What Happened to Hitler’s Psychiatrist When He Got to the USSR
Why did it happen that the psychiatrist who saw Hitler had to fear for his life? Why couldn’t he make friends with the Führer?
Career
Arthur Kronfeld was able to build a successful career. In the mid-1920s, he defended his doctoral dissertation and was recognized by his colleagues as one of the best psychiatrists of that time.
The doctor’s life changed after Adolf Hitler involved him in a case. Journalist Werner Abwel made accusations against Hitler, claiming that he had given money to Mussolini. It meant betrayal. In order not to blow the case up, Hitler wanted Kronfeld to examine Abwell and pronounce a verdict on his insanity.
The psychiatrist, after talking to the dictator, came to the conclusion that if someone was insane, then he was the one, and the journalist had nothing to do with it. However, it was still proven in court that Abwel was guilty. Hitler, on the other hand, advanced further and was soon at the head of the Nazis.
Life in the USSR
Kronfeld was a clever man and knew that nothing good awaited him. Firstly, he belonged to the Jewish nation, and secondly, he did not recognize the insanity of the journalist. Therefore, there was no point in waiting for the weather from the sea.
First of all, the psychiatrist was going to go to Switzerland. However, the authorities, having learned why he was going to come, did not allow him to settle in the country. Everyone was afraid of Hitler and knew that he would not rest until he found Kronfeld.
On the other hand, the Soviet Union immediately agreed to grant political asylum to a doctor of psychiatric sciences. He was able to work, and also began to cooperate with the NKVD and compiled psychological portraits of the Nazis.
How he felt about Hitler
Kronfeld was sure that the dictator was ill. He is a psychopath who constantly exhibits two states: either aggression or depression. The psychiatrist also said that the Führer had unhealthy sexual behavior because he had affairs with men. On top of that, he is very superstitious and believes in omens and signs.
You can understand how Kronfeld felt about the Nazis by reading his book on Degenerates in Power. Excerpts from this book were read by Soviet soldiers when the war began. The leaflets contained everything that the doctor of science had written in the book. The piquant details and characteristics of the German officers, described not in the best light, raised the mood and morale of the Russian soldiers.
Voluntary End of Life
When it became known that Hitler’s army was winning the battle, Kronfeld was greatly frightened. It seemed to him that his end was approaching. Then he and his wife took sleeping pills and never woke up again. Historians believe that the psychiatrist did this because he believed Hitler’s army was stronger and more powerful than the Soviet army. So he decided to go to the other side before Hitler found him.