Previous
Newt Gingrich
Adolf Hitler was the infamous dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. While readers are likely to understand Hitler’s role in launching World War II and orchestrating the Holocaust, Levitsky and Ziblatt focus on how he went from being a marginalized, extremist revolutionary to seizing power. German establishment conservatives chose Hitler as chancellor because they believed they could control him and hoped to benefit from his popular support among right-wing radicals. But their “fateful alliance” backfired: Hitler used the 1933 fire at the Reichstag (German parliament) as an excuse to eliminate his opposition, dismantle Germany’s democratic constitution, and rule by decree. He is the most widely-known example of an authoritarian who rose to power in a democratic system, then immediately used that power to dismantle democracy.
Adolf Hitler Quotes in How Democracies Die
The How Democracies Die quotes below are all either spoken by Adolf Hitler or refer to Adolf Hitler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
A cast of political outsiders, including Adolf Hitler, Getúlio Vargas in Brazil, Alberto Fujimori in Peru, and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, came to power on the same path: from the inside, via elections or alliances with powerful political figures. In each instance, elites believed the invitation to power would contain the outsider, leading to a restoration of control by mainstream politicians. But their plans backfired. A lethal mix of ambition, fear, and miscalculation conspired to lead them to the same fateful mistake: willingly handing over the keys of power to an autocrat-in-the-making.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire How Democracies Die LitChart as a printable PDF.
Adolf Hitler Quotes in How Democracies Die
The How Democracies Die quotes below are all either spoken by Adolf Hitler or refer to Adolf Hitler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
A cast of political outsiders, including Adolf Hitler, Getúlio Vargas in Brazil, Alberto Fujimori in Peru, and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, came to power on the same path: from the inside, via elections or alliances with powerful political figures. In each instance, elites believed the invitation to power would contain the outsider, leading to a restoration of control by mainstream politicians. But their plans backfired. A lethal mix of ambition, fear, and miscalculation conspired to lead them to the same fateful mistake: willingly handing over the keys of power to an autocrat-in-the-making.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
