempt by Hitler and his Nazi Party storm troopers to take over the Austrian government. After his 9 months in prison he
began his reorganization of the Nazi party into a “state within a state”, creating a “mirror government” to replace the German government when the opportunity
arose.
The Great Depression provided the opportunity. German bank loans were called in, people lost their homes and savings to pay taxes and other debts. In 1928
the Nazi party won 800,000 votes. It won 6.5 million in 1930. And Hitler was the Fuhrer of the second largest political party in Germany.
234 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Andrew Lenihan
, knows Spanish
Updated July 27, 2018
Originally Answered: What factor enabled Hitler's rise to power?
There were several factors.
A) His storm troopers fought street battles and intimidated both the Communists and the general population.
B) Hitler's considerable oratorial skills convinced 37% of the electorate to vote for him.
C) The German Communist party, under orders from Moscow, refused to form a coalition with Social Democrats or to support them in any way.
D) The NDVP (Conservatives) was foolish enough to think that Hitler was a conservative at heart. They were foolish enough to think that they could control him
once he was Chancellor.
E) The two Catholic parties (Center, BVP) did not see clearly how much of a threat the Nazi party was to them.
F) The Reichstag voted for the Enabling Act, to end democracy and the rule of law. This was the most crucial moment. Once it was passed, freedom was gone.
150 views
Add Comment
Dean Becker
, Holocaust Researcher
There are a few reasons for Hitler’s power, but for the most part , the depression that Germany was going through post WW1 was the main factor. The economic
insecurity, poverty and starvation allowed for Hitler to rise to power. He promised what the German people were looking for, jobs, food and security. He also
offered something that all human’s want…someone to blame. Even though it was untrue, the Jews and communists were blamed for the problems Germany was
facing, which allowed the people to make sense of the situation.
140 views
Add Comment
Dion Vanousos
, studies Modern History & Ancient History at Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK (2021)
Sorry for the late reply. Hitler won the German people over because he spread hate about France and the jews being the cause of the German people’s suffering.
At that time, Germans were so poor, they were starving, no food and people’s houses were average the size of quater of a barn for 5 to 10 people. They were
angry. When he was elected, Hindenburg died the following year and he granted himself supreme leader/Fuher, and he made himself both the President and
Chancellor. His excuse was the reichstag fire and the threat of communism in Germany. The German politicians at first thought he would fix this mess, then they
either became devout followers and those who objected to hitler, all disappeared and no one in the German public noticed anything different.
256 views
View Upvoters
Anahit Ararat
1
Add Comment
Clarence Sherrick
, works at Psychic Eye, Las Vegas
Originally Answered: How was Hitler able to gain power?
The same way other politicians do. By promising people what they want to hear. And then acquiring enough votes to get themselves elected to positions of
power. Unfortunately the German people were not paying close attention to what Hitler was already saying (and doing) that he stood for.
Once Hitler had been elected to political power, he was then appointed Chancellor of Germany. Then he was able to manipulate the German political system into
offering him absolute power. Which was primarily achieved thru an artificial crisis in the “burning of the Reichstag.” And subsequently blamed on the
Communists. A claim that is now believed to have been false.
In the ensuing ignorance and confusion surrounding this crisis, he was then given the title of Fuehrer along with total dictatorial power.
The rest is history.

205 views
Add Comment
Laine Frajberg
, Retired
Originally Answered: How did Hitler go to power? What were the causes behind it?
Hitler’s party was the largest as of the election of July 31, 1932(37 %).They lost some ground in the election of November 6, 1932 (33%) but were still the largest
party.A group of ultra-conservatives led by Franz von Papen decided that it would be a good idea if the Nazis and the reactionary DNVP formed a coalition
government.Old President von Hindenburg had reservations about the Nazis and about Hitler personally.Von Papen,whom the president liked and trusted,and
the president’s son ,Oskar,overcame these reservations and convinced Hindenburg to offer Hitler the chancellorship.The conservatives thought they could use
Hitler then discard him.Hitler thought the same thing about Von Papen and the DNVP.Turned out Hitler was right.
As for the cause.Some observers claim the allegedly severe terms of the Versailles Treaty doomed the Weimar Republic and made Germany ready to follow any
demagogue who offered “solutions”.Possible but my own view is that what killed democracy in Germany was the collapse of the German economy in 1929.Prior
to the collapse,in the 1928 election,the Nazis polled 2.8% of the vote.Only after the collapse,in 1930,did they become a significant force in German politics.They
won 18.5% of the vote in the 1930 election.
220 views
Add Comment
Terry Baird
, Registered nurse (1990-present)
Originally Answered: How did Hitler rise to power so easily?
It was not easy, and way too complicated to answer here. I recommend “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by William Shirer, for an in depth understanding.
The short version is that The Nazi Party worked to gain seats in the Reichstag and the Reichsrat until they had enough seats that Hitler was named Chancellor.
The Enabling Acts were then passed. These gave Hitler dictatorial powers and were for periods of four years, being renewed twice. With the exception of the
Beer Hall Putsch, for which he served time in prison, his actions were within the law and constitutional. Unlawful acts were committed by his supporters such as
voter intimidation and suppression.
Hitler did not take power, he was given power first by the people of Germany, then given ultimate power by the President and both houses of the federal
legislature. And it was done within the law,
Miguel Canas
Add Comment
Annabel Strange
, studied Drawing & History
Answered January 2
Hitler initially rose to power by giving thousands of speeches which controlled the Germans by them having to look at him throughout the whole speech or they
would be taken away and punished.
Hitler also made his speeches very persuasive and they had to follow it because otherwise they felt bad for themselves because of what Hitler had persuaded
them into thinking.
It may not be a perfect answer but I'm currently in year 9 studying history so don't hate me lol.
146 views
Add Comment
Scott Dugger
, Software Designer / Engineer (2014-present)
All the documentaries I have watched, count two major factors.
1: Poverty, - Germans were suffering in the world wide depression, which major cause was the stock market crash in the 1930’s
2: The Jewish people were the wealthy and ruling elite of Germany. According to most first hand accounts they were not kind to the German people, which built
a great deal of anger with in the German people.
142 views
View Upvoters
3
1
1 comment from Laine Frajberg
Robert Holmén
, Animator (1995-present)
Originally Answered: What did Hitler do to gain power?
Short answer: he campaigned on behalf of his party throughout the late 20s and early 30s until they had enough success in national elections to make him a
plausible claimant to be made Chancellor ( a position appointed by the German President.)
When he had that, he used that power to suppress all the opposition parties, leaving him and the Nazis with total control.
100 views
Add Comment
Teodor Luca
, World War II is one of my favorite subjects.
He borrowed money until his economy was on the verge of blowing up ( by 1939 his debt was about 200% of the GDP ).
Once it was clear that he couldn’t pay the bills he invaded Poland, and later, the rest of mainland Europe. All he did was pillage the economies of the occupied
countries in order to keep his dysfunctional economy “working”.
107 views
Add Comment
Ludwig Nijholt
, studied at Leiden University
Originally Answered: Why did Hitler rise to power?
That’s actually a somewhat invalid question. You see, Hitler ddn’t rise to power, he took after an opportunity presented itself that could easily be exploited. (see:
Reichstag Fire.)
Which leaves us with
Why?
Because Hitler was a very ambitious man and he wanted to. You might say he had a will to power.
You might be surprised about the succinct answer, but the question was as to motive, not to factors, causes and circumstances.
52 views
Add Comment
Mark Haccius
, English/History Teacher
Hitler appealed to Germans dissatisfaction with their global standing, whipped up support by appealing to their need to blame others for their situation, and got
himself voted into power by a minority vote. Then altered the laws. Sound familiar?
134 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Pax Americana
His rise to power was a natural reaction to the dismal conditions and social depression of the Weimar Republic combined with an instinct that this was all able to
be traced back to the issuing of the Balfour Declaration.
121 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Colin Stephens
, Studied for 8 years
Originally Answered: What did Hitler do to gain power?
When Hitler had run for German government and lost the election, he built up a military and overthrew the government, and, somehow, threw Germany into a
huge economic growth, therefore, boosting the size of the army and increasing production of war machines. I hope this helps.
78 views
2
2 comments from Robert McDaniels and more
Jack Wheat
, former Higher Education Reporter at The Miami Herald (1991-2000)
It wasn’t easy. He spent 13 years rising to power, including time in prison for treason. He spent 12 years in power.
54 views
View Upvoters
Miguel Canas
4
Add Comment
Donald Grant
, Grump Old Man (2016-present)
Originally Answered: How did Hitler ever rise to power?
Well you got to understand that after WWI England And France both put such high repayment plan on Germany that it caused sky rocketing inflation in
Germany. In fact it was so bad that a shirt cost a hole wheel barrel full of money. Life in Germany was really hard on the working class, just like it is here in the
USA today. Hitler said that he would make Germany great again. He did make life better for the working class.
72 views
Add Comment
James Keenley
, Educator
Originally Answered: How did Adolf Hitler rise to power (factors)?
When I’m in charge, questions on Quora will have three buttons just below them: Answer, Pass, and DYODH.
DYODH = Do Your Own Damn Homework
P.S. I will never be in charge.

85 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Jim Hines
, Read a lot about Hitler.
He borrowed an obscene amount of money and invested it very wisely in the most(arguably) productive people in the world. He reorganized their labor system
so a previously disenfranchised group of people (workers) felt like they were a part of something special.
These two things, along with other geopolitical conditions made it possible for Hitler to rearm.
180 views
Add Comment
Richard Altorfer
, Soldier at Military of Switzerland (2016-present)
Originally Answered: How did hyperinflation actually help Hitler's rise to power?
He promised a solution for the economic suffering of the people.
Unlike many other politicians however He kept His Word and Germany in the 30s flourished
Autobahns were Just one of many Projects, unemployment dramatically decreased
93 views
View Upvoters
1
1
1 comment from Christopher Neus
Harry Kriewaldt
, extensive travel in Europe, student of European history
Because the Weimar German political system was unstable and broke down completely, leaving Hitler able to argue that he and his party represented a way of
creating stability again. The fact that the Nazis were in no small part responsible for the instability of the system is a level of irony not lost on most - Hitler wasn’t
just a gangster running a protection racket in Brecht’s famous play The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
By the time that Hitler cemented his position, the forces of the relatively-moderate Right and relatively-moderate Left had concluded that they hated each other
more than they wanted to keep the Nazis out of power. Hence, the Right allied with Hitler’s people, assuming they could keep him under control. They lost.
Badly.
273 views
2
2 comments from Robert Wayne Smith
George Doolittle
, works at Truck Drivers
Originally Answered: How did hyperinflation actually help Hitler's rise to power?
Not much. Maybe kept him from being executed during the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich (1922?).
The collapse of Wall Street in 1929 is what catapulted the Nazis and Hitler into power not the Weimar Hyperinflation which Hjaljamir Schact (sp?) solved and
then was able to get a massive loan from the United States (Dawes Plan) to get the German economy of Weimar working again later in the 1920s.
“After which all of Europe lost it's collective mind” ..

33 views
Add Comment
Jan Layton
, I have studied Hitler and Nazi Germany for many years.
After watching the documentary The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, the simplest answer to your question is “The German people gave it to him.”
62 views
View Upvoters
1
Adding comments disabled
Seth Henderson
, lives in Dell Valle Texas (2017-present)
He rose to power so quickly because of the world war one there's lotta turmoil in Germany there is no identity everybody was fearing the communists and the
Jews Hillary exploded this
27 views
Add Comment
Isaac Haskiya
, former Export Executive Own company.Teacher. Singer. Ret. (1964-2001)
He did not get away. His armies lost the war. He committed suicide in his bunker. If your question is about the atrocities while he was in charge, well, no one
dared to question him. Few people knew exactly what was happening; the rest heard rumors. Some believed them and others didn´t.
129 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Alex Yin
, lives in Seattle, WA (2005-present)
hitler rose to power easily because of the treaties of Versailles and the German people were infuriated, this helped Hitler’s Nazi party because they had the goal
of conquering the creators of it and making German rise to power
55 views
1
Rob Warner
, former Master Corporal (retired) CD, BA, etc.
Adolf Hitler expanded into a political vacuum left by the ousted Kaiser (emperor or king), the weak Wismar Republic and Great Depression. Hitler’ Brown Shirts
(political thugs) were also better at intimidating, physically beating and ocassiknally killing Hitler’s political opponents.
64 views
1
Clifford Spicer
, ROTC Grad
There is a reason that the Great Depression is aptly named that. It affected the entire earth and even Germany. In its weaken state it allowed this void to be filled.
Nature abhors a vacuum and this void extends into the political avenue as well. This void allowed Adolph Hitler to be in the right place at the wrong time for
humanity.
53 views
Add Comment
Ted Olsen
, Reader
Originally Answered: Why did Hitler rise to power?
Because the avarice of the allies at Versailles left the German people hopeless. Because the heart attack of President Wilson left the American representative
incapable of standing up to face his equals who were trying to wring any remaining wealth from Germany.
58 views
Add Comment
Aurelio Cevolotto
, History Teacher
Updated August 2, 2018
Briefly: appointed Prime Minister (Kanzler) by President von Hindenburg, Hitler was enabled to abolish pluralism from the “state of exception” paragraph
contained in 48th. article of the constitution
60 views
Add Comment
Nhat Minh
, lives in Vietnam
If “easy” means assassinating rivals, being thrown into prison for rallying, arranging the Reichstag fire so carefully people thought the communists did it and
getting nearly everyone who are desperate in the time Germany’s economy is deteriorating to support him, then yes, it is easy.
180 views
Add Comment
Olivier Gagnon
, B.Sc B.Sc.Math B.Sc.Comp Computer Science & Mathematics
Originally Answered: How was Adolf Hitler's rise to power?
… a bit naughty?
30 views
Add Comment
Derek Miller
, Visual Artist
Red Skull & Hydra.
Who is the most charismatic leader in Nazi after Hitler and why?
Answer
Follow
·
2
Request
Ad by Grammarly
Want to banish typos and clarify confusing sentences?
Grammarly's writing app makes sure everything you type is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free.
Download
1 Answer
Dave Turner
, 15 yrs of personal and academic research
Good question.
Prior to his death, Erwin Rommel was one of the people’s favorites, a very charismatic military leader who earned the respect of almost all of his friends and
enemies alike. Some say Hitler felt threatened by his widespread popularity.
In terms of personal charisma among the Nazi Party, probably Joseph Goebbels due to his tight relationship with Hitler, how the two learned from each other,
and especially his knowledge of ‘propaganda’ and how to use it to influence public opinion, thereby creating an artificial sense of charisma. He was actually
named by Hitler as his successor in the final will & testament.
In terms of charismatic as perceived by the people, Herman Goering, mainly due to his flamboyant public persona, communication skills, charm, and reputation
as a WW1 war hero (a dashing pilot in his youth). He was liked more by the people and elements of the military rather than the Party, it seems.
In third place I would say Hitler’s chief ambassador, Joachim Von Ribbentrop. He was a charming man who had excellent interpersonal skills, negotiation ability,
and was known for his multiple mistresses. Some have referred to him (along with Fegelein, Himmler’s adjutant) as the “ladies man” of the Nazi leadership. He
was reported to have had affairs with numerous powerful women.
I’ll come back later and build on it…
What were the types of of Nazi propaganda?

Answer
Follow
·
4
Request
4 Answers
Chris Seymour
, former CEO at Automated Positioning Systems (2002-2009)
The Nazis were masters of propaganda and used all the technologies of their time, including posters, rallies, speeches, newspaper articles, books, cartoons,
loudspeakers in parks and public places, radio and movies. TV was in its infancy, but there were 72 hours of live broadcasts from the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games,
which itself was a triumph of Nazi propaganda.
Hitlers book Mein Kampf had sold 10 million copies by the end of the wat and made him rich.
Cartoons were popular from the beginning. This one from 1934 called “A new garden of Eden” shows the French and British seduced by the armanents
indusrtries.
This one from 1944 shows Churchill and Roosevelt praying to Stalin, while Eleanor looks on.
Many of the cartoons were overtly anti semitic as in this one of Churchill led astray by the a Jew as imagined by the Nazis. Its ironic that German and European
Jews, exiled because of Hitler, played a large part in the development of the US nuclear program. Hitler shot himself in the foot there.
Triumph of the Will was a 1935 German film produced by Leni Riefenstahl. The film contains excerpts from speeches given by Nazi leaders at the 1934
Nuremburg Congress, including Adolf Hitler, Rudolf Hess and Julius Streicher, interspersed with footage of massed SA and SS troops and public reaction. The
film's overriding theme is the return of Germany as a great power, with Hitler as the leader who will bring glory to the nation. It was possibly the most famous
example of propaganda in film history. Riefenstahl's techniques—such as moving cameras, aerial photography, the use of long focus lenses to create a distorted
perspective, and the revolutionary approach to the use of music and cinematography— have been followed by many others.
There were many cruder propaganda films made later. Jued Suss told the story of an eighteenth century banker named Suss Oppenheimer who served as a
financial advisor to a German duke. Oppenheimer is depicted as a horrible person who rapes the blonde Aryan heroine, while the other Jews in the film are dirty,
immoral, and ugly. Ultimately, Oppenheimer is arrested and executed. SS chief Heinrich Himmler ordered all members of the SS and police to see it. It was also
shown to concentration camp guards, who were then spurred on to treat their Jewish prisoners as the sub-humans portrayed in the film.
During the war, the Nazis used radio broadcasts to the UK and the US in English aimed at getting the population to demand peace. The Nazi’s included details of
captured soldiers, sailors and airmen, which was an incentive for worried relatives to listen.
In his heyday, many were mesmerised by Hitler’s speeches, but as the war turned less successful Hitler retreated into his bunker and his propaganda minister
Goebbels was unable to lure him out.
724 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Maxime Jouhan Chevallier
, Manager and Owner
Updated March 10, 2019
Reich Minister Joseph GOEBELLS Saïd propagande is 99% error and 1 part truth.
Radio broadcasts by “ Lord Haw Haw” ( William Joyce), frequently terrified the allied population in England.
Before the war, there were massive Parades, fly pasts and drive pasts of all the nazi weapons and troops and Germanique workers carrying shovels.
Political Posters got glued up all over Europe, in the Reich territories, and Germany also made radio broadcasts.
Germanique SS troops, Secret police and the S D and kripo ALONG with the district Gaulechter, and Reich Protectorat enforced the laws and also were
sometimes used to make cynical films for distribution back home…@@((((
Childrens organisations to mothers, workers to policemen, everybody was touched by the hysteria that swept through the entire nation.
Even the church got involved….
Hitler's speeches and rallies were a key. As was HIS book Mein Kampf ( My Struggle), written in Lansdorf prison, where Herr Hitler was serving a jail sentence for
his part in the “Putsch” or attempted Military coup staged during the thirties in Germany.
EVEN CHILDREN wore nazi uniform….
The types of propaganda were ONLY limited by imagination, badges, uniforms, books, télégramme décorative page covers, numérous flags, statues, medals,
sports évents, the list seems almost endless…..even Motorways!
Perhaps the ones I remember the most are the enormous achievements and developments in Rocketry and Aviation and military tactics.
Science became a second “god” to the Nazis, in their quest for human supremacy and world rulership. Hitler used a great many Psuedo Religious ideas and
begged, stole and borrowed from many Legends and Traditions, even creating fake archeological “proof” of the so-called “Germanic origins” of the world.
Hitler also used Philosophers and Scientists to further his ideological plans, and the Occultism and Dark “Magic” of the symbols used by the Nazis reflects that
unpleasant fact.
509 views
View Upvoters
Not for Reproduction
1
Follow
31.3K
The History of War
Follow
507.1K
Follow
9
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Follow
33.4K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K

Follow
18K
Follow
1.4K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
Germany and Germans
Follow
10.7K
Das Dritte Reich

Follow
1.3K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K

Follow
7K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
View More Spaces
Devereaux Ford
, Student
Updated October 15, 2017
Nazi propaganda was widespread in Germany and German conquered territories during and prior to WW2. Utilized by the Nazi party during the rise to power to
increase support from the German people, it was effective prior to the war, and during the war, it was used to paint the Wehrmacht and the Nazis in a better
light.
Here are some examples:
“Give me four years time” - 1937
This Nazi propaganda poster comes from Adolf Hitler's campaign to become Germany's supreme leader. The text reads, "We will take the fate of the nation into
our hands! Hitler will be Reich President!"
"Behind the enemy powers: The Jews."
This poster hopes to recruit men from the Nazi-occupied Netherlands to the Nazi army. The passionate message at the bottom reads, "For your honour and
conscience! Against the Bolshevism - the Waffen-SS calls you!"
Here, a patriotic member of the National Socialist (University) Student Association poses with the flag of the Nazi party. The text reads, "The German student
fights for the Führer and the people in the division of the NSD (Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher)-Studentenbund."
Here, Germany and its allies move against communism. The text reads, "Europe has mustered!"
A German soldier smites a red dragon — the Soviet Union — with two bolts of lightning. Caption: “Germany’s Victory - Europe’s Freedom”
This propaganda poster attempts to recruit young men to join the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of Nazi German Schutzstaffel, or protective squadron. The text
below says that any man over 17 can join.
3.3K views
View Upvoters
View Sharers
38
1
1
1 comment from Vindoh Hodniv
Related Questions
More Answers Below
What are the most interesting pictures from Nazi propaganda?
Jack Roberts
, Studied this topic and have written novels on the subject
One method Hitler used was mass producing the radio at a cheap price so it was affordable for the average person. There would be the usual radio content though
throughout the radio there would be multiple Nazi speeches and anti-jew content. Hitler took advantage of the Illusory Truth effect (the more you here something,
the more you think it is correct or of a good meaning) so these people would be hearing this propaganda every day throughout there daily radio content.
Why did the German people support Hitler and the Nazi regime?
Answer
Follow
·
10
Request
16 Answers
Adrian Konstin
, B.A. History & International Relations, North Seattle Community College (2022)
It has been said that if Hitler died September 1st, 1939 he’d be considered one of the world’s greatest leaders.
And there’s no reason to say otherwise.
Hitler was loved because he solved the issues that the German people wanted solved.
Before Hitler came to power, Germany was a ruined rump state, spit on by the world after WW1 and left in ruins.
The physical manifestation of this is undoubtedly the Versailles Treaty, and was hated by the German people. Any undoing of it would be enough to procure
support, regardless of anything else that the leader did right or wrong.
Some of the things that Hitler did to Make Germany Great Again™
Hitler booted the oppressive French out of the Ruhr area. After Germany failed to pay for WW1 reperations because of it’s own economic failings, just to become
even worse because of The Great Depression, France marched into the Ruhr area and took over its German industry, taking whatever it produced as payment.
Germans were understandably PISSED. The French basically used the Germans as slaves and killed over 130 Germans living in the area. One of the first major
things Hitler did was move his troops into the Ruhr area, commanding his men to retreat if the French resisted at all. The French did not. The International
Community was pissed, but their populations couldn’t care less - to them Hitler was just walking in his own backyard, and as such the LoN had to back down.
(German Army marches into the Rhineland.)
The Anschluss was the first major gain of territory by the Germans, and also a direct violation of the Versailles Treaty. Austrians however wanted to join Germany,
if only because Austria’s economy was in shambles. Austrians didn’t feel Austrian. What it meant to be Austrian at some point was completely scrapped after
WW1. Even then, Hitler was an Austrian himself. It would be only natural for the people to accept an invitation into the Greater German Reich. In fact, Hitler
didn’t even want to integrate Austria as much as the Austrians did themselves. He imagined them being a puppet, and then slowly years or even decades down
the line being integrated… The roaring crowds changed his mind, and they were annexed and integrated as if just any other part of Germany.
(Austrians celebrating the Anschluss.)
Another facet of Germany and Hitler’s vision was the creation of a Greater Reich, where all Germans lived. Anything else is a predecessor to a more Extraordinary
state. As such, Hitler (before annexing the entirety of Czechia and making Slovakia a puppet-state.) decided to take the Sudetenland from the Czechs, a part of
Czechia that was German, and should’ve been given to the Austrians, but wasn’t because the borders would look stupid and the Versailles Treaty was created to
make the former Central Powers as weak as possible.
(Former Czech Germans celebrating the annexation of Sudetenland.)
Hitler’s Lebensraum and Greater Reich were almost complete - the only thing he needed now for it to be complete, besides some land in Switzerland and land
taken by France and Belgium, was Danzig.
Danzig was a Polish puppet city-state created after WW2 that was 99%+ German. In fact, it even elected the Nazi Party! Hitler demanded this city or he would
declare war on the Poles… We know how that turned out. Regardless, Poland fell and Danzig was integrated into the Greater Reich.
(Danzig Germans celebrating the annexation of their city… there seems to be a pattern.)
I could go into more detail about things like the economy, and how the Nazi state was the only successful economy in the World at the time, but that’s for
another time. Remember, history is written by the victors.
Edit: The Holocaust was completely unknown by the average German, it plays no part in the German opinion of Hitler until after the war’s end.
20.5K views
View Upvoters
194
21
21 comments from Laine Frajberg and more
David Isherwood
In Germany as most countries there were a number of political parties. As Hitler became more well known his popularity grew until the party in power thought
that they could control this man by offering him the post of Chancellor.
Once he got there Hitler shut down all the other Parties and some of his opponents ended up in Concentration Camps. I recall the Communist Leader ended up
in Buchenwald near Weimar.
With the political opposition silenced, there remained only one party and people flocked to join and support because this was the man who was going to solve
the high unemployment figures. This was the guy to get things going again and he did.
The Autobahns simple dual carriageways for cars and lorries were unheard of in Europe. People in those days had no television, but the cinema was very popular
and included newsreels of film to show people how Germany was progressing. In addition they started conscription not for the Army but for other non miitary
work. I forget the title but young men lived together in there own barracks, ate and slept together and marched to and from there places of work with a shovel
over their shoulder.
This meant that you had an immense new labour force to help build autobahns, aerodromes, cut down trees or plant them and in this way Germany developed.
A country with only one Political party like Communism is called a totalitarian regime. This is what Nazi Germany was - one Party and Hitler became almost a
God giving speeches, the first politician to travel round by plane.
At the end of 1935 the ‘piece de resistance’ the preparations for the Olympic Games to be held in Berlin. Germany rode on the crest of a wave. After the hard
times of 1918 onwards this new man was regarded as the Messiah to turn things around for the Country.
He sometimes spoke to thousands maybe on a hillside. He seemed to be blessed with fine sunny weather whenever he did this, so much so german people
would call a fine sunny day Fuhrer weather even if he wasn’t there.
If people lived in South Germany they might take a trip to Berchtesgaden and there on the hillside slopes of the Ober Salzburg they could walk past the Fuhrer’s
house.
As far as known he was unmarried so many ladies and older girls found him desireable. If he bent down from a rostrum and some girl actually touched his
fingers they would br ecstatic
All this if course before the outbreak of War.

