Germans converted to National Socialism out of fear and for thesake of appearances. Indeed, each diary refers to concentrationcamps, arrests, and other violence. Moreover, pressure to conformto Nazi expectations persisted, a fact that Karl’s father tried topoint out. Like Friedrich Kassler, Germans also converted becausethey were persuaded finally that Nazism represented a “new direc-tion,” which offered opportunities and to which citizens simply hadto adapt. In addition, there were countless people who mistrustedthe Nazis, misunderstood their racial precepts, and resented theirhostility to the churches, but nonetheless endorsed the “nationalrevolution” of January 1933 and the political reconciliation it ap-peared to achieve. In some ways, Erich Ebermayer falls into thiscategory. Finally, Germans converted because they were genuinelyattracted to the social and political vision of National Socialism andparticularly to the promise of the people’s community.