HITLER WAS INCOMPETENT AND LAZY—AND HIS NAZI GOVERNMENT WAS AN ABSOLUTE CLOWN SHOW | OPINION
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
HITLER WAS INCOMPETENT AND LAZY—AND HIS NAZI GOVERNMENT WAS AN ABSOLUTE CLOWN SHOW | OPINION
TOM PHILLIPS
ON 4/30/19 AT 5:22 AM EDT
The below is an excerpt from HUMANS: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips .
Look, I know what you’re thinking. Putting Hitler in a book about the terrible mistakes we’ve made as a species isn’t exactly the boldest move ever. "Oh wow, never heard of him, what a fascinating historical nugget" is something you’re probably not saying right now.
But beyond him being (obviously) a genocidal maniac, there’s an aspect to Hitler’s rule that kind of gets missed in our standard view of him. Even if popular culture has long enjoyed turning him into an object of mockery, we still tend to believe that the Nazi machine was ruthlessly efficient, and that the great dictator spent most of his time…well, dictating things.
So it’s worth remembering that Hitler was actually an incompetent, lazy egomaniac and his government was an absolute clown show.
In fact, this may even have helped his rise to power, as he was consistently underestimated by the German elite. Before he became chancellor, many of his opponents had dismissed him as a joke for his crude speeches and tacky rallies. Even after elections had made the Nazis the largest party in the Reichstag, people still kept thinking that Hitler was an easy mark, a blustering idiot who could easily be controlled by smart people.
Why did the elites of Germany so consistently underestimate Hitler? Possibly because they weren’t actually wrong in their assessment of his competency—they just failed to realise that this wasn’t enough to stand in the way of his ambition. As it would turn out, Hitler was really bad at running a government. As his own press chief Otto Dietrich later wrote in his memoir The Hitler I Knew , "In the twelve years of his rule in Germany Hitler produced the biggest confusion in government that has ever existed in a civilized state."
His government was constantly in chaos, with officials having no idea what he wanted them to do, and nobody was entirely clear who was actually in charge of what. He procrastinated wildly when asked to make difficult decisions, and would often end up relying on gut feeling, leaving even close allies in the dark about his plans. His "unreliability had those who worked with him pulling out their hair," as his confidant Ernst Hanfstaengl later wrote in his memoir Zwischen Weißem und Braunem Haus . This meant that rather than carrying out the duties of state, they spent most of their time in-fighting and back-stabbing each other in an attempt to either win his approval or avoid his attention altogether, depending on what mood he was in that day.
There’s a bit of an argument among historians about whether this was a deliberate ploy on Hitler’s part to get his own way, or whether he was just really, really bad at being in charge of stuff. Dietrich himself came down on the side of it being a cunning tactic to sow division and chaos—and it’s undeniable that he was very effective at that. But when you look at Hitler’s personal habits, it’s hard to shake the feeling that it was just a natural result of putting a workshy narcissist in charge of a country.
Adolph Hitler reads the front page of a newspaper in his office. CORBIS/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES
Hitler was incredibly lazy. According to his aide Fritz Wiedemann, even when he was in Berlin he wouldn’t get out of bed until after 11 a.m., and wouldn’t do much before lunch other than read what the newspapers had to say about him, the press cuttings being dutifully delivered to him by Dietrich.
He was obsessed with the media and celebrity, and often seems to have viewed himself through that lens. He once described himself as "the greatest actor in Europe," and wrote to a friend, "I believe my life is the greatest novel in world history." In many of his personal habits he came across as strange or even childish—he would have regular naps during the day, he would bite his fingernails at the dinner table, and he had a remarkably sweet tooth that led him to eat "prodigious amounts of cake" and "put so many lumps of sugar in his cup that there was hardly any room for the tea."
He was deeply insecure about his own lack of knowledge, preferring to either ignore information that contradicted his preconceptions, or to lash out at the expertise of others. He hated being laughed at, but enjoyed it when other people were the butt of the joke (he would perform mocking impressions of people he disliked). But he also craved the approval of those he disdained, and his mood would quickly improve if a newspaper wrote something complimentary about him.
Little of this was especially secret or unknown at the time. It’s why so many people failed to take Hitler seriously until it was too late, dismissing him as merely a "half-mad rascal" or a "man with a beery vocal organ." In a sense, they weren’t wrong. In another, much more important sense, they were as wrong as it’s possible to get.
Hitler’s personal failings didn’t stop him having an uncanny instinct for political rhetoric that would gain mass appeal, and it turns out you don’t actually need to have a particularly competent or functional government to do terrible things.
