The Nazis developed a cocaine-based drug to boost the performance of their soldiers in combat during World War II and tested it on prisoners in 1944, according to a report in the latest edition of Focus magazine. "It was Hitler's last secret weapon to win a war he had already lost long ago," said criminologist Wolf Kemper, who is about to publish a book on the Third Reich's use of drugs called "Nazis on Speed". The drug, codenamed D-IX, was tested at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp north of Berlin, where prisoners loaded with 20kg packs were reported to have marched 90km without rest. "After 24 hours, most were completely exhausted," one former prisoner wrote in his diary, according to Kemper's book. Focus said the Nazis had planned to issue the drug to all their soldiers, but Allied forces closed in before the project could get off the ground. Kemper said that from 1933 the Nazis had campaigned against the use of drugs, particularly cocaine, which was widely used in the 1920s. But as early as 1939, German soldiers were supplied with the amphetamine Pervitine, with about 29 million pills being delivered to the troops from April to December that year.
Instead of trying to become an economic power to have his country at the top of all countries selling products to others thereby making his own country strong and admired by other nations for their businesses and trade practices. Just like they are now, without his help. Interesting isn't it?
Hitler gets an F- In the end(how we all get graded): He empowered the very nation he loathed and wanted to destroy(Russia). Destroyed the nation he loved, Germany - utter Ruins. Was utterly defeated, causing absolute embarrassment to the so-called master race, now very much even today, in "Apology" mode for being in existence, never mind ruling the world. Lost countless German genius before, during and after the war because of his actions. (Einstein, Von Braun etc.) Enforced the predjudice that Germans are naturally aggressive. Caused the death and destruction of millions and put us, possibly prematurely into the nuclear age. Compared with other "Great" people such as Alexandros and Frederick - definitely a F-. Alexandros has a short lived empire as well(though the longer lasting Ptolemaic, Selekid, Pontos and of course Antigonid nations came of it) - but his influence was certainly a + to hellenistic culture and people WANTED to remember him. Frederick is still remembered fondly in Germany. Hitler is not, they want to forget him, badly.
Because racism isn't something that we need in a world full of different peoples. To say one human is better than another is sheer stupidity!
In other words, for a quiet life we will ignore reality, even if it means the destruction of our entire history and culture.
ya know, if all it takes to be great is changing the world, does that mean the 9/11 pilots were great?
How's that? I don't see anything happening to Germany today that makes it worry about its "culture". If anything it is gaining more leadership throughout the European nations and the entire world as I write. Just what is being lost to you? If you feel threatened then that is a personal problem within yourself not what is happening in reality. The ebb and flow of peoples throughout time has been happening without your consent and will continue to do so. There's nothing you can do to prevent any human to seek partnership with another no matter what ethnic background or religion they might have. Trying to stop humanity from being whatever they want to be is like trying to stop a dam bursting with your finger, it just won't happen.
Germany's recent rise is INSPITE of Hitler. Germans work together and work hard. Also the west helped rebuild Germany with the Marshall plan. Who knows where they'd be without that.
Setting aside the issue of his being evil...and assuming for argument's sake that you can be evil and "great" simultaneously. I agree with the post above, but would add to it that Hitler had a paranoid streak, a tendency to think he was a better starategist than his generals, and yet his strategic sense (and paranoia) led him to attacking and invading Russia and vastly overcomplicating Germany's situation. He was so bad that even very loyal miliatry men, over time, started reluctantly agreeing that he might need to be assassinated for the good of the nation. Given that he was also evil by almost any definition, it is a stroke of luck that he was so bad as a strategist *and* arrogant enough to think otherwise. Had he been fighting the war on a single front, or had the sense to not essentially repeat Napoleon's disasterous march into Russia, lord only knows how bad things might be today. (I'm not saying that a great leader needs to be a great general, but if he's not, then a great leader needs to know when to defer to his generals and when not to.) He had a remarkable ability to motivate the masses by playing on their nationalism and their prejudices, but other than that, he lacked the skills you'd typically want to see in a leader. He's was a "great" propagandist, but great leadership takes a little more.
well maybe its just me, but i connect power, might with greatness, especially in context of history, with all the kings and leaders being called great... but then again i don't share the same expirience with english... this discussion is in my eyes about the definition of "great". hitler did things that brought his country forward, but these things are mostly ignored, because of the horrible things overshadowing it...
There is a difference between True Power and transient power. Hitler had a little bit of one and a lot of the other. Power is the ability to hold on to and make happen what you plan, accept no substitute! How much change did he make that he planned for happen and how long did it last? Before we all condemn him to an eternity of shame, we should be aware that nothing is totally black and totally white. There was goodness in him, as even the worst tyrants in the world are not abominations from the black lagoon. Hitler reveals that potential that any one of us have for performing evil acts. He was human, one of us, whether we like it or not. I am not agreeing with his ideas of a supreme race at all. That sort of thinking will get us all killed. He would have me executed for telling him that he is no better or worse then a Jew. There were others, twisted in their time. Here we are writing and reading about him. Why is that...well obvious he had Charisma. He was brilliant and insane both. That is something to watch out for. It can sneak up and baM!!! It changes the world forever. I honestly don't care if he was evil or good. What matters to me is what I can learn from his example, how to avoid what was stupid and how to implement that which was brilliant. Our USA government has already done the same thing. So have others. So was Hitler great? The answer...yes and no. And that is the actual answer. I can say he sucked donkey balls and you can say he sucked Stalin's balls, but there was a time in his life when everybody around him worshiped him as Great. He was the greatest thing in the eyes of those he charmed. Many died proudly for him. Those are the facts. To them...he was great until the end. Time does not belong to any one of us to dictate, are we going to be like him now? There is no final answer. The only answer that is final is yes to some and no to others. Thats all.
He was a genius of politics and propoganda, and his cabinet did jumpstart the economy and and build lots of public works.
Oh, I wouldn't doubt that for a second. However, I don't think it's fair to undermine his abilities just because he didn't like my kind. You don't have to invent something to be a genius.
