New book argues common views of Hitler and Nazi rise are wrong

Really glad to see your enthusiasm, but, we got this, man. - Actual Historians of the Third Reich www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

"It’s hard to admit this from a modern perspective, but historical fascism’s lust for violence didn’t make it repulsive but extremely attractive to a lot of German voters." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Come for the historical rethink of the Nazi's rise, stay for the "human advertising pillar." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

‘Hitler was a lazy criminal who slept in until noon’: why most of what we think we know about the rise of the Nazis is wrong www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

pairs nicely with this interview, about why the nazis won the 1930 election "[Hitler]... had talked about one thing: executing his political opponents... In the run-up to the 1930 vote, it didn’t talk about social policy, it didn’t talk about building the autobahn. It just had murder plots."

‘One explanation ..is that political crises tend to go hand-in-hand with media crises: that the Nazis pounced expertly on new forms of media’ Which is why we keep begging Labour to tackle the media. But Labour does nothing. Nandy does nothing. #media www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Like Hitler, it's the goons behind the Mango MAGAt, a lazy criminal, who make his success possible. Bizarre people can't see the parallels.

A great deal of food for thought in this interview: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

"historical fascism’s lust for violence didn’t make it repulsive but extremely attractive to a lot of German voters. And we are seeing similar things with the AfD today, where fantasies of violent retribution seem to be integral to campaign events on market squares."

In retrospect, Mr. Death should have prepared us for the rise of Just Asking Questions Nazis into what was once polite society

Well we should absolutely rise to the occasion to put these Nazis firmly in the ground. Fat, stupid and unprepared.

I think this is spot-on: "historical fascism’s lust for violence didn’t make it repulsive but extremely attractive to a lot of German voters". People vote for nasty parties not because they are fooled or desperate but because they are nasty themselves. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

I think it's mostly forgotten these days that fascists always operated like this. Unfortunately the cartoon villain, movie version of Nazis very much overshadows how much they painted themselves and Germany as perpetual victims, and that only their rise to power could bring retribution.

When you read a newspaper article about a period you know next to nothing about… And think “interesting, I bet there are VIEWS out there” Good point about violence being the thing that attracts men who like to dress up in black, though. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

This article is fascinating because it actually proposes two key reasons why fascist parties come to power which are vital to what is happening today: (1) Conservatives only win from the centre ground. (2) Fascists win when they promise violence.