Ben Wilson

Hitler was excellent at doing nothing, right?

Hanging out in cafes.

And while this often seemed like, you know, he's a dilettante, he's a bohemian, he's not doing anything.

According to Hitler, according to what he told his economic advisor, Wagner, there actually was a strategy behind this.

And I think it's pretty clever.

Listen to what he said.

This is Wagner quoting what Hitler told him.

He said, quote, politics was always a struggle, a pressure one side tries to exert.

If one pushed back, the attack might be reinforced.

But if one evaded and offered no resistance whatsoever, then the push stopped being a push and became a mere gust of wind, which dissipated itself.

Okay, that's just so clever.

Like if you can't win, just don't give them anything to push against.

Just do nothing.

Just evaporate into air.

So that's what he does.

From November to February, 1932 to 1933.

He just kind of disappears and waits for his enemies to destroy themselves.

And they do.

The political situation kept deteriorating for everyone else.

Von Papen, okay, so again, Von Papen for most of 1932.