We tend to assume that when something awful happens there must have been some great controlling intelligence behind it. It’s understandable: how could things have gone so wrong, we think, if there wasn’t an evil genius pulling the strings? The downside of this is that we tend to assume that if we can’t immediately spot an evil genius, then we can all chill out a bit because everything will be fine.
But history suggests that’s a mistake, and it’s one that we make over and over again. Many of the worst man-made events that ever occurred were not the product of evil geniuses. Instead they were the product of a parade of idiots and lunatics, incoherently flailing their way through events, helped along the way by overconfident people who thought they could control them.
Adapted from HUMANS: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips © by Tom Phillips 2019, used with permission from Hanover Square Press/HarperCollins.
Tom Phillips is a journalist and writer based in London. He was the editorial director of BuzzFeed U.K. and is now editor at FullFact, the UK's independent factchecking charity.
Views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
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Hitler was incredibly lazy. According to his aide Fritz Wiedemann, even when he was in Berlin he wouldn’t get out of bed until after 11 a.m., and wouldn’t do much before lunch other than read what the newspapers had to say about him, the press cuttings being dutifully delivered to him by Dietrich.
He was obsessed with the media and celebrity, and often seems to have viewed himself through that lens. He once described himself as "the greatest actor in Europe," and wrote to a friend, "I believe my life is the greatest novel in world history." In many of his personal habits he came across as strange or even childish—he would have regular naps during the day, he would bite his fingernails at the dinner table, and he had a remarkably sweet tooth that led him to eat "prodigious amounts of cake" and "put so many lumps of sugar in his cup that there was hardly any room for the tea."
He was deeply insecure about his own lack of knowledge, preferring to either ignore information that contradicted his preconceptions, or to lash out at the expertise of others. He hated being laughed at, but enjoyed it when other people were the butt of the joke (he would perform mocking impressions of people he disliked). But he also craved the approval of those he disdained, and his mood would quickly improve if a newspaper wrote something complimentary about him.
Nary a word of criticism.
Are one of his admirers?
No but your 'president' is.
Frankly, this article seems like a thinly veiled allusion to Trump. One has to wonder if it was coincidence or inevitability.
I have to wonder also.
The below is an excerpt from HUMANS: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips.
I have heard that Rump has Hitler's speeches at his bedside. I imagine that's his only reading material.
Since you as the seeder brought Trump into the conversation, is he on topic now?
Or just on topic for you and John?
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I believe the rumor was that Trump kept a copy of Mein Kampf on the table next to his bed. I think one of his ex wives reported that tidbit. That was many years ago though, likely before twitter started taking up all his free time.
Trump is incredibly lazy. According to Axios, even though Trump typically wakes up before 6 a.m., sources told them, the first five hours of his mornings are devoted to “executive time.” and he doesn't do much before lunch other than watch Fox to see what the news had to say about him.
He was obsessed with the media and celebrity, and often seems to view himself through that lens. He once described himself as "the greatest President, aside from Lincoln," and said of himself, "The show is ‘Trump.’ And it is sold-out performances everywhere". In many of his personal habits he came across as strange or even childish—he would have regular naps during the day, he would bite his fingernails at the dinner table, and he had a remarkably fat tooth that led him to eat "prodigious amounts of fast food" and a former campaign manager said “on Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza, and Diet Coke.”
He was deeply insecure about his own lack of knowledge, preferring to either ignore information that contradicted his preconceptions, or to lash out at the expertise of others. He hated being laughed at, but enjoyed it when other people were the butt of the joke (he would perform mocking impressions of people he disliked). But he also craved the approval of those he disdained, and his mood would quickly improve if a newspaper wrote something complimentary about him. Trump tweeted “Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart,”, something a "really smart" person would likely never say.
Maybe the seeder should change the headline to more directly reflect the usual "Hate Trump" meme here.
Do you seriously not see the comparison between what the writer said about Hitler and what is said about Trump?
My only question is if the writer phrased his article that way intentionally.
Do you not seriously see that this has degenerated into the usual Hate Trump at all costs echo chamber?
Have any evidence of that?
How can it be an echo chamber if you are here complaining about it.
The description of Hitler in the article has noticeable similarities to what is often reported about Trump. Instead of being curious about it, you go on defense. Whatever. It is what it is.
What's to love? His fat ass in tennis shorts?
I don't judge people on who they love. To each their own, and if that is what you like, go for it!
Fat shaming is accepted now. It is all the rage.
I see absolutely nothing to love about the turd.
I've never seen you, so if it struck a personal nerve, then I am truly sorry if my comment bothered you. However, I'm guessing that you are not familiar with 85% of Trump's tweets. He constantly attacks women for their looks, weight, personal style, etc. Have you ever called him out on his public shaming of others?
