Ben Wilson

It's united.

And everyone is pointed in the same direction.

Now, as we talk about some of these strategic considerations of unification, of making alliances, Strasser building the Northern party, ideological uniformity.

What I want to reemphasize is that the primary thing that Hitler does is speak.

He is still giving these public speeches and that's still the beating heart of the NSDAP.

Without Hitler's speeches, nothing else means anything.

He is still sticking to the basics and he is still a great speaker.

Ian Kershaw writes, quote, what Hitler did was to advertise unoriginal ideas in an original way.

Others could say the same thing, but make no impact at all.

It was less what he said than how he said it that counted.

As it was to be throughout his career, presentation was what mattered.

He consciously learned how to make an impression through his speaking.

He learned how to devise effective propaganda and to maximize the impact of targeting specific scapegoats.

He learned, in other words, that he was able to mobilize the masses.

For him, this was from the outset the route to the attainment of political goals.

The ability to convince himself that his way and no other could succeed was the platform for the conviction that he conveyed to others.

And there is something almost strange about Hitler's relationship to public speaking.

Because in small groups, in private conversations, he was often awkward and uncomfortable.

Not always, but frequently.

He once refused to give a wedding speech at a friend's wedding, saying, I must have a crowd when I speak.