▁work ▁was ▁ha iled ▁as ▁a ▁very ▁great ▁book . ▁Professor ▁N ol te ' s ▁work ▁contains ▁such ▁a ▁wealth ▁of ▁observations , ▁information , ▁insight ▁and ▁throw away ▁ideas ▁that ▁are ▁well ▁worth ▁keeping ▁that ▁in ev it ably ▁one ▁takes ▁issue ▁with ▁some . ▁ ▁The ▁" issues " ▁of ▁which ▁Stern hell ▁spoke ▁were ▁concerns ▁about ▁N ol te ' s ▁" phen omen ological " ▁approach ▁to ▁history ▁in ▁which ▁N ol te ▁claimed , ▁for ▁H eg elian ▁reasons , ▁that ▁the ▁particular ▁examples ▁he ▁had ▁chosen ▁to ▁study ▁were ▁valid ▁in ▁more ▁general ▁context s . ▁Es pecially ▁ob jection able ▁to ▁Stern hell ▁was ▁N ol te ' s ▁ins istence ▁on ▁foc using ▁sole ly ▁on ▁the ▁ideas ▁of ▁Adolf ▁Hitler , ▁Ben ito ▁M uss ol ini , ▁and ▁Charles ▁Ma urr as ▁as ▁the ▁caus al ▁factors ▁of ▁fasc ism . ▁Stern hell ▁commented ▁that ▁the ▁effect ▁of ▁this ▁single - mind ed ▁focus ▁on ▁ideas ▁and ▁personal ities ▁was ▁that : ▁ ▁In ▁some ▁ways , ▁Ernst ▁N ol te ' s ▁approach ▁rec alls ▁that ▁of ▁Ger hard ▁Ritter ▁and ▁Friedrich ▁Me ine cke : ▁Thomas ▁More , ▁for ▁Ritter , ▁Mach ia vel li , ▁for ▁Me ine cke , ▁and ▁now ▁Ma urr as , ▁for ▁N ol te , ▁are ▁so ▁many ▁proofs ▁of ▁the ▁univers ality ▁of ▁evil , ▁so ▁many ▁proofs ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁almost ▁by ▁accident , ▁by ▁a ▁mere ▁conj unction ▁of ▁political