Hitler

[MaC]

I vote no.

Discuss

[A18]

Yes, although invading the Soviet Union was not particularly bright.

[Nym90]

Yes, although invading the Soviet Union was not particularly bright.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[??????????]

Was he a brilliant politician? Yes

Was he a brilliant tactician? Hell no.

[Gabu]

His skills at effective manipulation were absolutely unsurpassed, even if he was completely nuts.

[??????????]

His skills at effective manipulation were absolutely unsurpassed, even if he was completely nuts.

"Nuts" is relative at best.

[Gabu]

His skills at effective manipulation were absolutely unsurpassed, even if he was completely nuts.

"Nuts" is relative at best.

I think most people would agree with the notion that harboring the desire to kill anyone with physical characteristics that you don't like qualifies as "nuts".

[dazzleman]

He was smart up to a point, but his intelligence was ultimately overtaken by his severe mental problems, which led him to do very stupid things.

It's a more extreme version of a fairly common story.

[MasterJedi]

Was he a brilliant politician? Yes

Was he a brilliant tactician? Hell no.

^^^^^^


And at the end he started to get crazy as hell about everything.

[J. J.]

It's said that there is a thin line between genius and insanity.  Hitler illustrates the point.

[MaC]

He was a good politician no doubt, but I'd still say he was dumb.  Marching into Stalingrad was one example.  The fact he couldn't keep his 'eyes on the prize' (Russia) and kept letting himself get sidetracked (like declaring war on America, when he was already in enough trouble). 

The Holocaust was really a waste, considering Hitler could've drafted the Jews and made them front line fighters.

[Vasall des Midas]

He was certainly utterly nuts. (He really believed jewry and marxism were for all practical purposes the same thing. Not to mention - although this belief developed later - that he was the Lord's Chosen One to destroy them both.)
He was a great speaker (in the early years, anyways - in office he grew considerably more pompous, which hurt his rhetoric; not to mention that his voice ended up suffering from overuse.)
In politics and military tactics, he was good, no genius but certainly very unorthodx, and - and this is behind his successes early in the war - not risk-averse at all. If France and the UK had invaded rather than just declare war during the invasion of Poland, they'd have noticed that Western Germany was temporarily devoided of armed forces, and the war might very well have been over by Christmas.
As to invading the Soviet Union, due to the nature of his madness he had no choice but to do so. The amazing thing is that he managed to hold off for two years.

[Vasall des Midas]

He was certainly utterly nuts. (He really believed jewry and marxism were for all practical purposes the same thing. Not to mention - although this belief developed later - that he was the Lord's Chosen One to destroy them both.)
He was a great speaker (in the early years, anyways - in office he grew considerably more pompous, which hurt his rhetoric; not to mention that his voice ended up suffering from overuse.)
In politics and military tactics, he was good, no genius but certainly very unorthodx, and - and this is behind his successes early in the war - not risk-averse at all. If France and the UK had invaded rather than just declare war during the invasion of Poland, they'd have noticed that Western Germany was temporarily devoided of armed forces, and the war might very well have been over by Christmas.
As to invading the Soviet Union, due to the nature of his madness he had no choice but to do so. The amazing thing is that he managed to hold off for two years.

Hitler did all these things because he was an artist of human intelect. He also did these things because when one truly believes in themself they know that their is nothing that can stop them-none of you self hating forumites would know anything about true confidence.

Now I see what you mean by an "artist of human intelect", Karl... enlightening.
Of course he did end up getting stopped in the end. True confidence will carry you only so far.

[opebo]

It is hard to say if he was 'smart' or not, but he was certainly a very successful politician of the right-wing, nationalist, family-values&christianity type.  He was also not nearly so atypical as our current right-wingers would like you to believe.

