History Impossible

The Fuhrer’s Court Jew Part II: The Fall of Icarus

You can only fly so close to the sun for so long before the wax starts melting.

This was a lesson that Erik Jan Hanussen, the most successful and famous clairvoyant in Europe (and quite possibly the world), would have to learn the hard way, as he positioned himself closer and closer with his friends in the nascent National Socialist Party of Germany. They would very quickly--through everything from IOUs to decadent parties, to private consultations--connected like symbiotic lifeforms, one feeding off the other and vice versa. Soon, though, that symbiosis would be challenged, perhaps inevitably thanks to Hanussen's deepest secret slowly being drawn into the light by both Hanussen and the Nazis' communist rivals.

In this second part of the story of Erik Jan Hanussen, we'll be looking at that symbiosis, the depravity that entailed, and its dissolution as the Nazis gained ever more power. Hanussen's predictions--both of Hitler's inevitable victory and the burning of the Reichstag--will be examined, as will his attempts to insert himself into one of the most notorious serial killer investigations of the 20th century, as Will his fabled meetings with Hitler himself. But most of all, we will examine the moment that his wings finally caught fire and he came crashing to earth.

If the last episode covered the good years and showed us just how much power Hanussen possessed, this part of our story is the reality check that is always necessary when you're dealing with the Third Reich. The good times are always over.

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The Fuhrer’s Court Jew Part I: In League With the Devil

It's been well-documented, especially on History Impossible, that many of the Nazis in the upper echelons of power had a certain fascination with the occult, the otherworldly, and the non-Western. One thing, though, that has perhaps stirred the imaginations of our fair share of trashy pulp novels more than any other eccentricity possessed by the elite of the Third Reich was simple: magic. 

This wasn't embodied by anyone better than the famous clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussen, who became known not just for his iconic performances of supposed mind-reading and fortune telling, but for his close associations with the budding National Socialist Party and its leaders in late Weimar Germany. But what these friends of his didn't realize was that their favorite clairvoyant harbored a secret, one that would ultimately test both their tolerance for him and for the kinds of esotericism he practiced (while of course never fully letting go their love of the occult). 

In this episode, we'll explore the history of mentalism and its popularity throughout the late 19th and early 20th century and Erik Jan Hanussen's storied early life and explosion of success, as well as looking at what would become his most famous prediction in the early days of Nazi Germany.

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Ukraine and the Latvian Podfather (An Impossible Interview VI): Kristaps Andrejsons of The Eastern Border

Note: Supporters of History Impossible over on Patreon currently have access to the uncut version of this interview, complete with more banter and fun discussion regarding how weird America is. Head over to www.patreon.com/historyimpossible and consider becoming a patron today so you can hear the uncut versions of conversations had on this show plus much more!

In this edition of the Impossible Interviews series, we're joined by the one and only Kristaps Andrejsons of the famous Eastern Border Podcast to talk about both his time as not just a history podcaster on the Eastern Border of Europe, but as the podcaster in general of the Baltic states (hence the nickname the "Podfather of Latvia") and how he got there (and what it's cost), as well as all things Ukraine.

During the first half of 2022, Kristaps has been covering the Russo-Ukrainian War both from home in Latvia and on the front lines themselves, having spent several weeks traveling all over eastern Europe to reach Odessa and then finally Kyiv where he was given a first-hand glimpse into the chaos that has been unleashed there. Much of this has been covered in his daily dispatches on the Eastern Border podcast feed, as well as in a number of articles for various outlets, including Foreign Policy Magazine.

(Check out Kristaps' writing here: https://foreignpolicy.com/author/kristaps-andrejsons/)

He's also had in-depth and thought provoking conversations with the likes of MartyrMade's Darryl Cooper and Hardcore History's Dan Carlin. In the case of our conversation, we went in a few different directions. We spend some time dissecting a lot of the arguments surrounding the ongoing conflict, we discuss Vladimir Putin in relative detail, and we take some time to discuss a shared interest of ours--the infamous philosopher who's been called "Putin's Brain" (and even called a modern Rasputin) Aleksandr Dugin and his Traditionalism-fueled multi-polar philosophy. 

Hopefully, this episode will be as informative for all of you as it was for me (and even fun, despite some depressing revelations about how this war is likely going to shake out). So with that I say, in Kristaps' words, dasvidaniya tovarich! And remember: happiness is mandatory.

