- Hitler Myth
The Hitler Myth is a concept which embodies two key points in
Nazi ideology; firstly it presents Hitler as a demigod figure, who both embodies and shapes the German people and thus giving him a mandate to rule. Secondly it presents Hitler as a mighty defender of the German people against its foes, who merely wanted to redress the imbalance evoked at theTreaty of Versailles . These two elements were demonstrated in propaganda of the time and have helped to 'plaster over' early cracks in the Nazi Regime's façade, though by no means de-fusing all tensions in Germany at that time.The myth of Hitler as the Saviour of Germany from conspiracies directed against it by the Soviet Union and the West - especially France - was an extremely powerful tool in binding together the German people in loyalty and submission. The German people were left embittered by the ineffective and unstable party politics of Weimar Germany which had failed to rescue its people from the humiliation administered by Europe at the close of the
First World War .Thus, as
Ian Kershaw states,"Hitler stood for at least some things they [German people] admired, and for many had become the symbol and embodiment of the national revival which the Third Reich had in many respects been perceived to accomplish." [ The 'Hitler Myth'. Image and Reality in the Third Reich, P71. Kershaw. 1998 ]
The myth was lent much credence by Hitler's huge successes in the regeneration of Germany's economy over just a few years, recovering it from what seemed like unredeemable circumstances. In 1932, one year before Hitler's rise to power, unemployment had been at over five and a half million, [Weimar and Nazi Germany, P106. Hite and Hinton. 2000] but by 1938 Germany was producing at record levels, and unemployment was below 200,000 and real wages were up for the first time since authoritarianism. [Ibid, P214]However, by around 1936
Albert Speer records that the Hitler Myth was under threat, with officials having to organise cheering crowds ["Inside the Third Reich" by Albert Speer] , presenting a stark contrasts with Hitler's spontaneous crowds of old. It is also true, on the other hand, that Speer may not be considered a reliable or impartial source for such information. Other observers, pro and anti-Nazi, dispute his claim.Fact|date=February 2007 Certainly 1938 saw a rise in Hitler's popularity, which dipped sharply with the outbreak of the Second World War. Only the victories in the West during 1940 revived it, and even then the campaign against the Soviet Union led to a dramatic decline in Hitler's popularity. ["Albert Speer's Battle with Truth" by Gitta Sereny]References
ources
*"The Hitler Myth" - Ian Kershaw - 1998 - ISBN 0-19-280206-2
*"Storm Troopers of Satan" - Michael FitzGerald - 1990 - ISBN 0-7090-4260-4
*"Adolf Hitler: A Portrait" - Michael FitzGerald - 2006 - ISBN 1-86227-322-7ee also
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Nazi mysticism
*Führerprinzip
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