706 views
View Upvoters
Tamer Kadmany
3
Add Comment
Follow
31.3K
Germany and Germans

Follow
10.7K
Kevinball comments
Follow
10

Follow
7K
The History of War

Follow
507.1K
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K

Follow
18K
Mad for Germany

Follow
2.1K

Follow
18.5K
A Clash In The East
Follow
15.6K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Das Dritte Reich

Follow
1.3K
History
Follow
20.1K

Follow
515K

Follow
7.3K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K

Follow
2.4M
Follow
17.2K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
Follow
1.7M
RealPolitics
Follow
354.2K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
Follow
33.4K
Teenage Conservatives
Conservative teenagers, and their experiences, stories, and point of views!
Follow
10.4K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
IMPERIUM ROMANUM
Follow
18.8K
WarZone
Follow
33.8K
War in history
Follow
1.4K
Follow
1.5M
Study Abroad Information

Get all the information relating study abroad including visa requirements
Follow
64.7K
No Filter Necessary
Follow
664.7K
Our "Friends"
A Space dedicated to the best sitcom the 90s had to offer.
Follow
89.7K
Career and Success

Let’s discuss about your career and a path to success in this space.
Follow
7.1K
Cluster B(uster)
We burn the bridges and set the darkness on fire!
Follow
1.6K
Classical Worlds
History, culture, and myth from more than 1,500 years ago
Follow
84.2K
History Mystery
Follow
35.2K
Online Education
Deliver lessons effectively over the internet and access info about courses
Follow
67.8K
Life Lessons
Follow
765.7K
Questioning
A safe space for questioning lgbtq+ youth but also for ally’s and lgbtq+ people
Follow
8K
View More Spaces
Niklaus Hostettler
Look no further about what the US government did during the last few decades and how much the support it got from the Americans.
Look no further than how Bush sr was able to get U.N. support for his war in Iraq, and how he managed the Saudis to allow for a base camp.
It is called propaganda!
Now add to it, do a lot of good to get support for the accomplishments, and most will be fooled. It is actually sad that nothing is talked about just how much
support Germany did get from the US.
Want the best of it all? Pure genius! The Marshall Plan. No, it wasn’t giving monies from the kindness of the heart as so many now think. Countries needed to be
rebuilt but had no money. The US had a lot of former solders without work, and much of the industry was for military production, not civilian production. The US
had no money neither, but it was “the former soldiers will cost a lot of monies.”
1) By giving other countries credit to purchase American goods most of the monies was actually spent in the US of A, not abroad.
2) It opened the door for American corporation into other countries.
3) Created a lot of allies, and it allowed the US to establish based around the world it needed to become the ultimate world power - which only served one
purpose, to protect the US international corporations and the “scumbag” governments/elected officials that had sold out to the US.
This is the economic aspect. Now let’s go to the emotional, human part.
When someone hit bottom, is demoralized, incapable to get up without help, … whoever the helping hand is will get loyalty. Give back pride and dignity and
people will take a bullet for you. This is what Hitler did to the Germans.
What was the worst? All who realized the ulterior motives behind it all were social outcasts in no time, and soon the propaganda labeled them unpatriotic.
And yes, this is the ultimate weapon for any self-serving higher authority and for sure we see this right here in the US of A: What more proof does one need than
veterans being labeled anti-US when they open their mouth about what all these foreign military actions have been all about.
For this one I have a good example. When DeGaulle kicked the Americans out of France all of Europe label him ungrateful and worse. It didn’t take all that long
and other countries said: We should have done the same, but now it is too late.
One can say that the US as a whole country has not seen any kind of destructions of war; ever. Every conflict happened somewhere else and for most it was life
as usual. None of the destructions in the US comes close to how of the world was after WW-II, not even close. What the South experienced after the civil war hs
some resemblance to how Europe was after WW-I. There was little left of glory and honor of war left, and after WW-II none whatsoever!
Some immigrants do know, but America as a whole? It is beyond comprehension.
Well this “beyond comprehension,” so far out of touch is also the reason why propaganda works so well here. 9/11? Nothing compared to what happened
elsewhere in the world, and how did the Americans react? Basically gave the government the power of Marshal Law, what the Patriot Act truly is, to be safe and
be protected when this should have cause such an outrage that the government had no choice but to annual it or face civil unrests, or worse.
If one knows where to look, one can find plenty of answers about a lot of issues right at home. Demonizing the Muslims, the illegal aliens, the Japanese who
then ended in camps enclosed by barbed wire and guard by arm guards, the racism, scapegoating, …. and then there are questions “how in the world were the
Germans able to start cleansing against socially undesirables and making scapegoats out of the Jewish.
Gobbles said: Give me any country and I will give you what you want. The principles of propaganda know no country nor ethnicity.
I end with this: To say that the Germans supported the Nazi regime is effectively a display if ignorance. No, the Germans little by little stopped supporting the
Nazis rather early on, and left the country if they could, and if not understood that best is to keep the mouth shut. When the country as a whole woke up it was
too late as the Nazis already had hijacked the country in that in every strategic position was held by a Nazi. There were many attempts to take out Hitler but all
failed. Germany went into survival mode, as every country does when under a totalitarian government. Yes, “survival mode” is also something Americans are
clueless about; and therefore are so quick to lay [self-righteous] judgement onto other people in other countries.
514 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
What percentage of Germans supported the Nazi regime?
What did Hitler say to the German people to convince them that the Holocaust was a good idea?
Did people in Germany expect Hitler to go through with the Holocaust?

Stephen Murphy
, President at Steffan Resources (2016-present)
They supported Hitler because he literally pulled the German people out of the ashes of WWl. He was able to accomplish this in spite of the extreme punishment
from the Treaty of Versailles for causing the war and the unnecessary millions of deaths and resulting destruction.
Hyperinflation turned German paper money worthlesss. To buy a loaf of bread, people had to push a wheelbarrow full of money holding billions of reichmarks to
make the purchase. Then the Great Depression totally decimated the German economy even worse than the other countries. Germany was in grave trouble.
Hitler brought Germany great prosperity while the rest of the world was still mired in an economic nightmare.
Because of their prosperity, they chose to ignore Hitler's plans including the persecution of the Jews and other “undesirables.”
The Germans would soon be facing a horrendous end to their ignorance once again after losing WWII.
314 views
Add Comment
Franklin Chidera.
, Amateur web developer, Historian and Biologist.
Answered March 18
Originally Answered: What factors might have led people in Germany to support Hitler and the Nazi party?
You pick.
The stab in the back theory was very prevalent and it was what most Germans believed. That the Jews and civilian government had surrendered even though
Germany was still capable of fighting. Hitler mostly blamed it on the Jews though. This bolstered the amount of anti- Semitic Germans.
The 1929 great depression which hit the German economy hard. To add to this the Wiemar was incompetent enough to result to printing tons of money which
lead to a hyperinflation. It was not uncommon to see prices of goods rise in barely minutes. If you eat to long in a restaurant the waitress might simply add more
money to your bill because the price just increased. Money became worthless.
It was also not rare sight to see a lot of Germans who were anti-communist and anti-Bolshevik. Hitler like them hated communist and electing him meant getting
rid of them.
85 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Karen Markov
, Ph.D. Physics, Yale University
Answered June 8
Originally Answered: Did most Germans support Hitler and the Nazis?
When you look at the votes in the last free elections of the Reichstag and the votes of the parties in the Reichstag of this last free parliament you could say that
it was a 50:50 situation initially. After he came to power, Hitler eliminated his strongest opponents the communists and the social democrats. They were the only
two political forces strongly opposing the Nazi party.
In the German families I know you still could see this division when I was younger and the war time generation was still alive. One of my grandfathers was a Nazi,
the other was a socialist. Needless to say, that political discussion on the coffee table during Sunday afternoon family reunions were not always peaceful.
224 views
Add Comment
Stuart Lawson Beattie

, Poet & Narrator (2015-present)
Answered March 21
Firstly many Germans believed they were stabbed in the back after WW I financially, industrially, economically, geographically and the Weimar republic was a
disaster.
Most jews were quite wealthy and most Germans were poor so undoubtedly there was a great divide which either had to be addressed or one side would
emerge to the downfall of the other.
The nazi regime made promises in the name of unifying Germany and make the Fatherland great again.
This obviously sounded appealing and that is what they did.
After years of poverty, rationing, no jobs and hardship, who could actually blame a German who wanted respect, dignity, work, a wage and a country to be proud
of which was being offered on a plate.
This is not my opinion but it is the view and the reason I hold for the rise of the nazis and the doom that was to follow, may it never happen again.
Peace to all.
59 views
Add Comment
Patrick Bell
, Don't know much about history, but love it anyway...
To put it simply, they brought order out of chaos, and the German people do love them some order.
Unemployment, runaway inflation, worldwide economic depression, suffering under the deprivations of reduced military capacity post-WW1, little to be proud of
at the time. That was what Germany and much of the world was dealing with in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Everybody was looking for an answer. The U.S.
thought it found one in FDR. Germany found Hitler, and all seemed to be going along swimmingly…
Tamer Kadmany
Add Comment
David Lothrop Stoddard

, An interest in the Luftwaffe and Heer arms of the Wehrmacht
Two main reasons:
1. recognising that the Nazi movement started barely a few years after the October Revolution and that export of Bolshevism was a core Soviet
strategy - fear, real and palpable
2. the Treaty of Versailles had almost been designed to bring about Germany’s economic downfall which, with the ensuing hyperinflation, it
nearly did and it has been posited that it was a deliberate strategy of largely US controlled banks; so what was the typical German feeling -
fear, real and palpable.
In about 1946 French writer Bardeche suggested that fascism isn’t so much a political creed as a natural human expression of unbearable stress.
Candice Smith
and
Tamer Kadmany
Add Comment
Ronald Weinger
Answered March 17
Hitler promised them jobs, food, shelter, all of which were is short supply in Germany at the time. He also gave them pride in their country, and removed the
shame of losing the War by blaming the Jews and Bolsheviks.
It was not difficult to give the German people what they wanted, in exchange for loyalty.
59 views
Add Comment
Michael Shtalman
, 6 of my uncles fought, 3 were killed, 3 wounded severely
On the same reason, some people support Bernie and AOC. All 3 of them promise stuff. Hitler robbed the Jews and put them in concentration camps - and that
was still not enough to pay for his socialist ideas. So he invaded other countries.
101 views
View Upvoters
Tamer Kadmany
1
Add Comment
Gwydion Madawc Williams
, Read a lot about history, and note some general patterns.
Answered June 8
They got one in three at the last entirely free election. (Nazi Party - Wikipedia)
And were part of a right-wing coalition.
But his early successes boosted his popularity. Never tested in a free vote, but he probably had a clear majority for many years.
Losing it as he lost the war, as far as anyone can tell. But many people pretended far less involvement that they had in fact made.
104 views
Add Comment
Laine Frajberg
, Retired
Answered March 17
The global 1929 economic collapse which hit Germany very hard.This was was made worse by Chancellor Bruening’s “Austerity Program”-the exact opposite of
what was needed to revive the German economy.Prior to the collapse,the Nazis were an insignificant force in German politics..They won a grand total of….2.8%
of the popular vote in the 1928 parliamentary election.
Destin Woods
Add Comment
Gordon Allen
, BA Military History and Wars , Columbia University (1967)
Answered June 8
By and large he kept all his promises.Unheard of among politicians.And no, he did not promise a War or Holocaust.Clever guy.
29 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Thomas McKeon
, studied High School Dropouts
Answered June 8
I met German immigrants over 30 years ago, and I always asked lots of questions. They were older and had thick accents. I remember that they thought Hitler
was just a little mixed up.
56 views
Add Comment
Jan Alley
, Singer ,Guitar Player (Amateur Part Time) (1982-present)
Answered June 8
No , Hitler probably represented about 10 % of the population, most dictatorshipis are not popular, it's driven by fear and survival.
How did Hitler maintain power?
Answer
Follow
·
10
Request
10 Answers

, Self Employed IT
A lot of propaganda, jobs and terror .
Hitler managed to get power through a coalition after the 1932. He didn’t win the election, but managed to force Hindenburg to name him chancellor. When
Hindenburg passed away, Hitler took over.
There is more here: German presidential election, 1932 - Wikipedia
The following election was a fraud. My grandparents told me that there were people watching them casting their votes. The ballots weren’t secret.
When Hitler became chancellor, Germany was ruined and plundered by the allies. Hitler was a product of the treaty of Versailles. Within a couple of year, Hitler
made Germany a world power. Therefore he had support among the people, and the people who didn’t support him were bullied by the SS. People spied on
each other and most of his opponents were too afraid to speak up, even in private.
My grand father took down Hitler’s portrait at the office. His secretary reported him and he spent a week in prison. That was how the terror regime worked.
The main pillar of the regime was propaganda. Goebbels read Bernays’ book. His propaganda was based on the same one the allies used and still use. The main
difference is that the allies do it better to the point they don’t have to use terror.
The Century of the Self explains how propaganda works. Propaganda is the key for criminal regimes like the Nazi regime, the communist regimes and some of
our western democracies, to keep the support of the people and maintain themselves.
10.1K views
View Upvoters
8
Add Comment
Mark Delgado
, former Social Studies Teacher at Abraham Lincoln High School (2004-2013)
Originally Answered: How did Hitler manage to stay very powerful?
By crafting the tightest, most paranoid, observed, totalitarian state in human history. (Gestapo, SD, SS, Abwehr, etc. Though Gestapo was mainly German internal
domestic security.) His security apparatus was second to none. Coupled with that was a widespread social fear that speaking out against the Nazi regime would
result in disappearances and a one way journey to a prison, labor, or concentration camp.
306 views
Add Comment
The History of War

Follow
507.1K
Follow
31.3K
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K

Follow
18K
View More Spaces
Hridith Sudev ( ഹൃദിത് സുദേവ് )

, Author, Environmentalist,TED Speaker, Nerd
Terror.
Propaganda.
Employment.
Charisma.
Promises.
More Terror.
More Propaganda.
More Charisma.
More Employment.
More Promises.
Even More Terror.
Some more Charisma.
That’s how all dictatorships in recorded history have maintained power. Hitler’s Germany was no exception.
1.8K views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
How did Hitler maintain his power over the Nazis?
Why did Germany let Hitler get so powerful? Do they regret being fooled by Hitler?
Why was Hitler able to stay in power for so long?

, retired computer analyst and widely read on history and science
The Weimar Republic had followed liberal rules for Good Government. But actually been a very bad government.
It held until Wall Street speculation triggered a global slump. People then felt that either Nazis or Communists would take over. The Centre-Right chose to put
the Nazis into power.
And by running what was later called Keynesianism or a Mixed Economy, Hitler did get the economy re-started. Had he not also started an avoidable World War,
his reputation would be very different. He might have as many defenders as Franco in Spain or Pinochet in Chile. Or Trump right now.
For more, see Hitler – the 13th Chancellor. This starts by noting he was the 13th man to be German Chancellor, before becoming dictator.
1.7K views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Mike Bauer
, B.A. Art History, M.A. Studio Art ( Photography )
Answered June 9
Originally Answered: What methods did Hitler use to stay in power?
basically, he was a deer in the headlights who honked like a car. it was the more organized and mentally powerful followers who supported him just because he
attracted crowds. basically, he was so outlayer that he did everything he could to be kicked out of power — his personal judgements were anti-normal. the joke
was really on himmler and gobbels. their talking dog turned rabid.
121 views
Add Comment
Alyssia La Peyre
Unpopular opinion but he hated the Jews cause they introduced the banking system, and what society doesn't want to take all their money from the banks.
Germans were poor, hitler fixed that for a time.

1.5K views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Szilard Coban
, studied at John Willmott School
Answered June 14
Basically propaganda, kill his opponents (night of the long knives), and people supported him because of national pride, racism and his promises to restore
germany and end treaty of versailles
30 views
Add Comment
Ron Curtin
, Taxi Driver (2012-present)
To understand how Hitler became so popular you first have to understand pre WW1 German culture and ethics and then how it degraded. A new generation of
young people accepting while the older generation sought to bring back older traditional family values. Once this doctrine was implemented by Hitler,
sometimes by tyranny, propaganda, and example the people of Germany were beguiled into a improper identity in which lit a fire storm of national pride.
1.1K views
Add Comment
Daniel O'Brien
, Librarian at Library of Congress (1976-present)
Through totalitarianism, intimidation, and murder.

98 views
Add Comment
Peter Corato
, Fleet Manager at Uslbm
That's easy the loyal SS protected him until the end.
Did Hitler have "charisma" or was it something else?

Answer
Follow
·
2
Request
3 Answers
Doug Jackson
, Senior Teacher (2003-present)
While I completely agree with Cass Dean’s “most paranoid kid in the room” analogy for describing Hitler’s rise to political power, as well as his appeal to the
masses, I do think that on the personal level, there seems to have been some type of charisma that Hitler had with individuals.
The paranoid analogy works very well for this more intimate association as well, but I think it is interesting that people’s reactions to Hitler when they were able
to meet him in person were often diametrically opposed. There was very little middle ground and the reactions, as mentioned by Ian Kershaw in his two volume
work, Hitler (Hubris and Nemesis), were along the lines of “That horrid little man.” or “Only he can save Germany”. Revulsion or admiration.
That is a pretty amazing disparity in reactions and to me and it speaks of some type of personal charisma. It could of course just be the “most paranoid saviour
in the room”, as Cass Dean has implied, but I think that on the individual level, in an eye-to-eye meeting, some people were also impacted by whatever bizarre
type of charisma that “horrid little man” had.
Education seems to have been no inoculation against Hitler’s mystique/attraction as indicated by descriptions of university colleagues and academics who were
enamored by Hitler’s public persona in Victor Klemperer’s “I Will Bear Witness, A Diary of the Nazi Years, 1933–1941”.
Of course, hate seems to have its own charisma, unfortunately, and even to those who were not German, and even separated by an ocean from Hitler, his
message called out to them. Support for Hitler (or Fascism) in the United States
738 views
View Upvoters
Cass Dean
2
3
3 comments from Cass Dean
Bernard Korzeniewicz
, never were there
Thx for A2A
On personal level Hitler was described by visiting German soldiers or foregin officials always with the best words possible. “Inteligent, well-read, observant, keen
intelect”. He has got “a presence” felt by everybody in a room. He seemed to know thing about his visitors said visitors forgotten to mention or did not know.
On the other hand momoirs did indicate he was violent maniac, uncontrollable, with madness attacks (the carpet eating incident) and really big weakness for
sexual perversions.
Frankly - just add “speaking languages” to get a textbook demonic possesion.
:-(
On the organisation level Hitler relied on his two underlings: Goebbels and Rosenberg. The NSDAP acquired power in legal and logical manner, just as any other
democratic party. IMHO Hitler’s personality probably helped in backroom-deals but in the open it was unnecesary.
Cass Dean
2
2 comments from Cass Dean
The History of War

Follow
507.1K
Follow
31.3K
Kevinball comments
Follow
11
World War II
Follow
34.6K

Follow
18K
Follow
7K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K

Follow
515K
Germany and Germans

Follow
10.7K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Follow
33.4K
History
Follow
20.1K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
View More Spaces
Cass Dean
, lived in Canada Entire Life
This has been with me for decades and my memory of it has probably suffered some slippage. I’m hoping someone whose field is group dynamics will show up
here.
IIRC, there was once a psychology experiment done, as usual, with college students, who began by taking a personality inventory designed to indicate paranoid
tendencies. (This was, presumably, a mentally healthy group of students, but if we have no tendency towards suspicion, we don’t make it to freshmen.) They were
divided into teams, the Wistar Albinos and the Hooded Norways. They were competing with each other in a game whose points came up on a board as they
were scored. (The system inventor later went on to devise the scoring system for Olympic boxing.)
Every few points, a clear Wistar score did not come up on the board. As the game went on, the Wistars became progressively annoyed, angry, frustrated,
agitated and at the end of the game were on the warpath.
The referee experimenter suggested that they elect one of their number to take a protest to the “management.” They elected the member of their team who had
scored highest on the paranoid scale.
If you persecute non-paranoid people, they begin to find paranoid people making a lot of sense to them.
Germans were used and abused after the war, given all the blame, impoverished, actually reduced to starvation, superinflation destroying every cent they had
saved. A certain percentage of them became wide open to choosing a paranoid to lead them.
Hitler was already seething with resentment that he was unappreciated, underestimated, unjustly impoverished, when the World War temporarily rescued him
from obscurity. Then that was besmirched by the humiliating terms of victory. He shared the widespread sense of victimization, with enhancements.
His ideology did not gain in popularity throughout his electoral history. There are some optical illusions as the anti-Semitic fascist right, about a dozen small
political parties, began coalescing and falling in behind the largest, Hitler’s. The left, who were against him from the start, were against him at the end. Even in
the final election when he already had full powers and had 500,000 SS and SA rampaging through the streets, attacking the attendees at opposition rallies,
disappearing candidates, framing the Communist Party for the Reichstag fire, the left vote held and he never did get a majority, not even close. You were
susceptible to him, or you were not.
It wasn’t “charisma.” The Germans were being persecuted, and he was the most paranoid kid in the room.
How do I give a charismatic speech like Adolf Hitler?

Answer
Follow
·
4
Request
1 Answer
Shivam Roy
, studied at St. Joseph's School, Bhagalpur
To deliver a speech like some of the best speakers out there, you need to be prepared mentally. Few essential things that make a speech charismatic.
(Some Quick guides )
Clear pronunciation, bold and heavy voice to convince the attraction of audience, simple and clear message, try to put humour, connect your points
with practical examples.
Some of the other points that should be kept in mind are:-
1. SELECTION OF SPEECH:- It is really important to deliver a kind of speech that suits your personality. You need to have a bold and heavy voice
to bring out the best outcome out of the text that you have prepared.
2. VARIATIONS WITHIN THE SPEACH:- This is the most important thing. You need to create the variation in your voice to attract the audience
towards you. And the most common things that you can add ( pitch variation, quoting some famous lines in a bit different accent, try to
put humour into serious lines ).
3. TAKE INSPIRATION, TRY NOT TO COPY BE NATURAL:- It’s really important to get into the mood of delivering a charismatic speech but its
more important to deliver a compleat speech in your own natural way.
4. PAUSE:- Providing pause is another most important skill which most people lack. You need to give proper pause as per the requirement of the
speech. Regular uniform breathing will helps to control the flow of speech.
5. BODY LANGUAGE:- its ultimate key that can push you to speak up to a whole new level. Things that you want to express the need to
conveyed by your body as well. All the essential part of the body (compleat face, body posture, hand movement ) need to collaborate together
to bring out the best outcome.
6. ADD EMOTIONS:- You need to add a pinch of the emotional section to enhance the gravity of speech. Subsequently, your speech will gain
more depth and it will be felt by the audience.
7. ENDING OF THE SPEECH:- This section of speech should provoke the audience to get completely into the idea that you have implanted
throughout the speech. it should be convincing and try to keep the words as simple as possible to gain the mass attraction.
Did Adolf Hitler utilize humor in his speeches?
Answer
Follow
·
7
Request
1
2 Answers
Pranav
, Indian.
Yes, he did. Apart from his Nationalistic and Socialistic topics which he used to cover in his public speeches, A. Hitler always used to carry a bunch of jokes with
him, which he used to deliver out between the slot, when he used to complete orating the masses over a certain topic and was about jump onto an another. This
was one of his favourite tactics to attract and gather the mass support, or precisely- trying to somehow make people adopt to the “NAZI’s” propaganda.
Therefore, as Hitler had a great set of Orating Skills (God-gifted), and especially the art of making people attached to himself alone during an on-going speech
and spreading his word throughout, simultaneously keeping them engrossed in him with good set of words (jokes), Hilter is considered one of the greatest
Orator’s / Spokesperson of the 20th Century, as not everyone can master the art of public speaking and even that with a subject of Nationalism (~ Nazism). Also,
I would like to clearly mention it, Devilism and Embodiment of Evilness, was upto a far extent not at a topic in his speeches. Yes, that’s true.
Also, this was one of the reason’s why Hitler was successful in gaining mass attention at a Global scale, with his ability to gather people, motivate them and
eventually make their mindset inclined towards him, and ending up being his follower’s.
And don’t forget, all that achievement’s with the word of mouth. Quite Impressive.
You can even watch Hitler cracking a joke in one of his speeches, on Youtube. The link is given down below.
I hope you like the answer I have posted. If you did, please upvote the answer and share it as much as you can, as well as please don’t forget to FOLLOW me, for
future awesome Answer’s on Quora.
Link :
[1]
Footnotes
[1] Hitler Makes a Joke
489 views
View Upvoters
6
Add Comment
‫יואב כץ‬
, A curious guy
I know of two cases he did.
Polish "jokes" were in Hitler's two speeches after he invaded Poland.

Hitler ridiculed Poles in his Sept. 19, 1939 speech in Danzig (today called Gdansk) and in his Berlin speech in Oct. 6, 1939 with these hate-through-humor anti-
Polish “jokes” and references.
From Hitler’s speech of Sept. 19, 1939 in Danzig (Gdansk Poland):

At this moment we want to give the Polish soldier absolute justice. At many points the Pole fought bravely. His lower leadership made desperate efforts, his
middle-grade leadership was too unintelligent, his highest leadership was bad, judged by any standard. His organization was — Polish...
From Hitler’s speech of Oct 6, 1939:

Towns as well as villages are in a state of neglect. The roads, with very few
exceptions, are badly out of repair and in a terrible condition. Anyone who travels in that country for two or three weeks will get the proper idea of the classical
German term 'Polnische Wirtschaft,' meaning a 'Polish state of affairs!'
Was Hitler charismatic? If yes, what are some famous examples and was it important for his rise to power?
Answer
Follow
·
3
Request
4 Answers
Zafar Iqbal
, Startup facilitator, Marketing guy and that person who punches out the PR!
In a sense, Hitler was certainly a charismatic leader. His entire political career is based on his ability to command the loyalty of a large section of German
population. He was at his best at public rallies where his speeches roused feelings of racial pride and German Nationalism.
Some of the well-known examples of Hitler’s pull on German people are the public record of these rallies. even in the beginning of his career when he was an
entry level associate of NSDAP, he was able to gather large crowds who would come to listen to his ideas about the German defeat in WWI, the role of the
Weimer Republic and of course the menace of the international Jewry.
His Beer Hall Putsch is another example of his social engineering prowess. Although the incident ended in a disaster, it did not put off German People off his
ideas.
His rise to power is testament to his ability to influence people. He had a lot of competition for the top seat in Germany. He was able to negotiate, intimidate
and charm many people and assumed power as the dictator of Germany in the years before the WWII.
3.2K views
View Upvoters
4
1
1 comment from Ludwig Nijholt
J Shin
, Enthusiast in wartime history.
Hitler was indeed charismatic. His physical appearance did not contribute much to his help to the rise to power. He was not a handsome devil who used his
looks. His powerful and passionate oratory skill was one of the most important factor that contributed to his rise to power. He was a master of speaking and the
master of persuasion.
Here hear it from Karl Ludecke, a Hitler Youth member during WWII.
‘He was holding the masses, and me with them, under an hypnotic spell by the sheer force of his beliefs. His words were like a whip. When he spoke of
the disgrace of Germany, I felt ready to attack any enemy.’
987 views
View Upvoters
5
Add Comment
The History of War

Follow
507.1K
Follow
31.3K
Kevinball comments
Follow
11
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Follow
1.7M
Follow
18K

Follow
7K
MBTI Lounge
A Sitting Room for the MBTI Types to Get Together. For Types, by the Types.
Follow
47.4K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K

Follow
515K
Germany and Germans
Follow
10.7K
MBTI Nerds
Let's talk personalities!
Follow
50.8K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Follow
590K
Follow
33.4K
No Filter Necessary
Follow
664.8K
MBTI Dating
A place to share advice, stories, and thoughts on dating with MBTI.
Follow
7.5K
Life Lessons
Follow
765.7K
Alpha Male
A place for people who know who they are, what they want, and how to get it.
Follow
179.3K
View More Spaces

Ludwig Nijholt
, studied at Leiden University
Hitler was definitely charismatic, but this mostly showed after his 1933 coup. His charisma got him nor the NSDAP anywhere until the Great Depression hit. In
fact, there is a very close correlation between unemployment numbers and the level of voter support for the Nazis in elections. The last free elections before hsi
coup showed a slight dropping off in voter support, so the Reichstag fire was a ‘gift from Heaven’, so to speak.
At any rate, propaganda minister Goebbels was well aware of Hitler’s rhetorical talents and was disappointed he wouldn’t speech any more after Operation
Barbarossa went sour.
803 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
What made Hitler so charismatic?
Can someone learn to be as charismatic as Hitler was? How?

