by Nomad
Scouring the archive again.
In a 2015 post, This Day in History: When Bankers and Big Business Betrayed a Nation, we examined the willing complicity of the German industrialists and how the fascist leader's seduced the people who once had underestimated him.
On February 20, 1933, - exactly 84 years today- something extraordinary happened in Europe. Of course, nobody knew about it and few could have understood the significance at the time.
This was the day that Chancellor Adolf Hitler made his pitch to the leaders of banking and industry.
On that day, Hitler held a secret meeting aimed at allocating campaign financing for the Nazi party in the crucial upcoming elections.
It was for the captains of industry a moment of decision, a time to choose between the good of the country or supporting an extremely ambitious man with deeply dangerous ideas.
This was the day that Chancellor Adolf Hitler made his pitch to the leaders of banking and industry.
On that day, Hitler held a secret meeting aimed at allocating campaign financing for the Nazi party in the crucial upcoming elections.
It was for the captains of industry a moment of decision, a time to choose between the good of the country or supporting an extremely ambitious man with deeply dangerous ideas.
For Adolf, it was just a part of his master strategy to seize absolute control of the German government, to subvert a democracy and install a dictatorship.
Winning a majority in parliament was therefore seen as a crucial part of the Nazis plan. With a two-thirds majority, the Nazis would have enough votes to pass the so-called Enabling Act.
This legislation was to allow Chancellor Hitler to rule by decree, bypassing the last remaining opposition in the German parliament.
Financing an election didn't guarantee the results. But, the leader of the Nazi party had another ace up his sleeve just in case.
If you have a moment, I encourage you to go back and read all about it in this archived post.
One week later after this historic gathering, on February 27, the Nazis successfully arranged one of the most successful false flag operations in modern history: the arson attack on the Riechstag building, the meeting place of the German parliament.In this way, Hitler carved out a path, going from national (and international) laughing-stock to despot of a modern nation and finally the despoiler of world order. Most importantly, he did all this using democratic institutions and the naivety and compliance of intelligent and cultured people.
If you have a moment, I encourage you to go back and read all about it in this archived post.