Oneofthepeculiardevelopmentsinthemiddleofthe20thCenturywhichmakesNazi

antiSemitismsopowerfulandultimatelysolethalisnotthat
theNaziswereabletospreadtheir
poisonousfantasiesthrougheverybodyelsesminds,itsthattherewasasufficientoverlap
betweenatraditionaldislikeofJewsandtheNazisownveryradical,cosmological,biological
hatredoftheJews.ItwasntuntiltoolateinthedaythatpeoplewhodislikedJewsforreligious,
socialorpoliticalreasons,thatwereverytraditionalandactuallyratherconservative,realised
thatwhattheNazishadinmindintheirdealingwiththeJewswassomethingverydifferent
indeed.
LetstaketheCatholicChurch,forexample.TheCatholicChurchwasveryhappyto
convertJews.CatholicsbelievedthatChristwouldreturnwhenalltheJewswereconvertedand
thiswasafundamentalelementofChristiandoctrine,moreexaggeratedincertainProtestant
sectsbutneverthelesspresentamongsttheCatholics.

Catholics,therefore,sawtheJewsasabitofaproblem.
CertainlyiftheywereradicalJews,
BolsheviksJews,
butiftheseJewswouldseethetruth,seethelight,wouldconvertto
ChristianityandbecomegoodCatholics,thentheproblemoftheJewswoulddisappear.
They
didntwanttokillJews.

AndwhentheyrealisedthattheNazis'solutiontothesocalledJewishquestionwasmurder,
thevastmajorityofCatholicswereappalledbythisandmanyofthem,asweknow,riskedtheir
livestosaveJewstheybelievedthatCatholicismrequiredthemtosavethelivesofJews
becauseallhumanlifewassacred.Now,whatseparatedNaziantiSemitismfromother
antiSemitismisthe
Nazisdidnotbelievethatallhumanlifewassacred.
Theycertainlydidnt
believethatthelivesofJewsweresacred,
onthecontrarytheybelievedthateveryJewishlife,
evenachild,wasathreattothefatherland,theGermanVolk,andthehumanrace,andhadto
beexterminated.
Thatkindofbiological,racialhatredwassomethingquiteunprecedentedin
humanhistory.TheNaziswereabletowrapitupintraditionalhatredofJudaism,theyused
traditionalstereotypes,anditwasntuntiltoolateinthedaythatpeoplerealisedthatwhatthe
NazishadinmindwasverydifferenttowhatmostantiSemiteshadbelievedandhadpractised
forcenturiesbeforehand.AnotherthingthatseparatestheNazisapartfromotherpeoplewho
dislikeJewsisthattheNazisbelievedthattheJewshadacquiredvastpower,andthattheyhad
usedthispowerinamalignway.ItwasthepoweroftheJewsthathadledtotheBolshevik
revolution,itwasthepoweroftheJewsthathadledtorevolutioninGermany,hadstabbedthe
GermanArmyinthebackandhadbroughtdownImperialGermany.
IntheNazisworldvision
notonlyweretheJewsaforceforevil,aManichean,demonicforceforevil,buttheyhadvast
power,

theyhadtheirhandsontheleversofpower.Theyhadtobeeliminated,theyhadtobe
deprivedofthatpower,theyhadtobebrokenandthendestroyed.
TotheNazistheentire
courseofworldhistoryvindicatedthatinterpretationofJewishpower.

Whathappenedin1918wassimplyonemoreexampleofthepoweroftheJews,andthelevel
andpoweroftheJews.OnereasonthatHitlerwaskeentoseetheJewssegregatedinNazi
GermanyandsubjectedtoincreasinglyharshmeasuresoncetheSecondWorldWarbegan,
andwhyhewantedJewssegregatedandeventuallydestroyedthroughouttheNazisphereof
influencewhiletheNaziswerefightingthewar,wasthathebelievedthatifJewswereallowed

toexistfreely,toholdwhathebelievedwaseconomicandpoliticalpowerwhileGermanywasat
war,
iftheywerewithintheGermansphereofinfluence,theywoulddowhattheydidin
November1918theywouldstabGermanyintheback.