Kelly La Rue
, Veteran, small business owner, Master Electrician
Updated July 29, 2018
Of course he was. Anyone who has seen "Triumph of the Will" understands that. It was absolutely essential for his rise to power. Triumph of the Will
Triumph of Will, full movie

1.4K views
View Upvoters
How did Adolf Hitler come to be the leader of Nazi Germany? How did he achieve the power? By what
means? What were the steps he took to achieve it?
Answer
Follow
·
1
Request
1
4 Answers
George Carver
, former Legal Intern (2019)
Originally Answered: How did Adolf Hitler came to be the leader of the Nazi? How did he achieve the power? By what means? What were the steps he took to achieve it?
Hitler was sent to spy on the DAP, the German Worker’s Party. He found himself agreeing with their ideas, and in 1919 he joined the party. In 1920, he and the
leader of the party drew up a programme of objectives for the DAP. In the same year, he changed the party name to the NSDAP, Nazi Party for short. In 1921,
Hitler became party leader.
This was because the DAP was going through an internal division; many members wanted to merge with another party. Furious, Hitler threatened to resign. The
rest of the party realised the Hitler’s resignation would mean the end of the party, as he was the leading public figure. His condition for staying was that he
became party leader. They accepted.
Hitler drew many people to his cause, and after a failed attempt at violently taking power in the Munich Putsch, he reorganised the Nazi Party with the objective
of taking power through legitimate means. However, despite this, Hitler and the Nazis were still unsuccesful in the elections of March 1928, only gaining 2.6% of
votes. This was due to the moderate parties that voters supported at that time.
Then came the Wall Street Crash.
The slowly recovering economy of Germany collapsed, meaning workers became unemployed, the middle classes lost their savings and their property, and
Germans became angry at the Weimar government. The chancellor of Germany, Brüning, raised taxes in order to pay the cost of unemployment benefits. This
made the German people even angrier. This anger drove them to more extreme political parties.
The Germans saw him as a strong leader who would restore Germany to its former power and remove the humiliating terms of the the Treaty of Versailles. The
SA, formed in 1921, were Hitler’s personal army of thugs. They intimidated opposition and disrupted rallies.
In May 1932, Hitler was then offered a place in a coalition that replaced Brüning, as Von Schliecher, the controller of the coalition, thought he could rein in
Hitler’s radical ideology. The coalition was headed by Von Papen. The Nazis were now part of Germany’s government.
By July, the Nazis had become the largest party in the Reichstag. However, Hindenburg, the President, and Von Papen, refused to allow Hitler to become
Chancellor.
In November, Von Papen resigned and Von Schleicher finally took power. Von Schleicher’s Chancellorship was short-lived however, as he lost support after his
plans to become head of a military dictatorship leaked out. Von Papen told Hindenburg that he could use Hitler as a figurehead Chancellor, whilst they made the
actual decisions.
Hindenburg agreed, and made Hitler Chancellor. However, Hitler still had little power.
Then, the Reichstag building burnt down. A Communist, found inside, was blamed and executed. Hitler used the fire as a way to persuade Hindenburg to declare
a state of emergency. This state of emergency meant Hitler could pass emergency decrees.
This meant that Hitler was able to pass decrees that, in combination with the ruthless tactics of the SA, meant that Hitler was able to gain a two-thirds majority in
the Reichstag by March 1933. This meant that he could change the constitution of the Weimar Republic, and pass the Enabling Act;
The Enabling Act gave Hitler the powers to pass any law, without it getting through the Reichstag. This turned Germany into a dictatorship.
986 views
View Upvoters
18
1
1 comment from Larry Garrison
Tom Henderson
, Over 100 military history books on my shelf
Originally Answered: How did Adolf Hitler came to be the leader of Nazi Germany? How did he achieve the power? By what means? What were the steps he took to achieve it?
Hitler used the standard totalitarian playbook.
1. First, assume power by democratic means, winning an election by however small a margin you can. Check.
2. Next, sway the hearts and minds of the voters by giving away lots of things for free. Hitler began having the government pay for vacations for
the average German family — imagine that! Check.
3. Use nationalism to rally the people around you, and find a common bogeyman for the citizenry to hate. In Hitler’s case, this was was the Jews
and the untermenschen, the Slavs. Check.
4. Third, call for new elections when your popularity is at an all-time high and when you have whipped the populace into a frenzy with your
rhetoric. Win this election by an enormous margin. Check.
5. Fourth, now with a huge majority of the voting populace behind you, make veiled threats to the other prominent people in the government,
forcing some to resign, and trumping up unsubstantiated charges against others. Basically, you are consolidating power. Check.
6. Fifth, suspend the rule of law or at least issue an edict that all law is supserceded by the will of the “dear leader.” Check.
Now you’re ready to carry out your evil intentions.
Let’s not forget that this process takes a very charismatic politician to pull this off. Hitler might have been the personification of evil but he was a durned good
politician as well.
Note that this has been followed many times since Hitler. Saddam Hussein used it in Iraq and Hugo Chavez used it in Venezuela.
The formula also works if you come to power via military coup. That’s how Fidel Castro and Kim Il Sung used it.
218 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Follow
31.3K
The History of War

Follow
507.1K
Women for trump

We're supporting President Trump, to share thoughts, opinions
Follow
5
World War II
Follow
34.6K

Follow
18K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Follow
33.4K

Follow
7K

Follow
515K
A Clash In The East
Follow
15.6K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Germany and Germans

Follow
10.7K

Follow
2.4M
Lesbians!
A space specifically for Quora's Lesbian community.
Follow
16.6K
Das Dritte Reich
Follow
1.3K
View More Spaces
Reginal Smith
, CEO (2005-present)
He was a military spy sent to observe the meeting of what would later become The Nazi Party. He agreed with many of the Party viewpoints It turned out that he
was a very gifted orator. He began speaking at Nazi Party events. Soon he took over the Party.
The Nazi Party was much like the fringe groups in America. The big break was the depression, which hit Germany very hard. Suddenly, the Nazi party was very
popular. The Party had all the answers to German problems. While the party never gained more than 50 percent of the German vote, it was the largest party
during the 1930’s. As head of the largest political party it was only natural he would become head of state.
To get a better picture than I could give I recommend reading or listening via audio book:
Adolf Hitler John Toland
All Richard Evans excellent books:
The Coming of the Third Reich. The Third Reich in Power. The Third Reich at War
65 views
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
How would you describe Adolf Hitler? When was rise to power? Why did he rise to power? Who were the Nazis?
How much did Adolf Hitler's sharing of command with better qualified generals contribute to Germany's defeat?
Did Adolf Hitler do any good in Germany during his time as a leader?
Lim Giok Beng

, Banker
Originally Answered: How did Adolf Hitler came to be the leader of the Nazi?How did you he achieve the power? By what means? What were the steps he took to achieve it?
Mostly because he was such a loudmouth good talker who had the ability to sway the public sentiment by his ability to be popular and trusted through
campaigning his image.
Usually a person who could effectively use his mouth to self promote would be a megalomaniac. And that invites disaster.
How did Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini use propaganda to keep their power?
Answer
Follow
·
5
Request
3 Answers
Marek Dohojda
Propaganda was used in many ways.
I will focus on Hitler and Stalin. Not actually 100% certain of Mussolini.
Propaganda Machine in both Communists and NAZIs was essentially the same, which makes sense as these regimes had much in common and little in
difference.
They controlled ALL written medium all movies, all music, all theater, etc. (a least one that was legal)
Basically they controlled every single means of conveying message.
You could see picture of the leader everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Every building, on street corners, etc.. whenever you looked there was leader looking at
you.
The newspapers and newsreal would continually hit you with how great the leader and his party is. How their policies are making everything so much better.
Every victory is amplified, losses ignored. All you read and hear is how incredibly successful and compassionate they are.
Your radio is playing patriotic music, filled with patriotic programs that say same thing as above.
Movies about the greatest of the message, the depth of evil of the enemy. Take for instance the The Eternal Jew (1940 film) - Wikipedia which pushed the NAZI
agenda about how evil Jewish people are.
Or take Communist movies that were showing how corrupt The West is.
Books told stories about heroic acts of the party members, and ones that push Communist/Fascist ideology.
So pictures yourself in such a state. Everything you read, hear, watch is all targeted to push one agenda. Everything that comes from the west is blocked. What
you hear is how good the leader is, how brave your soldiers are and how victorious (even if loosing), how the economical system was resounding success, etc..
What would you think?
Now I can tell you how that feels because I was there. No matter how much you may think and KNOW that what you hear is wrong. You can’t tell or distinguish
from reality, because you don’t know what it is except in whisper of hush voices of those who are brave enough to whisper something else.
When you are in such a system it does sound good, and your enemy do sound evil.
3.3K views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Alberto Rebellato
, Student, loves history
Propaganda was surely Mussolini masterpiece.
He started with controlling the news: cinema and newspapers had to report what the government told them to report. The government did that with
the veline: pieces of paper with the “facts” to report written on them. Sometimes Mussolini personally wrote them.
Mussolini also created the image of himself as a great and brave leader: he could fly a plane, he could play the violin and, when he left his office, he let the lights
turned on, so everyone believed that he worked all the night.
He also took the credit for everything good that happened in Italy. During the harvest, he went in some farms to help the workers
The Italian students were educated to serve the fascist ideals, and receiced a paramilitary training. Their discipline was shown with military parades and
syncronized shows.
This is an Italian documentary. It's in Italian, but the footage give a good idea anyway.
3K views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
The History of War

Follow
507.1K
Follow
33.4K
Kevinball comments
Follow
11

Follow
515K
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
Anti-Capitalism
Follow
41.1K

Follow
18K
The Communist Party
Follow
1K
Follow
1.4K
Follow
31.3K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
History
Follow
20.1K
DPRK
Follow
1.6K
IMPERIUM ROMANUM
Follow
18.8K
RealPolitics
Follow
354.2K
Follow
1.7M
Classical Worlds
Follow
84.2K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
Socialism
For the elucidation of socialism and capitalism from a socialist perspective.
Follow
42.3K
The Russian Bear
Follow
12.3K

Follow
7K
Das Dritte Reich

Follow
1.3K
View More Spaces
Tremaine Ake
, studied at Rutherford College, Auckland
By dividing the people into groups and blaming minority groups for failings. Stalin employed the tactic of blame and dividing people. He blamed Nikolai Yezhov
for the Great Purge despite ordering him to carry it out. He redrew borders in the Caucas region to fan the hatred the different groups in the region had for each
other.
To what extent was Hitler's charisma the biggest factor which made Germans support Hitler?
Answer
Follow
·
5
Request
3 Answers
Sara Matthews
A bigger factor that accounts for Hitler's popularity was history. The great powers had been at intermittent war with each other for centuries. The roster of
countries involved in the 15th century 'War of the Austrian Succession' is almost the same list of countries that engaged each other in World War I their many
conflicts over the centuries not having resolved much.
But the late 19th century saw a great upswing in nationalism - an articulated belief that your country was superior to all other countries and that your way of life
was superior to other countries' way of life - and accompanied by the idea that your country was also entitled to something - more territory and more control
over territory as your way of life was so superior.
That idea is something commonly associated with Germany in the Second World War but it was a kind of thinking found in all the Great Powers of the latter 19th
century. The British then - not now - said "God is an Englishman" - it's just one example.
The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, fortunes were being made, and all the great powers were hungry for natural resources, new land and new markets.
England, France and Germany especially bumped heads many times on the African continent, fighting over turf there until they decided together who would get
what at a meeting called The Berlin Congress because they all agreed to meet in Berlin to divide up Africa peacefully.
What they found through through World War I - their greatest conflict so far - that had been brewing for centuries - was that in truth they were fairly well
matched and that war dragged on and with tremendous loss of life and no appreciable movements of troops. Nothing changed, same trenches, a new list of
deaths every day on both sides.
Until Britain with its truly superior navy blockaded Germany from the north and Germany made overtures for peace. Woodrow Wilson having promised the
American people that he would keep them out of the war promptly engineered a reason to join in the war on the side of Britain, our oldest friend.
With fresh troops and America's support, Germany surrendered and Britain and France blamed the entire war on Germany and demanded reparations. The
reparations together with the cost of the war destroyed the German economy. Some years after that, an oddly good speaker and organizer tells the German
people that the war was not just Germany's fault and that Germany can rise again.
Hitler was thought to be an oddly good speaker but that part of his message that said Germany can rise again would likely have been well-received from
anybody. Along with the message came jobs as Hitler built his war machine and German factories started turning out munitions, tanks and guns.
Hitler brought prosperity back to Germany - a very temporary prosperity - and he echoed the old nationalist message with horrific new twists to it - but history
as much as Hitler's odd gift for seemingly charismatic public speaking explains his popularity.
573 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Doug Hanchard
, Government and Enterprise Industry Adviser, lecturer, and instructor focused on Crisis and Disaster Managemen…
Almost none of his attraction was charisma. Hitler used fear and by far, it was the easiest method to convince the people that he had the solution to Germany's
problems. It was based on a doctrine that Germany must rebuild its power and regain control from the victors of World War I in order to escape economic ruin
that Hitler believed the Treaty of Versailles was inflicting on the country. One small example was the punitive reparations that totaled 132 Billion Marks.
Hitler believed it would devastate the nation and dilute what was left of Germany into pieces. Part of the treaty was also the returning of land to former nations
(and all of its overseas territories) and to create one - Poland after the redrawing of the borders throughout Europe. Hitler did not understand international
politics and conveyed that outsiders were about to control the nation - in particular, the Jews.
He conveyed through fear, that Germany was going to be lost. It is what enabled him to build his base of power. His authoritarian beliefs in how a government
should be structured for the peasants (because at the time, that's what the majority of Germans was left with after WW I), was the foundation which many
German's could logically relate too. They were financially broke. Germany's government officials were extensively pressured to comply with every Allied Power
condition set down in the Treaty.
Hindenberg even considered withdrawing from signing the Treaty and restarting the war in 1919. This was a time of upheaval throughout Germany and Hitler
used the consequences to convey his message that Germany was being abused. Hitler didn't need charisma, nationalist movements were sprouting up across
the country after the Treaty was signed. Industrial strikes were occurring across the Rhineland as inflation skyrocketed in order to pay for the repatriation.
Hitler was simply adding fuel with this speeches and ideas that were easily accepted. His speeches were filled with anger at the current government and Allied
powers.
By 1936 it was far too late to reverse course. Hitler and his lieutenants were firmly in control of not only the government but every major institution in the nation.
Why do you think Mussolini and Hitler got as much support as they did? In other words, what
circumstances led to their winning power?
Answer
Follow
·
3
Request
4 Answers
Alexei Moreau
, WW2 enthusiast, Stalinist
Answered May 19
They both were popular because they gave the citizens of their countries hope that their situation would get better. In Germany, a Reichsmark was worth so
little, it was exceedingly difficult to get something as simple as a loaf of bread. When Hitler swore to repair Germany, people were captivated by not only the way
he spoke, but the promise of a better future. He gained a strong following of all ages.
Mussolin's rise to power was similar, but there were a few differences. Mussolini was liked because he made a new ideal image of a man. Strong, assertive, a little
aggressive, but gentlemanly at the same time. He also promised to reunite the Roman empire, and those are two of the reasons Italians liked Mussolini. But once
Italy joined World War 2, the Italian army was low on recourses and lost a lot of battles. Because of this, Mussolini lost a good portion of his followers. He lost
even more when he tried joining the allies.
Hitler was able to keep his followers because he gave them something to blame their problems on instead of just giving them something to work for. Hitler
blamed the jews for all of Germany's problems and painted them as the worst of people. The German citizens believed him because he made it so easy to
believe, when in reality, jews are purely normal human beings with normal lives. He gave the German people hope that their lives would be better. For a
moment, they were. Their lives were quite good until the war destroyed them again.
81 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Rose Walker
Answered May 18
To put it simply, their countries were shit holes. I don’t mean to insult Germans and Italians. I just mean that right before Mussolini and Hitler each rose to power,
life was shit. So, when these guys showed up with their speeches, promising to fix everything, the people latched onto them. That’s an oversimplification, I admit.
They didn’t magically appear from nowhere. They slowly rose to positions where people would listen to them. Still, these guys just took advantage of the
environment.
75 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
The History of War

Follow
507.1K

Follow
515K
Kevinball comments
Follow
11
Follow
31.3K
Follow
33.4K
World War II
Follow
34.6K

Follow
2.4M
Your Health
Follow
1.3M

Follow
18K
Follow
1.7M
History Mystery
Follow
35.2K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
History
Follow
20.1K
Follow
1.4K
RealPolitics
Follow
354.2K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Anti-Capitalism
Follow
41.1K

Follow
7K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
No Filter Necessary
Follow
664.8K
Follow
590K
DPRK
Follow
1.6K
Weird Science
Follow
893.7K
The Communist Party

Follow
1K
Poet's Corner
Follow
145.2K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Follow
1.5M
War in history
Follow
1.4K
IMPERIUM ROMANUM
Follow
18.8K
You May Not Have Heard

Beyond the headlines: news you haven't heard.
Follow
362.4K
Artists club
Just a club about sharing your creativity
Follow
190.5K
Technological Ideas
Follow
1.3M
Das Dritte Reich

Follow
1.3K
Germany and Germans

Follow
10.7K
Socialism
Follow
42.3K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
Occasional Girl
For those with an urge to be feminine when the mood and opportunity coincide
Follow
159.5K
Classical Worlds
Follow
84.2K
Pictures
Share your favorite pictures!
Follow
382.1K
View More Spaces

George Doolittle
, M.A. World History & North Atlantic Treaty Organization, The George Washington University (1993)
Answered May 19
I can't speak of Mussolini but Hitler is a slam dunk as to why:
Hitler did not feel Germany was aggrieved at all but had let itself down in World War 1 (The Stab in the Back hypothesis) and indeed while not needing a 2nd
World War (France and Great Britain would offer up that as ultimately would Stalin's Soviet Russia) and thus should a World War 2 be offered up as Germany's
Fate that she would fight it better than any People had ever fought War in History which indeed in my opinion Hitler did make to be true.
The German Wehrmacht's defeat of France remains the most stunning act of arms ever done in the History of Warfare although it pales in comparison to what
George W. Bush did in 1991 against Iraq.
Why are Julius Caesar or Napoleon Bonaparte considered leaders and taken in good consideration while
Adolf Hitler is seen as a monster?
Answer
Follow
·
14
Request
1
9 Answers
Mohd Yousef
, LTE, VoLTE & 5G enthusiast
several reasons:
1- History is written by those who win. The exact results of Napoleon and Caesar wars were written from their side [or their fellows in later stages]. For example,
Napoleon's mission to Egypt resulted in enormous civilian casualties but history has no or little mention of them. In no way the person who ordered killing of
thousands in Nazi Germany is worse than the person who ordered to nuke Hiroshima & Nagasaki
2- It was not, as we would like to label ourselves now, a civilized war. The concepts of Human rights, people's choice & decency of well-being were still in alfa
stage. remember than the US fought Nazi Germany that treated Jews as 2nd [or no degree] citizens in the same period Blacks in the US were suffering from
systematic discrimination
3- Hollywood [Media in general] helped in labeling the already easily distinguished Hitler. Not everyday you'll find a person who has the same mustache style
[which was not even popular in the 30s]. It was part of his personal character that helped in making him a symbol of evil
4- He was really terrible: although others killed civilians (and still do) in the most horrendous methods, Hitler went beyond killing and attempted to establish an
ideology. Caesar had no plans [at least according to written history] for Roman supremacy. On the other hand, Hitler did everything he could: wrote a book,
enforced a policy and event invaded countries to achieve his understanding of how the world shall be ruled
3.3K views
View Upvoters
11
3
Add Comment
Tim O'Neill
·
November 25, 2014
"History is written by those who win."
A silly little trite truism that is despised by actual historians (because it's nonsense) and disproved by one of your own examples. Unless, of course, you're writing
from an alternative universe in which Napoleon won.
Upvote
·
1
Reply
Tom Gregg
·
November 10, 2014
Well, Napoleon wasn't a winner when all was said and done. And his career has by now been thoroughly hashed over by historians, so that you can find any
number of positive and negative interpretations of his military and political career.
I would add as a general comment that that old truism, "History is written by the winners," isn't really true at all. For instance, a great deal of the history of the
world wars has been written by Germans.
Upvote
Reply
Bernard Anathyne
·
March 5, 2019
Julius Caesar killed almost every Gaul of his time. A number estimated to be 4 million. That is extremely massive considering global population then. He tortured
and starved towns to death. And ordered his soldiers to rape, torture, do anything to break the spirit of the people he conquered. He was true evil and just as
horrible and terrible as Hitler
Upvote
Reply
Anonymous
Your thesis is straight out of the interesting book by the late military historian, Stolfi.
Sadly I don't know enough about Caesar (Stolfi's point was that he slaughtered a great number of Germanic barbarians in the process of pacifying them), but I
don't think one can view Napoleon with approbation given his work was the cultural and spiritual death of Europe. That doesn't change the fact that Napoleon
was undeniably a world historical figure who didn't do only bad.
Hitler was a disaster from whatever point of view one looks at it, and cannot be viewed with approbation from any of the ethical frameworks with which I am
familiar.
You are right that the strong emotion surrounding this man makes it hard to see things clearly, but it does not follow that he was not in the end a very bad man.
Whether he should not have company in that category with certain other dictators who killed even more people - that is an interesting question.
2.2K views
View Upvoters
3
1
1 comment from Bernard Anathyne
The History of War
Follow
507.1K
The History of Rome

A Space dedicated to the history of Rome, from Kingdom to Empire
Follow
20.6K
Blake for PRESIDENT

Promoting Blake Silvertongue to become YOUR president
Follow
48

Follow
515K
Classical Worlds
Follow
84.2K
History Mystery
Follow
35.2K
IMPERIUM ROMANUM
Follow
18.8K
History
Follow
20.1K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
Ancient History
Analyzing all things in Ancient Rome, Greece, and the Middle East
Follow
42.3K
House of Gurkani
A space dedicated to anything about the Gurkani. Including Timur and the Mughals
Follow
1.3K
Napoleon Bonaparte
Emperor of the French
Follow
331
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Archaeology Unearthed
The space for all your Archaeology needs, wants, desires and must haves.
Follow
56.4K
Indian History
Space dedicated to Indian History : from the ancient to the modern.
Follow
286.2K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
WarZone
Follow
33.8K

Follow
18K
Global World History
World History and focus on the facts which make the world what it is today.
Follow
40.4K
Follow
1.7M
View More Spaces
Sachin Pathy
, studies at Kew High School (2021)
The simple answer is that history is written by the winners, if the Nazis won WW2 we would be calling Truman, Churchill and the other ally leaders monsters. Also
Hittler wasn't a taction or a general like Napoleon and Ceaser, he was speaker and polatician. But Hittler, Napoleon and Ceaser did have a lot in common. For
example they all fought a different war then there opposition. In Ceaser case it was an organized army against a barbaric group of unorganized villagers, in
Napoleons case it was a well instructed army against a not so we'll instructed army and in Hittlers case it was a mechanised war with tanks and machineary
against men on horse back.
610 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Who was more successful altogether, Hitler or Napoleon?
France and Germany are also defeated countries. Why is Napoleon so famous in France, and Hitler’s reputation is so bad?
What would Napoleon have thought about Hitler if he were alive today?
John Dewar Gleissner

, History Buff for 40+ Years
Julius Caesar was a monster to the Gauls and to the Romans who wanted to return to the days of the Roman Republic. Napoleon was called a monster by the
Duke of Welllington and many others in Britain, Prussia, Russia, Germany generally, Austria, etc. Adolf Hitler was a monster to Jews, gypsies, Poles, Russians,
Yugoslav partisans, the Free French, the Greeks, etc., etc.
1.1K views
View Upvoters
7
4
4 comments from Ross Brannigan and more
Clarence Sherrick
, Metaphysician, Artist, Psychic
Given enough distance in time and a different moral and ethical understanding, conquerors such as Julius Ceasar and Napoleon can be seen with a certain
historical nostalgia and even potential charm. All depending on the point of view of any interpreter viewing their historical legacy.
In another 2-300 years (or even sooner), Adolph Hitler could be seen in an entirely revisionist light depending upon what political influences dominate world
political awareness. If, for instance, certain Moslem influences were to come into prevalence, Adolph Hitler could very likely be raised to the level of saint-hood.
2.3K views
View Upvoters
6
Add Comment
Josh
, studied at Peterborough Regional College
Updated December 3, 2014
Simply put, because Hitler was a terrible leader. There was another question on here which asked "why did Germany lose the war", the answer was almost
universally "Because of Hitler", every single stupid mistake that Germany made Hitler had a direct hand in. Then there's also the small matter of Hitler being
driven by racism and causing the murder of a substantial amount of people. While Caesar's rome was built upon slavery, the slaves were actually protected from
violence by law and they could even buy their way out of slavery.
4.8K views
View Upvoters
9
1
1 comment from Bernard Anathyne
Nick Watson
, Professional Human Person
Because Hitler was a Genocidal, antisemitic, monster, while Napoleon and Caesar were generally just great military and political leaders who forged new
identities for their nation and their world.
529 views
View Upvoters
13
4
4 comments from Grant Hartlage and more
Tom Gregg
, Master's degree in modern European history
While it's true that great men are seldom good men, not all great men are equally bad. In the careers of Caesar and Bonaparte one can point to pros and cons—
though perhaps the former are outnumbered by the latter. In the case of Hitler, you can't. He was, unambiguously and without qualification, an evil man who left
nothing behind him but heaps of corpses and smoking ruins.
2.3K views
View Upvoters
5
Add Comment
Christopher Awuku
, lived in The United Kingdom
good question. I tink it's intentions.
Caesar and Napoleon did bad things. But then neither were intent per se on genocide. Caesar killed many in Gaul to assert Rome's power and subdue his new
subjects. Caesar never had a grand plan to exterminate "undesirables"or those he deemed less capable or inferior.
Public Speaking: How do I become a great orator like Adolf Hitler?

Answer
Follow
·
14
Request
2
3 Answers
Vijayraj Kamat
, TEDx Speaker | Author of "Public Speaking Boot Camp"
Please don’t!
What if Adolf Hitler had asked “How do I become a great orator like Winston Churchill?” You won’t believe it - but this is the very example(even the same names)
I start my book with!
The secret of great oration(and communication) lies in the speaker’s authenticity. The aim is not to impress, but to communicate, to move.
 Imagine a great sportsman you admire, who is not a native English speaker. Would you still be interested to listen to him speak?
 Stephen Hawking spoke through a computer! And hundreds thronged for his public talks
People do not mind gaps in language, fluency. They are not attracted to the words, but to the speaker.
The magnetism of the orator does not come from his clever imitations of great speakers, but from his excitement to share his message. Strong body language,
varying tone etc naturally follows.
The excitement might come from very good preparation to create the ‘content’, the enthusiasm to share his learnings with the audience, to help them learn. This
forms the greatest part of the impact.
Some of it also comes from the delivery method. Choosing simple but good techniques of explanation helps improve audience understanding and engagement.
If you do the above, you have 90% of it done. Style, flair, flamboyance, good dressing also help - but not without the critical 90%!
Prepare the content enough to be genuinely excited to share. Use a few good techniques for the sharing. You should be covered for the rest of your life unless
you are aiming to run for President.
I cover how to deal with stage fear, prepare great content, communicate the message and much more in my concise Kindle book Amazon.com: PUBLIC
SPEAKING BOOT CAMP: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DELIVERING TALKS WITH SUBSTANCE, CLARITY & CONFIDENCE eBook: VIJAYRAJ KAMAT: Kindle Store
4.4K views
View Upvoters
Benjamin Solomon
15
Add Comment
Lynn M. Teatro
, Competitive speaker with Toastmasters. Given speeches and workshops in Canada.
Originally Answered: How do I become a great orator like Adolf Hitler?
There are videos of his speeches. Watch and analyse them. What kind of structure did he use? What kind of body language? What tools of speech did he
employ? Also, look at facial expressions, gestures, the use of pauses, repetition.
Look at other renowned speakers. Compare what they do using similar criteria. Sometimes it's easier to see something when it is examined against something
completly different, like noticing the grace of a greyhound in contrast to the frenetic yet similar speed of a jackrabbit.
Finally, examine your own strengths and skills as a speaker. Video yourself so you can critique your own performance to see how it compares to your model.
You have set yourself a challenge! Have fun!