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Hitler‘s Bastards

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains some graphic depictions of war and civilian casualties.

"Treason" is a funny word: it carries with it such a strong stigma that it can sometimes feel like a true curse when deployed. This is likely because of the consequences facing anyone charged with such a crime (i.e., one of the only crimes apart from murder that can be met with a death sentence, at least in the United States). And yet, despite it being so serious, we still occasionally hear it said regarding people whose crimes, all things considered, sometimes only amount to not supporting a war effort.

In this episode of History Impossible, we're going to look at some people who were--rightly or wrongly--accused, sometimes convicted, and even sentenced to death for treason during the Second World War. Their individual convictions and beliefs ranged wildly and yet often converged, and yet none of them ever fired a shot at their own countrymen, despite putting on the uniforms of their countrymen's sworn enemies. Some of these men hated Jews, some hated communists, some hated war, and most just wanted to get out of their abysmal prison conditions and cavort with pretty German girls while avoiding combat. Little did they know the plans the Nazis who approved of their organization and where they were going to be sent or what firestorm they eventually would live through.

This is the story of the Englishmen who some might call Hitler's Bastards.

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Ideological Realignments: Past, Present, and Future (feat. CJ Killmer)

In the midst of world events feeling significantly more historical than usual, we're joined by the host of the Dangerous History Podcast CJ Killmer--in our fifth overall collaboration!--to have a long, free-wheeling discussion of the notion of "realignment", a subject studied far and wide by political scientists of every stripe.

The question of whether or not this is a tradition baked into American political DNA is addressed, as is the role of populism and populist backlashes, both in history and in the present and how they manifested in elections. We also chart the rise of Progressivism as the dominant ideological framework from its early beginnings in the 1890s resulting from the populism of the 1870s-1880s, and look at how it maintained its control up until the early 21st century when its foundation was shaken by an impolitic (if entertaining) con man.

And from there, while diagnosing the present (yes there are more politics than usual), we look to the future and potentially make asses of ourselves by throwing out predictions and express our reservations (primarily with Progressivism managing to absorb the populist energy in some way, or with a rapid resurgence of theocratic social conservatism from the populist right).

It's a wild ride, almost as wild as American politics always seems to be.

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An Impossible Interview V: Goran Adamson

Impossible Interviews returns with an excellent guest, Göran Adamson, professor of sociology and writer of numerous books including Populist Parties and the Failure of Political Elites, The Trojan Horse: A Leftist Critique of Multiculturalism, and, most importantly in the context of this interview and History Impossible more broadly, Masochistic Nationalism: Multicultural Self-Hatred and the Infatuation with the Exotic.

Listeners of the previous episode of History Impossible--the Hitler Avatar and His Masochistic Priestess--will no doubt recognize the title, the name, and concept in question here, and as much as I wanted to pretend I have a firm grasp on the concept of masochistic nationalism, I figured having the man himself on the show to pick his brain on his concept of masochistic nationalism was necessary, both for all of you fine ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends. 

Masochistic nationalism as a concept is broadly discussed as well as its implications in the present, and I even managed to throw in a couple observations that I'd like to think managed to intrigue Göran. If you're further intrigued by the subjects in question, make sure to click the hyperlinks above to check out Göran's important work.

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The Hitler Avatar and His Masochistic Priestess

Everyone knows who the Nazis were and what the Nazis did. Many also know what they, at least Hitler, generally believed. But far fewer actually understand what animated the truest of the true believers who saw Hitler as their prophet and savior. Far fewer still understand that much of this philosophical animating force didn't even concern Germany or the Germanic people as they saw them.

So disgusted were they--at the occasional exasperation and even mockery of the Fuhrer himself--at the trajectory of European history in general and German history in particular that they searched far and wide for exotic, foreign justifications for the National Socialist mission. Evidence of this can be seen with some of these Nazi elites--folks like Alfred Rosenberg, the "Nazi philosopher" and of course Heinrich Himmler--but no better can this evidence of masochistic pride be seen in the figure cut by a one Savitri Devi.

