<OT: The Nazis and "Moral Decline" >
Mr. K, now that I see all these comments about World War II, I gather I may have misunderstood the thrust of the debate here, which I had not been following.
It would be hard to disagree with the proposition that "moral decline" contributed to the outbreak of WW II; the Nazis, once in power, certainly set that decline in motion with their own policies.
I, on the other hand, was talking about the alleged contribution of "moral decline" to the Nazi seizure of power in 1933. So I may have been confusing apples and oranges.
I agree with your main point, however, which is that a paranoid belief system that "demonized" the Jews (and not just the Jews) was a major factor in precipitating the war.
Of course, this paranoid belief system, with its demonization of Jews, homosexuals, "decadent" artists, etc., etc., was born in the Weimar era. And it was linked with a belief in a mythical "moral decline," caused by the mythical infection of the mythical pure German volk by mythical "alien" bacilli. It is ironic, as well as tragic, that the Nazis, who were among the most vehement in decrying this largely mythical moral decline, should have been the ones to initiate genuine moral decline.
jbe |