2.9K views
View Upvoters
6
3
Add Comment
Matan Shelomi
·
October 26, 2014
I would strongly recommend you also read/watch Winston Churchill's speeches. Not only did the man have a way with words, but it would be interesting to
compare the tactics of two orators who happened to also be mortal enemies.
Upvote
·
1
Reply
Lynn M. Teatro
·
October 26, 2014
Excellent idea! I wish I had time to do that right now.
Upvote
Reply
Powerpoint
Tips, tricks and hacks for your favorite EDUCATIONAL presentation software
Follow
9.7K
Grow Leadership
Leadership is necessary for a successful entrepreneurship. Let’s share here.
Follow
1.9K
Mental Cyclone
Bringing the best and trusted knowledge to you
Follow
2
Doing English with Julian

Master English FAST with Dr Julian Northbrook, founder of doingenglish.com
Follow
1.5K
Words to inspire
Words to rekindle hope and inspire you perpetually.
Follow
72
Routines & Habit Hacking

Morning Routines | Life-changing Habits | Evening Rituals | Habit tracking
Follow
2.4K
Study of English language

Follow
3.9K
Can Speak English

Speak English
Follow
9.3K
Subscribers +1
Provide YouTube Subscribers....Join....Subscribe......Then check count......
Follow
8.6K
Limitless learning
Learn how to learn and become limitless
Follow
59.9K
Vocabulary
Exploring the language, learning new words and improving vocabulary
Follow
66.4K
Agile Project Management

Learn to blend Agile and traditional plan-driven project management.
Follow
15K
Stuff to Talk
A place where every topic can be discussed #stufftotalk 👌
Follow
17.3K
ProTrump
Discussing Donald Trump, His presidency, And sharing memes about him.
Follow
12.2K
Advanced Minds
A place for people who want to advance their lives, think outside the box
Follow
106
Insiders English
About the stuff we say
Follow
23.2K
Growth Mindset Lab

A collection of ideas, tips, and techniques for developing a growth mindset.
Follow
36.3K
Technology Solution
A place to share technological knowledge
Follow
92.2K
ALL YOUR PHOTOS

SHARE YOUR PHOTOS ( that you have taken ) with your camara or cell phone.
Follow
178.3K
Startup 💡 Mindset
🌺 BusinessNews || GrowthCaseStudies || MarketingStrategy || GrowthHacks 🌺
Follow
2.2K
Verbal Gym
Get your conversational fitness up and running.
Follow
1.7K
Architecture Designing
Architecture design ideas
Follow
89.9K
People from around

Different faces from different countries. Come share your viewpoints and likes.
Follow
624
The History of War

Follow
507.1K
RESCUE AMERICA
Let us reclaim our country from Trump, McConnell and other Republican scumbags!
Follow
1.3K
Changed My Life
For moments that make you say, "Wow, that's a life-changer."
Follow
58.7K
Increase Productivity
Productivity is the driving force of a company or a person. We need to increase our Productivity, but don’t know how. Let’s discuss the strategy of productivity increase in this space.
Follow
1.3K
Sales & Personal Growth

Professional & Personal growth | Productivity tips & Motivation | Sales tactics
Follow
84.2K
War Moose
Follow
30.6K
Rent sell buy realty

Creating wealth by real estate investing.
Follow
2.1K
One Country At A Time

Travel The World With Me! Ask Me Any Questions
Follow
80.8K
StartUps and Downs

Let’s share our thoughts on Startups and its successes and failures.
Follow
2.2K
Amader Electronics
Knowledge is Power When it is Open for All. A open source platform to learn EEE
Follow
5.9K
SkillUp
Championing better education to facilitate improved learning all over the world
Follow
26K

Follow
134.1K
The Front Page

The most compelling news and stories from around Quora and across the Internet.
Follow
13.5K
Everything Republican
The dedicated Quora space for pure Republicanism
Follow
21.7K
Politics Insider
Follow
130.6K
English for Students
Ask us anything about English. We'll do our best to answer you in detail.
Follow
77.8K
Presidential Facts!
Anything related to POTUS (Presidents of the United States!)
Follow
5.7K
View More Spaces
Anilkumar Panda
, Will update, as I find more .
Originally Answered: How do I become a great orator like Adolf Hitler?
I will assume, you just want to be good orator like Hitler, not aquire his other bad qualities.
So to start,
1)Learn :
a)Attend these MOOCs Coursera or Talk the Talk: How to Give a Great Presentation — The Open University — FutureLearn.
b) Watch TED Talks
2) Practice.
This is where most people fail. Public speaking is not only what you say, but how.
3) Get feedback
Being a effortless public speaker, takes years of practice, so start right away.Cheers !!
Who is the best orator: Hitler, Stalin, Churchill or Gandhi?

Answer
Follow
·
76
Request
1
31 Answers
Stephen Lee
, Historian, martial artist, asset management
Originally Answered: Who was a better orator, Churchill or Hitler?
Thanks for the A2A.
This is actually a really interesting question. Both were inspirational characters in the highlight of their careers, but for completely different reasons, and to some
extent their oratory played a significant role in their ability to inspire. The primary difference, of course, is that one inspired his nation to aggression and war, the
other to resistance and perseverance.
All of the posts on this question so far have very valuable observations, and I think that Eamon O'Kelly has the most elegant synopsis.
Hitler's oratory was singleminded, with the goal of scapegoating innocents for what he perceived, and which was widely accepted by many of his countrymen, to
be the roots of Germany's problems in the years following World War I. His delivery, theatrical as it was, was almost more important than what he had to say. He
knew how to work a crowd, how to develop a theme and to hammer it home, using physical gestures and modulating his speech to work his audience up or to
hold them in thrall as he built to his crescendo. There is no doubt that, without Hitler's ability to inspire through his oratory technique, even in the pursuit of evil,
he would not have been a successful leader of what started as an extremely militant and marginalized party.
Churchill's oratory was more versatile. Grounded in a literary tradition and his substantial abilities as a writer, Churchill could be extremely persuasive to a very
wide audience on a broad spectrum of topics, especially those that could be swayed by appeals to intellect. He was renown for the memorable phrase, the
discreet reference, the flowery rhetoric, which he worked and reworked over time to perfection. But his delivery was static, delivered in a steady monotone. Hitler
of course, was flamboyant, speaking with the intention of working his audience into a frenzy, if possible.
Churchill, by the nature of his speech, was about reason. Hitler was about visceral emotion.
In the end I vote for Churchill, for the simple reason that a great speaker who is inspiring his nation to evil can't really be "great", in that you can't fight a good
fight for a bad cause. Hitler's skills were formidable, but what he was selling was deplorable. Churchill had his repugnant moments, but in the end he appealed to
the best spirits of the British people, not their worst instincts.
3.1K views
View Upvoters
Ifti Khan
8
5
Shrinivas S
, No man, No trouble.
Hitler, Stalin, Churchill and Gandhi; these 4 men dominated the post WW1 20th century till well after the end of WW2 and their long shadows linger on till date.
Let us see each one and their backgrounds into oratory-
1. Gandhi- Gandhi was a persuasive person but more in private and by deeds and actions, by setting an example than by sheer power of oratory.
He was the only one somewhat close to Morality from the list we have. There are lot of things i disagree with him, but his personal moral
standards (though somewhat weird) were strong. Gandhi was certainly a weak orator, though not the worst of the 4.
2. Stalin- Stalin is certainly the worst speaker of the lot. He owed nothing to oratory and everything to organisation. Hitler once called Stalin a “Clerk” (though
the best clerk in the world) and Stalin remained a humble person in public life till he captured power (rather pretended to be a Humble Uriah Heep). Stalin was a
Georgian and spoke Russian with an accent and thus was nearly useless as an orator.
3. Churchill- Churchill was educated in the top English public schools and had good command on the English language, he was a leader due to powers of
persuasion and good speech, certainly way above Stalin and Gandhi but not nearly the best.
4. Adolf Hitler- If there was one leader who rose to power solely through persuasion and speech, it was Adolf Hitler. He rose from the gutters of Vienna where he
was declared a failed artist and spent years in deep poverty, followed by enlisting in the Bavarian Army (which was part of the German army) during WW1 and
fighting on the Western front. He spoke in Munich Beer halls and honed his skills and his powers of persuasion and ability to influence masses through sheer
willpower and speech alone is nearly unparalleled in the history of mankind. he is the greatest speaker ever known for sure.
Summary- The vote is Hitler >> Churchill >> Gandhi >> Stalin.
However, in real world effectiveness as a leader; Stalin >> Churchill >> Gandhi >> Hitler.
3.1K views
View Upvoters
29
Add Comment
The History of War

Follow
507.1K
Powerpoint
Follow
9.7K
Painted toenail male
For men who paint their toenails to discuss and share.
Follow
13
Follow
33.4K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
The Communist Party

Follow
1K
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Follow
1.4K

Follow
515K
A Clash In The East
Follow
15.6K

Follow
18K
RealPolitics
Follow
354.2K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
The Russian Bear

Follow
12.3K
Follow
1.7M
Anti-Capitalism
Follow
41.1K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
Socialism
Follow
42.3K
Words to inspire
Follow
72
History
Follow
20.1K
The History of Rome

A Space dedicated to the history of Rome, from Kingdom to Empire
Follow
20.6K
Liberty at Large
Sharing great explanations and illustrations of libertarianism.
Follow
42.5K
DPRK
Follow
1.6K
Lesbians!
Follow
16.6K
ProTrump
Follow
12.2K
IMPERIUM ROMANUM
Follow
18.8K
Follow
31.3K
English for Students
Ask us anything about English. We'll do our best to answer you in detail.
Follow
77.8K
Poet's Corner
Follow
145.2K
View More Spaces
Palkesh Asawa
, An inquisitive reader
Oh, Hitler was a master with words. Many people believe that words was all that Hitler used to brainwash an entire country into killing millions of innocent Jews.
Words, and the way Hitler presented them.
I particularly like how Marcus Zusak puts this into words in his book The Book Thief, by way of a story (spoilers ahead for the book in case you want to read it) -
There was once a strange, small man. He decided three important details about his life:
1. He would part his hair from the opposite side to everyone else.
2. He would make himself a small, strange mustache.
3. He would one day rule the world.
The young man wandered around for quite some time, thinking, planning, and figuring out exactly how to make the world his. Then one day, out of nowhere, it
struck him—the perfect plan. He’d seen a mother walking with her child. At one point, she admonished the small boy, until finally, he began to cry. Within a few
minutes, she spoke very softly to him, after which he was soothed and even smiled.
The young man rushed to the woman and embraced her. “Words!” He grinned.
“What?”
But there was no reply. He was already gone.
Yes, the Führer decided that he would rule the world with words. “I will never fire a gun,” he devised. “I will not have to.” Still, he was not rash. Let’s allow him at
least that much. He was not a stupid man at all. His first plan of attack was to plant the words in as many areas of his homeland as possible.
He planted them day and night, and cultivated them.
He watched them grow, until eventually, great forests of words had risen throughout Germany…. It was a nation of farmed thoughts.
While the words were growing, our young Führer also planted seeds to create symbols, and these, too, were well on their way to full bloom. Now the time had
come. The Führer was ready.
He invited his people toward his own glorious heart, beckoning them with his finest, ugliest words, handpicked from his forests. And the people came.
They were all placed on a conveyor belt and run through a rampant machine that gave them a lifetime in ten minutes. Words were fed into them. Time
disappeared and they now knew everything they needed to know.
They were hypnotized.
Next, they were fitted with their symbols, and everyone was happy.
Soon, the demand for the lovely ugly words and symbols increased to such a point that as the forests grew, many people were needed to maintain them. Some
were employed to climb the trees and throw the words down to those below. They were then fed directly into the remainder of the Führer’s people, not to
mention those who came back for more.
Source: The Book Thief
Think about it. Words was all it took for Hitler to literally hypnotise an entire nation into genocide. I haven’t seen anyone achieving it to such an extent.
Gandhi was not a great orator. He commanded respect mostly due to his actions and his ability of being with the masses and not away from them. Stalin and
Churchill were good though, but Hitler really pales them in my view.
Check out some of Hitler’s speeches with English subtitles.
2.5K views
View Upvoters
58
1
Add Comment
Jawed Ansari
·
June 7, 2017
That's true he moved an entire country to commit genocide just by the power of his words.
Upvote
·
1
Reply
Related Questions
More Answers Below
What made Hitler such a good public speaker? What techniques did he use to convince his audience? Was this a talent or a learned skill?
Was Adolf Hitler the greatest orator of all time?
Who are the best orators of the world?
Jeff Kay
, 20 Year Computer Tech, So Far
Originally Answered: Who is the best orator in history?
Abraham Lincoln, who was able to pull off a world class speech in only 260 words, and energized a nation tired of war.
Who can't recite at least the beginning line, 150 years after it was presented?
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that
all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a
great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that
nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled
here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly
advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to
that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this
nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the
earth."
1.8K views
View Upvoters
8
Add Comment
Aditi Sharan
, A mad genius who started the holocaust for personal vendetta
Originally Answered: who is the best orator: Hitler, Stalin, Churchill or Gandhi?
Thanks for A2A. :)
Since, I don't know much about Stalin's & Churchill's oratory skills I don't think I'm capable enough to write about them.
Gandhi & Hitler were both very different personalities & had different style of public speaking too.
Mahatama Gandhi showed us that you don’t have to be loud to be heard.
‘My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words.’
Mahatama Gandhi was a soft spoken person (speaker) but was not at all hesitant in expressing his thoughts on any particular issue. One can easily feel his
honesty, logic, spirituality & passion to inspire people through his speeches. He was a peacemaker, he fought for something he believed in without using any
sort of violence. Followers could relate to him, and this inspired them to give their best effort in order to make a difference. He taught us simplicity, sacrifice &
bravery.
Gandhiji was a man of Truth, so everything he DID or SAID, was based on absolute honesty.
He was history's most powerful man with the most powerful weapon:TRUTH.
Hitler had a motivational styling of speaking.
He had a strong, powerful & persuasive style of speaking which boosted the morale of people. He could actually use his words to twist and manipulate the
minds of people. He had the ability to express things so clearly, logically and directly that listeners were convinced tha is what they have always thought
themselves.
Hitler used a lot of hand gestures & facial expressions in order to communicate his ideas.He communicated with his audiences at an intensely emotional level.
I've read an article where it is mentioned that for Adolf Hitler, public speaking was so important that he would never trust anyone to write his speeches for him &
edit them up to five different times.
His words were so motivational that it fired up the indifferent and the doubting.
So, as an ORATOR,
Hitler> Gandhi.
PS. This is my personal opinion

1K views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Cass Dean
No contest. Only Churchill even had something that could justly be described as oratorical skills. Hitler did public demonstrations of his psychiatric problems
which struck a cord in the part of the German population that was overwhelmed by the succession of disasters that struck them during and after WW I. They
were a minority, but the largest parties before Hitler came along could not agree to unite against him.
After Hitler tried to bomb the UK into submission in a campaign never imagined before, in which the city of London took 40,000 civilian casualties and a million
destroyed buildings in six weeks, Churchill said this about the air force who had won the Battle of Britain:
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
Two of my family were pilots in that air war. It brought tears to my eyes when I first heard it.
It does now.
837 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Kshitij Sharma
, More than 15 yrs experience in Public Speaking
Thanks for A2A.
If you want to know my perception- for me all were unique in the way they delivered the message.
In the mentioned list i am biased in favour of Adolf Hitler as i share my birthday with him :-). My personal favourite is Subhas Chandra Bose.
I believe comparing legendary orators with a common yardstick is not possible. Their reasons were different, their messages were different and their skills of
representation were also different. What was common in all the orators - was the fact that they reached the hearts of the targeted audience.
I believe orators are never good better or best. It is the audience that categorizes the speakers. Oratory is like abstract art, the observer may take different
interpretation of the delivered message. So if a speech is good better best for one, it can also be bad for other. Such huge drift in opinions and perceptions
makes the comparison difficult without appropriate results.
So the speakers you mentioned are Legends- Legends cannot be compared but the list does not contain my favorite :-).
1K views
View Upvoters
4
1
1 comment from Ganesh Kumar
Kruno Rajkovic
, Sales Manager
Without a doubt from the ones mentioned here Hitler is by far the greatest orator, maybe one of the greatest that ever was. Stalin was awful at speeches, he
didn't woo the masses with his words, he had NKVD for that. Churchill had a few good speeches but generally not considered a great orator. Ghandi on the
other hand wasn't an orator at all, be was a proponent of passive resistance by which he could order 400 million people to stop and sit down in the particular
part of the day. But Hitler was a true genius when it came to speech, he knew when to speak softly and when to start yelling and emphasizing, he was a master
orator. He was feeling the masses that were listening to him and had a perfect sense of timing. Sure, some of that greatness was part of his personality and an
inborn trait but he also spent countless hours rehearsing in front of a mirror connecting speech with face expression and certain hand movement. To bad he
wasn't 5% of human being that he was an orator.
499 views
Add Comment
Divya Malika
, Crystallizing my Thoughts
Originally Answered: Was Mahatma Gandhi an outstanding orator?
Disclaimer: Purely based on the books that I had read.
Speech has become an integral part of every successful political soul.
Was he successful?
He was successful because he had a latent skill in communication that surfaced in South Africa where he had gone initially to set up practice as a lawyer.
Orator or Communicator?
He recognized that communication is the most effective tool to shape opinion and to mobilize his popular support. The practice of communication started by
him in South Africa gave him the clue to rally millions of his countrymen when he returned to India.
So yes, he is an outstanding communicator than what we all seek.
Yes or No?
Even the critics found very little to which they could object his oratory skills. But what troubling me in your question is "outstanding". Let me reproduce what I
read;
A community called ‘Vegetarian Society’ held a meeting at a restaurant in London. It was decided that Gandhi who was then a law student had to give a speech
on the benefits of vegetarianism. Gandhiji had prepared for it but when it was his turn to speak in public he simply got panicked. He could manage to speak only
a line from his speech and failed to speak further. His voice got shut and someone else from the community read out his speech further.
Can you imagine that this incident happened with the man of Gandhi’s caliber? Well, it did happen. But later he turned out to be a captivating speaker and
people heard him.
If you seek shaping/mobilizing the peoples struggle for independence and capturing the peoples attention, well the answer is YES. If you seek fluency
or vocal capabilities, the answer is NO.
Here is a link in support to this: The Speech of Mahatma Gandhi recorded in Kingsley Hall, London in 1931
Gandhi was always a soft speaker. But he was not at all hesitant in putting forth his thoughts on any particular issue. Audacious speech is his specialty.
Resources:
My Experiments with Truth
MKGandhi Mass Media
Gandhi's Public Speaking
Thanks for the A2A Nikhil D

4.5K views
View Upvoters
View Sharers
Nikhil Deshmukh
15
1
2
2 comments from Nikhil Deshmukh
Mustapha Macbeth Iliyasu

, Avid reader of History (2015-present)
A. Hitler is one of the Greatest orator on Earth, his unique pattern of speech is remarkable and Worthy Amazed, the speech is mainly of emotion, remember
human being are creation of habit we fall victims of emotion than reason, if Hitler's speech is successful it's based on it's power to stirred emotion and secondly
his body language are unpredictable, if human being fall for uncertainty I think Hitler's knows the psychology of men very well, I called Hitler A and Churchill B,
B. For Churchill is a Good orator mostly his speech are inspiring when it's been read than heard, his speeches are constructive and logical, unlike Hitler his speech
are usually given to the parlarment not the entire people.
A. Inspired both the interlect and non interlect, His speeches are influencial, although an influence either a positive or negative is not moral since it's view like
stealing of Free Will of a person.
A. Can influence his subjects to do his Biden based on manipulation
B. On the other Hand inspired only the interlect, the non interlect will never take it seriously if there's an option to go to, psychologically reason
186 views
Add Comment
Nancy Fitzgerald
Updated January 31, 2014
Queen Elizabeth ;My loving people
We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure
you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest
strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation
and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my
people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust.
I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn
that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will
take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.
I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you on a word of a prince, they shall be duly paid. In the mean
time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to
my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over these enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and
of my people.
2.5K views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Kirti Nemani
, Stuck in reverse.
Originally Answered: Who are some of the best orators in human history?
Let me drift towards the genre I know the best which is fiction.
I love Neil Gaiman's speeches. That man is awesome. His words never fail to inspire me be it from a book or a speech.
(Neil gaiman writes fantasy fiction and graphic novels)
I recently heard Brene Brown's TED talk and I liked it immensely. I think she is a powerful speaker.
And speaking about orators, how can I not mention Marc Antony? I don't know if the REAL, living Antony was an orator good enough to move the mobs but
Shakespeare's version of him, definitely is.
I could read Julius Caesar a thousand times and it still won't be enough.
123 views
View Upvoters
Souradip Sarkar
1
Add Comment
Aditya Karmarkar
, M.S. Computer Science & Information Science, University of Delaware (2018)
Originally Answered: Who was the better orator Churchill or Hitler?
Churchill is one of the best speaker in history, but then so does the Hitler.
I read this question and spent lot of time debating who was better, and I choose Adolf Hitler.
After reading his story and things he did, Hitler will leave strong impression on your mind. His thoughts were crystal clear so does his aim, and the way he
conveyed his thoughts so fluently to his fellow countrymen, that these men driven mad and made them join Hitler's cause. If one has power to make people
agree that “Evil is good”, then that person certainly can deliver “anything” eloquently!!!
On the other hand, I personally love Churchill too, but then question comes in mind if he was this good then why lost his position to Clement Attlee in 1945? I
guess this is the only factor that puts him half a step behind in the race!!!
So, Adolf Hitler ..
Note : I'm not supporting Adolf Hitler's cause/thoughts, but I do agree he was best at what he did, putting in Star wars terms he was true Sith lord Darth Sidious
373 views
View Upvoters
1
1
1 comment from Donald Puckridge
Dheeraj Kumar
, hitler.. a man misunderstood
Hitler and churchill both were known for their oratory skills…
Infact theirs oratory skills played the most significant role in making them the leaders of two opposite sides in WWll..
Gandhi was also a great orator but he got too many default supporters in the ongoing freedom movement..hitler and churchill have to generate a popular
movement from scratch through their oratory skills whereas gandhi gave a proper direction and speed to the ongoing movement through his creative ideas..
Stalin was not having that much public connection…
So, of the four hitler or churchill can be the best orator..it depends on which side you are on…
530 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Eamon O'Kelly
, Reads constantly
Churchill.
Hitler had an uncanny ability to appeal to the emotions -- but the emotions that he called up in his listeners were the negative ones such as fear, envy, anger,
and the thirst for vengeance.
Churchill wove speeches that mixed reason and emotion in equal part. He appealed to his audiences' better angels such as hope, courage, steadfastness, and
duty to towards one's fellow man.
Hitler's oratory was like a strong but sweetened liquor; it exhilarated those who imbibed it but left a sickening aftertaste. Churchill by contrast was a fine, dark
red wine.
NOTE: The question has been changed; it originally asked whether Churchill or Hitler was the better orator.
685 views
View Upvoters
Ifti Khan
2
Add Comment
Andrei Botu
, history enthusiast
thanks for A2A. Probably Hitler because his sensible anger was much more primal and effective for his followers. I have only seen fragments of both of them
giving speeches, and I doubt that will change. But based on what I have seen, Churchill was eloquent where Hitler was brutal. The impact varies with the
audience as well, since Hitler did look crazy during his speeches, but it worked very well on his audience. Now if you ask who was a more logic and intelligent
argumentative, then the answer would be Churchill. Hitler was more like a very angry cheerleader guiding his sheeple to extreme violence.
749 views
View Upvoters
Ifti Khan
1
Add Comment
Gabriel Lorquet
, Programmer, gamer, jack-of-all-trades
Fidel Castro is well known for his outstanding ability to give a speech with little or no notes. There are not much orators that could handle several hours longs
speeches like he did. His phenomenal intelligence, memory and his commitment to his cause (whether you agree or not is not relevant to his ability) put him on
top.
739 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Stefan Hill
, MS from Uppsala University
Standup: Hitler
Hitler seems to have been the better live performer. He adjusted his Message to the audience. He adapted after the audience response. He would have made a
good stand up commedian. (What he actually said does not sound as brilliant when taken out of context)
Scriptwriter: Churchill
Churchill did best when speaking from a script that he had written himselve. When taken out of context his statements sound brilliant and ingenious
379 views
View Upvoters
Ifti Khan
1
Add Comment
Ignacio Beltran
, Translator, Interpreter, Freelancer (2002-present)
I side with Gandhi.
Gandhi left us with quotes that changed history for millions of people in his time, and that have become classical because they still shed wisdom in our current
convoluted world that still apply.
Besides, it helped show what true civility is, not the arrogance of brutal power shown by the British crown. That is true mastery.
117 views
Add Comment
Sanjay Shanker
, I know a thing or two of history
Among all Hitler was best. The man moved whole nation because of its oratory skills. It was his oratory that made Germans (Possibly the most cultured nation)
believed about their racial supremacy. He literally hypnotized whole Germany with his speech's.
Even today listening to his speech gives me goose bumps.
Here is link. listen to it and decide yourself:
396 views
View Upvoters
2
3
3 comments from Bhaumik Nagevadiya and more
Dick Healy
Props to WC. His oratory was elevated and victorian in style but it had a most personal touch. He could make people feel that he spoke to them, individually.
They both could stir the enotions but AH was a mass orator. He could move or incite an audience to a frenzy of action. WC spoke to a wider range of human
emotion. He would address courage and resolve as eaisly as he could reflect on sorrow or grief. I would agree that he was one of the greatest men of the 20th
century.
217 views
Add Comment
Vladimir Abashkin
, Plato and Machiavelli had described the dictator's problem for me quite fine
Hitler. He raised from veteran footsoldier to Germany leader position through his talking skills. Churchill was born with silver spoon in mouth, being British
aristocrat destined to rule the world. He didn't need those skills that much.
408 views
View Upvoters
Ifti Khan
2
Add Comment
Surendra Kamble
Gandhiji was good orator bcs that time peplz were depressed due poverty & other things, so pplz like his speech and bcs of his external appearance ppls called
them Mahatma..apart nothing more..if we compare with current leaders who are very good speaker and they speak aggressive which is very much like today's
generation. so as per my views it just matter of time and situation.
211 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Bhaumik Nagevadiya
, M.E ( CAD/CAM ) from Gujarat Technological University (2019)
your question is important and interesting. According to my perception the Hitler and Churchill was orator. , when I heard the speech of Hitler first time , it feels
very compelling listening. Even I did not know German language. But his style to speak , his posture , expression was really great and deserve for great leader.
When Hitler spoke , the whole public was eager to speak him. Public satisfied with his discussion , speech.
350 views
Add Comment
John Gordon
, former Lecturer in German at University of East Anglia (1970-1998)
Thanks for the A2A.
It depends on what you mean by better.
Hitler was an extremely effective demagogue, at least when addressing sympathetic audiences. (As far as I know, there are no records of him addressing a
skeptical audience).
From a literary point of view Churchill's speeches towered above those of Hitler and were very effective.
Ifti Khan
Add Comment
Timothy Linnomme
, Intellectual Knockabout and a History Fan for Decades
Adolf Hitler possessed an abnormal force of will. You or I might be able to convince a small group of people to go along with us… but not several hundred
thousand people at one time. Jim Jones and Charles Manson might also have had this skill.
Churchill (while not having that force of will) spoke convincingly and sounded knowledgeable and was backed up by much education and reading. He was the
only world leader who called Stalin what he was and he rallied the Commons against the NAZI threat.
54 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Jeeta Mohanty
, Blogger
He must have been an orator of some standing or it would have been difficult to inspire people of such a diverse country to fight together non-violently against
a powerful foreign empire.
545 views
View Upvoters
2
1
1 comment from Jeeta Mohanty
Aksh At
, Hurling towards Madness
Originally Answered: Who are some of the best orators in human history?
Not necessarily in the same order.
Cicero, the ancient roman senator could be one. Then Hitler of course. Martin Luther King jr. Abraham Lincoln. Churchill. Nelson Mandela.
Closer to home(india), swami vivekananda, atal behari vajpayee, modi, Jai Prakash Narayan
are the ones I can think of.
530 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Himanshu Zaveri
, B.Sc. from Osmania University (1975)
Among the four Hitler was the best orator.
And Gandhiji was the worst orator but best leader for the mankind.
49 views
Dileep Kumar
, Trader
During Beer hall Putsch it is said that in Matter of minutes AH turned the crowd to his side as if it is flipping a coin.
AH uses the sentences that represent darker sides of Human that dig deep in to the souls.Seig heil .
61 views
Add Comment
Monica Tulock
, Procurer of Random Trivia
Mark Twain
What are the differences between Hitler and Napoleon?

