> Or turn the people in what ever direction you like:
>
> "Naturally, the common people don't want war, but after all, it is 
> the
> leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a 
> simple
> matter to drag people along, whether it is democracy, or a fascist
> dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or 
> no
> voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the 
> leaders. This
> is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and
> denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the 
> country to
> danger. It works the same in every country"
> -- Hermann Goering, Hitlers Reich-Marshal at Nuremburg after WWII. 
> (This is
> true: check snopes: http://www.snopes.com/quotes/goering.htm )

It is salutary to consider the Nazis from time to time, and especially 
the inner core. But be ware of quoting scum* like Goering to make a 
general point. What they achievedwas after a very very long softening 
up peiod which began , at least. with the treaty of Versailles in 
1918-1919, trhe reparations exacted from them on, and throughtout the 
seductyion of the German people during the 1930s. To achieve the same 
thing under an eg 4 year term dual party government system would be 
'rather harder", regardless of what one may feel about one's own 
current government.

For reasons unknown I seem to be becoming increasingly interested in 
the history of WW2 and the more I read the less I'm sure I know about 
it all. I haven't yet read anything by Goering, but expect it would be 
of minimal value in determining what 'really" happened.

Also, fwiw, Goering was quite wrong in his central assertion above. 
You may be able for a while to obtain, through violence and deceit, a 
lack of overt dissent from the people, but it's far harder to win 
their hearts.



    RM

* Goering was arguabley less principled than Hitler. Hitler was a 
"true patriot" (the most dangerous kind) driven by a delusional hatred 
which badly affected his judgement and may have lost him a winnable 
war. Goering just enjoyed the game.






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