A simple explanation of the social decay which realized the rise of Hitler and the appearance of Nazis (National Socialism) in Germany, 1933–1945.
Weakness of National Character Exposed
When any individual abandons disciplined thinking, they immediately become subject to two forces: fear and fancy. From 1918–1939, under the pressure of social upheaval inflicted by losing World War I and subsequent economic recession, an overwhelming majority of Germans revealed a fatal weakness in character. The German nation no longer possessed the strength of character necessary for clear thinking and succumbed to delusion. They indulged their paranoia by believing that all their woes were the result of a secret wicked world conspiracy by the Jews; and they indulged their vanity by embracing the notion that they were the Master Race and the natural rulers of the world. Ideas which they repeated to each other in conversation until they became inspirations for German institutions—the National Socialist regime (1933–1945). The insensible consequence being the Holocaust and World War II.
Democracy in Action
The rise of the Nazis was a legitimate democratic process that confirmed Edmund Burkeʼs (1729–1797) fears and forecast. This immoral demented regime which carried out wholesale murder was unrestrained by any sense of shame and no single individual felt responsible for the crimes it committed; all those involved felt they were doing their duty, and this included Hitler. The Fuehrerʼs anti-semitism was an integral and crucial part of his appeal to the electorate, and to do anything but carry out his declared policies would have been a breach of a political promise as well as a failure of his democratic duty. Indeed, any attempt by Adolf Hitler to halt the ongoing pogrom could easily have seen his popularity falter and his authority jeopardised.