[piece-itpete]

Finished it a coupla days ago.

Funny timing. For years my overall goal was to figure out what the founders meant by freedom (you'd think after 12 years of schoolin' I'd know). Since then I've been drifting reading wise, and it was good to have an aim, to fit different facts from different books together, very thought provoking and entertaining.

I gave it some thought. Perhaps I should try to figure out how such a highly civilized society as Germany should fall under a monster like Hitlers' spell (with the commie takeover of the USSR in the background as a sibling). I thought I'm already halfway there, why not.

Then, my SO came back from shopping and handed me the above referenced book, The Holy Terror. I had no idea what it was about, the title didn't sound like an old Sci Fi story.

And it sure wasn't. Written in 1939, it was an allegory playing on current events, the depression, Hitler, Stalin, etc. I can't believe it was a pop fiction book, I had to keep an old college dictionary out, and I read a lot of old books!

It played directly to my new aim! God is good. It's difficult to condense my thinking to date, but I'll try...

The full effects of the industrial revolution were still coming to a head. The depression added to regular folks already pretty bleak life, making them ripe for unrest.

At the same time society overall had more funds and free time at the middle/top, compared to life previous to the ind. revolution, even during the depression to a degree. So, more kids getting higher education, being exposed to different ideas.

A general trend to the de-Christianizing of society, most obvious at the middle/top.

Scientific and technological marvels becoming normal at a time when most folks in the world still had a pretty intimate knowledge of horses!

Other stuff, I'm writing as I go. But offhand those seem important.

Mashing grapes into wine, the, um, 'natural leader class'? 'progressives'? (called the intellasia at the time, related to but not identical to what we think of the term) believed that our entire system, the evolution of cultures and governments over time into their then-current form, was completely done, past its' expiration date, and further a leech upon society. They believed, with sincerity, that with the modern marvels of science/technology and their superior education, unfettered with both the morals and views of another age, they could build a new world, where no one goes hungry, utopia, etc, the original New World Order.

We like to think we're smarter than that. But we are used to marvels and have long been overeducated.

Particularly brighteyed college kids are still prone to those beliefs. But back then, the aftereffects of WW1 and the ongoing depression had brought many governments/societies practically to their knees. Even if seemingly outwardly strong, they were generally in real trouble.

Plus, the masses of people were ready to do something, ANYTHING. So they were willing to toss in with the radical educated class and in some ways half believed their talk. At least, they wanted it to be true.

Along comes Schicklegruber. (I know it's not historically accurate. But the man deserves revuperation and ridicule. And disgust.)

Hitler was no newcomer, and it was not inevitable that he'd become the supreme god of Germany and one of the biggest monsters we've ever seen. He (and his compadres) had been working towards power for YEARS.

Planning, working, refining speeches and gestures, growing their organization. Literally and intentionally building a shadow government, so they'd be able to step in when the time was ripe.

Even then it was not predestined. But, here was a man who can be the point guy, here's someone we can use! We'll fix his faults later, and besides, we do need to smash the old system before we rebuild it our way. The ends justify the means.

We know where that went. It turns out, not only could they not 'fix his faults', the ends were not theirs either, and after he had used them he destroyed them. Along with everything else.

Because they fooled themselves, they justified the bad - in their hubris, that they knew better, sincere as they may have been - they convinced themselves the ends were worth the means.

Pete