The Inculcation of a Mad Man

I think what many of us would like to know is how on earth could someone be so naïve and follow Hitler and his ideologies. Before joining this trip I had always wondered how Hitler rounded up the entire German population and led them on his path to destruction. However since we have already seen the outcome of his reign of terror it is almost outlandish to us that any sane human being would want to join him and his mission.
Before we being to answer this question we must consider the current state of Germany after WWI. The Versailles Treaty that had in essence brought Germany down to its knees in front of the world angered many German’s. Germany was in a state of poverty and depravity. And to bring them out of this, they needed a clever leader who with great zeal would bring them out of their misery. Hitler promised the people a new Germany, he told them that they must rise out of their state of submission and reclaim what was rightfully theirs. He innovated Germany and industrialized it like never before. He had taken Germany to new heights in an effort to regain what it had lost from the restraints put on it by the Versailles treaty. Therefore to the German citizens that had been impoverished by the effects of the outcome of WWI, Hitler was a hero for believing in Germany and willing to give them a hand.
He manipulated the population into thinking that following his path was the path to German supremacy and glory. His use of the Hitler youth stirred up the young into following him. I am sure that any teenager struggling to find something to identify with would willingly join the Hitler youth as an outlet for expression. The Nazi (National Socialist) party ensured that everyone would work for the common good of Germany, they would be glorious citizens whose country needed them during this important time in German nationalism. If someone were to tell you that they would help you reclaim what you once had while taking part in a national project how could you refuse, and I bet you that while doing this you would gain a sense of pride for your country. They were almost blinded by nationalism and pride, blinded by race for German glory.
When going back to the main question how could someone follow Hitler and his ideals, we must also ask a counter question to be fair, how could someone refuse a chance at regaining what they had lost? Although this may become very frustrating it is essential that we put ourselves in the shoes of the German people during this time. If we do not then we are blinded by the knowledge we have of Hitler’s outcome and do not gain the full scope of the situation. The German people were in a time of dire straights therefore I as an observer from a different time period can do nothing but point out the obvious bigger picture. And this is what Hitler avoided by boosting German pride and despite his clear thought of exterminating anyone not of the Aryan race, people were given no time to think it through and realize that he was serious and would carry out these plans of mass ethnic cleansing.
The path that Hitler took to manipulate the German population, and the current the state of the country is similar to other instances in history where clever leaders had manipulated a deprived population of people that following them would be the key to their sovereignty. This as seen many times throughout history resulted in mass genocide.

I did not live during this time therefore I am only an outsider looking in.

-Montana Fredrick