How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Chamberlain was swept off his feet by the eloquent young Austrian. "You have mighty things to do," he wrote Hitler on the following day, ". . . My faith in Germanism had not wavered an instant, though my hope—I confess—was at a low ebb. With one stroke you have transformed the state of my soul. That in the hour of her deepest need Germany gives birth to a Hitler proves her vitality; as to the influences that emanate from him; for these two things—personality and influence—belong together... May God protect you!" (1.4.134)
Shirer writes that Houston Chamberlain's admiration for the young would-be Fuehrer came at a time when Hitler, "with his Charlie Chaplin moustache, his rowdy manners and his violent, outlandish extremism, was still considered a joke by most Germans" (1.4.135). Talk about an ego boost; these early supporters fueled his ambitions. Too bad he wasn't as ambitious when his struggling mother could've used some financial support.
Quote #2
Mein Kampf is sprinkled with little essays on the role of the genius who is picked by Providence to lead a great people, even though they may not at first understand him or recognize his worth, out of their troubles to further greatness. The reader is aware that Hitler is referring to himself and his present situation. (1.4.138)
Even as he sat in prison for treason, with his political party banned and his career apparently in ruins, Hitler still thought of himself as a messianic figure.
Quote #3
In Hitler's utterances there runs the theme that the supreme leader is above the morals of ordinary man. Hegel and Nietzsche thought so too. We have seen Hegel's argument that "the private virtues" and "irrelevant moral claims" must not stand in the way of the great rulers, nor must one be squeamish if the heroes, in fulfilling their destiny, trample or "crush to pieces" many an innocent flower. (1.4.143)
Hitler should have read Crime and Punishment instead of Nietzsche and Hegel. There's such a thing as "irrelevant moral claims"? That's plain scary.