Hello all,

I’ve been musing over the ideologies of authoritarian/strongman leaders. Obviously, Hitler and his violent purge of the Jews stands as one of history’s greatest crimes, but this got me wondering- did Hitler actually believe his anti-Semitic rhetoric? Or was he “playing the part” and using his rhetoric to create an “out” group and consolidate his power? (I.e., did he actually, personally believe Jews were the root of problems in Germany? Or was he just using them as a scapegoat for Germany’s problems to turn Germans against one another and consolidate his power?)

Thanks!