Hitler's Ideology: A Study in Psychoanalytic Sociology For information on order the eBook, please click here. “The best critical analysis in English of Hitler’s thought.” --Colin Day

Dear Colleague,

I was quite astonished by the number of people that "clicked through" to the link to Mein Kampf that appeared in my previous Newsletter Essay, "Do Unto others as has been done unto you."

Following up on the idea...we may understand why Hitler created the Holocaust by focusing on his experience (and the experience of German soldiers) during the First World War. We all know about the massive number of deaths (over two million) and casualties. I've written about this endlessly.

What was the consequence of the First World War for Hitler? He experienced himself, the German soldier, and the German nation as victims. This is where it began: in Hitler's experience as a victim.

Hitler was victimized by the German nation and German leaders, but he could not say this. He could not acknowledge who it was that sent young German men to die.

Hitler might have hated the German leadership for the massive suffering and slaughter they generated. He might have become disillusioned with the German nation--and abandoned his devotion to his country.

But he could not do this. He refused to hate the German leadership; refused to abandon his beloved Germany. Hitler's refusal to blame and to hate his own country was the foundation for everything that developed.

To understand the Holocaust, begin by repeating again and again: Hitler refused to hate and abandon Germany, in spite of the suffering his nation had caused.

To maintain his love and devotion to Germany, he had to locate the cause of his and Germany's suffering elsewhere. He identified Jews as the cause of Germany's suffering. Of course, they had nothing to do with the deaths of German soldiers and suffering of the German people. Jews had nothing to do with this.

It is trivializing to call this "scapegoating." We need to unpack the underlying psychology of what occurred, Hitler's refusal to abandon or separate from his beloved country.

The German nation was like an abusive mother. But Hitler was unable to acknowledge the abuse he and his comrades had suffered at Germany's hands. Hitler located the blame elsewhere, in outer space, so to speak. In his refusal to abandon attachment to Germany, he condemned the Jews.

Nazism began as the refusal to acknowledge Germany as an abusive mother, which would have required separating from the country. Hitler refused to name the abuser--his own nation and its leaders.

Best regards,

Richard Koenigsberg