Rather, its appeal lies in the way that it, by truncating the complexity of scholarship on the Third Reich, reassures us of our ability to categorize, contain, and eradicate the original "Axis of Evil." The mini-series established its point of view in the opening credits with the rhythmic pulse of dictatorial terms like "power," "intimidation," and "fear." Under Weimar conditions of political and economic uncertainty, we were shown, Hitler manipulated the fears of the German people and mastered "the politics of hatred" (mostly anti-Semitism). Nor is the appeal of Hitler biographies simply a matter of ratings or publications. So, there is hardly a pressing educational need to popularize these particular aspects of the history of the Third Reich. It is now part and parcel of almost every textbook and curriculum for modern European history. The fundamentals of this story have been common knowledge at least since Karl Dietrich Bracher published Die Aufloesung der Weimarer Republik. Karen Riley wrote in the on-line educational supplement, this mini-series sought to dramatize not only Adolf Hitler's life and the experiences that shaped his personality but also how "this deeply disturbed man" rose "to supreme power in such a civilized country as Germany." By equating "The Rise of Evil" with "Hitler," they reduced the complicated question of the origins of the Nazi revolution to the mechanical process by which this one man seized power. After all, its primary focus was the early life of Adolf Hitler: architect and archetype of the criminally extraordinary. At first glance, it may seem inappropriate to criticize this mini-series from the perspective of Alltagsgeschichte.
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