Speeches, Lies, and Narrative (Un-)Truth
摘要
Why was Adolf Hitler so successful as a speaker? Watching clips from his speeches today, we see someone barely able to contain himself, a man ranting and raving in the most primitive way. There is nothing even remotely seductive about him or his oratory. Indeed, if one abstracts from the crude racism and over-the-top nationalism, there is just superficiality and shouting, or so it would appear. Why, then, did his rhetoric resonate with so many people? Were the appeal for “racial purity” and the promise to make Germany great again really that powerful by themselves? Or is there more to it?