SoinHitlerseyesyouhadtodestroyJewishcommunityafterJewishcommunitywhereverthe
Germansconquered,thecountriestheyoccupied,eventheJewishcommunitiesthatweretheir
alliesthoseJewishcommunities

hadtobedestroyedotherwisetheywouldsubvertthewar
effortandstabGermanyintheback.

Thatwasalessonthathehadlearnedfrom1918butit
wassomethingthathebelievedcouldbeseenthroughouttheworkingsofhistory:themalign
poweroftheJew.

Hitlersnotuniqueinbelievingthattherearemysteriousandmalignforcesatworkbehindthe
scenesofhistory.Whereverlifeiscomplicated,andlifeisusuallycomplicated,wherever
politicaldevelopmentsortherelationsbetweenstatesbegintounfoldinawaythatisdifficultto
comprehend,certainlydifficultforordinarypeopletocomprehend,thereisatemptationtosee
thehiddenhandatworkhiddenforcesthatcannotbeidentified.
Theonlywaythatmanypeople
canexplainwhatishappeningtothemisastheresultofaconspiracyofhiddenforces,andthat
fantasyhasenormousappeal,andthereareruthless,cynicalpeoplewhoarewillingtoexploit
that.
Now,Hitleractuallybelievedinthisparanoidviewofworldhistory.Therewereotherswho
wentalongwiththatbecausetheyknewitwasawayofmobilisingpublicopinion,gettingvoters
intothepollstovoteforthem.

Itsnonsensicalinonewaybutitsalsoverysensibleinanotherway.Inthiscountry,inBritainin
the20thCentury,youfindmanydonorstopoliticalpartieswhowilldonatemoneytothe
ConservativesandtotheLabourPartyjustincaseonewinsandtheotherloses.Peoplealways
tryandbackbothsidesagainstthemiddle.Itisnotinconceivabletobelievethatthereare
certainpoliticalforcesinthemodernworldinthe21stCentury.Itsverycommonfor
corporationstoembodythis,whoarebehindallpoliticalpartiesoftheleftortheright,andyou
makesurethatwhoeverisontopsinterestscomethrough.Sowhatappearstobea
nonsensicalbeliefthattheJewscouldbebehindCapitalismandCommunismatthesametime
isnotthatunusual,andinfactthegreatcorporationsduringthe20thCenturydidhave
economicrelationswiththeCapitalistcountriesandwiththeCommunistcountries.FiatinItaly
hadjollygoodrelationswiththeCommunistpartiesaswellasbeingabackeroffascism.

WethinkofHitleraloneandwethinkofthegreatleadersasalone,butusuallytheyare
surroundedbyacoreoraclique,andtherecanbedifferentworldviewsordifferentwaysof
seeingpoliticsamongstthesegroups.
WithHitleryouhaveabsolutecertaintyandameasureof
cynicism,
butinacharacterlikeGoeringyouhaveabsolutecynicismandnotmuchabsolutism.
Hitlerwasquiteunusualinthathedidhaveaveryrigidworldviewandasetofpoliciesthathe
pursued.
Hewaswillingtotrimatcertaintimes,buthewasfairlyrelentless.
OtherNaziswere
muchmoreflexibleintheirbeliefsandextremelycynicalinappearingtobeabsolutist.Himmler
isoneofthemostnotoriousexamplesofthis.YouwouldhavethoughtthatHimmlerwas
actuallyrigidinhisbeliefs,butatcrucialmomentsHimmlerwaswillingandabletobevery,very

flexible.
AndIthinkwhatmakestheNazipoliticalmachineandcertainlyitspoliticalleadership
sodangerousisthatitcombinedelementsofabsolutecertaintywithotherelementsof
incrediblecynicismandflexibility.
Thatsaveryunusualcombination.
Itenabledthemtotake
power,toholdpoweranditalmostledtothemwinningtheSecondWorldWar.