5. How this extremely intelligent population was convinced that exterminating an entire race of other people was not only a good idea, but needed to be done, and was actually attempted.

I think that when we see Nazi Germany we see ourselves. We see how possibly any of us could get caught up in a "mob mentality" type of group think. We say, "Oh hell no, there's no way I could get caught up in anything like that." But all you have to do is look at history and yes... It is totally possible, because it has happened, and on more than one occasion.