erik lundegaard

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Tuesday November 14, 2023

Nah, Doesn't Remind Me of Anyone

“... without Adolf Hitler, who was possessed of a demonic personality, a granite will, uncanny instincts, a cold ruthlessness, a remarkable intellect, a soaring imagination and—until toward the end, when, drunk with power and success, he overreached himself—an amazing capacity to size up people and situations, there almost certainly would never have been a Third Reich. 'It is one of the great examples,' as Friedrich Meinecke, the eminent German historian, said, 'of the singular and incalculable power of personality in historical life.'

To some Germans and, no doubt, to most foreigners it appeared that a charlatan had come to power in Berlin. To the majority of Germans Hitler had—or would shortly assume—the aura of a truly charismatic leader. They were to follow him blindly, as if he possessed a divine judgment, for the next twelve tempestuous years.”

-- William L. Shirer, “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” published Oct. 1960. Remove “remarkable intellect” and it's pretty much Trump. John Oliver called Trump's scandals “Stupid Watergate.” You could call Trump “Stupid Hitler.”  

Posted at 09:02 AM on Tuesday November 14, 2023 in category Books