It is remarkable to me that despite the dramatic change of fortune Germany experienced in 1941, with the end of the Blitzkrieg and beginning of the Russian Winter invasion, the “Hitler Cult” was still so powerful. It seems like German citizen’s looked for every other reason to blame other than Hitler himself. So when the corruption of the Nazi party became extremely evident to the average citizen they would say “the Furher yes, the party no!” (167). When the war was prolonged and Germany hesitated on invading Britain, popular opinion was to destroy the British, but Hitler offered “peace for world opinion” (153).
Yet despite all these instances where Hitler stood in contrast of the average German, there was still a childlike naivety or a general fear to oppose him. After Germany lost Stalingrad, it seems like there was this powerful reversal of the Hitler Cult. The once public, charismatic Furher had retreated to solitude, contacting only with High Command, and had distanced himself from the German public when they needed his assurances the most. Propaganda could not survive without Hitler himself to help spread it, and as knowledge of the defeat in Russia spread throughout Germany, his influence began to decisively diminish. All of the sudden this resentment against Hitler and the mess he had created made Germans angry, and this was only aided by increased rations and crackdowns as the war turned sour. As the allies began to close in on Germany, the Hitler Cult collapsed, people saw Hitler was not helping Germany anymore. Cities were being bombed and destroyed, there was no room for ignorance of the war. It seems like Hitler’s attitude in the closing years of the war aided this extreme collapse, but the German militaries dramatic failures in Stalingrad and the liberation of France were mostly responsible for the public disdain. When everything is great, ignorance is bliss, but when the war turned against Germany, it was the point at which blind devotion for Hitler would be forever lost. He was not making miracles anymore.
I decided to write a response to your post because of the title "No More Miracles." I am home for Passover and have been having many political and religious conversations all tracing back to the Holocaust. One interesting comment that was made was if the Jews are the chosen people then how could Hitler have been sent to destroy everyone. With the current religious mindset that the Messiah is coming after Israel is destroyed. I think that so much of the turmoil within the Jewish race is based on Hitler and how he massacred the Jews. When I say this I mean Hitler NOT the Nazi Party because it was him who caused the domino effect that changed and ended the lives of so many. So the question that continues to be brought up at our cedar and I'm sure cedars all around the world is could he have been stopped?
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