Ben Wilson

You're a fake nationalist.

You're actually a Jew.

Like just the movement is in complete disarray.

All these people are fighting and it's intense and it's personal and they hate each other.

And Hitler steps into this and he's got to try and reconstitute something, right?

And so he calls this meeting at this beer hall and he brings everyone together.

All these people who've been feuding, who've been starting these splinter parties.

And in front of a crowd of thousands of people who are excited to see him, they're cheering, they're standing on chairs and tables.

They just want a view of Hitler.

He gives this great speech and he says, we're unified now.

We're all standing behind me.

and he gets the top leadership.

He says, all of you are going to shake hands, and you're going to forgive each other, and you're going to put all this behind you, and you're going to swear undying loyalty to me.

And that is how we're going to bury what came before.

And so they all do.

Some of them start crying.

They all start shaking hands with each other.

It's this moment of reunification.

Kershaw describes it this way.

He says, quote, it was like medieval vassals swearing fealty to their overlord.