Answer
Follow
·
30
Request
15 Answers
Anonymous
As a student of World History from India, I have studied both Napoleon and Hitler in detail.
Hitler belonged to the 20th Century where as Napoleon belonged to the 19th
century.
Napoleon was born in Corsica an island South East of France while Hitler was born in Braunau-am-Inn which was a town in Austria-Hungary on the border with
Germany.
Physically speaking, Hitler was taller than Napoleon:
Hitler 5'8" and Napoleon was around 5'6"
Napoleon at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) tall, was taller than the average Frenchman of his time.
Napoleon was often seen with his Imperial Guard, which contributed to the perception of him being short because the Imperial Guards were of above average
height.
Hitler's height was shorter than that of an average SS man enlisted in his bodyguard unit - The Leibstandarte-SS which was around 6.0".
Both came from middle-class backgrounds and attained the ranks of Corporal in their armies. Napoleon gained additional promotions while serving in the
French Army and gained power by launching a coup d'é·tat.
Hitler quit the German Army and joined politics after serving as an informer for the Army in postwar Germany for some time. He experienced first hand the
chaos of postwar Germany in 1918.
Hitler was in a pathetic state after the First World War, but his oratorical abilities and his uncanny knack of sizing up and exploiting the mood of the German
people after their defeat in World War I propelled him to power.
Both were very ambitious and imaginative when it came to acquiring personal power and both wanted to make their countrymen the masters of Europe.
Napoleon wanted to propagate the ideas of the French Revolution:
Liberty-Equality-Fraternity across Europe. He did have some imperial pretensions and on 2nd of December 1804, he crowned himself emperor of France.
Hitler was satisfied to be called "Fuhrer" (Leader) and the Supreme Commander of the German Armed Forces.
Hitler wanted to extend the German empire over the Slavic lands to the East and his world view which was very anti-democratic, anti-liberal and anti-communist,
had a hefty dose of racist-ultra-nationalism and anti-semitism thrown in the mix.
It is not surprising that this world-view came into direct conflict with English, French, American and Soviet (Russian) world-views at that time.
The Americans were never involved in a conflict against Napoleon... England, Prussia, Austria and Russia caused his defeat.
America was a very young country during Napoleon's rampage across Europe and America benefited greatly by Napoleon's sale of the vast Louisiana
territory in 1805.
America on the other hand was at war with Hitler's Germany and played a major role in winning the air-war over Europe and also the land war in
Western Europe after June 1944.
Hitler's armies were much more powerful and technologically superior to Napoleon's. Hitler had a powerful air-force - the Luftwaffe which provided close
tactical air support to his Panzer (Tank) divisions as they rolled across Northern Europe in a series of dramatic and swift military campaigns which resulted in the
conquest of vast areas of Europe and North Africa in a very short time.
Napoleon relied more on military genius and strategy to win his wars against the various powers of Europe.
France under Napoleon had a very modern army which used cannonade, cavalry charges and maneuver very effectively to win battles.
Napoleon invaded Spain but did not invade the Balkans which was then under the Turkish Ottoman Empire with whom he had an alliance.
He invaded Denmark and Norway, German speaking kingdoms, Austria-Hungary, Poland and Russia. He was allied with Italy like Hitler.
Germany was not a united country during the time of Napoleon and there were many German speaking kingdoms like Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria and Hesse.
Hitler did not invade Spain but invaded Poland, Denmark and Norway, Holland, Belgium, France, the Balkans (Yugoslavia and Greece) and Russia.
Some of Hitler's victories like his conquest of Austria and Czechoslovakia before the outbreak of World War II were bloodless victories.
Both Napoleon and Hitler conducted military campaigns in North Africa,
Napoleon was briefly successful in invading Egypt but was defeated by a coalition of Ottoman and British armies in Syria.
Hitler was able to overrun, Tunisia and Libya with his Italian allies but was stopped short of Cairo by British and CommonWealth forces.
Hitler waged war on land, air and also under the sea and had his expert agents infiltrating enemy territory before his unleashing military campaigns which were
very swift and brutal.
Napoleon did not have an air-force or submarines
Napoleon failed to subdue the English while waging an epic Naval Battle:
The Battle of Trafalgar.
Hitler failed to do so while waging an epic Aerial Battle:
The Battle of Britain.
Napoleon was never able to attack English cities directly whereas Hitler was able to do this using his formidable air-force in 1940 and rockets in the later stages
of World War II.
Hitler's Navy was stronger than Napoleon's Navy since he had many submarines at his disposal and he had quite a few battleships like the Bismarck, Gneisenau,
Scharnhorst and the Tirpitz which caused havoc in the Atlantic and the North Sea.
Hitler's surface Navy did not directly engage with the English Navy in any major Naval Battle after the British Navy caused the scuttling of the German
battleship the Graf-Spee off the coast of Uruguay during the Battle of the River Plate, but he used his formidable submarine forces which operated in the
Atlantic in a desperate attempt to choke England of the supplies she was receiving from America to prosecute the war.
The French Navy under Napoleon along with the Spanish Armada took on the English Navy in the battle of Trafalgar and lost.
The British Navy during WWII, did succeed in sinking many other German surface battleships like the Bismarck, Scharnhorst and Tirpitz in set piece engagements.
Napoleon's invasion of Russia assembled a record invasion force of 450,000 men for his time and his campaign in Russia was a one-dimensional
campaign which achieved its objective of taking Moscow and the city was burnt to the ground by the Russians following scorched earth tactics. The
campaign extracted a terrible cost on the Grande armee. He lost more than 75% of his army during the retreat from Russia during the Winter.
It lasted from 24 June – 14 December 1812
(A mere 5 months, 2 weeks and 6 days)
Hitler's invasion of Russia assembled a record force which has not been beaten till today.
For the campaign against the Soviet-Russia, codenamed - Operation Barbarossa which was launched on June 22, 1941 at 3:00am, the Germans allotted
almost 150 divisions containing a total of about three million men. Among those units were 19 Panzer divisions, the total invasion force had about 3,000 tanks,
7,000 artillery pieces, and 2,500 aircraft. It was in effect the largest and most powerful invasion force in human history. The German strength was further
increased by more than 30 divisions of Finnish and Romanian troops who joined them in this campaign.
Hitler's campaign in Russia was launched on a wider front along three axes and he succeeded in bringing a lot more Russian territory under his control
in the first 6 months of this campaign.
Although Hitler could not take Moscow, and the Germans suffered severe reverses after losing the Battle for Moscow, the German army did not
collapse - like the French Army - after the failure of the opening campaign.
The German Eastern front more or less stabilized in the Spring of 1942 and Hitler was able to launch another major offensive in Southern Russia which resulted
in further conquest of Russian territory in the Ukraine and the Donets Basin, in the Summer and Autumn of 1942. It was only after the mauling suffered by the
German Wehrmacht in late 1942-1943 at Stalingrad and the failure to win the Battle of Kursk in 1943 did the Germans lose the initiative in Russia.
The Russians lost a lot more men and material fighting Hitler and it took them three years to defeat him and push him out of Russia before they commenced
invading German occupied Poland and Germany itself. The German Wehrmacht suffered most of its casualties on the Eastern front and after June 1944 was in
headlong retreat in both France and on the Eastern front.
The German Red Cross in 2005 put the total combined German military and civilian war dead at 7,375,800 in World War II out of which 4 million lost their lives
fighting the Russians on the Eastern front.
The Russians lost 20+ million men (both civilian and military casualties fighting the Germans from 1941 to 1945.
The Russians had similarly marched on Paris after Napoleon's retreat from Russia.
The Battle of Paris was fought on March 30–31, 1814 between the Sixth Coalition—consisting of Russia, Austria, and Prussia—and the French Empire.
After a day of fighting in the suburbs of Paris, the French surrendered on March 31, 1814 ending the War of the Sixth Coalition and forcing Emperor Napoleon to
abdicate and go into exile to island of Elba. From here he made a comeback before being finally defeated in the battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Napoleon's war was a European war where as Hitler who had allied himself with both Italy and Japan waged a global war on land, air and sea.
Napoleon did not persecute or annihilate any minorities of Europe unlike Hitler who persecuted, exploited for slave-labor and mass-murdered millions of
Gypsies and Jews in conquered territories on an industrial scale since he considered them to be sub-humans and not worthy of living.
The Slavs in Eastern Europe also suffered horribly under Hitler's regime.
In the end, Napoleon was taken prisoner and suffered exile on St Helena till his death in 1821.
Hitler chose to end his life in the ruins of the besieged German capital Berlin in 1945.
France and Europe did not suffer the same level of devastation after Napoleon's defeat as Germany and Europe did after Hitler's defeat. The Germans lost a lot
of territory in their Eastern Wing - almost 70% of Prussia.
Germany was a battered and occupied land after the conclusion of World War II with 90% of its cities in ruins and her industrial capacity was shattered. Most of
Europe was also devastated after WWII, with cities like Warsaw, Rotterdam, London, Stalingrad, Belgrade and many others devastated by bombing.
The Germans had to start from scratch to rebuild their country after the war and were split between two countries - West Germany and East Germany for a long
time after the war.
Napoleon left the following Legacy:
 The Code Napoléon: When Napoleon became the leader of France, one of his top priorities was to reorganize the entire legal structure. By
the time he was done, France had a unified, progressive legal system, which Napoleon then gave to other parts of his empire. Today, the Code
Napoléon is the basis of law in France and a number of other countries, as well as in the state of Louisiana in the USA !
 Economic reforms: The terrible French economy was one of the key factors leading to the French Revolution. When Napoleon came to
power, he turned it around in only a year. Fair taxes, increased trade, the development of French luxury industries, a new commercial code, an
improved infrastructure, and a central bank to control monetary policy were keys to his success.
 Religious freedom: The Catholic Church had dominated French society, but the French Revolution tossed it out on its ear. Napoleon reached
an agreement with the Pope allowing the Church a major role in French society while providing religious freedom for all others. He also
abolished slavery and freed the serfs, and today he is seen as a progressive force in European history.
 Freedom for the Jews: The previous item might seem to encompass this accomplishment, but the awful discrimination against Jews makes
them a special case. In various parts of Europe, they had been forced to wear arm bands, kept from certain professions, made to live in
ghettos, and prevented from attending their synagogues. Napoleon put an end to all of those restrictions, made Jews full citizens of France,
and even wrote a proclamation that established the idea of a Jewish homeland in Israel.
 Education reforms: To create a middle-class cadre of leaders, Napoleon reorganized France's education system. He restarted the primary
schools, created a new elite secondary system of schools (called lycées), and established many other schools for the general populace. He
promoted education for girls and greatly improved teacher training. Literacy levels in France soared under Napoleon's reforms.
 European unity: Napoleon's empire, accompanied by his legal and other reforms, helped provide the basis for what is today the European
Union. He worked hard to create a unified Italy, Poland, and Germany. Napoleon was also responsible for sweeping away many of the old
regimes and promoting the ideals of equality and European solidarity. Sure, the old regimes still had some life in them when Napoleon left the
scene, but things were never really the same. For that reason, Napoleon is often considered the father of modern Europe - or EU.
Hitler's Legacy was all INDIRECT:
Hitler briefly opened the lid of the cauldron of hell and showed the whole world how a blind belief in Racism, Imperialism, Chauvinism, Ultra-Nationalism,
Eugenics and Anti-Semitism can turn men into monsters who can be coerced to launch aggressive wars on neighboring countries and commit murder on an
industrial scale against peoples they labelled as sub-human.
After the end of the Second World War which Hitler unleashed, many of the norms and ideas which were in vogue not only in Germany but also in the USA and
Western Europe before and during Hitler's time became associated with iniquity.
Imperialism faded from the world stage... and many countries of Africa and Asia got independence from their European and Japanese colonizers.
Racism also faded from Western Europe and America.
Socialism and Communism gained ground and the Cold War commenced with the emergence of two super power blocks represented by America and its
Western European allies and Soviet Russia and its Eastern European vassal states.
The Jews of Europe got their own country called Israel in the Middle East
The American Civil Rights movement dented institutionalized Racism in the USA and forced the US Government to grant the colored peoples of US the same
rights as white Americans.
Liberalism, Democracy and Feminism gained ground.
The concept of a European Union gained ground and became a reality after the fall of Communism.
In other areas:
Every nation began to build highways and expressways like the Germans had in the 1930s.
German advances in the field of combined-arms warfare changed the way wars are waged with tank and air-forces playing a major role in all wars waged after
the Second World-War
The world saw the acceleration of the Automobile Age and the dawn of the Jet age, the Atomic Age , the Computer age and the large scale manufacture of
plastics, fabrics and synthetic rubber and synthetic petrol which were manufactured by both the Germans and Americans during the war years to overcome
shortages.
Medicines developed during the war to combat infection saved the lives of many other peoples in peacetime after the war.
Nazi Germany's advances in Rocketry initiated the Space race between the two super-powers USSR and USA, when German engineers and theorists working on
Hitler's rockets were made to work for both countries.
This ultimately resulted in man exploring outer space and landing on the moon.
24.9K views
View Upvoters
54
2
2 comments from Evicka and more
Tanmay Jain
, Believer in firm counter-terrorism tactics to crush terrorism at its beginning
There is a huge difference between a murderous psychopath and a patriotic ambitious leader. Napoleon would always be seen in more sympathetic view in
history than Hitler and his cohorts. The differences are too important to compare these people in the same context.
1. Napoleon used state powers to emancipate people like jews and others from the tyranny while Hitler only used to achieve his failed objective
of exterminating Jews, homosexuals, Slavs, gypsies,etc in the form of final solution.
2. Hitler is a classic example of benefit of possessing good oratory skills while Napoleon is valued for his virtues like bravery, out of box
thinking,etc.
3. Napoleon came into prominence when the French revolution was facing an existential crisis while Hitler just played to the gallery during the
period of great depression in order to capture power in 1933 and his way of achieving power only served a black spot of democracy, which is
considered a good political system in many nations.
4. For all his reputation of subverting the fruits of french revolution into tyranny, Napoleon caused spreading of the values of the French
Revolution to other countries, especially in legal reform and the abolition of serfdom and created a merit-favoring, codified legal system
known as Napoleonic Code. While Hitler's best contribution to the world is just the concept of Autobahn(Popularized the thought of having
cars) and promotion of bans on smoking.
5. Napoleon was renowned for his efforts to end discrimination against Jews not only in France but also in his colonies through various laws. In
the case of Hitler, his vitriolic hatred for Jews ensured that the community would still suffered in Germany and Nazi-occupied territories even
in the absence of legally framed plans like "Final Solution".
6. Napoleon is still considered a hero in France due to his heroic role during the revolutionary wars where his brilliant tactics saved the French
revolution from the royal counter-attacks of Austria,Prussia and Britain who encouraged Louis XVI to fight back. In the case of Hitler, one could
easily get an idea about Hitler's image in his adopted nation where the successive governments have framed laws to complete the process
of Denazification and is heavily criticized by Germans for leading their nation towards shame, destruction and the partition of Germany for 45
years.
7. Napoleon is valued by many military people for his tactics and outstanding campaigns while Hitler serves as a case study of consequence of
not listening to your generals and applying heart in the matters to be deal with mind. (Even JL Nehru is similar to Hitler in this matter)
8. In the case of invasion of Russia, Napoleon scores over Hitler since he at least captures the famed Moscow and only the bitter Russian Winter
and scorched earth policy of Tsar Alexander made his campaign a failure. Hitler could not even capture Volgograd(Stalingrad during WWII)
which is akin to situation like one could not capture Panipat and dreams of conquering Delhi.
9. Napoleon's aims were progressive in nature while Hitler was just trying to enforce the conservative ideas of his era which makes him a hero in
many right-wing parties.
10. For the soldier's perspective, one could say only one quote:- "Napoleon spent his troop's lives, Hitler wasted his troop's lives."
11. Napoleon was at least brave enough to face punishment for his deeds in form of exiles in Elba and St. Helena while Hitler committed suicide
like a desperate coward to avoid retributions from Stalin's red army or face probable war trials in Nuremberg.
One could clearly see the aftermath of their legacies :
Clocked built in 1810 depicting Napoleon's marriage with Archduchess of Austria is still surviving in France.
In the case of Hitler's legacy:
A wagon piled high with corpses outside the crematorium in the liberated Buchenwald concentration camp (April 1945)
A swastika at the Nazi party rally grounds being demolished with explosives, as part of the denazification initiative.
References:
 Napoleonic Code
 Napoleon
 Napoleon and the Jews
 Denazification
 Adolf Hitler
 Consequences of Nazism
21.5K views
View Upvoters
43
5
5 comments from Lazar Momcilovic and more
The History of War

Follow
507.1K
Follow
515K
Blake for PRESIDENT

Follow
48

Follow
2.4M
History
Follow
20.1K
History Mystery
Follow
35.2K
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Follow
1.7M
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
Follow
18K
Poet's Corner
Follow
145.2K
Napoleon Bonaparte
Emperor of the French
Follow
331
IMPERIUM ROMANUM
Follow
18.8K
Technological Ideas
Follow
1.3M
RealPolitics
Follow
354.2K
Life Lessons
Follow
765.7K
Indian History
Space dedicated to Indian History : from the ancient to the modern.
Follow
286.2K
View More Spaces
Gerard Julien
, lived in France
ONE HUGE DIFFERENCE : the jews .

Napoleon was the only government leader that gave Jews equality when most other nations kept them in bondage. When strong opposition in France
manifested itself, Napoleon stood firm in his support of Jewish equality. When Napoleon came to power, he did not liberate the Jews for political reasons
because there were not much more than 40,000 in all of France, who were living in various provinces.
http://virtualjerusalem.com/news.php?Itemid=4509
In 1806, Napoleon emancipated Jews, (as well as Protestants in Catholic countries and Catholics in Protestant countries), from laws restricting them to ghettos,
expanding their rights to property, worship, and careers.
I will never accept any proposals that will obligate the Jewish people to leave France, because to me the Jews are the same as any other citizen in our country. It
takes weakness to chase them out of the country, but it takes strength to assimilate them.
Tsar Alexander of Russia protested violently against the liberation of the Jews and encouraged the Orthodox Church in Moscow to protest aggressively. Catholic
Austria and Protestant England also protested. In Prussia, the Lutheran Church was extremely hostile towards Napoleon's decision and reaction in Italy was also
not favorable but not as aggressive.
http://sociallearningcommunity.com/napoleon-hero-or-tyrant/
When Napoleon headed east, many Jews said they would support him against the Czar. The Czar was cruel and oppressive, and these Jews felt that they had no
future under him. They felt that his defeat at the hands of Napoleon would bring about equal rights and the chance for economic betterment for the Jews in
Eastern Europe. Napoleon’s march east had a great positive reaction among these Jews.
The French army brought with it Western ideals that would lead to assimilation. And even though Napoleon was defeated and sent reeling back to France, he
left a lasting legacy in Russia—a lasting legacy of ideals.
The greatest impact on Jewish life that the Napoleonic adventure accomplished in Eastern Europe would be the Haskalah (Jewish “Enlightenment”). It could not
have started and achieved the success and rapid breakthrough that it did in Eastern European Jewish life without him. It would not have found any fertile field
upon which its seeds could be planted.
https://www.jewishhistory.org/napoleon/
1.5K views
View Upvoters
4
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Who was more successful altogether, Hitler or Napoleon?
Why are Julius Caesar or Napoleon Bonaparte considered leaders and taken in good consideration while Adolf Hitler is seen as a monster?
France and Germany are also defeated countries. Why is Napoleon so famous in France, and Hitler’s reputation is so bad?
Anonymous
Answered September 28, 2016 · Upvoted by
Paul-Napoléon Calland
, PhD History, UVSQ - Université De Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (2015)
Napoleon came to power in a coup d’etat.
Hitler was democratically elected.
Napoleon made treaties and honored them and his enemies were the ones who first broke it and forced him to go to war.
Hitler extorted treaties and intimidated the French, English, Polish and Soviets to make the first move only to repeatedly violate them with extreme prejudice.
Napoleon built institutions that lasted, the Civil Code, the Grands Ecoles, Bridges, other institutions.
Hitler did not build any lasting institutions.
Napoleon was a workaholic, a micro-manager in military and civilian administration and a very hard working man, who never shirked his duties and indeed
seemed to enjoy it.
Hitler was a lazy slob who mostly listened and approved plans and ideas his underlings devised and liked the ones that sounded best regardless of whether it
was useful.
Napoleon was intelligent, well-read, promoted appointees on merit.
Hitler was incredibly unqualified for his job, promoted appointees on crony.
Napoleon played a major role in de-ghettoizing European Jews and giving them equal rights and promoting them to opportunities, and envisioned them as
subjects with a future in his despotic, yet benevolent vision of an United Imperial Europe.
Hitler played a major role in proscribing, persecuting, exterminating Jews, stealing their property, their happiness, their lives and hoping to build a Europe for
German supremacy.
Hope that helps.

6.3K views
View Upvoters
33
5
5 comments from Gustavo Villela and more
Scott Young
, Commissioning Specialist Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Updated August 1, 2015 · Upvoted by
Here are a few.
1. Napoleon actually had the military abilities to accomplish what he originally set out to do. He worked his way up the military hierarchy. Hitler
was a common foot soldier with no more skills than it took to operate a squad (he was a decorated corporal)
2. He recreated the French society (adopted - he was Corsican) into a society of laws that survived him and the Napoleonic Code is used in many
areas of the world including in parts of Canada and the USA. Hitler created laws to exterminate a race of people and his legacy is practically
banned in his adopted nation (Germany, he was Austrian).
3. Napoleon surrounded himself with soldiers and administrators who were ordered to tell him when he was wrong. He did not always listen but
he did not punish them. In the contrast, Hitler surrounded himself with sociopaths and yes men. He lost the Normandy landings because
everyone was too frightened of him for waking him up about reporting of Normandy invasion.
4. Napoleon spent his troop's lives, Hitler wasted his troop's lives.
5. Napoleon took responsibility for his mistakes. Hitler never made any mistakes - everyone else did.
12.3K views
View Upvoters
28
3
3 comments from Ganesh Sivaprasad (ഗണേഷ് ശിവപ്രസാദ് ) and more
Paul Claudiu Stoian

, Owner at Small Businesses
I would start my answer by stating that there is no pure evil, nor pure genius.
Evil
Hitler loved animals. He hated smoking and was a convinced vegetarian. He promoted a healthy lifestyle. But still he is my candidate for the role of pure evil. He
enherited a society that was finally getting to grips with democracy and enacted devisive laws, demonized segments of population and repressed/exterminated
them and ruled with dictatorial powers. Napoleon took over a decided society and molded it into a nation by giving them a set of laws that are the basis for
most of the today's constitutions despite the fact that he had in reality dictatorial powers. He is seen as the man who set in stone the principles of the revolution,
ending the terror and instability.
Genius
Hitler was a corporal in the ww1. Napoleon rose through the ranks on merits and brilliance. Hitler started a war through his political gambling and
miscalculation. Napoleon/France was the default enemy for the established monarchies of europe. One listened and trusted his generals/marshalls, the other
distrusted them greatly. One won battles repeatedly from the front, using his officers effectively, the other interfered constantly with military decisions and
blamed the others when things didn't go his way.
Both made a huge blunder by going into Russia.
These are just a few of the fundamental differences between the two men, but I think it's enough to demonstrate why one is celebrated and the other is hated
around the world.
7.7K views
View Upvoters
11
Add Comment
Kevin Obrien Chang
, Student of comparative biography
The differences are too many to measure. But their attitude to the Jews sums them up best.
Hitler. Murdered 6 million Jews in concentration camps.
Napoleon. Liberated the Jews.
“Napoleon was to become the overpowering force who would not only "go up against" French anti-Semitism, but "who from the very beginning promoted the
liberation of the Jews," Markham continued. "Throughout much of Europe in the 18th century, Jews had been forced to live in ghettos and even to wear yellow
armbands. In 1797, while in Ancona, Italy, Napoleon was made aware of this fact and was absolutely amazed. He quickly ordered that the armbands be removed
and that Jews be given the right to live wherever they wished. It was a policy that he would follow during all of his military campaigns throughout Europe. . .
Clearly, Napoleon saw discrimination against Jews as a direct affront to his firmly-held belief in equality, and he was determined to do something about it."
Napoleon scholar details Emancipation of European Jews

364 views
Add Comment
Germinal Van
, B.A. Political Science
Napoléon was a military man while Hitler was a politician. Hitler had the political genius while Napoleon had the military genius. Hitler was an excellent political
organizer while Napoleon was a great military organizer and a political animal. Napoleon clearly understood the concept of war and the military strategy in itself.
However, the arrogance of Hitler got the better of him. He overestimated his strength and underestimated these of his opponents. Plus hitler was fighting on
many fronts at the same time while Napoleon fought step by step. At the end of the day, they both lost the Russian campaign and the war for domination.
4.7K views
View Upvoters
6
Add Comment
Guillaume Combot
they were both selfish people craving for power dominance and social acceptation. They did not mind stepping on people and killing to achieve their goal. They
were both slave of their moral intuition. They both lack reason and ability to stand back from their emotion. What make them so special is not their “immaturity”
but the power they have been given. And trying to figure out who was better or worst just lack the same reason these guys were lacking and express the same
primitive bias that lead them to destroy the world (such as "ingroup - outgroup" or “manichaeism” way to think, and the rest of the “classical package”).
720 views
View Upvoters
1
1
1 comment from Joshua Wong
Amlan Kiron Banerjee
, works at Nyet
 Similarities-
1. Both belonged to middle class families and rose from the rank of corporal.
2. Both had huge military ambitions.
3. Both invaded Russia and failed to capture it.
 Dissimilarities-
1. Hitler had no military prowess unlike Napoleon. Napoleon was a master tactician while Hitler was an impatient megalomaniac.
2. Hitler was a genocidal psycho while Napoleon had only military ambitions and never intended to wipe out different ethnicities.
3. Napoleon survived a suicide attempt while Hitler didn’t.
1.8K views
View Upvoters
5
Add Comment

Answered September 22, 2014 · Upvoted by
Napoleon's aims were progressive, or at least more so than the governments he fought. Britain didn't give the vote to a majority of adult males until the 1880s,
for instance.
Hitler was trying to restore old right-wing values.

