Polemical Books – “Triumph of The Will: How Two Men Hypnotised Hitler and Changed the World”

In this episode, Jamie and Tom will discuss the book "Triumph of the Will?: How Two Men Hypnotised Hitler and Changed the World" by David Lewis. The author seeks to understand what transformed Adolf Hitler from a directionless drifter—who had once slept on the streets of Vienna and never rose above the rank of Lance Corporal during four years of war—into a ruthless leader. Hitler became a man who charmed women, manipulated the minds of millions, and plunged the world into chaos, killing and destruction.
The book explores how two individuals, Dr. Edmund Forster and Erik Jan Hanussen, played a crucial role in turning Hitler into one of the most ruthless tyrants of the 20th century. Dr. Edmund Robert Forster, a German nerve specialist, first met Hitler in October 1918 and used hypnosis to treat his hysterical blindness. Erik Jan Hanussen, a Moravian Jewish clairvoyant who posed as a Danish aristocrat, employed similar techniques to strengthen Hitler's belief in his divine destiny.
The author argues that these two men, "both inadvertently and intentionally," helped the Nazis rise to power by shaping Hitler's psychological development. Jamie and Tom will delve into this fascinating theory and examine the role these individuals may have played in altering the course of history.

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