Why? As a matter of fact, yes I have.
Better question is...
If you find Trump's behavior disgusting, why do you act the same?
Come on, man, you know the answer to that already.
it is bad if Trump does it, period.
May I offer you a tissue?
Agreed, I think we need to see trumps girth certificate.
Did it even seriously occur to anybody wanting to find comparisons to Trump that maybe, just maybe, it was simply a historical observation of WW II and nothing to do with current events?
No he doesn't, that's not true.
Of course it's true. You saying otherwise is ridiculous
Pretty sure that hating Trump makes me a good person.
Since your post had absolutely nothing to do with current day politics, I can honestly congratulate you on a excellent post. I am a student of WW II with a degree in world history specializing in WW II and your post was spot on.
Interesting. I know he was narcissistic and a megalomanic but I would never have guessed lazy.
I do know he was incompetent. He fucked up the war for Germany
This certainly sounds like it's describing Trump.
Except Trump has not fucked up America like past Democrat presidents have.
Yep, only a retard would attack Russia in the winter.
He actually attacked it in June.
That is true but by November the Germans were in deep trouble. IMO, Hitler had no idea of the type of resistance that he would get from the Russians and they would sacrifice hundreds of thousands to pay for every inch of ground they gave.
The vast area and the Russian winter combined with the Russians not willing to give an inch no matter the sacrifice the Germans were doomed from the start.
Add to this the stupid decision by Hitler that cost him 775,000 German soldiers lost and divisions of his famous tank corps destroyed.
Agreed.
Is there really a difference between June and winter in Russia?
Yes. June on the Russian steppes is a hot, dry, dusty Hell. Winter was a cold, wet, frozen one. If you were a Wehrmacht soldier or Luftwaffe airman with inadequate clothing for either season.
I was trying to be funny because I've always thought of Russia as a frozen Hell. But I realize that parts of Russia are actually quite pleasant climate wise
My brother adopted a Russian kid and spent some time there. He says the country is beautiful.
Parts of the Black Sea are said to be very pleasant and are considered prime vacation spots for many in Russia.
A summer day in Siberia, pleasant and sunny...
A summer day in Sochi on the Black Sea.
Hitler's greatest talent lay as a orator. The man knew how to give a speech and work a crowd and/or work them or them into a frenzy as needed. The man was nuts, but he was not stupid when it came to politics in Germany before and during the war.
I saw a documentary once about he came to have those great oratory skills. Some guy (can't remember who) taught him how to speak and how to use gestures to get his point across. Before this guy tutored him, Hitler was actually a poor public speaker
You are correct. The man's name does not come to mind at the moment and I would have to look it up, but he had Hitler practice speaking in front of a full length mirror using the hand gestures he so commonly used. I looked it up and it was Hitler's personal photographer Heinrich Hoffmann that coached him while photographing him using his hand and body gestures. Hitler then used the photos to determine the best image to present while speaking. Hoffmann was told by Hitler never to divulge or print copies said photos and to destroy them. Hoffmann disobeyed Hitler and kept many of the photos and printed them in his memoirs 30 years after the war.
If Hitler had let his generals run the war the outcome might have been a lot different.
His invasion of Russian and then after his troops were in a dire situation his refusal to allow them to retreat cost him a whole army.
Declaring war on the US.
His screw up at Dunkirk
IMO, those are the top three but there were a hell of a lot more.
I thought Dunkirk was a disaster for the British?
It was but the British Army survived by escaping across the channel back to England. The French Army, often maligned, held the Germans at bay for a week while the British with the help of both the French and Dutch made their way across the Channel to fight another day. If Hitler had moved quicker the complete British army would have been destroyed.
Over 300,000 escaped from Dunkirk and made it back to England.
It came back to bite Hitler in the ass.
Would that be....Omaha Beach?
The Americans landed at Omaha the British on Sword and Gold beach with contingents of the Free French Army and the Free Polish Army.
Also a few battalions of the Canadian Army were there with them.
The Canadians landed on Juno Beach.
Hitler's biggest mistake was invading Russia. That and declaring war on the United States after Pearl Harbor. Once America was in the war against him Germany was doomed. The only thing that could have saved them was if they had won the race to create an atomic bomb.
For a long time Hitler believed that the British would "come to their senses" and make peace with him. That is considered a reason that he did not finish at Dunkirk. He thought that if he wiped out or captured all the British there it would only strengthen their resolve against him.
