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Title: The Hidden Hitler by Lothar Machtan, John Brownjohn ISBN: 0-465-04309-7 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 15 October, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.85 (27 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A fascinating reappraisal
Comment: With the literally thousands of books and articles about Hitler that have appeared over the last half century, it is nothing short of remarkable that no one has ever thought to examine the wealth of documentary evidence suggesting that Hitler was homosexual, or to analyze the impact his sexuality may have had on some of his actions. Machtan's well-researched book should open a whole arena in the Hitler studies.
Obviously this book has upset many. It's thesis seems particularly offensive to many gay people, afraid that the revelation of Hitler's possible homosexuality will lead to a simple equation that Hitler was evil because he was gay.
But Machtan is careful not only to avoid such simplistic reductionism, but to point out instead the immense damage Hitler did to gay people in Germany in his apparent attempts to cover up his history of homosexuality and destroy those who knew about it. As a result, Machtan throws a whole new light on the homophobia of the Nazis, the destruction of the SA, the persecution of Magnus Hirschfeld and the roundup of gay Germans.
This book is a bit dry at times, and loaded with footnotes. But that's no vice in a work of such a potentially sensational nature. Machten avoids prurient sensationalism and outrageous or unsubstantiated claims, preferring to quietly focus on the conclusions that can be culled from the admittedly murky sources.
All told, a major contribution, well researched and thoughtfully rendered.
Rating: 4
Summary: A good start on this subject
Comment: Admittedly some aspects of Machtan's thesis are tentative and in need of verification. But it's a subject that hitherto has received little treatment and that only in a sensationalistic manner. Machtan brings to his study a serious and dispassionate tone. The homosexual aspect of Nazism, especially in the Stormtroops, is well known, but little else has been said of it in regards to the party as a whole. Having read about Hitler and Nazism for two decades I can say that Machtan's study fills in a lot of gaps. The Roehm putsch and Night of the Long Knives makes much more sense. Liberals will not be happy with the fact that Machtan reveals that the Nazis did not target homosexuals per se (as many high ranking party members were homosexual so long as they were discrete). Rather the Nazi's anti-homosexual campaign was a hypocritical excuse to further clamp down on political opponents rather than combat immorality. Even if Machtan's argument for Hitler's homosexuality is not absolutely conclusive (he was certainly dysfunctional and a misogynist ), there can be little doubt that the future German fuehrer came from a bohemian background, and that ideologically the Nazis grew out of the pro-homosexual Wandervogel movement which emulated the Spartan ideal in more ways than one. Many of Hitler's close friends and mentors were undoubtedly homosexual. It is a very readable and thought-provoking study.
Rating: 1
Summary: Hidden Agenda?
Comment: Machtan told Die Welt daily in an interview "there was also no
irrefutable proof that Hitler was gay. "
Machtan's speculation about Hitler's sexual orientation is, of course, just that. By his own admission Machtan's research and, indeed, the premise for his assumptions are without proof or empirical verification.
Machtan said in one interview I read, that it is because no documented evidence exists that Hitler had a sexual encounter with a woman, that the conclusion therefore must be that Hitler was gay.
There is no documented proof of any of my sexual relations with any women either, so I guess if he does my life story, he will find me to be a homosexual too.
He also took out of context many quotes from the out of print book: "The Young Hitler I Knew" which I have a copy of and have read.
Seeing his quotes from the book, and knowing the parts he purposely left out show this man is purposely wanting to spread lies that he knows are lies. He makes no mention of chapter 7, titled, and dedicated entirely to Stefanie, the girl Hitler was obsessed with at the time and said one day he would marry.
He also tries to suggest that Kubizek and Hitler were homosexual lovers, when in fact, if you read the book written by Kubizek, you find this:
For, in fact, this man had slipped Adolf a card without my noticing it, on which he had scribbled an invitation to visit him at the Hotel Kummer.
"He's a homosexual," explained Adolf in a matter of fact manner. I was startled. I had never even heard the word, much less had I any conception of what it actually meant. So Adolf explained this phenomenon to me.
Naturally this, too, had long been one of his problems and, as an
abnormal practice, he wished to see it fought against relentlessly, and he himself scrupulously avoided all personal contact with such men.
The visiting card of the famous manufacturer from Vocklabruck
disappeared into our stove.
It seemed to me quite natural that Adolf should turn with disgust and repugnance from these and other sexual aberrations of the big city.
That from the very book this "historian" read and comes to the
conclusion that not only is Hitler gay, but Kubizek too?
Machtan falsly quotes:
He got it when Kabizek went to join art student Hitler in Vienna and was greeted at the train with "joyful excitement," and a big old kiss,
Here is the actual text from my copy of the book:
He was obviously delighted to see me and greeted me warmly and, AS WAS THEN THE CUSTOM, kissed me lightly on the cheek.
This can be found on page 143, in the very first paragraph of Chapter 14 of The Young Hiter I knew.
Wrote Kabizek of the incident, "He lay down naked on the cloth. And I wrapped him up. He was greatly amused by the adventure - the whole romantic conclusion pleased him greatly."
Again, taken so out of context for the exact purpose to make it look as if something from out of a gay porno. This was the early 1900's, they were on a nature hike miles from home, got caught in a rainstorm, found an abandoned cabin to take cover in, and removed their wet clothes as anyone would have back then, and slept separately (not together)until morning to make the trip back home.
The use of the phrases like: "romantic" in this book are nothing more than a case of words having had different meanings than they do today, just as the word: "gay" meant something quite different only a few decades ago. If you read this book, you will realize that. In fact, throughout the entire book, Kubizek is constantly mentioning the obsession Hitler has with his love Stefanie. When ever Hitler would leave town he made Kubizek promise to watch her and report and write to him everything about her that was happening, just like a typical boy obsessed with a girl would do.
Machtan even goes so far as to suggest these two are gay because they would go to the opera together. There were no rock concerts back 100 years ago, this was the popular music of the day!
"Was fear of being outted the reason Hitler had thousands and thousands of gay men thrown into concentration camps?"
Sounds like something a homosexual would do, doesn't it? Have all other homosexuals killed. Just like how a heterosexual would want to have all heterosexuals killed. Makes absolutely no sense.
Anyone who just reads the book: "The Young Hitler I Knew" by August Kubizek, you will see that Machten could not have overlooked or made a mistake when he takes the quotes he does out of context and you will see there is no way any one could make the mistake of thinking Hitler was a homosexual from this book as Machten wants us to believe.
(...)
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Title: Hitler's Table Talk by Adolf Hitler, Norman Cameron, R. H. Stevens, Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper ISBN: 1929631057 Publisher: Enigma Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $32.00 |
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Title: Goebbels by Ralf Georg Reuth, Krishna Winston ISBN: 015600139X Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: September, 1994 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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