Why not read about it belatedly? There are some really good first-hand accounts. Among other things, most elections were at least in part to mostly wholly stolen by the National Socialists, whatever was needed, and later effectively canceled. As his RW, and far-left, mobs grew, it became dangerous to oppose them in a way that doesn't happen here. Germans didn't actually elect him chancellor for life, you know, or whatever the title was. Power was taken, and he assassinated his socialist co-leader who was instrumental in getting that power once he no longer needed him.
Btw, regarding the culture, Germans had always lived under authoritarian government, NEVER known anything else, and under iron-fisted Chancellor Bismark late 19th century Germany was unified and became an advanced nation of relatively general wellbeing its people later looked back on longing. That was during and after WW1, of course. Germany had less than 15 years of imposed democracy after that war, imposed on great poverty and suffering, that we now know was doomed to fail.
When charismatic Hitler came along, he promised everyone a return to strong government under a strong leader that would restore wellbeing. His main platform was protecting traditional values from the extreme secularism that many believed threatened to destroy their culture, national security (Stalin's threatening tanks just a week away across the plains of eastern Europe), and protection of traditional religion. Yes, scapegoating of Jews and others was part of the message for those it resonated with, but nothing like what he gave them once he had power.
We should all wonder what our choices would be under very different circumstances. I was born liberal and will die liberal, but in the middle of poverty would I initially have known enough to be afraid of him? I can completely imagine moderate conservatives who've always been good turning to what early Hitler promised with hope. It wasn't the kind of period and situation in which liberalism COULD prevail over fear and need.
And after a while it was too late for even heroes to prevail. Liberals, religious figures, everyone who opposed them were arrested or ran for their lives. Btw, Jews were maybe 1% of the population, and had lives pretty well in the Bismark era. Most Germans had never known any personally and had no particular enmity toward them. As evidenced by my husband's family; he was born in 1940 to parents who often traveled to Europe and Germany to visit comfortably off family, but seemingly none of them realized or believed the danger before it was too late to escape. Not one of their extended families survived.
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Margaret Mead....
