- Endsieg
Endsieg is German for "final victory". It is used in the meaning that a victory is taken for granted even though all odds are against it.
Origin and historical usage
The word became commonly used in
World War I . One of the earliest, if not the first, usage in print wasKarl Kraus ' satirical story "Vor dem Endsieg" (Facing Final Victory), published October 1918 in the German magazine "Die Fackel" (The Torch) [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endsieg] .Adolf Hitler used 'Endsieg' in his book "Mein Kampf " (My Struggle) in 1925 when he asked the rhetorical question if he wanted the final victory over the Jewish people.In the 30s and 40s, the word was widely used in the
propaganda of the 'Third Reich '. 'Endsieg' was part of the Nazidoctrine : Temporary losses (including of civilian lives) nonwithstanding, the 'Third Reich' would ultimately prevail, and thus any breakdown in allegiance to Naziideology was not to be tolerated. This conjuration of final victory became more desperate in 1943 when allied successes forced Germany onto the defensive.Joseph Goebbels still spoke about the 'Endsieg' as late as March 1945. [http://kriegsende.ard.de/pages_std_lib/0,3275,OID1146474,00.html] .Contemporary usage
The term is today almost exclusively used with reference to its meaning in the Third Reich. Because of this connection with Nazi ideals, it is often banned at German
internet forum s and other online services, like GermanEBay [http://www.wortfilter.de/wortfilter-alt1.html] .Sometimes 'Endsieg' is also used in a sarcastic way, implying that a goal is unattainable, but that attaining it nevertheless will continue to be expected, no matter what (and that it's not allowed to raise objections due todictatorship -style leadership).Criticism
This idea is much like many of the ideas that are more or less
utopian . These utopian ideals are goals that will probably never be met, yet we cannot help ourselves but to aspire to them. This idea also somewhat represents the propaganda of the time implying that "If we hold true to our goals no matter what the cost we will prevail". Comments such as these have often led to empty victories.References
*
German Wikipedia . http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endsieg Retrieved on April 29, 2006*ARD. http://kriegsende.ard.de/pages_std_lib/0,3275,OID1146474,00.html Retrieved on April 29, 2006
*Wortfilter (German blog). http://www.wortfilter.de/wortfilter-alt1.html Retrieved on April 29, 2006
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