8.9K views
View Upvoters
19
4
4 comments from Philip Massey
Bitan Datta
, 'Vive L'empereur'
Updated February 7, 2017 · Upvoted by
Well, if you have to ask….
Among other things,
It took a single World War to depose Hitler.
It took seven World wars to finally get rid of Napoleon.
They didn’t call those World wars, because generally the rest of the world was fighting Napoleon, and……. losing.
So, they called it coalitions. Only when they had their first decisive victory, they called it Battle of Nations(fought at Leipzig, so should have been called Battle of
Leipzig).
How did Hitler use propaganda to rise to power?

1 Answer
Nick Martin
, lives in Germany
Answered April 2, 2018 · Author has 194 answers and 113.9K answer views
Firstly; Propaganda is defined as ideas that are spread (through various media) for the purpose of influencing opinion. Important for a politician yes?
Now, by establishing the Ministry of Propaganda as one of his first acts as chancellor, Hitler demonstrated his belief that controlling information was as
important as controlling the military and the economy. He appointed Josef Goebbels (another excellent public speaker, arguably just as/more antisemetic then
the Fuhrer himself, and particularly skilled with new modern media platforms radio and film) to direct this department. Goebbels’s strategy as Propaganda
Minister was guided by the maxim, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” He penetrated virtually every
sector of German society, from film, radio, posters, and rallies to school textbooks with Nazi propaganda about the dominance of the Aryan people and the
threat posed by the Jews. He meticulously designed every aspect of his propaganda for maximum effect, large type, red ink, and cryptic headers that
encouraged the reader to examine the fine print to determine the meaning. When he would give public speaches his entrance was timed for maximum
emotional effect, (usually slightly late). Mix that with Hitler instructing Nazi Party officials to hold rallies in the evening, warning, “Never try to convert a crowd to
your point of view in the morning sun. Instead the dim lights are useful—especially the evening when people are tired, their powers of resistance are low, and
their complete ‘emotional capitulation’ is easy to achieve.”. I think this shows the Nazis were somewhat “professional” Propergandists, they knew how to sway a
crowd.
Now you also need to look at the people of Germany and the situation they were in. They felt cheated after the first world war, out of work and lacked faith in
the government, so when the NSDAP came around saying things along he lines of “restoring German cultural values”, “pulling Germany out of the depression”,
“reversing the provision's of the treaty of Versailles” etc etc… well the mind will hear what it wants to hear in desperate times. Hitler and other Nazi
propagandists were highly successful in directing the population's anger and fear against the Jews; against the Marxists (Communists and Social Democrats); and
against those the Nazis held responsible.
But it wasn't all Jew hating ranting in the beginning, Hitler and other Nazi speakers carefully tailored their speeches to each audience. For example, when
speaking to businessmen, the Nazis downplayed antisemetism and instead emphasized anti-communism and the return of German colonies lost through the
Treaty of Versailles. When addressed to soldiers, veterans, or other nationalist interest groups, Nazi propaganda emphasized military buildup and return of other
territories lost after Versailles. Nazi speakers assured farmers in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein that a Nazi government would prop up falling
agricultural prices. Pensioners all over Germany were told that both the amounts and the buying power of their monthly checks would remain stable. Simply,
they would tell people what they wanted to hear and they worked from that.
I'm sure I've left a lot of important details out and maybe I've got a few few things wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me.
Who were the people that helped Hitler rise to power?

Answer
Follow
·
4
Request
11 Answers
Robin Michael Hurley

, I follow and think about the news.
I am reading John Toland ‘Adolf Hitler’. Amazon.co.uk: John Toland: 9780385037242: Books

I personally can only read the history and draw my own conclusions. I am not an academic historian, and I am not doing original research.
This book was published in 1976. I bought the hard back from Amazon UK for £2.14 plus postage, £4.95 in total.
Originally I was interested in the Kindle edition which was published 2014 and is available for £15.94 Initially, I thought I was getting a much more recent book
which would contain a review of the literature up to 2014.
This has happened to me before with Kindle. I have found myself reading a book that if the pages were all musty and water damaged, I probably would not have
read. It is a way of reviving old books.
This particular book is quite good in that it names the fellow travellers who helped Hitler. The best book I have read, by far, is by Sir Richard J Evans ‘The coming
of the Third Reich’.
How the Nazis Destroyed Democracy and Seized Power in Germany eBook: Richard J. Evans: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
We now think of Germany as an affluent, model society, which a lot of countries would do well to copy. He describes a country in which people used cereal
packets when travelling on the train instead of suitcases. Political chaos and real poverty!
There is a very real sense in which Hitler took power. He attempted to take power in the Beer Hall Putsch.
Beer Hall Putsch | Wikiwand
This was a very real attempt to take power. At the end of which, Hitler was captured by the police and sent to prison.
There was then a trial in which he was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
But it did not happen. He was out after one year.
It is not as if one person or group of persons, helped Hitler to power. He appealed to lots of different people for lots of different reasons.
When you ask: Who helped Hitler to power?
The sub-text is:
Who was responsible for Hitler coming to power?
Who made it possible?
It is fairly clear that the economic and political circumstances enabled Hitler to seize power.
But he did not just happen out of the blue. He spoke to the German people and the German people responded.
Does that mean that the German people were responsible for Hitler coming to power? Or the Bavarian people where he had his first ‘power base’?
If you compare Hitler with Trump, it is difficult to point out a single person who was instrumental in helping Trump to power.
You can point to people who helped, and people who hindered. You can point to economic factors. Some how, Trump managed to capture the ‘spirit of the
times’ and be elected on a wave of popular support.
335 views
Add Comment
Allen Jones
, lives in Montana, North Dakota
There’s quite a few entire books on this question as well as chapters in most books on the period, none are able to cover the whole topic and more keeps
coming to light. Ian Kershaw’s multi-volume biography of Hitler, Ron Rosenbaum’s “Explaining Hitler”, Max Weber’s “American Axis”, Adam Tooze “Wages of
Destruction”, Anthony Sutton’s “Wall Street & The Rise of Hitler”, another author’s “Who Financed Hitler”, the recent “1932” by David Piertruza along with
biographies of the key figures will tell you a lot and surprise you quite often (harder I know than Googling, Wikipedia, or asking someone for a short answer on
Quora but a much richer journey.)
You can also look up the key figures and groups in this (one of the reasons it’s so confusing is how they get left out of overly simplified accounts or their overlap
with each other gets them confused as allies in a single faction rather than competitors for power in the new regime.) “Ultima Thule Society”, “The Vril”, Madame
Blavatsky, Otto Von Bismarck, the German General Staff structure, German Navy mutinies, German Communists’ riots and takeovers of cities, “Treaty of
Versailles”, German war reparations, Weimar Republic, Hyperinflation, Dr. Karl Haushofer, General Eric Ludendorf, Hermann Goerring, Fritz Thyssen, Krupp,
Hjalmar Schacht, Fritz Todt, Henry Ford, King Edward V and Wallis Simpson, many American power brokers and investors, Benito Mussolini, Walter Funk, Ernst
Roehm and the Brown Shirts, Heinrich Himmler and the Black Shirts, and hundreds of others.
Hitler as an opportunist, a bluffing poker player, a psychopath, a hypnotist and performer, a puppet or front man, a crude impulsive man carefully polished into a
credible world leader from a street bum in 20 years, a man ahead of his time (vegetarian, exercise nut, non-smoker, teetotaler, cancer-obsessed, medical
research obsessed, heavy consumer of all forms of media while pushing television, radio, paperbacks, filmed speeches, etc., visually aware (so Hugo Boss designs
most of the uniforms while Hitler designs the Nazi flag & logo), living with his girlfriend, flying when possible instead of driving…unusual for the time and
common now.) He also destroyed the village he grew up in and scattered it’s surviving residents almost as soon as he came to power. Lots of mysteries and
convenient guesses passed off as certain truths like the British Professor of Medieval History sent to Soviet-occupied Berlin to determine if Hitler was dead.
946 views
View Upvoters
2
7
7 comments from Robin Michael Hurley
The History of War
Follow
507.1K
Follow
31.3K
Kevinball comments
Follow
11
World War II
Follow
34.6K

Follow
18K

Follow
515K

Follow
7K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K

Follow
2.4M
Germany and Germans

Follow
10.7K
Follow
1.7M
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
History
Follow
20.1K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Follow
33.4K
Poet's Corner
Follow
145.2K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
No Filter Necessary
Follow
664.8K
View More Spaces

Davide Mirabella
, lives in Switzerland
One guy that certainly played an important role was Paul von Hindenburg, president of the Weimarer republic at the time of Hitler’s rise to power.
At first he prevented Hitler’s ascent to power. Later, however, he appointed Hitler to the position of chancellor, and with it two more members of the Nazi party.
This all happened in January 1933, and from that time one Hitler had a foot in the door.
Another important player is Franz von Papen, who was Hitler’s predecessor in the chancellor position. For the Reichtstag elections in early 1933 he set up a
coalition of right wing parties, including the Nazis, because he hoped that way he could neutralize Hitler’s growing influence. The plan, as we all know now,
spectacularly backfired.
815 views
View Upvoters
2
3
3 comments from Paul Claudiu Stoian
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Who financed Hitler's rise to power?
How did Adolf Hitler come to be the leader of Nazi Germany? How did he achieve the power? By what means? What were the steps he took to achieve it?
Was Germany an antisemitic country before Hitler's rise to power?
Andreas Svensson
, studied Engineering & Video Game Development
Originally Answered: Who brought Hitler to power and why?
The Reichstag of the Weimar Republic ultimately brought Hitler to power following the Reichstag fire, which the NSDAP (the Nazi Party) blamed on communists.
Following the Reichstag Fire, the Reichtag passed the Reichstag Fire Decree, which was used by the Nazis to begin imprisoning their primary political opponents:
Socialists (including Communists, Anarchists, and Social Democrats).
In the two weeks following the Reichstag Fire Decree’s passing, 10000–20000 socialists were arrested.
About a month after the Reichstag Fire Decree was passed, the Enabling Act was passed, giving Hitler’s cabinet the power to pass laws without them going
through the Reichstag, effectively making him dictator.
The Enabling Act, like the Reichstag Fire Decree, was mainly pushed by the NSDAP by spreading fear of communists, and a supposed possible communist
uprising.
Effectively, the Icon of Evil (Hitler) was brought to power by the German government because they listened to a group of nationalists screaming about how
dangerous communists are.
147 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Ashish Deshpande
, Entrepreneur (2017-present)
Following people helped him in great sense to his rise of power some directly some indirectly:
1)Anton Drexler - Founder of German Worker's Party
2) Rudolf Hess
3)Joseph Goebbels
4)Hermann Gorring
5)Ernnst Rohm
6)Papen
7)Ernnst Putzi Hanfstaengl
8) Helen Hanfstaengl
There are many more but these people played major role.
155 views
View Upvoters
1
2
2 comments from Paul Claudiu Stoian
Orlando Barrios
, Cashier at Super-Duper Mart
The Great Depression.
It destroyed the recovery from the Great War managed under the Weimar Republic, and make the Austrian corporal and his black-clad buddies very attractive to
an impoverished population who was very afraid of the Reds.
Yes, the asshole with the funny mustache is Our Last Hope.[1]
::Who brought Hitler to power and why?::
Footnotes
[1] Great Depression
133 views
View Upvoters
Hersh Bortman
2
Add Comment
Jacqueline George
, Author of Fracking 101 A Beginner's Guide to Hydraulic Fracturing
A BIG factor was the number of ordinary people who supported him and his speeches, and ended up voting for him. Did they believe in everything he said?
Perhaps they said ‘we don’t take him literally but we do take him seriously’.
273 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Chris Goodwin
, Lived through WWII in London.
I think Stalin may have helped a bit. He certainly helped Hitler try out his panzer tactics by providing access to training grounds in the USSR. I think he was
playing a “long game.”
Hersh Bortman
Add Comment
Alberto Falcone
, works at The Gallifreyan Academy for Timelords
I would suggest that you read this
The Americans who funded Hitler, Nazis, German economic miracle, and World War II -- Sott.net
How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power
Bank of England helped in sale of looted Nazi gold - BBC News

307 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Ashley Park
, former Student at Yale Law School (2000-2008)
A lot of people.
A lot were/wanted to be powerful. Many were racist, etc. There’s many people and many reasons why Hitler rose to power. He also had support from citizens
too.
108 views
Add Comment
Sheldon Markland
, Teaching Assistant
The signers of the Treaty of Versailles.
Who financed Hitler's rise to power?

Answer
Follow
·
14
Request
1
3 Answers
Drew Stewart
, Avid Reader, WW2, Sports Enthusiast, and Star Wars Geek
A lot of European and American Companies, Industrialists and Bankers such as
Gustav Krupp - One of if not the biggest weapons manufacturer in Europe

Hugo Stinnes - German Industrialist and Politician
Fritz Thyssen - German Steel Magnate
Albert Vogler - German Industrialist and Munitions Manufacturer
Adolph Kirdorf - Head of the German Coal Owners Association
Kurt von Schroder - German Banker
Putzi Hanf-staengl - Friend and Protege of FDR
Paul and Max Warburg - American Bankers - Paul was chairman of Bank of Manhattan and NY Federal Reserve and Max was chairman of
I.G. Farben a major chemical company
Max Ilgner - American Banker
General Electric
Prescott Bush - George Bush's Grandfather
J.P. Morgan - American Banker and founder of Chase bank
Henri Deterding - Royal Dutch Shell
John Davison Rockefeller - Standard Oil
Deutsche Bank
Henry Ford - American Automotive Manufacturer
OPEL - German Auto Manufacturer
ALCOA - Aluminium Company of America
DOW Chemical
Bendix Aviation
SIEMENS
Charles Gates Dawes - Calvin Coolidge Vice President
DuPont
4K views
View Upvoters
Jean Paul Valdez
23
2
2 comments from Gabriel Olague and more
Patrick Slavenburg
, studied Theoretical Physics at Radboud University Nijmegen
Ford supported Hitler because they were getting government contracts for trucks in Hitler’s massive military buildup in return, later.
While Deterding was anti-bolsjewik there seems to be little/no evidence that he financed or supported Hitler.
There are 2 great books on Hitler’s financing:
Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler. Written by Sutton, working for Hoover institution (conservative think tank, so certainly not biased against Wall Street) Wall
Street and the Rise of Hitler: Antony C. Sutton: 9780945001539: Amazon.com: Books
Who financed Hitler, though this book focuses on the German financiers.
Who Financed Hitler: The Secret Funding of Hitler's Rise to Power, 1919-1933: James Pool: 9780671760830: Amazon.com: Books
2.5K views
View Upvoters
6
1
1 comment from David Ashton
Follow
31.3K
Germany and Germans

Follow
10.7K
Follow
9
A Clash In The East
Follow
15.6K
World War II
Follow
34.6K

Follow
18K
The History of War

Follow
507.2K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Das Dritte Reich

Follow
1.3K

Follow
7K
Follow
33.4K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Mad for Germany
Follow
2.2K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
Follow
1.1K

Follow
7.3K
Follow
1.4K
History
Follow
20.1K

Follow
24.1K
View More Spaces

Thomas Musselman
Mostly he made money after writing his book from royalties. We don’t have good records of where all his financial support came from besides that, but he could
be trotted out and on good behavior to mix in upperclass circles when he wanted support, so some names are known. Who Financed Adolf Hitler?
How did Hitler become as powerful as he did?

Answer
Follow
·
8
Request
1
6 Answers
Ruth Sharpe
, Mathematician, passionate about history.
How did Hitler become powerful?
This is probably on a “most asked question” list somewhere - and there are many different thoughts on this. It is a fascinating subject. He didn’t seem to have
had an unduly distressing child hood, was not born into poverty, nor was he born to a privileged wealthy family and used to getting his own way or
commanding servants to obey him. Early biographies suggest he was undisciplined and had little respect for his father who wouldn’t let him follow his dream to
be an artist and sent him to a more traditional school. Hitler later claimed that he did badly at the school so that he would fail, in order to spite his father. I
suspect this was part of his modus operandi for failing at anything - he never took responsibility for any of the mistakes he made.
There is also very little evidence to suggest his antisemitism was as committed as he claimed. The child Hitler’s family doctor, Eduard Bloch, was an Austrian Jew
who Hitler was fond of. Bloch had helped the family during Hitler’s mother’ s final illness, giving his time and expertise to do all he could to alleviate the lady’s
suffering (according to commentators). Hitler admired him, gave him his “everlasting gratitude” and arranged for his exclusion from persecution in 1937. He may
have come to power as an opportunist who had championed antisemitism for his own ends but his speeches and writing, damning the Jews are not supported
by personal experience but political convenience, in my judgement.
What are we left with? I rather fed up young man whose life is mediocre and where the lime light eludes him. He has artistic abilities but no one really wants
them. He is a bit of loner, struggles to make friends, and enjoys attention.
Then, he gets to be a real soldier in a real dangerous situation and he’s good at the job. His time as a messenger taking communications from head quarters to
the front in WWI gave him independence, autonomy and people who admired him for his dangerous work and these were people he didn’t have to be friends
with. I think this was the moment when he began to crave the respect he had received from his senior offices and the awe he got from fellow foot soldiers. He
also had some real war experiences in getting hurt and escaping potentially treacherous situations and his comrades began to look up to him admiring his
ability to be the sole survivor in a couple of attacks. This ‘ability’ was later used by Adolf to show he was ‘chosen’ and he would retell the stories of the near
misses and how he could forecast them - even though he was twice wounded.
Hitler is on the right in this picture which was taken during a lull in fighting on the Western front.
Speculating on this I would suggest that when Hitler was discharged (against his wishes) and faced a bleak future as an unemployed nobody and one that wasn’t
wanted any more, that he needed a solution that would give him the self esteem he had valued during his time on the front. He took German nationality at this
stage - his ‘patriotism’ did not extend to the country of his birth, (Austria) which the young Adolf clearly felt had let him down.
He liked the spotlight - we can deduce that from his speeches and his energy and purpose when he was delivering them. He joined the newly formed German
Workers Party (DAP) in 1919 when he got an appointment as an ‘intelligence agent’ checking up on what the party was doing. I suspect that this kind of
anonymity and being with soldiers (discharged and joining perhaps for comradeship) would to some extent replicate his war time experiences. The DAP
reformed as the National Socialist German Workers Party and Hitler became its leader in 1921,
At this time Germany was still reeling from both losing the war and being subject to the humiliating treaty of Versailles and a sense of despair and injustice
seemed to permeate the lives of the German people. Hitler clearly succumbed to these feelings at a personal level but with his involvement in political activism,
he found he was able to do something about it. What he did best was speeches: glorious, lengthy, emotional, partly incomprehensible, rousing, determined
diatribes that some how cut to the heart of the grievances of the nation and, detached from the crowds on a stage, he could manipulate the listeners emotions
and reactions and invigorate and reassure them.
This ability to infect people with an almost adulatory response became a bargaining chip when he threatened to leave the NSDAP when the party was talking
about amalgamating with the German National Socialist Party. He was made leader of the NSDAP in order to get him to stay. By this time Hitler was refining his
approach to speeches and focused on simple populist messages that reponded to the grievances of the German people and created scapegoats to target for
blame for the really terrible lives that the German people were living with unemployment, soaring inflation, and shortage of essential foodstuffs and comodities.
Here is a quote from a witness to his speeches:
“We erupted into a frenzy of nationalistic pride that bordered on hysteria. For minutes on end, we shouted at the top of our lungs, with tears streaming down
our faces: Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil! From that moment on, I belonged to Adolf Hitler body and soul” Heck A (2006).
The scapegoats were the Jews of course, the currant and past administrations and the Communists.
His rousing speeches enabled Hitler to demand full autonomy as party leader and his next goal was to acquire more official political power with a plan forming
for absolute dictatorship. He began to collect his acolytes who would support him without question (even though they didn’t always agree with him, in private).
3rd left Goebbels, Hitler, Rohm, Goering, 2nd right Himmler, Hess last
Shortly after becoming party leader, Hitler and his inner circle planned a Putsch to take over government but the plot failed and Hitler was arrested. He used his
trial as a platform for his political beliefs and gained more through this publicity then was acheived through violence. He presented himself as a patriotic citizen
who loved his country and claimed everything he did was to enable Germany to arise above the humiliation of the Versailles treaty and take control of its affairs
again. The trial judges supported him completely and, even though the indictment was for treason Hitler was given a five year sentence which was commuted to
around eight months in a ‘prison’ in Landsberg am Lech, with hotel like facilities and the privilege of visitors, his own office, and good food. Hitler spent his time
there making speeches to his fans and writing and honing his book Mein Kamph (My Struggle) which revealed the core beliefs that have since been ascribed to
him including the superiority of the German ‘race’, the denigration of all Jews as a plague and the idea that to make “Germany Great Again” required at the very
least the purging of non Germans and other “undesirables” and the quest for “Lieberstraum” or living space to nurture the German people who were the true
rules of the world.
Hitler’s power was based on
1. Personal characteristics and experiences that had shaped his beliefs - including a somewhat lonely childhood and a dominating father. Both conditions are
likely to have given him low self esteem.
2. Hitler’s war-time experiences gave him the respect which he craved and at the same time “leadership opportunities” where he could develop his modus
operandi and attract and sustain a following.
3. The beginnings (at least) of his popularity came from his speeches. He strengthened his ability to stir shared emotions that had the flavour, perhaps, of an
evangelical preacher.
4. The content of his speeches was simple and clear, capitalising on popular emotions and feelings, and maintaining a consistent and pursuasive style. He said
what the German people wanted to hear.
5. Hitler kept up the pressure with his speeches - now he was at the front of the News and he intended to stay there.
He held on to the power with
1. an unshakeable belief in his own leadership abilities which on occasions took on the guise of a new deity
2. His ability to manipulate his “disciples” through the employment of a variety of strategies particularly setting them up against each other to such an extent
that his followers craved his attention and fought amongst themselves for his recognition and appreciation. The people who did his ugly work might have found
him ridiculous or difficult or wrong, but they competed ruthlessly for his attention, the privilege of being his confident and the joy of putting one over on their
comrades.
3. Hitler’s unswerving ‘mission’ held everything together right up to his last moments in the bunker, when it was clear to him for the first time that he had lost
everything. He never blamed himself - it was always the fault of those that conspired against him. His final request was that his body was to be burned - which in
turn revealed the disquiet he felt about what might be done with his mortal remains.
He died with the stated belief that he was giving his life for Germany and all his sacrifices were for her. Everything else was the responsibility of his enemies.
2.5K views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Lucas White
, IMDEX.org Producer
Originally Answered: How did Hitler become powerful?
Hitler became powerful because he never gave up. He loved Germany and was dedicated to the idea of German nationalism. He was willing to give his life to
remedying the poverty and debauchery of Weimar Republic. He wanted to give the German people back their proud nation that had sunk into vice after World
War I. He was successful in doing that, but he kept pushing it to the point of seeking world domination and eventually lost. However, it is of course frequently
debated whether he wanted the global war that ensued from German military aggression.
590 views
View Upvoters
2
2
2 comments from Ruth Sharpe and more
The History of War
Follow
507.2K

Follow
515K
Women for trump

Follow
5
Follow
31.3K
Follow
33.4K
RealPolitics
Follow
354.3K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
World War II
Follow
34.6K
Poet's Corner
Follow
145.2K
Follow
1.7M
Technological Ideas
Follow
1.3M

Follow
2.4M
History Mystery
Follow
35.3K
Follow
1.5M
History
Follow
20.1K
Anti-Capitalism
Follow
41.1K
Express How You Feel

A place where you can share what's on your mind and your problems.
Follow
2M
Follow
18K
Artists club
Follow
190.5K
Weird Science
Follow
893.9K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
No Filter Necessary
Follow
664.8K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K

Follow
362.4K
Follow
1.4K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K

Follow
7K
War in history
Follow
1.4K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K

Follow
80.8K
View More Spaces
David Ellsworth
, studied at Doctor of Philosophy Degrees
In the midst of an incalcuble inflation, Hitler found the ideal time to create a political force. People having money to buy bread would arrive at the bakery to find
the price had gone up during the time since they had left home! People were burning Marks for heat because it was cheaper than wood or coal. Any voice
promising economic salvation would have been warmly received. Once he had started to heal the fiancial crisis of the nation, it was then easy to put the blame
for the nations' problems on the Communists and Jews. Closing the Jew's businesses and emptying their bank accounts, there was even more money for projects
like the construction of the Autobahn.
Hitler came at the ideal moment and exploited it cleverly. He then surrounded himself with others who actually did more to form the Nazi Party as it later
became than did Hitler himself. In reality, he wanted to be remembered as a painter, not a politician.
1K views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
How do I become Hitler?
Did Adolf Hitler intentionally seek absolute power, or did it just find him?