This episode of History Impossible is, to put it bluntly, trying something a little bit different and even a bit out of your humble host's comfort zone. What began as a simple story about a true radical figure that we might call "the first neo-Nazi" has become something...different. Drawing upon a lot of the elements covered in Werewolves of the Fourth Reich and the Muslim Nazis series, this special episode of sorts seeks to really try and answer the question: what even was Nazism, from a philosophical perspective? Many of the conclusions are my own and by no means are they endorsed by any of the figures and writers I quote from, but I found them compelling--if still very oblique--conclusions and figured if I didn't put them out there here, where else would I? 

This is all done through the lens of looking at the story of Maximiani Portas, a Greek-French woman who left Europe in her 20s to search for the source of the mythic Aryan people in India. There, animated by her hatred of the Jews in particular and the Judeo-Christian West in general, she converted to Hinduism, took up the name Savitri Devi, and began her crusade for the man she considered her avatar, a "Man Against Time", Adolf Hitler. While she became more well-known in the decades following the war, the philosophy of history to which she subscribed didn't come out of nowhere and didn't have its own connections to Nazi thought.

Through Devi, her work, and her twisted view of existence, it's possible that we can finally catch a better glimpse at some of the seemingly impossible forces that animated the greatest villains of the 20th century.

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Infinitesimal Impossibilities 03: The Warlord‘s Cook

The Infinitesimal Impossibilities subseries returns with the first part of a multi-part series in which Molly and Alex look at some of the most ruthless dictators of the 20th century...from the perspective of their personal chefs. Drawn from the work of Polish journalist Witold Szablowski in his incredible 2020 book, How to Feed a Dictator (which it should be noted, Alex misdated during this first episode as being 2016). 

In this first installment, Uganda's infamous Idi Amin is discussed through the eyes of his personal chef, Otonde Odera, who not only managed to survive the murderous regime's rise and fall, but managed to be both Idi Amin and Amin's predecessor Milton Obote's favorite cook and, ostensibly, member of the help. 

Molly explores Otonde Odera's roller coaster of a life story and the dictator's methodology of ensuring loyalty is examined throughout this tale, a tale that ultimately leaves us on a melancholy note. Is it better to be feared, loved, or both? What is more terrifying: the dictator mad man who flies into a rage at the slightest provocation or the cold, calculating psychopath? What do you do when you're trapped in circumstances that are still arguably better than the alternatives? What does it feel like to be on the receiving end of a madman's wrath? These questions are examined and, despite their heavy nature, we managed to keep it all relatively light.

And yes, the question of Idi Amin's supposed cannibalism is addressed.

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The Muslim Nazis V: Taking Hitler By The Hand

As Hajj Amin al-Husseini hurdles toward his destination with which we started this entire series, the scope of our tale expands drastically with the arrival of the Nazis themselves. Though this isn't to say they weren't always there, lurking in the background of Palestinian Littlefinger's schemes and dealings. In fact, it would be inaccurate to say that he hadn't been well aware and in open communication with them. Always playing the angles.

 

In this mid-season finale of our story, we'll be looking at al-Husseini's early dealings with the Nazis throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, as well as his harrowing flight from the Middle East into the arms of his newest patrons. An examination of the Nazi higher-ups--namely with a proper introduction to the infamous Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler--and their attitudes toward Islam is also in order, with a deeper look into the frighteningly simplistic-yet-convoluted vision they had of the world. And then we'll look at al-Husseini's arrival in Europe, his political wheeling and dealing that never really stopped and manage to secure him a seemingly cushy place within the upper echelons of the Third Reich.

 

And of course, finally, we will be back where we ended our first episode of this series: looking at the famed meeting in which al-Husseini finally got to meet the man who he had come to see as a kindred spirit, if only in opposition to their many hatreds: the Fuhrer himself, Adolf Hitler. 

 

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Escaping Farhud: The Joseph Samuels Story

Sometimes the best way to convey the weight of history is to read the words of just one person who lived it.

In this special episode of History Impossible, we'll be looking at the life of Joseph Samuels, whose incredible journey and profound resilience throughout his 90 plus years on this planet deserved examination. From the dusty streets of Baghdad, where he escaped the first and worst massacre of Iraqi Jewish history as a boy, to his dangerous flight to the new Jewish home of Israel, to his search for meaning in his life and his discovery of love and success that took him from Jerusalem to Montreal and finally to Los Angeles. And despite all the horror that haunted his childhood as he escaped the Farhud, he never once took life for granted and was always grateful for his good fortune.

As Samuels himself wrote in his memoir, "Make your life your own chain of miracles."

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