Hitler was of all things, an idealist. However ascewed was his view of how he thought the world should be, one can almost be certain that it was clear in his mind. Were his views shared by all of those that followed him? Not at all. Anti-semitism was abundant in the 1920s, sure - only a few, however, shared his hatred for Jews and all "lower" races, as well as his desire to vastly expand Germany's borders.
So why did so many follow him? I think it was partially due to the fact that he painted such a vivid image of what Germany should look like for his listeners, whereas so many other politicians and government officials only seemed to fall into a failing bureacracy. While too many offered empty, broken promises, Hitler offered action.
I had a mentor of mine tell me once that often young soldiers in a fire-fight become overwhelmed with fear, excitement, and exhaustion. As this soldier is enveloped in chaos, logic and reason get pushed further and further away. To counter this reaction in soldiers, leaders have to be loud, direct, and make decisions without hesitation when bullets start flying and the situation becomes dire. The firm, direct tone of a leader can bring the measure of order to that soldier that is so desparately needed - even if the decisions being made by the leader are totally wrong. I think this relates in many ways to how Germany reacted to Hitler. Germany was that scared soldier in a world of chaos and Hitler was that leader, spouting out directions.
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