You know, the German culture and society is far unlike the culture and the society from which I came, and of course the time of Hitler was far before my own time, but I could never understand his "personal appeal," this "charisma" stuff.
Looking at old Time and Life magazines from the 1930s, and old black-and-white news-reels, it seems to me the guy should have been utterly repulsive to just about everybody--whether German or not, whether of the era or not.
Despite having read God only knows how many biographies of Hitler, I still have yet to find a scintilla, a sliver, of his so-called "charm" and "charisma."
So one has to reasonably conclude that the entire German people (Germans still in Germany, not those of German descent in other parts of the world) were, as they are today, too easily duped by con-men, shams, counterfeits, fakes, buncombe artists, and fairy tales.
Many feel Clinton was a charmer
Remember...how many folks who voted for John Kerry????
He gave desperate people hope. For a clue to what the Germans saw in him (and themselves) watch Triumph of the Will.
You need to remember that he didn't even win a majority of the vote when he was elected. He stole power after that and a combination of good propaganda and the SS took care of anyone who doubted what a wonderful man Hitler was.
You are right on the mark.
One of the most common mistakes I see people make is that they never weigh a person's actions. Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them." I also had a friend who always said, "Watch what they do, not what they say."
So many troubles of this world, in so many areas of life, would be be avoided if people did this.
I'm not certain the German people are alone in being duped by con-men etc.
We, Americans, were also duped by a slick con-man by the name of William Jefferson Clinton for whom "I still have yet to find a scintilla, a sliver, of his so-called "charm" and "charisma." .
Try the various books about the Third Reich by David Irving for a sympathetic portrait of Hitler et. al. Irving certainly finds him fascinating; in the jacket photo on his biography of Goering, Irving is shown complete with forelock, mustache and sullen glare.
His charisma was due to his power.Wealth,power and physical attractiveness give one a certain amount of charisma,in the eyes of some.
Case in point,Mother Teresa (the one who's alive).If she was worth $100,000 instead of a billion,who would give a rat's hindquarters about anything she had to say?
I think it was CBS that did a two hour dramatized special on Hitler's rise a year or two ago. Many Jewish organizations objected to the special as apparently making him look too good. The actor who played him, however, portrayed him as a tyranical, prissy little man whom no one in his or her right mind would want to follow. My impression was that actor got Hitler all wrong because none of the magnetic quality of his pesonality, testified to by all of his contemporaries, came through. What you say about the old news reels of him is certainly true--he appears to be repulsive. I have this feeeling that, if I understood German, I might be better able to appreciate his personal appeal.
Hillary Clinton is an elected U.S. Senator - rumored to have an interest in running for President.
also they were in a horrific post-war depression, which is a recipe for putting someone like him in power.
Alot of people say Bill Clinton is charismatic. I don't get it at all.
I have a friend who was a young girl in Germany during Hitler's time. She recalls being selected to give him flowers during one of those endless rallies. She said the thing that she could never forget was his eyes. She said they were blue and hypnotic. I found it interesting that this nurse mentions his eyes.