Hitler

[Don Penguinoini]

I think this man is trolling you.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

hitler was a tweaker

he was full of phyco babble

He was most definatly not a prophet in any sense or meaning.

I wouldn't call him a prophet, but Hitler was not an idiot, full of psycho babble, nor was he a "tweaker." Actually he drank much less than Roosevelt and Churchill (although in all honesty that isn't saying much.), was an artist, author, decorated war hero, and a very talented speaker. And considering what he did accomplish, he was probably also above the average intelligence.

 

[LuisDantas]

I can't imagine a definition of prophet that would fit Hitler.

He was in some senses the voice of his time and culture. In a spasmic kind of way. I don't think that qualifies, but I guess it depends on how you define the word.

Shadow Wolf, what evidence do you see that he had of significant intelligence? Far as I can tell his only significant qualities were luck, fairly good health (considering the stress he put on himself) and a talent for public speaking. If he was intelligent, he did a pretty good job of hiding it.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Shadow Wolf, what evidence do you see that he had of significant intelligence? Far as I can tell his only significant qualities were luck, fairly good health (considering the stress he put on himself) and a talent for public speaking. If he was intelligent, he did a pretty good job of hiding it.

Nothing more than speculation based on what he accomplished, and maybe realizing that he did have the ability to speak his will upon the people. When he began to take over parts of Europe, not only by words, but also his military strikes were working so well that it's another reason why I have theorized Hitler was of above average intelligence. It's also been speculated by some historians that him developing Parkinson's disease (again this is nothing more than speculation based on tell-tale signs of him beginning to keep his hands in his pockets, and visible tremors when you could see his hands, and some other signs) probably did play a role in his downfall, which lead to him making very hasty decisions rather than carefully thought out plans. It's also believed that towards the end, his doctor keeping him drugged up also didn't help Hitler's situation.

 

[LuisDantas]

Nothing more than speculation based on what he accomplished, and maybe realizing that he did have the ability to speak his will upon the people. When he began to take over parts of Europe, not only by words, but also his military strikes were working so well that it's another reason why I have theorized Hitler was of above average intelligence.

That would be very surprising to me. Let me remind you that Germany was limited to 100 thousand military men between the wars (by the Versailles Treaty). It has been proposed that it turned out to be a mistake from the WW I victors, because the end result was a compact, highly select and motivated Armed Forces.

I don't think it is accurate to say that Hitler accomplished much at all. The German People did. They chose a really bad leader, that is all.

It's also been speculated by some historians that him developing Parkinson's disease (again this is nothing more than speculation based on tell-tale signs of him beginning to keep his hands in his pockets, and visible tremors when you could see his hands, and some other signs) probably did play a role in his downfall, which lead to him making very hasty decisions rather than carefully thought out plans.

Hard to tell. For all my despise of him, he was certainly constantly under terrible pressure. On the other hand, he was 56 at the time of his death. Parkinson's disease would be unusual for that age.

Then again, after seeing some bits and pieces of his speeches, and reading a bit from his background by way of Alice Miller, I find it far more likely that he was simply a short fuse sociopath that just couldn't deal with realizing that he was about to lose his control over his really big and impressive toy. It must put a real strain on one's nerves.

It's also believed that towards the end, his doctor keeping him drugged up also didn't help Hitler's situation.

Drugged, stressed, and never having had proper rest to recover from the 1944 explosion. Sure, lots of things failed to help him. Then again, pretty much all of them were ultimately self-imposed. Poisoning himself and shooting his own head wasn't much help either.

From all appearances, he was simply too foolish and emotionally unbalanced to deal in a halfway healthy way with the knowledge that the war was essentially lost since 1943. Of course, that was due to the very same inflexible ways that made him so convincing for some twenty or thirty years.

Many high-ranking German officials of the time were intelligent and stubborn - Rommel comes to mind. Nearly all of them were, in fact, bright enough to know when to stop fighting for no reason. Quite a few actually died while trying to avoid an even worse fate, something very remarkable for that time. Hitler was simply nothing like them. Strip him from his pathological fervor and his gift for speeches and he is simply a buffoon with real trouble for accepting loss.

Edited to add: it turns out that I have been reading about the North Africa Campaign as of late. While it is certainly difficult to trust any information about that time period, what I know about Hitler's military goals doesn't really paint him as much of a smart person either. If anything, his most impressive achievement seems to be managing to turn his own subordinates against him despite all too real and terrible dangers. If I may, let me suggest that you watch the 1951 movie "The Desert Fox" sometime.

 

[roger1440]

Was Hitler a prophet?

Hmm, Hitler is the best example I can think of what a prophet isn't. I don't know if there is a term for this. Maybe demon. Hitler would be a spokeman for God's adversary.