'Protection of the Republic Act'

Although I knew that Hitler would not end up being deported from Germany after his trial for treason on April 1, 1924, I was still shocked to read the verdict that saved Hitler from deportation on the basis of how German he “thinks and feels” (pg. 217). Hitler showed an inability to live up to the promises of complete, revolutionary change that would miraculously improve Germany that he had been promoting in his speeches and beerhall rants. Worse, his poorly-thought out, unnecessarily violent demonstrations showed disorganization, an inability to effectively lead a group of people, and a dangerously hot temper that acted on impulses instead of on thoroughly thought out plans and that had no regard for consequences. All of these things clearly make Hitler an unfit ruler, and also a potential danger to the German people. Just as Hitler was expecting, the Bavarian court was unfortunately “biased in favour of the triumvirate.” No, being a bad ruler is not a crime, but treason is, and the Bavarian government’s willingness to bend the law for one man shows the direness of the corruption and political instability in Germany during the early 20^th century. Germany was clearly desperate for a new leader, and they were ready to give this radical thinker a try with any hope that he would benefit the country.

As we discussed in class, Hitler and many others in Germany hated the Jews because they were not purely “German,” no matter how devoted they were to the country and its cultural practices, and even though many of them had served in the German military. Therefore, I was appalled at the Bavarian government for being so quick to brush off Hitler’s crimes because he fought for the German army and was so fascinated by German culture and beliefs. So many innocent Jewish lives were lost when their only “crimes” were not being of German decent. However, when it came to a Christian man who committed an actual crime, he was commended for overcoming his Austrian descent and embracing the German culture fully.