Fascination alone could never have produced Hitler’s political success

Evidence

Fascination is a social phenomenon, and the fascination Hitler exercised over his environment must be understood in terms of the particular company he kept. … To believe that Hitler’s successes were based on his “powers of fascination” is altogether erroneous; with those qualities alone he would have never advanced beyond the role of a prominent figure in the salons. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 2540

Categorization

• XREF: This contradicts the common Weberian charisma story of totalitarian leadership; connects to Arendt’s broader argument that totalitarian power rests on organizational and ideological machinery, not personal magnetism. — connects to: The Nazis never won a majority at the ballot box on their own — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 515