WHO FINANCED HITLER

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Revealing work., August 29, 2002
Reviewer: Luc REYNAERT (Beernem, Belgium) - See all my reviews

Pool is able to give us a compelling report about who really financed the Nazi-party and why Hitler had friends in high places, and that despite the fact that many first hand historical documents disappeared.
First, there was the fear for communism (Fritz Thyssen, Henri Deterding of Royal Dutch, Norman Montagu of the Bank of England ...). These people supported Hitler's party to win the working class and the ruined lower middle class away from communism.
Secondly, his anti-semitism (Henry Ford). Third, his racist/nationalist stance (the secret Thule society: a group of lawyers, judges, professors, policemen, aristocrats, scientists and businessmen). Fourth, friendly régimes (Mussolini).
And last but not least, the donations of his party members and his daily newspaper (a milk cow).
Pool gives us a penetrating picture of the political/economical situation in Germany after the First World War: the unbearable Versailles Treaty, the poverty, the unemployment, the hopeless division of the political parties and the plotting of von Papen and his backers, who supported Hitler when his party was losing support, for fear that his followers would jump over to the communists. Von Papen thought that after the elections, he would easily get rid of Hitler, a terrible mistake.
Pool convinced me of the ease with which money can subvert the democratic process.
One of the more controversial statements in this book is the reason of the abdication of King Edward VIII of England: not because of Mrs. Simpson, but because of his pro-Nazi attitude. This statement needed more underpinning.


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prejudice, December 30, 2003
Reviewer: Cees Peperzak (Netherlands) - See all my reviews
The book obviously is written from the point of view that Jews were not to blame for anything.

A significant part of the book is dedicated to Henry Ford Sr.'s warnings about the jewishation of the USA.
I've read Ford's book, a summary of his articles.
The book does not incite against Jews, it just explains increasing Jewish influence in the USA since 1880.
A book as `From prejudice to destruction', Jacob Katz, 1980, Cambridge MA (Katz is an Israeli lecturer), explains why Jews after they had become full citizens in Germany, and even after they no longer were religious, still remained Jews, a distinct social group.
`Christianity and the Holocaust of the Hungarian Jewry', Moshe Y Herclz, 1993 New York University press, describes how in Hungary Jews monopolised the press.
David Sinclair, `Hall of Mirrors', London, 2001 describes how Roosevelt's behavior in 1918 Versailles was influenced by New York bankers, who needed German reparations payments to France and Britain, so that these countries could pay back the WW I loans.
Last but not least, the Malaysian president in his statement to the conference of the Arab League a few months ago said about the same as Henry Ford Sr. published: 'Jews rule the world, by proxy'.
But with the obvious pro Jewish prejudice in mind it's not a bad book; that Hitler was in close contact with Ford can be read in: `Rudolf Hess, Briefe 1908-1933, Herausgegeben von Wolf Rüdiger Hess, Einführung und Kommentaren von Dirk Bavendamm, München 1987.
Several letters to and from Ford are mentioned, also about matters that needed personal contact.



An untruthful and unscholarly book, September 17, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
This book was comprised mainly from speculation and from rumors without true evidence to support the claims that were made. The author has admitted to not researching nor fully reviewing the sources and archives listed in his works cited. If you want to read a truthful, honarable scholarly work pertaining to the subject of Hitler and his financiers (or lack there of), you should take you time and read Henry Ashby Turner's "German Big Business and The Rise of Hitler." Don' waste your time on this "get rich quick" book.

A must-read for anyone interested in Nazi history., February 16, 2002
Reviewer: J. Wilson "diatom7" (Felton, CA USA) - See all my reviews
Who Financed Hitler is well written and interesting to read. It brings out many facts not normally found in books about Hitler and Nazism. For instance, it explains that the Reichstag fire led to the passing of the Enabling Act which made Hitler a dictator.

Hitler blamed the fire on a plot by communists and had all 100 communist members of the Reichstag arrested. While they were in jail he had the Enabling Act passed by the Reichstag, which met elsewhere because of the damage to the Reichstag building. Without the 100 communist members present, Hitler had enough votes to get the Enabling Act passed.

Most texts on Nazism mention the Reichstag fire, and either leave it at that or just mention that the communist members of the Reichstag were arrested. They do not point out that with the communist members in jail, Hitler had enough votes to have the Enabling Act passed.

The book brings out many other facts about Hitler and Nazism that I have not seen elsewhere. The author, James Pool, is to be congratulated for doing much original research on the Nazi era.



Good starter book, May 8, 2001
Reviewer: A reader
The author makes numerous grammatical errors and misspellings, but that does not deter the reader from making the correct conclusion that Pool took some time to research this writing.

After reading this book I am wanting to read more about the subject and find more on the people who helped an uneducated man rise to power.


Finally some facts, February 5, 2001
Reviewer: H. Jonat Hecht (CA USA) - See all my reviews
The author points out that one third of Germany by 1932 is on public assistance allowing for one meager meal a day, due to the Great Depression, the following high unemployment and the extreme burdens of Versailles.The several city blocks long lines of soup kitchen recipients are well documented in numerous photographs of that time . The book details the results of the Presidential Election April 10, 1932 with a clear majority for Hindenburg. The Government of Prussia declared that they found evidence that the Nazis prepared for a putsch. Chancellor Bruening and General Groener ,Minister of interior declared the SA , SS and Hitler youth banned. The Social Democrats and trade unions supported banning the Nazi activities and President Hindenburg signed the decree, which officially disolved the uniformed Nazis. Nazis urged resistance and continued underground. These by German law illegal uniformed Nazi groups had 400.000 members , who furnished their own uniform. The German army had 100.000 men, which was all Germany was allowed to have according to the Wilson "Versailles Peace Treaty ",which was never sanctioned by the USA . So the German army was outnumbered 4 to 1 by the rogue Hitler troops. Now the following part is not mentioned in the book: July 20, 1932 Hitler troops came to Berlin and ousted by Military Coup the legitimate Social Democratic Prussian Government under Otto Braun .With these legitimate groups out of the way Hitler took over by dictatorship. Foreign business financed him. Hitler now had the money to create work and feed the hungry masses. On July 20, 1944 a last attempt of several earlier ones to oust the dictator Hitler and regain the legitimate government,failed. The leaders were hanged overnight. For details check Berlin Ploetzensee . Otto Braun took refuge in Swizerland and after the war ended he asked the allies to help him restore the legitimate government. The allies were not interested in restoring legitimacy. Instead the military occupiers of the German Reich by the decrees of August 1945 in Potsdam and March 1947 Allied Control Council abolished the State of Prussia ,thus cleared the way for the expulsion and ethnic cleansing of over 15 Million Eastern Germans, whose land was and to this day is illegally taken. At the same time a new Cold War was in the best interest of the allies economies. Again big business made policies and profits . The book asks the question "Who financed Hitler ?" My question : " Who financed all the 20th century dictators ? "