>> I am not persuaded that Hitler and or Stalin were psychopaths. Too many other issues are involved. Centuries of anti-Semitism, love of power, the joy of overpowering your opponents, wealth and adulation I think somehow must play a role I think.
I exhort readers to consider reading Jonathon Littel's "The Kindly Ones." It's an amazing historical novel that delves into the psychology of Nazi functionaries. It gets a little fanciful with the Freud and the ancient Greece but it paints some very compelling portraits and interactions.
The short answer to the question "Were they psychopaths?" is "probably not." They were able to surround themselves with emotionally crippled individuals with a variety of...um... bureaucratic gifts and convince them to apply these gifts toward a dubious cause. But they probably were more like Dick Cheneys endorsing rendition and torture than Jefferey Dahmers putting dogs' heads on sticks.
David Savory
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