WI:hitler has his opinion of the Jewish changed after a jewish man saves his life in a battle in WW1

I think to change Hitlers antisemitism we have to go another way, he need to marry a Jewish girl. Why do I suggest this? Not because I think a single Jew would make a difference, but it would make it more likely for Hitler to interact with her family and friends, and interact in more intimate setting than between friend. He would join them at holiday dinners, meet many different kind of Jews, this would make it much harder for Hitler to look at a individual Jew he liked as a virtuous exception. He could still be a hateful nationalist, Jews are just not on the target list anymore.
 

Ak-84

Banned
Something that I've heard before, and I don't know if it's true, but it's a hell of an interesting theory, is that Hitler himself wasn't really anti-semetic. What he was, was a political opportunist. And the Jews represented a means to an end for him, nothing more. In other words, he became an anti-semite strictly for what it would gain him: power. By targeting Jews, he targeted generally well educated, middle class and above people. He basically eliminated intelligent opposition to him while simultaneously confiscating a great deal of wealth. Which he subsequently used to help finance Germany's rearmament. Later, when it became clear that he had squeezed all the blood out of that particular stone, he implemented the final solution as they were now a liability to his regime.

Again, I have no idea whether this is accurate or not, but it does make just enough sense to be plausible. Not that it really matters. Anyway you cut it, Hitler was still a genocidal maniac who deserved a short drop and a sudden stop at the bottom.
Yes well his anti-semitism was much more boilerplate compared to say Gobbels, Frick or Himmler (some of whose ideas irritated Hitler, then again Himmler would irritate anyone anyway). Many of the more well known of "Hitler's" anti-Jewish measures were done under the direction and guidance of his subordinates, which he signed off on. It's not often appreciated today, but when he took power he was seen by several as being a moderate on Jewish issues for Nazis!

But, at the end of the day I believe his anti-semitism was genuine, not opportunistic
 
Hitler wasn't already an anti-Semite back in Vienna? That's the place where he frequently quoted Schönerer to anybody willing to listen in the hostel, and there are reports that he had some anti-Semite slogan by Schönerer written and hung over his bed.

It's hard to speculate given how widespread anti-semitism was at the time, Hitler probably was an anti-Semite during his time in Vienna but I'm of the opinion that his radicalisation happened later. A combination of Julius Streicher, Dietrich Eckart, the "Stab in the Back" myth, and a few other factors.
 

SsgtC

Banned
Yes well his anti-semitism was much more boilerplate compared to say Gobbels, Frick or Himmler (some of whose ideas irritated Hitler, then again Himmler would irritate anyone anyway). Many of the more well known of "Hitler's" anti-Jewish measures were done under the direction and guidance of his subordinates, which he signed off on. It's not often appreciated today, but when he took power he was seen by several as being a moderate on Jewish issues for Nazis!

But, at the end of the day I believe his anti-semitism was genuine, not opportunistic

Honestly, I agree his anti-semitism was likely genuine. But I'd heard this theory and before and it does make a twisted kind of sense.
 
I think to change Hitlers antisemitism we have to go another way, he need to marry a Jewish girl.

Yeah, well, if he had been willing and able to marry at all, including a 100% Aryan girl, in all likelihood he wouldn't have had that career of his at all. He would have had other things to think about.
Also note his fixations about potency, impotence, the regular insistence on the accusation that the enemies of German minorities abroad castrated German men... Though this be madness, yet there's a pattern in it.

In other words, all this thread seems to be based on the assumption that Hitler was more rational and sane than I think he was.
 
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