tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315629333109868789.post8968870726587101998..comments2024-03-17T22:59:24.273+00:00Comments on Peter Household - things that have interested me: But what was it like at the time?Peter Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04537256881744236389noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315629333109868789.post-71926165708914885692010-09-30T13:06:30.786+01:002010-09-30T13:06:30.786+01:00The reason you need a lie-down Noggin is that you ...The reason you need a lie-down Noggin is that you have stumbled upon the time travel paradox. But that’s physics. Returning to history for a moment, my point was that without the First World War, and the humiliation Germany was supposed to have suffered there, and the great depression, Hitler’s view would have had no traction, and we wouldn't have heard of him.Peter Householdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04537256881744236389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315629333109868789.post-33654546817313461092010-09-29T21:20:06.053+01:002010-09-29T21:20:06.053+01:00Thanks Alb - I'll look out for that book.
Not...Thanks Alb - I'll look out for that book.<br /><br />Not sure that Hitler was a genius, I suppose it depends on your definition. Apparently he had a great talent for speaking and motivation and used these talents to take his country in the direction he did. He was ruthless and massively ambitious with a matching ego but he also had the right circumstances for his hateful ideology to thrive. So - what constitues a genius?<br /><br />Your point reminds me of the old moral dilemma chestnut - If you could go back in time and kill Hitler before he was known, would you do it? Apart from the moral question of killing someone, as you and Pete allude the consequences for all of us would be massive. In fact most of us probably wouldn't be around now (but other, different people would). Hmm, I can't quite get my head around this because if I wasn't around I couldn't go back in time and kill Hitler, in which case history would be as it is now so I would exist so I could........think I need a lie-down!Nogginnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315629333109868789.post-43495515878851113362010-09-25T12:58:52.029+01:002010-09-25T12:58:52.029+01:00What a fascinating blog entry this was to read. N...What a fascinating blog entry this was to read. Noggin, if you want to "brush up on 20th century history" I can highly recommend "The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991" by Eric Hobsbawm. I think it was actually Peter who bought it for me, about 10 years ago. It's one of the most fascinating, and eye opening books I've ever read.<br /><br />In terms of WWI and, if it hadn't happened there would have been "no a, no b and no c"... Well, there would instead have been "d, e and f" of course. Hitler would still have existed. From what I know of him, he was an incredibly intelligent, evil genius - a miscreant and a malefactor one could say! But his motives and goals were shaped by what he experienced during and after WW1. He was such a persuasive character that even without WW1, I'm sure the name Adolf Hitler would still be in our history books today, but for what reason? Who can tell.<br /><br />I also find all your "what was it like at the time?" speculation fascinating, because I'm very interested whenever I talk to my grandma and great aunt, who lived through WWII, to find out what it was like at the time for them.<br /><br />But in terms of specifically whether people knew how important, and how world changing these events were, I'm made to think of 9/11. I recally speaking to you and also to my mum at the time. I recall saying "this is the single most significant day of my life, and the world will never be the same again". I'm not sure which one of you it was, but at least one of you were surprised by how quickly I was to assert that this incident would prove so world changing. So, for all such events there will be people who immediately realise its significance, and also people for whom only hindsight brings this realisation. And, as you go on to say, it's not always so easy to pin a satasfactory year, never mind an actual day, to a world changing occurance.Albert Freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03708757273029319375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315629333109868789.post-35491223781502593982010-09-14T16:06:33.789+01:002010-09-14T16:06:33.789+01:00Fascinating stuff Pete - I must brush up on 20th c...Fascinating stuff Pete - I must brush up on 20th century history as we never studied it at school. Have you seen the Andrew Marr programmes (more British-centric admittedly)? They are really good, informative and entertaining at the same time.Nogginnoreply@blogger.com