Richard Weikart, Hitlers Religion: The Twisted Beliefs that Drove the Third Reich (Regnery History, 2016)
Trying to figure out what Hitler \u201creally\u201d thought about anything is difficult because he was\u2013among many other things\u2013a clever, opportunistic politician and a very prolix one at that. Over the course of his 20+ career he gave thousands of speeches, wrote two long books \u201cexplaining\u201d (if that\u2019s the right word) his beliefs, and offered endless monologues to his acolytes on every imaginable topic. He was always adjusting his message to his audience, the result\u2013taken together\u2013being a mass of contradictions. Hitler was, well, a professional dissembler.\n\nHitler\u2019s inconstancy is never more evident than in his talk about religion. Depending on which Hitler you pay attention to, you can find him sounding like a Christian or a Pagan, a Believer or an Atheist, a supporter of established religion and someone who wanted to obliterate it. What he said on religious topics always depended on whom he was talking to and, more generally, when he was talking. As Richard Weikart points out in his terrific book Hitler\u2019s Religion: The Twisted Beliefs that Drove the Third Reich (Regnery History, 2016), you really have to pay close attention to context and timing if you want to uncover Hitler\u2019s likely religious beliefs.\n\nAnd that\u2019s exactly what Weikart does in Hitler\u2019s Religion. In the effort, he destroys myths (that Hitler was a Christian of any sort) and proves what has only been suspected (that Hitler would have destroyed the established Churches had he won the war). Weikart\u2019s prose is crystal clear and the book is wonderfully organized. This is an excellent, readable history. You should read it.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies