oses of mediocrity, who almost changed the order of things with destruction but was nevertheless self-centered, only semi-educated, lazy, and hypochondriacal (Bartov). Bartov discusses the earliest account of HitlerÆs rise to power, written by Konrad Heiden and published in 1944, in which he wrote that Hitler was able to essentially enslave even his own people because he seemed to give them something that even religion failed to provide, the belief in a meaning to existence beyond self-interest. People realized that the devil was preferable to the emptiness of an existence that lacked a larger significance (Bartov). He goes on to explain that Hitler had the ability to metamorphose himself from a ôtimid man with contracted shouldersö into a ôthundering demon,ö either in personal conversations or huge crowds. The magical power of this image of greatness emanating from a single human appealed to people (Bartov). Franco was likely drawn to Hitler for some of these same reasons that so many others were enthralled by him.
General Franco received a tremendous amount of support from Hitler in his successful revolt against the democratically elected leftist government, which left him somewhat indebted to Germany at the end of the war (Bowen). HitlerÆs initial commitment was approximately one short week after the outbreak of the war in Spain, when he enthusiastically decided to intervene on FrancoÆs side with 26 planes and 85 men. As a result of discussions later that year during the Olympic games in Germany, an alliance was hammered out between the Germans, Italians, and Spaniards, the main purpose of which for the Germans was to check British influence in Spain and France (Whealey). Hitler further acted as FrancoÆs ally in helping his army by sending Spain fighter-planes and pilots, known as the Condor Legion (Giles). While Spain remained officially neutral throughout World War II, Franco on his own initiative provide...