Hitler symbol of Democracy, Tolerance and Freedom

WI Hitler had never been a nazi, but became something of a FDR-esque figure in Germany and in the world
 
Interesting, but hard without ASBs getting involved.
Yeah, major hard to pull that scenario off. A major amount of ASBs may be required, considering the only possible opportunity to pull it off w/o ASBs, would be while Hitler was a baby, and he happened to be kidnapped as an infant, and handed over to a different family who happened to raise him properly, and guided him to develop into a caring and tolerant person. Because, kidnappings of babies was probably a nonexistant activity in Braunau, Austria in 1889, that gives the probability of such a scenario being pulled off w/o ASBs a 0% possibility.
 
The new Stresemann

Lets just say it happens for the sake of argument. What I can see happen is simply someone else taking Hitler`s place in history. The Weimar republic was not liked much, especially after the hyperinflation of the twenties followed by the great depression. Without Hitler, however, it is not unreasonable to see the Communists become more powerful; after all, it was the Freikorps and later the SA that broke them and removed them as a credible threat to Germany. IMO, all I can see this new democratic Hitler becoming a resurrection of Stresemann (with better oratory skills) that who might have a few months as chancellor but would be defeated later as a result of the proportional goverment system in the Reichstag
 
If you think Hitler being good is unlikely by being kidnapped, just change the WI.

Here's a recommended one:

WI: Hitler's family had extremely bad financial problems and abandoned their only surviving baby Adolf on the doorsteps of a loving and kind German pastor?
 
What if Alois Hitler decided, instead of beating up on his son Adolf, to indulge his artistic talents and live long enough to see Adolf do very well in school, become something of a social reformer who married a German woman Post WW1; and becomes interested in politics as a way to "prevent WW1 from happening again".

ITTL, Adolf Hitler leads a moderate left bloc that offers a real compromise instead of the KPD. With a stronger political left, Weimar's political answer to the Great Depression is a German New Deal, not a Military Rearmament Campaign...
 
The problem is, you can either have Adolf have a good childhood, proper reading habits, a successful early career, and grow up to be a good democrat, OR you can have him develop the manic drive and delusions of messianic grandeur that allowed him to devote his life to a pretty much impossible task. He was an Austrian petit bourgeois. I could see him becoming President of the Republic of Austria, on the outside, if he went Social Democratic or National Liberal and made a parliamentary career after the war, but Germany? Why would he emigrate, first of all, and what could move the electorate to choose a democratic, competent, honest Austrian politician to lead them when there are many Germany with more impressive credentials and similar policies?
 
The problem is, you can either have Adolf have a good childhood, proper reading habits, a successful early career, and grow up to be a good democrat, OR you can have him develop the manic drive and delusions of messianic grandeur that allowed him to devote his life to a pretty much impossible task. He was an Austrian petit bourgeois. I could see him becoming President of the Republic of Austria, on the outside, if he went Social Democratic or National Liberal and made a parliamentary career after the war, but Germany? Why would he emigrate, first of all, and what could move the electorate to choose a democratic, competent, honest Austrian politician to lead them when there are many Germany with more impressive credentials and similar policies?

There are plenty of democratic politicians with manic drive in history. If Hitler is a pan-Germanist (hardly unknown among democratic Germans), his drive to do what he can for his country will lead him to where the serious actions is - Germany.

Said politicians with similar policies haven't done a very good job of cleaning up the mess by 1932: Hitler only needs convince enough people that his policies are really, truly different, and demonize the opposition. And he always was a good speechmaker.

(Still, the condition in Germany being what it was, it's not going to be _easy_ to restore order and get the economy going - although, IIRC, it was showing some signs of improvement as a result of non-Nazi policies 1932-1933. Perhaps Hitler does take on dicatorial powers - and in a few years lays them down, allowing him to play the Cincinattus role).

Bruce
 

Ace_General

Banned
I have one

A bigger fear of Communists in the USA, like having communists uprisings in the 30's, then both England and Germany fight the soviet union and win and Hitler is seen as the "Savior of Europe" aganist the evil commies

Also, have him hate jews less and communists more or just hate jews less cause I don't think he can hate commies more

I can see like Hitler and McCarthy in the 50's hanging out speaking out against commies and brown people and whatnot
 
I have one

A bigger fear of Communists in the USA, like having communists uprisings in the 30's, then both England and Germany fight the soviet union and win and Hitler is seen as the "Savior of Europe" aganist the evil commies

Also, have him hate jews less and communists more or just hate jews less cause I don't think he can hate commies more

I can see like Hitler and McCarthy in the 50's hanging out speaking out against commies and brown people and whatnot

I think you're forgetting the "tolerance" bit. :)

Bruce
 
WI Hitler had never been a nazi, but became something of a FDR-esque figure in Germany and in the world

Historically FDR was seen as a Hitler-esque figure and visa versa in the years before the war. There was great praise from Germany over FDR's New Deal.

Without the Nazi Party its very unlikely that Hitler would have gotten anywhere. It would be more likely that Hitler may have been able to temper the anti-semitism of the party, but that was a prevalent feeling in Europe particularly gaining ground after the Russian Revolution.

I don't think it would be too hard to get Hitler to be a tolerant as Roosevelt.
 
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