Quote:
Originally Posted by OmgGlutten!
id still like to hear your side of it.
How a nation of relatively educated Germans quickly succumbed to fascism is an interesting topic. I find it fascinating, and perhaps illuminating, that the SS, which is most directly linked with the atrocities of the Holocaust and internal control of the German population, drew heavily from not only the upper and upper middle classes, but also what we would now call the "professional" class. Himmler's "Friends of the SS" circle drew heavy financial support from large corporations and banks, while he simultaneously recruited M.D.'s, attorneys, scientists, and various technocrats tofstaff his organization.
By courting these types of recruits from the private sector and academia he was able to draw a distinction between his organization and the uneducated, unemployed, and socially outcast street ruffians of the SA. This definitely improved the SS's reputation in the eyes of more traditionally conservative members of German society such as the General Staff, the aristocracy, and the industrial and banking cliques.
That simple fact that the most destructive organization of the 20th century, and perhaps the entire history of mankind, could be staffed and operated by what many would consider the best and brightest of a society is a lesson that needs to be remembered and considered, every time a nation moves toward drastic governmental change.