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Parallels with Nazi Germany Part 2 [1]

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Date: 2025-02-07

Well, I had some reservations about continuing these pieces but after some thought I came to the conclusion that it is still a worthwhile exercise. In fact, I think expanding my original idea of just doing comparisons between Putin and his group of losers on the one hand and the barbarian circus of the Nazis on the other, we can find other important avenues of examination. With that aside, let’s get down to the next diary. Added to all of this, I write to try to clarify my own thinking as much as any other purpose. So, here goes...

Hitler and Putin certainly seem to have similar management styles. It seems likely that some of this similarity stems from the nature of lawless authoritarian regimes. Another portion of this similarity in style comes from the psychological flaws of the two men. Let me explain just a little bit if I may.

Laws still exist in authoritarian regimes and they are enforced. The ruling classes, however can be exempted from laws as is convenient and useful for the dictator. And while I can really appreciate what Timothy Snyder says about the relationship of authoritarianism and anarchy, I think there is another layer to the role that law plays in the existence of authoritarian regimes.

Look at Hitler and Putin as the leaders of a group of trusted subordinates whom they choose based on personal relationships and loyalty. (There is also a group of arriviste supporters of the dictator who rise because they are perceived to be prodigies of some type. More on that later.) The subordinates are loyal but they are also ambitious to rise in the system not just by doing as they are told but they try to act as they imagine the leader would expect. This kind of system has been described as a kind of twisted entrepreneurial competition to do spectacular deeds to catch the great leader’s attention.

Look at the way that Hitler fostered arguments between party members and later members of his own government and inner circle as to how to proceed on an issue. Hitler did not put forth any ideas about implementation of particular ideas as a matter of course. Of course, when he did micromanage, disasters almost inevitably ensued. Put Eichmann’s boasts about the number of Jews he had murdered and his willingness to leap into the pits of hell if he only had the chance to murder more into this context, by the way.Look at the way various leaders of the party like Himmler and Goering developed their own branches of the German ground forces in competition with the Wehrmacht. This system did breed decisive people and did foster some success. It also fostered deceit, court intrigue, and internecine feuds. In this atmosphere Hitler was the one person who could provide a kind of feudal justice or mediation to end the quarrels. The competition below fed his power.

One just had to figure out what the will of the dictator was and act upon that estimation. Well, it turns out that some people are really super ambitious and they might just see themselves as fit to, perhaps not replace the dictator, but to undermine his power and take some power for themselves. When that happened, as in the case of Ernst Roem, the dictator and his cronies just had to dust off the law books and find the existing laws under which to justify the elimination of the problematic individual. Many of those executed during the Night of the Long Knives were killed on accusation of pedophilia and corruption.

So, one has to ask why bother with having rules and laws if the system thrived on bare knuckle competition? Well, that is pretty obvious, isn’t it? Since corruption was allowed and even encouraged in the system, this was a ready made way to keep people in line or to eliminate them if it became necessary. In other words, if everyone is guilty, then (to re-coin the phrase) everyone is guilty. One had to constantly try to keep the corruption hidden or at least to avoid ostentatious display. .

Of course, both regimes are alike in that there seems to be no real compunction about straight out murder or mob violence to send a message about what happens to those who oppose the regime. But that method seems to have been mostly for open opponents and supposed ideological enemies. Pseudo legal methods seem to be for those who can be of use to the regime or who have, in the past shown real loyalty, neither of which is sure protection against being arrested and perhaps eliminated. It just makes it possible for some people to be part of the ruling elite and this method is excellent for keeping them in line.

We just need to look at the way Putin gained all of his wealth the see how this works. After all, why were Vladimir Gusinsk and Michael Kordokovsky arrested and extorted? It certainly was not because the authorities were overly concerned about corruption. After all these were probably two of the least corrupt oligarchs of all, albeit this is a low bar. Fake law enforcement actions were used to gain and keep control of the oligarchs. Everyone got the message as certainly Hitler’s circle of criminals took note of what happened to Roem, someone whom Hitler had openly praised, promoted and claimed to admire. Room’s crimes were ignored until it was time go get rid of him.

Now, if any of this looks similar to what is potentially about to happen here, well that seems pretty clear to me. You can draw your own conclusions about the Mandarin Mussolini and Apartheid Elon. It will not end well for someone here.

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