In the Garden of Beasts

“Hitler declared himself committed to peace and went so far as to pledge complete disarmament if other countries followed suit. The world swooned with relief. Against the broader backdrop of the challenges facing Roosevelt—global depression, another year of crippling drought—Germany seemed more an irritant than anything else.” 

Within six years, Hitler will be conquering Europe. All the way up to his invasion of Poland in 1939, the West keeps hoping his threats will prove empty. It is a false hope built out of the intense desire to avoid another war, especially during a time of severe economic downturn. Hitler takes advantage of European fears and soon dominates the continent. 

“Ever a student of history, Dodd had come to believe in the inherent rationality of men and that reason and persuasion would prevail, particularly with regard to halting Nazi persecution of Jews.” 

The Nazis are a new force on the planet, one whose leaders behave badly but speak politely and eloquently to outsiders. The outsiders, in turn, are quick to conclude that Hitler’s men are civilized. Dodd, like many other American officials, wants to believe that the Nazis aren’t so bad; this is a mistake, and Hitler’s people take ruthless advantage of outsiders’ innocence and naiveté. 

“Change came to Germany so quickly and across such a wide front that German citizens who left the country for business or travel returned to find everything around them altered, as if they were characters in a horror movie who come back to find that people who once were their friends, clients, patients, and customers have become different in ways hard to discern.” 

German citizens cannot see how quickly and thoroughly a dictator has subjugated. The German post-war experiment in democracy lasts just 15 years, nowhere near enough time to grow institutionally robust. Hitler quickly dismantles democracy, taking advantage of Germany's deeper tradition of accepting authority.