[Bugs]

Hitler's genious was seen in his ability to spur his own people to his cause, stimulate the depression era economy, hoodwink foreign leaders, and win on the battlefield.  That he got over ambitious and became distractable was his downfall in his later years.  What would have happened if he would have not bombed Britain, been content to stop with territory won in Russia in December 1941, and not declared war on the US?  The war might have had a different ending.

[dazzleman]

I saw a special on the History Channel called "High Hitler" that talked about all the drugs he was addicted to, and said that he had syphilis and Parkinson's disease.

[??????????]

I saw a special on the History Channel called "High Hitler" that talked about all the drugs he was addicted to, and said that he had syphilis and Parkinson's disease.

Yes, he drug of choice was Meth and it was given to nazi soldiers to fight fatigue and keep fighting for very long periods of time.

[© Tweed the Younger]

I saw a special on the History Channel called "High Hitler" that talked about all the drugs he was addicted to, and said that he had syphilis and Parkinson's disease.

LOL, Vlad Lenin had syphilis and that likely was what he died from, although the Soviet Government maintained he died from the complications from the multiple strokes and the bullet lodged in his spine.

States, the Japanese soliders were also given Meth.  Everyone was amazed at how they were able to march for weeks with like 4 hours of sleeps and that's how.

[Vasall des Midas]

It is hard to say if he was 'smart' or not, but he was certainly a very successful politician of the right-wing, nationalist, family-values&christianity type.  He was also not nearly so atypical as our current right-wingers would like you to believe.

Not in his appeal to voters, anyhow.

[opebo]

I saw a special on the History Channel called "High Hitler" that talked about all the drugs he was addicted to, and said that he had syphilis and Parkinson's disease.

Yes, he drug of choice was Meth and it was given to nazi soldiers to fight fatigue and keep fighting for very long periods of time.

Interesting!  I believe American soldiers were given something similar weren't they?

States, the Japanese soliders were also given Meth.  Everyone was amazed at how they were able to march for weeks with like 4 hours of sleeps and that's how.

This is fascinating stuff.  You know one things for sure, drugs are a huge boon to performance in a lot of fields.  I have noticed that as various countries crack down more and more on drugs, it leads to a fatter, less hard-working prostitute.

[Max]

...and said that he had syphilis...

How did he get syphilis without any sexual activities?

On the issue: He wrote a book, he was a politician, he had some knowledge on philosophy, history and arts.

He was smart, but not a genious.

[adam]

Politically speaking the man was a genius. They way he could use the problems of the times to control the mind of the German's was incredible. He more or less used WWI and the world depression to talk the German people right into a dictatorship...let's seem someone today try that without violence.

Now, was he a thick headed military leader? Yes. You'd think that any military commander would have studied Napoleon and understood that any expedition into Russia would be a fatal one. But not Hitler, he thought he was special.

Also, to state the obvious...the man was mentally derranged. He had an awkward obsession with his mother and a blind hatred for the world. Clearly, he needed a lot of help.

So, to average it...the man is a politically brilliant nutcase. This doesn't translate into smart though.

[12th Doctor]

Hitler was daring.  He knew how to read a situation where he was personally involved very well, and use it to his benefit.  That being said, his theories are terrible, although he constructs them in such a way to make them appealing to some.  His military "genious" is pratically non-existant.

He was a good opputunist, which is a type of intellegence, but other than that, no.

[Gustaf]

As has been said, he was in miltary things a complete idiot. From what I've heard Mein Kampf is pretty much unreadable, it's a complete mess, which indicates that he wasn't much of a verbal genius either.

He was obviously pretty good at exciting people, but that isn't intelligence to me.

I don't think it's fair to call Hitler a border-line lunatic/genius. From all I've read about him he seems pretty dumb, at least not more than average intelligent. Goebbels, on the other hand, is believed to have been one of the most intelligent persons in all history.

[adam]

From what I've heard Mein Kampf is pretty much unreadable, it's a complete mess, which indicates that he wasn't much of a verbal genius either.

It could be because it's a direct translation from German to English.