Well, Hitler never won a majority of votes in a direct election. As you say, it was a parliamentary system where the country's leadership is not directly elected. (Neither, actually, is ours.) But Hitler's claim to legitimate authority through election was, as far as the vote goes, no worse than what is moderately common in parliamentary sytstems where the PM has to cobble together a minority government. This sort of thing happens all thetime. True, the SPD and the KPD had a majority if their votes had been combined or if they had been willing to work together, but that and 500,000,000,000 1923 marks will buy you a shot of schnapps. If you want to attack the legitimacy of Hitler's election, isn't it better to look at voter intimidation and political murder taht the Nazis committed throught the winter and spring of '33?
--- Chip Berlet <c.berlet at publiceye.org> wrote:
> Just for the record...
>
> Hitler was never actually elected to run Germany.
>
> It was a parliamentary system.
>
> There were problems in building a ruling
> coalition.
>
> In a revote, the Nazis actually lost votes.
>
> Hitler was appointed Chancellor after a series
> of political fiascos.
>
> Hitler never won a "popular election."
>
> -Chip Berlet
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org on behalf of
> Doug Henwood
> Sent: Wed 1/26/2005 2:55 PM
> To: lbo-talk
> Subject: [lbo-talk] Ted Turner: Fox News = Hitler
>
> <SNIP>
>
> Ted Turner called Fox a propaganda tool of the Bush
> administration
> and indirectly compared Fox News Channel's
> popularity to Adolf
> Hitler's popular election to run Germany before
> World War II.
>
> <SNIP>
>
> ATTACHMENT part 2 application/ms-tnef
name=winmail.dat
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