The main reason that Hitler halted the Wehrmacht on the outskirts of Dunkirk was due mainly to allow the infantry to catch up to the German armored forces and because Goering convinced Hitler that the Luftwaffe could finish off the British and French forces on the beaches. Goering's false bravado proved wrong and gave the Allies the time they needed to evacuate thousands of troops.
You're always a fountain of information and knowledge, Ed. Thanks!
My pleasure.
No. Hitler's biggest mistake was 'thinking' he was a smart guy.
And assuming his campaign of fear, loathing and racism would align the World under The Third Reich.
The Americans also landed at Utah beach.
Goering also convinced Hitler that he could reinforce the German troops in Russian with an airlift program.....It was a failure...and the German army was destroyed.
Yes they did. I only left that out because I assumed that most everyone knew that...My bad.
BTW the Rangers at Pointe du Hoc have always fascinated me as do the 101st and 82nd Airborne on D Day and the following battles through France and Germany.
Yep.
I am constantly amazed at just how little the younger generations know about the events of D-Day and WW II in general. A sad commentary on how little world history is taught at the high school and college level nowadays.
I remember a book my uncle gave me when I was a kid. "The 100 Greatest True Stories of WWII" and it was written or told by the people who were actually there.
One of the most interesting books I have ever read--even after 40+ years and thousands of books.
Many years ago on my first tour in the Army I was stationed in Germany. I had a chance to visit Bastogne and the US Military cemetery in Belgium.
It was quite an experience. My cousin was KIA in Bastogne, December 24th, 1944...He was a member of 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. (Band of Brothers) who's motto is ''Currahee'' which is Cherokee for ''We Stand Alone''
I was able to speak to residents of Bastogne that were there during the battle and once I told them I came to visit my cousins grave it was like I was their son.
It was an amazing experience for me and when I returned home I visited my Auntie with words from the citizens and photos of them and the respect they had for her son.
Yeah, we need to teach today kids a lot more about our history.
Yeah, I tried to teach my late son and he just was not interested. I have had better luck with my three grandsons. They have shown a interest knowing that their great grandfather fought from Normandy to wars end in Europe.
I have seen "experts" that say Hitler wanted to encourage Britain to sue for peace (Churchill had just become prime minister) and, as Ed says, the Panzer tanks had outrun their infantry units. The answer lies in which experts you want to believe.
Hitler was known to be a junkie.....most junkies are lazy
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Many people familiar with junkies and their behaviors, or people who have done a modicum of research will tell you that is basically true. Which is why many junkies are petty thieves.
I would suspect that there aren't a whole lot of junkies with jobs. Seems it would be pretty damn hard to maintain employment if one is a junkie, what with work interfering in them doing their drugs of choice and all.
I knew one very close, my brother, he died.
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I apologize for my earlier comment. It was insensitive and I'm sorry for your loss
Actually it seems that a good part of the German army was on meth. I saw an really interesting documentary on it.
Here is a link to some good information on it.
Same with insurgents in Iraq. They were so full of drugs they kept going when they should have been dead, my son fought some in hand to hand combat and was lucky to live through it.
That is true. I've read some articles on just that situation.
A welcome home to your son.
Thank you. He's been out almost 10 years now, but those things have lasting impact.
Only lesson with this information concerning the Nazis is the fact that any attempt to use the knowledge of these historical facts guarantee a rabid response by 'some' who harbor great disdain towards any correlation with a modern political movement or 'wannabe' deity.
Is this guy just now discovering Hitler?
Living under a rock for 70 years.
Of course not. [deleted]
Sure he has, and thinks he has had some great revelation about something everyone already knew.
Again, of course not.
All I want to know is where did Hitler come up with that absurd stache?
John Bolton
I just looked him up but he has a full stache so I am unclear as to why you mentioned him.
Might be that during WW I, Hitlet had a full bushy mustache that he shortened right after the war. Or not.
Here is a photo of Hitler during WWI....Full mustache...
It's my understanding that after WWI he was mowing the lawn, tripped and fell in front of the mower and wallah, the WWII mustache.
Ahhhh. I never knew about that picture. Thank you and you also Ed NavDoc.
My 'weak attempt' at historical and present day humor.
As a kid, I always thought that spiked Pickelhaube looked bvb so cool!
Too bad no one had the cojones to impeach Hitler. The political elite were too concerned with protecting their elite status and making money.
You can't impeach a dictator. After Hitler became Chancellor he quickly moved to de-power other voices in the government.
Very true. As soon as von Hindenburg died in August of 1934, Hitler named himself sole leader and fuehrer of Germany, outlawing all other parties making the Nazi Party the sole ruling party. He used his SA and SS storm troopers to ruthlessly enforce his and the party's will on all opposition.