Psychology of Nazism Summary and Analysis

in Chapter VI, Fromm brings his chronological narrative into his contemporary time and applies the theories about authoritarianism and the automaton to the specific events leading to the rise of Nazism in Germany. Fromm explains that two contradictory explanations for the rise of the Nazi Party are the most popular. The first holds that the Nazis came to power through sheer political force supported by powerful elements in the society and coerced the population to follow them. The second theory is that Hitler and his followers are neurotic or mad and offers a purely psychological explanation for the success of Nazism.

Neither is entirely correct, Fromm argues. Nazism is a psychological phenomenon, but it is also a product of its political and social context. Fromm divides the German people into two main groups based on their reaction...