Episode Notes

Norman Ohler is a historian and author of “Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich,” a book that investigates the role of psychoactive drugs, particularly stimulants such as methamphetamine, in the military history of World War II. It is a book that two legendary historians Ian Kershaw and Antony Beevor give very high praise for its depth of research. Norman also wrote “Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age”, and he is working on a new book “Stoned Sapiens” looking at the history of human civilization through the lens of drugs.Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep481-scSee below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

Transcript:https://lexfridman.com/norman-ohler-transcript

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EPISODE LINKS:Stoned Sapiens Substack: https://substack.com/@stonedsapiensNorman’s X: https://x.com/normanohlerNorman’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normanohlerNorman’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Norman-OhlerNorman’s Website: https://www.normanohler.deNorman’s books: https://amzn.to/46uNS18Blitzed: https://amzn.to/4mmY2XCThe Bohemians: https://amzn.to/3KubPhKTripped: https://amzn.to/4nEy7eX

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OUTLINE:(00:00) – Introduction(01:09) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections(09:00) – Drugs in post-WWI Germany(19:18) – Nazi rise to power(23:45) – Hitler’s drug use(29:37) – Response to historian criticism(46:16) – Pervitin(1:00:15) – Blitzkrieg and meth(1:18:52) – Erwin Rommel (Crystal Fox)(1:23:02) – Dunkirk(1:31:06) – Hitler’s drug addiction(1:47:03) – Methamphetamine(1:48:57) – Invasion of Soviet Union(2:07:54) – Cocaine(2:16:49) – Hitler’s last days(2:36:48) – German resistance against Nazis(2:58:59) – Totalitarianism(3:04:09) – Stoned Sapiens – Drugs in human history(3:19:20) – Religion(3:30:09) – LSD, CIA, and MKUltra(3:55:39) – Writing on drugs(4:08:40) – Berlin night clubs(4:19:14) – Greatest book ever written