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To: Belteshazzar
Suffice it to say that “hope and change” would have worked just fine as a slogan for the NSDAP platform of 1933.

I quite agree. In fact, it would make a fine slogan for any of the evil dictators of the past (or present).

Possibly I'm reading something into your comments that you're not actually implying, but often when people say the Nazis got "only" 44% of the vote, they are trying to imply 56% were opposed to the Nazis, which is what it would mean in USA with our basically two-party system.

The Nazis got 44%, while their allies the German National People's Party, the actual conservatives (a very different conservatism from the American version) got 8%. So they had a majority right there.

The Socialists and the Commies got 31%, and they were the only two parties drastically opposed to the Nazis.

The remaining 12% was split up among smaller parties, the Bavarian Party of which was closer to the Nazis than to their real opponents, and the Centre Party (Catholics) of whom were willing to cut a deal. Or thought they were.

You may be entirely correct to say I'm picking a nit, but I think it is a legitimate nit. My point is that Hitler and the Nazis came to power via democratic means, and got a considerably larger mandate for "hope and change" than any other party or leader had ever gotten in the 7 (more or less) free elections held by the Weimar Republic.

Hitler's power was democratically legitimate. Once he got that power, he promptly dispensed with the democracy, but his rise to power was quite democratic.

27 posted on 07/07/2013 3:24:11 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: Sherman Logan

Well, I don’t see that we have much to disagree about ... mostly just word choices. But, as a historical note, to be counted among the conservatives you say were allied to the Nazis (not quite) were many if not most of the people who later attempted to assassinate Hitler. Their attraction to the Nazis, if such it can be said to be, was chiefly based on their aversion to the communists rather than their affinity to the Nazis ... as time would show.


28 posted on 07/07/2013 10:33:07 PM PDT by Belteshazzar (We are not justified by our works but by faith - De Jacob et vita beata 2 +Ambrose of Milan)
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