The roots of Nazi psychology

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Was Hitler a moral aberration or a man of his people? Jay Gonen contends that Hitler possessed an uncanny ability to read the masses correctly and guide them with "new" ideas that were merely reflections of what the people already believed. These notions grew from the general fabric of German culture in the years following the humiliation and defeat of World War I, a time when the masses were particularly susceptible to Hitler's promised utopian state. The reality of his vision, however, would preempt family autonomy and private action, creating a war machine designed to breed infantile soldiers brainwashed for sacrifice. To achieve that aim, Hitler unleashed barbaric forces whose utopian features were the very aspects of the state that made it most cruel.