He offered a blend of Nationalism and Socialism at a time when Capitalism had created a disaster and could not fix it. One German worker in four was out of
work.
Voters had turned to either the Communists or the Nazis. The ruling centre-right turned to Hitler and the Nazis, who had become the largest single party.
Hitler did fix the economic crisis, using government spending, which anyone could have used but most parties rejected from a misplaced belief in market forces.
He also reversed some of the unfair impositions of the Versailles Treaty without a war, up to the Munich Agreement of 1938. He was given an easy run by people
who hoped he would just wage war on Communism and not also attack the West. A major case of Blowback.
2.6K views
View Upvoters
8
1
1 comment from Chris Jeffords
Eric Carter
, Physicians Assistant at Vancouver General Hospital (1994-present)
After ww1, Germany was in ruins. On top of this, the allies forced the people to pay compensation in the treaty of Versailles. Huge compensations. This angered
the Germans because they had already lost enough, and now they had to pay huge amounts of money? All hitler did was come along, and tell them that they
were justified in their hatred. He used their anger to come to power, manipulated them into giving him all power. He just took advantage of feelings that were
there. He also gave them a scapegoat, in the form of the Jews.
All this bears remarkable similarities to one American president in particular, I bet you can guess who that is.
713 views
View Upvoters
1
1
1 comment from Daniel O'Brien
Faizal Navroz
, Software engineer
his true patriotism and love for his country people made him one of the most powerful persons.He wanted to uplift his nation in the world arena,for which he
worked hard and ultimately that was the initial motivation for him to become that much powerful.
What kind of persuasion techniques did Adolf Hitler use in his speeches in order to persuade millions of
people?
Answer
Follow
·
3
Request
4 Answers
Stefan Pociask
, former Army, 1st Generation American, Son of War Refugees
Originally Answered: What kind of persuasion techniques Adolf Hitler used in his speeches in order to persuade millions of people?
 He got them fired up about Nationalism.
 He used a lot of hand gestures with both hands.
 He contorted his face while exhibiting his passion.
 He had never held elected political office before running for the highest office, and used that to his advantage.
 He didn’t campaign on specific policies, but only used slogans at his speeches, instead.
 He promised a new vision of leadership and portrayed the existing political systems as fundamentally corrupt, incompetent, and unable to
generate decisive action in the face of pressing problems.
 He convinced them that Hindenburg, the previous leader, beloved by many, was corrupt.
 He convinced them that the “insiders” that had been leading the government needed to be replaced with outsiders like him.
 He convinced them that those that came before him and those who opposed his ideas should be locked up.
 He didn’t use the building that was the previous seat of government.
 He fully exploited their primal emotions of Pride, Fear and Anger.
 He guaranteed the integrity of the Catholic Church and agreed that it should have its rights and privileges protected, although he wasn’t a
believer, himself.
 He used racism and bigotry to fire up the crowds and unite them against those who were different… different religion, different nationality,
different race, etc.
 He made them fear those who were different, that they would destroy Germany.
 He promised to rid the entire country of those who were different in one fell swoop.
 He encouraged the violence in them, and to let out their frustrations.
 He told them what they wanted to hear and made impossible promises, all based on sheer emotion and anger.
 He convinced them he was so strong that only he alone could fix Germany.
 He was extremely arrogant and didn’t hide it, which people took for confidence & competence.
 He used propaganda of lies, and his own media, to put out false information that scared them.
 His propaganda ministers were highly skilled in manipulating the people and the message, to make it sound good.
 He made sure that anyone who showed disagreement should be mobbed and shamed by the crowd or taken away by his goons.
 He appealed to the downtrodden, promising to get them out of financial ruin that he said was the result of the previous leader and the last
war.
 He promised jobs and prosperity for all.
 He took on the intellectuals and turned the common man against them.
 He mocked the German heroes of previous wars, convincing the crowds that those heroes were not winners, and the brainwashed people
supported him.
 He openly mocked the crippled and disabled or anyone who was weak, and the brainwashed people supported him.
 He promised that other countries would no longer take advantage of Germany, and he would do something about it by being stronger.
 He antagonized other countries and wasn’t afraid of the consequences.
 He made them fear and hate the left Socialists and moved Germany to the far right.
 He convinced them that for the sake of strength, he would make deals and friendship with the Soviets, despite his hate of “the left”.
 He brainwashed them with his charisma, and they ignored his hypocrisy.
 He’d written a book years earlier about how his own personal struggle shaped him into an authentic leader, capable of overcoming adversity
through sheer force of character.
 He appointed people who were radical extremists, to be in charge under him.
 He put many Generals who supported him into positions of power, playing up the crowd’s love of the military.
 He promised that special investigators, the Gestapo, would investigate and deal with those he deemed were against his (and the crowd’s)
vision for the country.
 He made sure everyone was documented, which the crowds loved, and “Show me your papers” became a standard phrase… for everyone.
 He placed his own loyal judges into Germany’s Supreme Court, to quash any opposing views that were taken to the legal system.
 He came up with insulting and demeaning names for those he deemed his enemies, and the brainwashed crowds loved it and supported him.
 He appealed directly to the White Supremacists and got them fired up and to come out of the shadows.
 He only listened to himself and trusted no one’s advice.
 He kept a unique look with an extreme hair style, so he would stand out.
 He was extremely thin-skinned and took huge offence to any private citizens who insulted him; attacking them to the full extent that he could.
 He minimalized, then abolished existing treaties with other countries, in the name of Nationalism, and the brainwashed people supported him.
 He eliminated and abolished all programs, progress and policies of his predecessors, and made his own.
 He gave them something colored bright red and white, to wear as a sign of unity, and a way to identify each other.
 Above all, he promised to Make Germany Great Again. And the crowds ate it up.
*Footnote: In the end, the results of this method did not turn out excellent, despite what the crowds originally thought of him. There was some buyer’s remorse
by the time his term was over.
6.8K views
View Upvoters
View Sharers
78
1
20
20 comments from Angus Foster and more
Antonio Tintoré Vicent

, Studies History
“To be a leader means to be able to move the masses” - Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf.
Hitler was ahead of his time in respect to psychologically rooted persuasion techniques. Throughout his ascent to power and more than 5000 speeches, he
used these methods systematically with extraordinary success.
Hitler made his strongest appeals to the irrational instincts (“hidden forces”) in his audience, instincts exacerbated by the terrible conditions they faced after
WW1. He promised to fulfill their darkest desires and calmed their anxieties through passionate language and constant repetition - in his own words “Only
constant repetition will finally succeed in imprinting an idea upon the memory of the crowd”.
“The Führer” always referred to his audience as a crowd, a mass which was chronically anxious and frustrated. To make them more masslike he deliberately
assembled them in great halls and arenas where people could lose their personal identity. Hitler knew that assembled in a crowd, people lost their ability to
reason, their suggestibility increased, they became excitable and anxious, their individual or collective responsibility faded.
“Whoever wishes to win over the masses must know the key that will open their hearts” - Adolf Hitler
Hitler was not only a demagogue, but as the perfect example of one (his biographer described him as the greatest demagogue in history), he was radical in all
his ideas because he knew an effective demagogic propagandist needs to be incredibly dogmatic. Matters in which doubt is the reasonable approach have to be
made self-evident to the masses.
Contrary opinions had no place in Hitler’s speeches; they were constantly aggressively belittled. Hitler explained: “right is on the side of the active aggressor”.
His persuasion techniques were not limited to the perimeter of the hall or arena in which he spoke: for the first time in history, radio and television made the
indoctrination an unceasing process. Reading propaganda or ideology manifestos was an individual activity (where the reasoning skills of the reader were
practiced), listening radio broadcasts, on the other hand, was a group exercise in which emotional arguments reigned.
“A loud-speaker proclaiming the most secret desires, the least admissible instincts, the sufferings and personal revolts of a whole nation” - Otto
Strasser
Curiosity made the cat smarter.

6.9K views
View Upvoters
47
2
2 comments from Brian Paul Jenny
Follow
33.4K
The History of War

Follow
507.2K
Follow
9
Follow
1.4K
Anti-Capitalism
Follow
41.1K
DPRK
Follow
1.6K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
The Communist Party

Follow
1K
Powerpoint
Follow
9.8K
ProTrump
Follow
12.2K
Follow
31.3K
Young Octobers
A space for the ideas of the young communists of Quora.
Follow
1.1K
Leftist United Front

A place for the discussion of leftist ideologies, topics and leftist unity.
Follow
799
Follow
2.4M
RealPolitics
Follow
354.3K
Artists club
Follow
190.5K

Follow
134.1K

Follow
515K
Anti-Communism
Debunking various pieces of communist propaganda and misinformation
Follow
10K
World War II
Follow
34.6K
The Russian Bear

Follow
12.3K
War on Propaganda
Strip all lies until the truth is revealed.
Follow
1.1K

Follow
80.8K
Follow
1.7M
US Politics
Follow
73K

Follow
18K

Follow
362.4K
Politics Insider
Follow
130.6K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
Follow
21.7K
Bread and Roses

Quorans of the Web, unite! Anti-capitalist, anti-fascist libertarian politics.
Follow
12K
Socialism
Follow
42.3K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
LGBTeen Matchmaker
A matchmaker/friendmaking space specifically for teens in the LGBT community!
Follow
17.4K
View More Spaces
Cass Dean
It is a myth that Hitler was persuasive in his speeches. Hitler’s popularity did not increase after he appeared on the political scene. Anti-semitism and fascism
already had a broad following and there were more than a dozen fascist parties with enough support to win a seat in government.
An apparent upward trajectory in NSDAP’s popularity was entirely due to the smaller fascist parties being consolidated into NSDAP after the big banking money
swung behind it. The left, Communists and Social Democrats, were against Hitler from the first and were staunch to the end. Some critical centrist support he
received from the Catholic Centre Party was based on their belief that anything was better than more years of deadlock.
Hitler never won a majority.

Conversion didn’t happen. The phenomenon that did exist, which is a different thing, was the quality of his support from the pre-existing fascist-minded, the
abandonment of reason, even of self.
There are some good decriptions of that. Essentially it was this: Hitler evoked what was worst in his followers’ natures, made excuses for it, validated it,
represented it as virtue. Very comfy. Better than the confessional.
1K views
View Upvoters
8
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
What kind of methods did Adolf Hitler use to persuade in his speeches?
David Lausas
, Arctic Ice Pilot (2015-present)
He found a scape goat to blame for Germanys troubles, then in conjunction with his propaganda minister repeatedly drove the message home using radio
(Germany has the highest radio ownership in the world at the time) film and Nazi Rallies. He was basically the first to brainwash an entire nation and was very
successful in achieving his goal of National support.
Why was Hitler such a good speaker? How did he practise? How did he yell at his audience without them
thinking "What the hell is this guy doing?"
Answer
Follow
·
1
Request
5 Answers
Dominique Dallemagne
, I studied this period as a historian at university
It was a radically different style of oratory to the rather subfusk approach used today.
And the rather harsh sounds and passion can be very misleading. I remember when I first became capable of understanding Hitler’s German. I had thought a
speech sounded like raving fury, but when I finally came to understand it I was amazed at how moderate the actual words were and how innocent the topic
really was. So much seeming sound and fury and yet signifying, if not nothing, then very little of import. It wasn’t any diatribe against Jews or Versailles or
corrupt politicians and what he was actually saying was quite reasonable.
Maybe even this technique of passionate crescendos etc was copied from some preacher he had heard in church as a boy. If his audience was unlikely to feel he
was raising his voice against them, nonetheless it was not the kind of delivery that was to get them snoring in their seats.
But style of oratory in Germany has completely changed. Schröder, the ex-Chancellor, would sound like some benevolent uncle. Merkel plays the serious mother
of the nation, Mutti.
When adolescents listen to Hitler’s speeches at school in history from old news reels or recordings they are completely horrified too by the tone of voice and just
can't imagine how anyone could have been attracted by its stridency and military whipcord sharpness. But then Germans in the 1920s had been heavily
militarised in the First War and were used to rather savage-sounding pep talks from their senior officers and NCOs. To them it must have seemed pretty normal.
And the military authoritarian tone was reassuring for them. It meant someone was going to get things done and end the disorder they’d been living in.
465 views
View Upvoters
6
1
1 comment from Nancy Dills
Pratik Mishra
, Read History to understand His Story
In school , they just tell you that he was charismatic speaker, and that's it, you learn about all the events in the war, but nothing about the "behind the scenes".
German people that were pretty much persecuted after first world war, in massive debt etc. No one wants to live like that, but they have to, because what can
they do?
And then there's that guy, he speaks about how strong Germany can be, how people need to work for it. Suddenly you can be an important part of building your
country's power, to make sure your children don't have to live the same lives you had to.
Berlin, Congress of the German Work Front -- Speech of May 10, 1933.
As so often in German history, it will once more be proved that the greater the distress, the greater is the power of the German people to find its way upwards and
forwards. This time, too, it will find the way; indeed, I am convinced that it has already found it.
There must be no conquerors and no conquered; our people must be the only conqueror - conqueror over classes and castes, and conqueror over the interests of
these single groups in our people! And thereby we shall come naturally to a nobler conception of work.... But the Movement which I and my fellow-fighters represent
will, nothing daunted, exalt the word 'Worker' till it becomes the great title of honor of the German nation....
Personally, I am against all honorary titles, and I do not think that anyone has much to accuse me of on this score. What is not absolutely necessary for me to do,
that I do not do. I should never care to have visiting cards printed with the titles which in this earthly world of ours are given with such ceremony. I do not want
anything on my gravestone but my name.
Now , Imagine yourself German who is recovering from global economic crisis under this leader and a humiliating defeat in the World War-1 , listen to this
political leader ,what you would do?!
I'm sure there were quite some people that have seen through that, but appealing to masses and having a promise of improvement, and making your country
better is a strong hypnotizer.
He used to yell during speeches because he wanted a unified and disciplined Germany pure of Aryan race and because of cult of personality , things worked in
his favour.
352 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Powerpoint
Follow
9.8K
The History of War

Follow
507.2K
Women for trump

Follow
6
Follow
31.3K
World War II
Follow
34.7K

Follow
18K
ProTrump
Follow
12.2K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
Words to inspire
Follow
72

Follow
515K
Germany and Germans
Follow
10.7K
RealPolitics
Follow
354.3K
Follow
33.4K
Das Dritte Reich

Follow
1.3K

Follow
7K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
War Moose
Follow
30.6K
Politics Insider
Follow
130.6K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K

Follow
134.1K
US Politics
Follow
73K
Questioning
A safe space for questioning lgbtq+ youth but also for ally’s and lgbtq+ people
Follow
8K
Stuff to Talk
Follow
17.3K
Follow
90K
Lesbians!
Follow
16.6K
Technology Solution
Follow
92.4K
RESCUE AMERICA
Follow
1.3K
Follow
21.7K
View More Spaces

Andrew Warinner
, studied at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
He became a good speaker by practicing and giving a lot of speeches, lots and lots of speeches.
Hitler had his personal photographer take pictures while he practiced his moves to evaluate their effectiveness:
Secondly, there’s a difference between speaking in public (especially to a large audience) and speaking to the camera just like the difference between stage
acting and screen acting.
You need broad and exaggerated gestures and facial expressions to communicate emotions in public speaking and stage acting to communicate with everyone,
even those in the cheap seats. Film acting can use closeups to catch subtle facial expressions to communicate emotions.
So those newsreels of Hitler speaking to crowds are showing Hitler in public speaking, scenery chewing mode and make him appear rather ridiculous on the
silver screen. There is plenty of evidence that Hitler was a persuasive orator but to audiences viewing newsreels, especially foreign audiences, the over-the-top
scenery chewing was ridiculous and everybody from Charlie Chaplin to Looney Tunes cartoons parodied them.
561 views
View Upvoters
8
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Public Speaking: How do I become a great orator like Adolf Hitler?
How did Adolf Hitler become such a good public speaker? What techniques did he use, etc.? Were there microphones back then when he was doing a speech?
Gabby Bullen
, lives in Australia
They say that Hitler became known for speaking at meetings of the German Worker’s Party (the early incarnation of the Nazis) before he even lead the group. No
source has ever provided any real reason - it seems he simply had a talent for it. People who heard him speak have said that he had an incredible charisma and a
way with words - he could apparently draw you in and get you to agree with him, and whipped up a kind of fanatic energy in crowds. A lot of historians credit
his oratory skills as a big factor in gaining support for the Nazi party and their policies. A shame he couldn’t have spoken about anything good.
How many times did Hitler rehearse his speeches? Does anyone know?
Answer
Follow
·
3
Request
4 Answers
Adam Edwards
, Traumatized at 17, searched for answers for decades.
To JW. What is it that you are looking for? Has he captivated you? Read and don’t feel too bad, it was his talent, worked on by more than one person…and he
was taught many gestures by I don’t remember the name for his speeches. I learned about the Holocaust in a grade 1–6 Jewish day school. Like all the other
kids, it didn’t bother me. To us, black and white movie land was like mars. Our families were safe in our world.
At 17 I had a traumatic experience, and some say Heydrich went through this. Heydrich some say was dying of blood poisoning in the hospital, and went
through a strange experience, and was moaning about the terrible things they were doing as he was dying. Hitler, I was to find, was very different, and much
more interesting than Heydrich. A very intelligent man who converted to Judaism and read my first book at that age, like the book, put the Holocaust on
Himmler. Hitler was about the war in my view, not so much the Holocaust. Not innocent, but not the Nazi who thought about it and made sure it was done. I was
left, to my surprise, wondering if Hitler had any time to worry about what was going on in his prisons.
At 17 I read History of the SS, already knowing the basics, and was poisoned myself. Antibiotic allergic reaction. Literally facing death and seeing this now
happening to my own family, love or hate them, was the next step. It was also a very hard time in life, and this very terrible experience stretched out, and I
started studying this, in shock.
It was actually a cartoon of a child who summed up a part of my feeling. A black kid in the Cleveland Show. “Does anyone know about this?” regarding slavery.Of
course they knew, but did they “know”? It was like the world should not be continuing after something as terrible as this. How can people be living their lives
after something this enormous?
And I met heroes over the decades, my favourite being Sir Winston Churchill, but to my shock, possibly after being numbed by at this time about 15 years,
possibly being traumatized to madness, possibly seeing that every side label the other side as devils, and seeing so much more killing, like the British WW1
cemeteries that are designed to look as if the graves go on forever and ever, I came to be fascinated with this man. Yes I admit it. I didn’t say I liked him.
242 views
Add Comment
Julio Cesar Pino
, Ph.D from University of California, Los Angeles
Hitler regarded his speeches at the annual Nuremberg rallies to be his most important. For these he might rehearse for three hours, working on delivery, pacing
and, the most crucial touch, facial gestures. Hitler wrote his own speeches, like Churchill but unlike Stalin or FDR who worked with a pool of speech writers.
Rehearsals he would perform alone before a mirror. He never let anyone see him practicing oratory. Interestingly, he took actors and magicians for role models
in public speaking, not other orators, dead or alive.
His public speeches other than at Nuremberg were much more informal. Hitler would jot down some critical notes ahead of time, but once the speech took off
he would “wing it”, speaking extemporaneously as the spirit moved him. Curiously, Fidel Castro did the same thing.
8K views
View Upvoters
237
4
4 comments from Yvette Renshy and more
The History of War

Follow
507.2K
Follow
31.3K
Blake for PRESIDENT
Follow
48
Powerpoint
Follow
9.8K
World War II
Follow
34.7K

Follow
18K

Follow
2.4M

Follow
515K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K

Follow
7K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Germany and Germans

Follow
10.7K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
Follow
1.7M
Follow
33.4K
Das Dritte Reich

Follow
1.3K
History
Follow
20.1K

Follow
362.4K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
View More Spaces

Dennis Weidner
, former South Carolina Human Affairs Commision Reviwer (1974-1975)
Good question. Hitler, Churchill, and Roosevelt were noted orators. But I do not know about practice and rehearsal. That would be interested to know.
My understanding is that Goebbels wrote many of Hitler’s speeches. and I know that Hitler practiced a good deal in developing his oratory, but I have no idea
how as an important leader he practiced. That would be interesting to know.
Churchill wrote most of his important speeches. I know that he spent a great deal of time in preparation. I recall hearing an estimate of how much time went in
for every spoken minute, it was something like a hour for every minute. Perhaps some one can recall just what the estimate was. I am not sure, however, how
much of that time was in the writing and editing and how much in practice. Normally Churchill would begin by dictating the first draft and then would edit the
typewritten draft. The final draft would be heavily indented to help him achieve the practiced delivery.
Roosevelt relied heavily on speech writers, but he carefully went over the drafts and often heavily edited them. Some of his most famous phrases like ‘day of
infamy’ were the product of his editing. I do not know about rehearsal time, but again would be interested to know.
296 views
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Why was Adolf Hitler so angry when he gave his speeches? Did he do it on purpose, or did he have a physical or mental problem?
Did Hitler scream theatrically outside of his speeches?
How did Hitler get so good at making speeches?
David Pfeiffer
, lives in London
The story behind these imagines is that Hitler did not just use mirrors when practicing his speeches. Apparently he had hundreds of pictures taken. He created
poses for sections of speeches and those poses became the iconic images we think of today. I am no expert. Just passing on this information. I have no reason to
think the images are fake.
192 views
Would Adolf Hitler's style, the yelling, the hand gestures work in the English language today?
Answer
Follow
·
10
Request
8 Answers
Suresh Upadhyay
, Works with Psych Profiling
At the outset, let me clarify that Hitler did not speak English. His German was also pretty pathetic to begin with. After First war he learned proper German oration
and grammar.
Now to your question, in Europe and US, the predominantly English speaking areas, the mannerisms and etiquettes emphasis soft speaking and low key
manners. So wild gesturing or gesticulating for that matter will put off the audience. It can work in certain specific circumstances and reasons. But those are
limited. So in short, no its not going to work. Not in 21st century where manners of Public speech are dramatically different.
Now having said that, Asian countries are a different ball game all together. There this might find receptive audience. If he were to speak the local language, his
delivery style might catch on.
5.9K views
View Upvoters
31
3
3 comments from Yichen Wang and more

, Self Employed IT
When we listen to speeches of 80 years ago, the style used seems funny to us. The accents and the language have evolved since then. This being said, I don’t
think Hitler yelled that much. He yelled when he emphasized something, but spoke normally (for his time) during the rest of the speeches.
Listen to him.
Now listen the British fascist Mosley
198 views
Add Comment
The History of War

Follow
507.2K
Follow
31.3K
Kevinball comments
Follow
11
World War II
Follow
34.7K

Follow
2.4M
Your Health
Follow
1.3M

Follow
18K

Follow
515K

Follow
7K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Germany and Germans
Follow
10.7K
Follow
1.7M
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
History
Follow
20.1K
Artists club
Follow
190.6K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
Follow
33.4K
Pictures
Follow
382.1K
Poet's Corner
Follow
145.2K
Weird Science
Follow
894.2K
Life Lessons
Follow
765.8K
Anything Sports
Sports discussions, analysis, history, data, championships, etc.
Follow
1.2M
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
No Filter Necessary
Follow
664.8K
View More Spaces

Hergen Junge
, total war survivor in Northern Germany, liberated by what we called Tommies,
What was Adolf´s language? He started with a backwood Austrian German dialect. in Linz he was confronted with an Austrian German that the Wittgenstein´s,
Roth´s and Kraus´s had an infinitely better command of. So he had to invent antisemtism to trash these competitors as fake orators.
Im WW I he became an honorary Bavarian. Then NSDAP populism and the opportunism of the elites propelled him into power. (The elites thought hey could
instrumentalize him and found out that he could instrumentalize them with ease.)
This forced him to do two things:
He got Goebbels as a coach and enabler. He had acquired US advertising savvy by acquiring the latest US public relations skills revealed in Edward Bernays´s
“Propaganda” insights. That Bernays, Freud´s nephew, was uncomfortably Jewish was ignored.
Hitler had to take elocution classes to sound more Prussian German. He took drama classes to be fit for the biggest media of the day , the mass rally, the radio
and the movie.
T oday the media can do all the screaming for you in web and TV media. Hitler may have failed to adjust to new media and the lingua franca of today but then
there are simultaneous dubbing techniques today.
I love English and love the German of Kafka, Kraus and Heine. Unfortunately no language is a guarantee against stupidity or the warped intelligence of the
populists.
833 views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Would Hitler's speaking techniques, his hand gestures, etc, work in the modern day?
What did Hitler's hand gesture mean?
Where can I see Hitler use gestures in his speeches?

Paweł Żuk
, lived in Gdańsk, Poland
That was *not* Hitler’s style. Hitler was a master orator, and he could tailor his style *very* effectively to the mood and nature of the audience. That’s part of the
insidious nature of pop-history: by portraying Hitler as a raving maniac, it can mask the emergence of populist rhethoric as long as it doesn’t look like those very
carefully filtered images.
I mean, listen to Hitler’s speech to the Reichstag about the declaration of war against Poland. It is calm. It is measured. It sounds quite normal and rational, but
it’s filled with propaganda and lies nonetheless.
318 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Aaron Small
, Self Employed Writer/Director/producer/entrepreneu (2010-present)
Wasn't Trump just elected??? Lol, couldn't help myself there! While I don't believe Trump and Hitler are anywhere near alike from personality perspectives (and
no, I AM NOT a liberal), I do believe the influence Trump had over the vote is similar to the way Hitler came into office - both are fanatics that could be deemed
insane, genius or both….both used nationalism to win the vote….both are such expert orators that they could basically brainwash half the people
witnessing….both also won the vote blaming immigrants for down-trending economies….both are extreme narcissists. I'm sure there are yet more similarities, but
I think that's enough to clarify my answer. Yes, a Hitler of sorts could still influence an English speaking country in modern times.
312 views
View Upvoters
3
1
1 comment from Matthew Johnson
Allan Ritchie
, works at Virtually Nowhere Was Ill
its surprising it ever worked im guessing a series of flukes just came along together with hitler,but always bear in mind if we take the last two elections that were
free he was really dropping in popularity very fast anyway he merely seized the moment before his political chances disapeared ie people were starting to see
through him
What did Hitler's hand gesture mean?

Answer
Follow
·
10
Request
1
4 Answers
Hisey Patton
, former Senior Geologist/Manager (2004-2015)
In a military sense, it is taught that the “salute” originated in one of two ways.
That the armored knight raised his right hand to open his visor to let an opposing knight see who he was, a form or recognition. The second was raising the right
hand to hear the face, to show that the predominate hand did not contain a weapon.
This version is shown at the end of the movie Jeremiah Johnson where the main character and the Blackfeet Indians declare peace after decades of a personal
feud.
The empty hand being a sign of universal peace unless you are a able to shoot lighting bolts from your palm or cast evil spells.
Today the salute is a sign of respect for the badge of rank a superior officer wears, and signifies order and discipline.
Hitler’s was more a sign of allegiance to the Nazi political movement as both miltary and civilians gave it. He also had the military swear a personal oath to him,
not the state. So it probably had undertones of a show of allegiance to him.
In some movies done in the 60’s the fact that dissident officers would give a military salute in return for the straight, Heil! salute demonstrates the allegiance
notion. They would salute the officers rank, but not offer the Heil Hitler! salute.
8.8K views
View Upvoters
8
Add Comment
Markus C. Dehning
, proudly serving the public since 1995 (1995-present)
It is an abbrevation of the original Hitler salute, raising the right arm high above in the air. Anyone who would not be able to raise his arm was allowed to do so.
Many big Nazi leaders like Goebbels and Goering without any arm problems did that too and just raised their right hand a little up over their right ear. I wonder
wether there was a minimum rank when you would have been allowed to salute in that way.
3.8K views
View Upvoters
1
1
1 comment from Kyle Zhang
The History of War

Follow
507.2K
Follow
31.3K
Anything Sports
Sports discussions, analysis, history, data, championships, etc.
Follow
1.2M
Yugoslav Wars, Serb Views

Space about the Yugoslav Wars and the Serbian views about them
Follow
317
World War II
Follow
34.7K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
All About Serbia

Space dedicated to the Serbs, Serbia, R.Srpska, Krajina, Montenegro & the ex-SRJ
Follow
3.6K
Artists club
Follow
190.6K
The Croatian Corner

A space dedicated to all things Croatian! History, sports, film, culture & more!
Follow
835

Follow
2.4M
View More Spaces

Tom Wilder
I have read that the higher you were in Nazi Party; the sloppier the salute. It was the first thing a child was taught in school. As an adult; you would be thrown in
a concentration camp if you did not greet people this way. I was told that Germans had to use this salute even when in England or America before the war. I
have always wondered if this was true.
4.1K views
View Upvoters
5
1
1 comment from Tom Wilder
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Would Adolf Hitler's style, the yelling, the hand gestures work in the English language today?
Would Hitler's speaking techniques, his hand gestures, etc, work in the modern day?
What was Adolf Hitler like in person?

Jan Krusat
, Licenced aircraft maintenance engineer
According to the cartoonist John Heartfield, THIS was the reason of his gesture:
(From Wikipedia)
What kind of methods did Adolf Hitler use to persuade in his speeches?
Answer
Follow
·
7
Request
4 Answers
David Ecale
, I've read a lot about WW2. My father & most of his relatives fought in it.
Here's one example direct from the horse's mouth!
Otto Strasser gave a talk at Macalester College in St. Paul, Mn. in the 1960s. It was recorded & some years later my German instructor at St. Thomas College
borrowed a copy & we listened to it. A part of his talk was about Hitler. He stated that, when presenting a speech, Hitler had his text typed out on note sheets.
He would start off a bit nervously & flutter the sheets as he learned the feel of the crowd. Sometime into the speech, a few minutes, no more, he would "get it"
and pump out the catchphrase that he believed would excite the crowd. The example that he gave was in a speech to an assembly of WW1 widows & orphans. ...
Hitler stated, "Wat muss Deutchland haben?" ...(dramatic pause)... "Mench!" //What must Germany have? Men! !!! // The crowd went wild. ...
Hitler's dramatic Q&A had a double meaning. First, it reflected the terrible loss of men (husbands and fathers) that were killed in the war and not present for the
folks in the audience. And, second, it impuned that the current political leaders were total wimps!
6.7K views
View Upvoters
5
Add Comment
Charles O'Connor
, I like History
Originally Answered: What kind of methods did adolf hitler use to persuade in his speeches?
Hitler rose to power within the fledgling Nazi Party because of his ability to persuade people in early meetings. He cultivated that talent by continually practicing
in front of mirrors, later by filming himself.
He knew his audience and played to their prejudices. Also he put on a hell of a show, just watch him turning, gesturing and then becoming still. William Shirer
in Berlin Diary talks about how Hitler's hands could capture his attention.
2.7K views
View Upvoters
1
Add Comment
Powerpoint
Follow
9.8K
The History of War

Follow
507.2K
Kevinball comments
Follow
11
Follow
31.3K
World War II
Follow
34.7K
Follow
1.7M
ProTrump
Follow
12.2K
Your Health
Follow
1.3M
Anyone But Trump

A Quora space for those hoping to limit the Talented Mister Trump to one term.
Follow
4.1K

Follow
18K
Follow
515K

Follow
2.4M
Artists club
Follow
190.6K

Follow
7K
Technological Ideas
Follow
1.3M
The Front Page
The most compelling news and stories from around Quora and across the Internet.
Follow
13.5K
Education From Home

The traditional way of institutional education is changing very fast. Students are more trending to Online education. Let’s share our experiences of Online Education here in this space.
Follow
3.4K
ALL YOUR PHOTOS

Follow
178.4K
Follow
21.7K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
Germany and Germans
Follow
10.7K
War Moose
Follow
30.6K
Pictures
Follow
382.1K
A Clash In The East

Follow
15.6K
History
Follow
20.1K
The Holocaust
Follow
1.2K
LGBTeen Matchmaker
A matchmaker/friendmaking space specifically for teens in the LGBT community!
Follow
17.4K
Follow
33.4K

Follow
134.1K
RESCUE AMERICA
Follow
1.3K
Poet's Corner
Follow
145.2K
Follow
1.5M
Follow
362.4K
US Politics
Follow
73K
Political Clarity
Demystifying U.S. Politics
Follow
16.5K
Weird Science
Follow
894.2K
Teutonic Titwillows
Follow
8.9K
Historical Tidbits
Follow
116.7K
No Filter Necessary
Follow
664.8K
Follow
590.3K
View More Spaces
James Macumber
, Wannabe Polymath, Autodidact
He frequently provided phrases that were easy to remember and easy to repeat (ein Volk, ein reich, ein fuhrer). His mastery of rhetoric was superb. He also
posed lots of "either/or" scenarios (either we segregate jews or we destroy our race).
His tactics are far more varied and more in depth than this, but these are some important examples.
2.9K views
View Upvoters
2
4
4 comments from Anghelescu Codrut Victor
Related Questions
More Answers Below
What kind of persuasion techniques did Adolf Hitler use in his speeches in order to persuade millions of people?
Ian Robert Haughton

, Seeing Dylan live last 30 years.
The man brainwashed the nation, then sold the dream of a 1,000 year reich.
This would as sold lift the country of its knees and provide employment and the mystery financiers authenticated the dream enough to install trust.
Then Hitler betrayed his people and murdered at will because power corrupts.
The horror and realization as the ethnic cleansing became reality,and absolute power corrupted absolutley.
How did Adolf Hitler become such a good public speaker? What techniques did he use, etc.? Were there
microphones back then when he was doing a speech?
Answer
Follow
·
22
Request
8 Answers
Shaun Wallace
, CEO at Tackom Ltd (1996-present)
Originally Answered: How did Hitler become such a good speaker? How did he practice?
Hitler don’t forget was a “corporal” in WW1 and was actually offered senior promotions and refused, as that would have taken him out of the trenches. Just
being an NCO would have got him used to speaking in public albeit to small groups of people.
When he joined the NDSAP [Nazi Party] there were very few members and most meetings were held in relatively small locations, quite intimate and of a size
Hitler would have been used to. There is so much rubbish written about Hitler and the Nazi Party, two recent books about him are pretty good and shed more
light on him as a person. The masterpiece by William L. Shirer, written by someone who saw Hitler and lived Nazi Germany, describes how Hitlers rise from small
audiences was gradual and a process that happened over years. T
There is a strange picture of Hitler in the early years, using cycles and motorcycles, to travel all over Germany speaking at tiny venues about the NSADP and
promoting it. To be point where it threatened his status as an Austrian living in Germany.
On top if this, once Hitler did get used to speaking he was a natural demagogue, he was a brilliant orator and speaker. Once he had gained even a small level of
support he was as he felt destined to unite Germany and the Fatherland. This self belief and his natural talent at demagoguery meant that he could use crowds
in an intensely private way, he could shape and mould the listener to his will. I have read many reports of people who were violently anti Hitler and the Nazis,
saying that they left his speeches half believing he was right. I have read Alan Bullocks History of the 3rd Reich, Hitler by Ian Kershaw, and many others. I have
NEVER read of Hitler practising other than “how does this sound” kind of practice.
Hitler was sadly one of the worlds most gifted ever speakers and demagogues, he appealed to the heart and soul of the German people. He understood what
motivated them, their perverse sense of honour, their love of duty and authority, he knew them and used that knowledge to terrible effect for the rest of the
world. Hitler was also far more intelligent than he is often given credit for and in many ways was a genius. Sadly he had no ethical or moral compass and used
his talents to instigate a period of terror the like of which the world has never seen.
You also have to remember that backing him after 1933 was one of the best propaganda machines in history and a man just as dedicated to Hitler as Hitler was
to his own destiny. Joseph Goebbels was a master at propaganda and again knew the German people very well. Mein Kampf [My Struggle] shows the real Hitler,
it is turgid, badly written and full of other peoples ideas and mass populist ideals. About all Mein Kampf was good for was as a blueprint for what he would later
do. But that is hindsight. No one possibly thought anyone would write down exactly what they would do once attaining power. Well apart from Churchill.
Roosevelt consistently underestimated both Hitler and Stalin.
There was a readiness to accept Hitler in the German people, what he had to say appealed to them. The fact that literally thousands of concentration camps were
situated all over Germany, without looking at the work camps and the famous camps like Belsen and Auschwitz, or the camps outside Germany. That Hitler
talked the German people into an acceptance of horror that other countries find hard to fathom. This goes beyond a police state and informers, to a people who
totally believed their Fuhrer would save them right until the fall of Berlin. THAT alone shows how good he was at demagoguery and how good his propaganda
minister was. Hitler at that time, was a semi mythical, semi divine figure to many Germans.
There is obviously more to it than this, but that is the short answer and explains why he was such a good speaker. It was not just his “gifts” as a speaker, but the
receptivity of the German people to what he was saying!
1.9K views
View Upvoters
6
2
2 comments from Anonymous and more
Charlene Dargay
, former propagandist / corporate speechwriter
Hitler is said to have given more than 5,000 speeches during his time in the Nazi Party. He would have quickly learned what “worked” and what didn’t. By his
own account, it took him two full years of speech-making to perfect his craft and become master of the art of oratory. He learned how to become a charismatic
speaker, building on his natural skills. Hitler created the persona the world would later know as the Führer.
Hitler took acting lessons and rehearsed specific facial expressions, body language, and gestures — sometimes photographed, sometimes just in a mirror —
designed to engender particular responses from his audiences. He put countless hours into practicing his delivery, which became at least half of his message. He
was said to have a “mesmerizing” voice. The Nazis also used stagecraft to present Hitler to his audience in a way carefully calculated to exert certain effects and
elicit specific emotional responses.
Hitler was also absolutely committed to his cause and convinced people to sincerely believe that he would lead Germany back to greatness. He learned how to
inject his own emotions into delivering his messages most effectively. He could sound passionate because he was passionate about the rightness and necessity
of his cause. Today, Hitler might appear to be little more than a raving, ranting lunatic, but he thrilled contemporary audiences. The Nazi Party was very much a
Hitler cult.
Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, wrote in his diary that Hitler was known to write his own speeches and edit them up to five times.
“I know that men are won over less by the written than by the spoken word, that every great movement on this earth owes its growth to orators and not to great
writers.” — Adolf Hitler, Preface to Mein Kampf
Why Hitler was such a successful orator
Hitler rehearsing his speech in front of the mirror, 1925

2.7K views
View Upvoters
15
1
1 comment from Aryan Kumar
Powerpoint
Follow
9.8K
The History of War
Follow
507.3K
Blake for PRESIDENT

Follow
48
Words to inspire
Follow
72
ProTrump
Follow
12.2K
Follow
31.3K
Technology Solution
Follow
92.5K
Stuff to Talk
Follow
17.3K
Grow Leadership
Leadership is necessary for a successful entrepreneurship. Let’s share here.
Follow
1.9K
World War II
Follow
34.7K
Follow
90K
Follow
3.9K

Follow
80.9K
Pictures
Follow
382.1K
ALL YOUR PHOTOS

Follow
178.4K
Man of Steel
Follow
3K
Follow
18K
Subscribers +1
Provide YouTube Subscribers....Join....Subscribe......Then check count......
Follow
8.6K
Language!
All about Grammar, Language,Pronunciation, Meanings, Acronyms, and more!
Follow
19.4K

Follow
2.4M

Follow
515K
Historical Oracle
Follow
8.1K
The French Touch

All and more about France
Follow
3.3K
RealPolitics
Follow
354.3K
RESCUE AMERICA
Follow
1.3K
US Politics
Follow
73K
Follow
134.1K
InsideEVs
Breaking news about electric vehicles.
Follow
2K
Doing English with Julian

Master English FAST with Dr Julian Northbrook, founder of doingenglish.com
Follow
1.5K

Follow
7K
View More Spaces

Ronald Marks
, studied at University of Toronto
1. He was in absolute command of his material, but didn’t read speeches as a rule.
2. Chemistry was everything. He understood the need to change an audience’s chemistry, and deliberately showed up late to induce tension.
3. He began most speeches in a thick, bureaucratic manner, the sole purposes of which were to relax his audience (audiences take their
confidence level from the speaker), and to create emotional bedrock from which he and his audience would soon soar.
4. Very quickly into the speech, he would appear to reflect on something that would give him pause, and perhaps offer him the chance to display
moderate irritation.
5. Suddenly he would re-visit the point in outrage, as if he (and Germany) had been cheated.
The audience would go ape-shit. Hitler Night was on. The astounding thing is that while his speeches (like some theatrical lovemaking) could
last forever, the initial climax was generally reached within the first five minutes. Awesome.
1.1K views
View Upvoters
13
1
1 comment from Allan Ritchie
Related Questions
More Answers Below
Who was the greater orator and public speaker, Hitler or Churchill?
Nick Nicholas
Hitler was an excellent public speaker. However, he had a very willing audience. Half of the secret is telling your audience what they want to hear. You then get
the applause and cheering and that spreads through a crowd. Hitler told his people they were not defeated and the Germans were the best. He told them to be
proud and inspired them.
He had the ability to gradually raise his voice to a crescendo to make his point. Arthur Scargill of the NUM in the UK had a similar talent.
365 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Martin DIXON
, loves History
Originally Answered: How did Hitler become such a good speaker? How did he practise?
Hitler’s very first political position was a party member of the Höfbrahaus Melee (later called the Nazi party) in November 1921. This meant he had 12 years of
experience in political oratory before he seized power in 1933. 12 years. Anybody can learn and perfect a skill in 12 years, and oratory is no exception.
Having said that, one of the reasons Hitler was admitted into the early Nazi party was due to his already strong oratory and propaganda skills. He was by all
accounts a very passionate man, and passion on the subject about which you are speaking is the first step to become a good orator. Some people are more
confident and passionate than others, and are naturally gifted in oratory.
Summary: Hitler was a passionate natural orator who also had 12 years to hone the craft before seizing power in 1933.
832 views
View Upvoters
3
Add Comment
Thad Germain
, studied Physics & History at King's College London
He was not only a gifted orator, but one of the most talented of the 20th century.
FDR used his voice very effectively ( Fireside chats)
However, Hitler used his whole body to connect with huge crowds of followers and admirers, all without the use of the modern teleprompter.
Hitler had also grown more intense, and frankly more brilliant as he matured. He had been a decent artist in his twenties, but his genius visited him noticeably in
his 30’s
If he had not become addicted to drugs in 1935, and perhaps had died prior to 1939, he would have been considered the 20th century version of Bismarck.
469 views
View Upvoters
5
Add Comment
Thomas Musselman
He practiced incessantly and he had lots of opportunity to practice before he was famous. He also watched others who were successful before he began himself.
He obviously had some innate ability but mostly it was studied and not impromptu. He worked off the energy in the crowd, used repetition, alliteration,
exaggerated hand movements, soaring rhetoric that struck the unmoved as absurd. He essentially was like evangelical Protestant preachers in the US from my
point of view: good for whipping up a crowd already predisposed to be whipped into a frenzy.
Yes there were microphones at his big rallies; he also performed in smaller halls where you didn’t need one at first.
471 views
View Upvoters
2
Add Comment
Guttorm Gundelach
, studied at Ås Videregående Skole
He studied and learned and were INSPIRED by Mussolini. He was an opera fan and were inspired by and tried to imitate the theatrical gestures from operas.
Hitler's Persuasive Method

At this point in his career, Hitler began to unleash his propaganda upon all of Germany. He had previously used his persuasiveness to further
himself in the Nazi Party and to gain supporters, but it was not until he was dictator that that his persuasive style was fully manifested. Adolf Hitler’s
persuasive method was built upon the foundation of treating the German people as a group, rather than as individuals. He explained this technique
in the following statement:
The receptivity of the great masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these
facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public
understands what you want him to understand by your slogan. As soon as you sacrifice this slogan and try to be many-sided, the effect will piddle
away, for the crowd can neither digest nor retain the material offered. (“Adolf Hitler: quote on propaganda”)
Hitler and the Nazi Party treated the German people as if they were one entity, because individuals are rational, think for themselves, and are
concerned about their own well-being; whereas groups are unintelligent and easily persuaded. Sigmund Freud stated that groups tend to have the
characteristics of “weakness of intellectual ability,…lack of emotional restraint,...incapacity for moderation and delay, [and] the inclination to exceed
every limit in the expression of emotion.” Freud went on to say that groups “show an unmistakable picture of a regression of mental activity to an
earlier stage such as…children” (qtd. in Bosamajian 69). Hitler used this understanding of groups to strategically manipulate the German people.
Hitler and the Nazis recognized that if the German people had a group mentality they would be much more receptive to Nazi ideology and
propaganda. To reinforce this mindset in the German people, or Volk, the Nazis held events that required mass participation and did not invite
individuality, such as “parades, mass meetings, semi-religious rituals, [and] festivals” (Boasmajian 70). Anyone who did not openly participate or
share the emotion of the rest of the crowd was easily identified and dealt with by either the crowd itself or by security personnel. One did not even
have to be resistant or cause a disturbance to be viewed as subversive; indifference alone was enough to infuriate the crowd (Bosamajian 69-70).
Freud said that a crowd demands “strength or even violence” of its leaders: “It wants to be ruled and oppressed and to fear its master” (70). Hitler
and the Nazis fulfilled this psychological need by infusing the Volk with the idea that the Nazi Party was strong and powerful, and thus, to the feeble
mind of the crowd, trustworthy. This was accomplished through a myriad of ways, some obvious and others subtle. One of the most overt ways that
Hitler conveyed a sense of strength and power was through his speeches, during which he would yell and wave his arms violently. The Nazis
displayed strength through demonstrations of military might. During the frequent military parades, the army would march with its distinctive goose-
step walk. The Heil salute made famous by the Nazis added to their powerful image, as did Hitler’s title, Der Führer, which meant “the leader.”
Some of the more subtle ways that strength was portrayed include the excessive use of common Nazi symbols such as the eagle, the swastika, and
trigger words such as “sword”, “fire”, and “blood” (Bosamajian 70).
The infamous salute.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-10541 / Georg Pahl / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC-BY-SA-3.0-de, via Wikimedia Commons
Hitler’s inordinate use of trigger words helped him to maintain the support and attention of his audiences and allowed them to get exceedingly
excited about his speeches. These words added to Hitler’s tactics of persuasion by creating word association. When referring to Germany, he used
words that conveyed strength. When speaking about enemy nations or about Jews and Marxists, he used words that alluded to weakness, his
favorite of which was pacifist; he used this term to refer to anything and everything that he disagreed with. To Hitler, pacifism was the ultimate sign
of weakness (Bosamajian 71).
Another technique Hitler employed in his speeches was the “either-or” fallacy. By creating a false dilemma in the mind of his audience, he was able
to convince them that although something was unethical, it was the only option. The shallow nature of the group was not able to comprehend that a
statement such as “either the German people annihilate the Jews or the Jews will enslave them” is not logically true. According to Bosamajian,
“either-or” dilemmas “appealed to the crowd mentality…because of the definiteness and strength in the ‘either-or’ presentation. There is no
compromise…[or] weakness in ‘either-or’....‘Either-or’ [is] power and strength” (73-4). These arguments created a sense of urgency in the audience;
they were a call to action.
The final tactic Hitler used to persuade the Volk through his speeches was convincing his audience that the rest of the world thought of Germany as
inferior, second-class citizens. This angered the crowd, who had been comprehensively indoctrinated to believe that they were the master race.
Hitler offered up as evidence the Treaty of Versailles, which he believed treated the Germans as subhuman. The average German must have
thought, “How dare those pacifist cowards call us, the perfect Aryan race, second class or inferior?” He would have doubtlessly been enraged. Hitler
furthermore blamed Germany’s relegation to second-class status on the Jews, who he claimed both caused Germany to lose World War I and stole
wealth that rightfully belonged to those of German descent. The irrational nature of the crowd caused the Germans to be very accepting of this idea
and to defer blame to those it felt possessed something of which they were undeserving (Bosamajian 74-6).
The Legacy of Hitler's Persuasion

Hitler and his use of persuasion have had an inestimable impact on the world. His persuasive and inspirational abilities catapulted him from the
lowly status of a high school dropout to the most feared man in the world, a dictator who used his persuasiveness to unite and inspire a nation to
wreak havoc on the rest of Europe. Many historians regard Hitler as the man solely responsible for starting World War II (“Adolf Hitler,” par. 38),
which changed Europe forever and will never be forgotten. Hitler’s policies, though quickly repealed after he committed suicide and Nazi Germany
was defeated, had far-reaching effects. Families were torn apart, entire nations were laid to waste, and an entire race was nearly exterminated. As
a result of the “scientific” horrors performed on Jews during Hitler’s administration, many countries, including the United States, realized how
inhumane the idea of eugenics was, and immediately aborted all efforts to create an advanced or super-race. Sadly, some of Hitler’s ideas are still
alive today; there are various neo-Nazi sects scattered throughout the world that cling to a version of Hitler’s racist beliefs.
Adolf Hitler was an extraordinary orator and persuader of men; the fact that no matter how vile his policies became he retained the support of
German popular opinion bears witness to this. He used this gift not to benefit society, but rather to deceive and destroy millions of lives. Hitler’s
name will forever remain in the annals of history, but it is not categorized as he had believed it would be. He is not remembered as the man to
cleanse the master race from all impurities, nor is he remembered as the patriarch of a new empire. He is instead remembered as a merciless
tyrant who murdered millions based only upon their race, political views, or sexuality. He is remembered as the man who inspired millions to march
willingly to their deaths in defense of this vile cause, and he will forever be remembered as the coward who committed suicide rather than do the
same.
Why Hitler was such a successful orator

Amanda Macias
May13, 2015, 2:35 PM
Bundesarchiv
"I know that men are won over less by the written than by the spoken word,
that every great movement on this earth owes its growth to great orators and
not to great writers." —Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf," 1925
One of the world's most influential orators created the largest German political
party, conquered a dozen nations, and slaughtered as many as 21 million people
during his brutal 12-year Third Reich.
In more than 5,000 persuasive speeches, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler bewitched his
audiences and promised them that his empire would reign for a thousand years.
BundesarchivProfessor Bruce Loebs, who has taught a class called the Rhetoric of Hitler and
Churchill for the past 46 years at Idaho State University, credits the Führer's oratory success to
his charisma.
"He learned how to become a charismatic speaker, and people, for whatever
reason, became enamored with him," Loebs told Business Insider.
"People were most willing to follow him, because he seemed to have the right
answers in a time of enormous economic upheaval."
SPONSORED BY UNIASSELVI
Bolsa de 20%
EAD UNIASSELVI. 15% de bolsa de estudos + 5% de pontualidade.
VISIT SITE
Plagued with enormous World War I-related reparations in addition to an

increasingly depressed global economy, Germany's economic environment
supported Hitler's rise in the 1930s.
Hitler took advantage of the brewing discontent and found himself at the
forefront of an opportunistic political ideology, the National Socialist German
Workers' party.
Hitler's political arena

Screen grabBefore the Nazis' rapid ascent to the world stage, Hitler's party was largely
unknown, winning a trivial 3% of votes in Germany's 1924 elections.
"When Hitler decided to compete in the Reichstag," or German parliament, "he

knew that meant that he had to give speeches and that meant that he had to
speak to as many people as he could in order to get votes," Loebs told Business
Insider.
Eight years later, the Nazis were the largest party in the Reichstag. By 1934,
Hitler and his frightening political agenda were leading the German
government.
In short, as historian Robert Waite writes: "Hitler was Nazidom. Seldom in the

history of western civilization has so much depended on one man's personality.
He created his own political theory and a government that could not exist
without him."
Hitler's speechwriting process

BundesarchivJoseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, wrote in his diary that Hitler
was known to write his own speeches and edit them up to five times.
He would "work deep into the night, several evenings running, occupying three
secretaries taking dictation straight into the typewriters before carefully
correcting the drafts," according to British historian Ian Kershaw.
"He simply did not want to rely on anyone to write his speeches," Loebs told
Business Insider. "For Adolf Hitler, public speaking was so important that he
would never trust anyone to write his speeches for him."
Bolsa de 20%
VISIT SITE
Loebs also noted that Winston Churchill preferred to write his own speeches as
well, something rare among leaders of the time (and today).
Hitler's voice was 'mesmeric'
Bundesarchiv
In Ron Rosenbaum's book "Explaining Hitler," French-American novelist George Steiner
describes the Nazi leader's voice as overwhelmingly powerful and "spellbinding."
"I was born in 1929, so from '33 on my earliest memories are sitting in the
kitchen hearing The Voice [of Hitler] on the radio," Steiner shared with
Rosenbaum.
"It's a hard thing to describe, but the voice itself was mesmeric ... The amazing
thing is that the body comes through on the radio. I can't put it any other way.
You feel you're following the gestures," Steiner said.
"In the German language, Hitler drew on a kind of rhetorical power which — in
a way is perhaps a little bit peculiar to German — allies highly abstract concepts
with political, physical violence in a most unusual way. And Hitler was easily a
genius at that, absolutely no doubt about it."
Further, American psychologist Henry Murray describes the Führer's overall

presence as "hypnotic" in "The Personality of Adolf Hitler," a 229-page report
that was commissioned in 1943 by the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to
the CIA.
According to Murray's report, Hitler received frequent compliments on his

grayish-blue eyes, even though they were described as "dead, impersonal, and
unseeing."
The Führer was slightly below average in height and had a receding hairline,
thin lips, and well-shaped hands.
Murray notes that the merciless Nazi leader was known to offer a weak
handshake with "moist and clammy" palms and was awkward at making small
talk.
'He had to add animation to his language'

Heinrich Hoffmann/Bayerische Staatsbibliothek/US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Hitler workshopped his delivery, hand gestures, and body language while
practicing his speeches.
Bolsa de 20%
VISIT SITE
"He absolutely had to work at his presentation since it was half of his message,"
Loebs told Business Insider. "He had to add animation to his language in order
to successfully communicate his ideas."
Hitler's personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann, captured 2 million images

of the bellicose leader and was advised to never release a specific series to the
public, according to his memoir, "Hitler was my Friend."
Heinrich Hoffmann/Bayerische Staatsbibliothek/US Holocaust Memorial MuseumIn 1925,

Hoffman took several photos of Hitler's facial expressions and gestures while he rehearsed
speeches in a mirror.
After studying the images, the Nazi leader reportedly asked for them to be
destroyed.
Secretly Hoffman saved the photos and published them 30 years later in his
memoir.
Heinrich Hoffmann/Bayerische Staatsbibliothek/US Holocaust Memorial Museum
"No other photographer in history landed the scoop that he [Hoffman] did:
intimate and exclusive access to a major head of state — and importantly, the
chance to work with a subject who knew very well how to 'work' the camera, and
paid painstaking attention to the cultivation of his public image," historian
Roger Moorhouse later wrote in the republished introduction of Hoffman's
memoir.
Here is a video of one of Hitler's speeches with English subtitles:
Hitler's Third Reich officially ended on April 30, 1945, when the
Führer committed suicide in his bunker with his new wife after learning Allied
forces had surrounded Berlin.
71). By selecting the right words carefully, Hitler
was able to lead and influence a country andbring
about change.Scientists have discovered that words
have a biochemical effect on the body.
Thisdiscovery explains why people react differently
to certain words. When individuals use wordslike
“you’re wrong, or you’re lying,” it is going to
produce a very different biochemical effectthan if
they say, “I think you are mistaken” (Robbins,
2012). Each word has a radically differentlevel of
intensity and most people are less conscious of the
impact of how it can affect others.People come from
varying backgrounds and cultures, which impact
their understanding ofdifferent words and
phrases.Given these points, words can be one of the
most powerful tools of the intellectual era.Words
hold the ability to shape a person’s behaviors,
actions and beliefs. It is a double edged toolthat can
hurt and humiliate an individual, or heal and help
millions of people. Knowing such
POWER OF WORDS3power is in the hands of each
and every individual, we must present restraint and
humility in theway we speak that will bring about an
era of peace and kindness to ourselves and one
another.ReferencesBosmajian, Haig A. (1965 April).
"Nazi Persuasion And the Crowd
Mentality."Western Speech

Why Was Nazi Propaganda So Successful

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Why Was Nazi Propaganda So Successful

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Why was Nazi propaganda so successful?

E.g. let’s take the infamous Jud Süß (1940 film) - Wikipedia.

According to Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Boss Boss was a

Speer's Zeppelinfeld Stadium

 A ruthless willingness to do ANYTHING to achieve its means

Poster for Winterhilfswerk 1943

Young girls college money for Winterhilfswerk.

Winterhilfswerk packages are being prepared to sent out to the poor.

When they “booed”, then they disagreed with Herr Hitler.

“Freedom, Work and Bread”

Adolf Hitler had adapted to the mood of the nation.

“Our constitution is the will of the Fuhrer” - Hans Frank

A page from the children’s book published by “Der Sturmer”

A page from the children’s book published by “Der Sturmer”

(How to identify a Jew)

A page from the children’s book published by “Der Sturmer”

Adolf Hitler addresses the Reichstag parliament on 30 January 1939.

(remember what he had said in his speech)

“He is to blame for the war” - 1943

Published by “Der Sturmer” - “The Jew is our misfortune”

“The Fuhrer is always right”

“Who Wears This Sign is a Sworn Enemy of Our People” - 1943

Herr Eichmann states - “I obeyed the laws of war”

Adolf Hitler calls the WWII - “Heiliger Krieg gegen Juden”

(holy crusade against the Jew)

Which then led to this:

Look no further than right here at home.

We know what history thinks of them.

And there is hell to pay.

"every word dropped by Hitler seemed like an inspired word from on

At Hitler's personal request, a 31-year-old actress and movie director

It was successful due to a few factors :

Propaganda is to convince people who do not already believe in you.

His documented lies are now OVER 100,000 in number. i

Now he is looking at cutting Social Security disability payments.

Why was propaganda such a crucial part of Hitler's rise to power?

How did Adolf Hitler become powerful?

What was Hitler’s Nazi propaganda?

How did Nicola Sturgeon rise to power?

As an example watch a movie Eternal Jew. This is propaganda in full.

'Hate is more lasting than dislike.'

'Humanitarianism is the expression of stupidity and cowardice.'

'It is not truth that matters, but victory.'

Here's a TIP; every one of those quotes is from Adolf Hitler.

The ’25 Rules of Disinformation:’

Because it was based on US propaganda.

Hitler’s Nazi Germany Used an American PR Agency

Meet Edward Bernays, Master of Propaganda

United States Propaganda Techniques That Inspired The Nazis

A Clash In The East

Fresh Look at World War 2

Germany and Germans

Poland & Polish culture

History & Mystery. Oh My!

Jewish Secrets and Stuff

Mad for Germany

Bread and Roses

CDG - Career Development

Tanks, Tanks & more Tanks

The Russian Bear

The Communist Party

View More Spaces

Why was Nazi propaganda so successful?

How effective was and is Nazi propaganda up to now?