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July2005
issue.
WhyTheyFollowedAdolfHitler.Therootcause:TheGermans'fearof
modernism.ByRafaelSeligmann
WhydidtheGermanselectAdolfHitler,therebyunconditionallylinkingtheirfatetohis
person?Whydidtheygotowarforhim?Whydidsomeevenbecomemurderers?Rafael
Seligmann'sbook,"Hitler.DieDeutschenundihrFhrer(Hitler.TheGermansandTheir
Fhrer),"showsthatHitlercouldonlywinpower,becausehehadmadehimselfthe
spokesmanofGermanfearsandlongings.Heledawaragainstmodernism.
AdolfHitleristhedominantfigureofourage.HeoutshinesMussolini,Stalin,Franco,Mao
TsetungandSaddamHusseinasapolitician,strategistandvillain.Theramificationsof
Hitler'sdoingsweresofarreachingthattheycontinuetoaffecttheemotions,thoughts
andactivitiesofhumankind,andespeciallyoftheGermans.
Hitler'slifeanddeedshavebeenmorethoroughlyinvestigatedthanthoseofanyoneelse
inrecenthistory.Respectedhistoriansandjournalistshavededicatedlifetimestoexamininghis
worldviewandhispoliticsandtheatrocitiesandwarstheyledto.Intheirzeal,somebiographers
haveincludedHitler'sprivatelifeintheirinvestigation.Evenhisdogshavebeenwrittenabout.
GiventhenumerouspublicationsaboutHitler,theyhavegeneratedlittleinsight.Someofthe
mostcrucialquestionsaboutHitlerhaveonlybeenaddressedtangentiallyandstillneedtobe
answeredadequately.
HowdidthisAustrianimmigrantmanagetocaptivatetheGermans?Whydid17millionpeople
voteforhiminfreedemocraticelections?WhatmovedtheGermanpeopletochoosehimastheir
leader?WhydidtheGermansfightandkillinthenameofHitler,Nazismandtheircountryeven
sacrificingthemselvesintheend,longafteritwasindisputablyclearthattheirleaderwasgoing
downandwouldtakethecountrywithhimoverthecuspoftheabyss?Andhowcoulditreachthe
pointwheretheGermanscommittedcollectivegenocideagainsttheJews?
ThosequestionsaloneprovethatHitler'spowercouldonlyhaveblossomedincollaborationwith
theGermanpeople.Onhisown,themediocrepostcardillustratorandwouldbeartistwouldhave
remainedforeveranobody.
AndthatisthecrucialdifferencebetweenHitlerandtheotherdictatorsmentionedabove.Those
leadersdispensedentirelywithanykindofdemocraticlegitimization.Popularitywassecondary
forthosemen.
Hitler,bycontrast,enjoyedthebroadsupport,confidence,admirationindeedthe
loveoftheGermansuntiltheveryendofhisdays.
Hitler'spowerwasbasedontheunconditionalallegianceofthepopulation.TheGermansput
theirtrustinHitler.Andthatishowhewasabletomakehisworldview,hispolitics,hishate,his
war,andhiscrimesthoseofanentirenation.
NiccolMachiavellisaidthatloveorfearwerethemosteffectivetoolsinsecuringpower.But
"perhapsitisbest,"theFlorentinepoliticaltheoristsaid,"towishtobebothlovedandfeared."It
wasthatamalgamateoffeelingsthatboundtheGermanstoHitler.Butwhy?Whatdidthisman
fromthesmallAustriantownBraunauconveysoeffectivelytohispeople?
Hitler'sappealhasalwaysbeen,andcontinuestobe,attributedtohischarisma.Hitlerhimself
usedthetermprovidence,asiftherewasamythicalbondbetweentheFhrerandhispeople.
ButtherewasnothingheavenlyabouttheGermans'entanglementwithHitler.
Asineverylasting
relationship,itbeganwithaspontaneousconnection,whichemergedfromsharedculturaland
mythologicallegacy
.Buttherewerealsotangibleelements.Hischarismawasapretext,masking
thejointinterestsoftheGermansandHitler.
WhatconnectedtheFhrerandhispeoplewasfear
ofthemodernage,orinotherwords,thefuture.
Modernismmeanttheendeavortosubjectallthoughtandactiontoreason,therebymaking
decisionsandactionscomprehensibleandverifiable.Thisisanattitudethatrequirestherejection
ofanymetaphysicalrationalization.
ModernthoughtwasneverabletodevelopasfullyinGermanyasitdidelsewhereinEurope.The
babyoftheEnlightenment,epitomizedbyKant,Lessingandmanyothers,wasthrownoutwith
thebathwateroftheantiNapoleonicWarsofLiberation.
ThevastmajorityoftheGerman
bourgeoisiewasmoreinterestedinaligningitselfwiththenationalistidealismofGerman
philosophersFichteandArndt,orRichardWagner'snewlyinventedworldofGermanicmyths.
Indeed,theyveritablyfledtothosecomforts,insteadofsubjectingtheirpolitical,socialand
culturalawarenesstoobjectivelyverifiablecriteria.
ThatattitudegainedcurrencyfollowingthetraumaofdefeatinWorldWarIandthe
socioeconomiccrisisitbroughtinitswake.Insteadofrationallytacklingandovercomingthe
difficultiesthatloomedatthebeginningofthe1920s,theGermanssoughtescapeinan
intoxicationofchauvinismthesamejingoismthathadalreadycontributedsomuchtotheir
miseryduringWorldWarIandthereafter.
TheGermansfelt,andindeedwere,threatenedbymodernism,sincetheyhad,toagreatdegree,
closedtheireyestotheprinciplesoflucidreason.Hitleralsoconsideredhimselfavictimof
modernismandblameditforhisearlyfailurestothatpoint.HitlerandhisNationalSocialist
movementgavetruevoicetothefearsoftheGermanmiddleclass.HetoldtheGermansthatthe
Jewsweretheoneandonlycauseofalltheirmisery.AndtheJewswere,infact,theundisputed
beneficiariesofmodernism,whetherasdemocrats,capitalists,intellectualsorcommunists.
ButHitlerwasnotsatisfiedjusttodenouncetheJews.Hisgoalwastoleadhispeopleintoawar
ofliberationfromtheJews,activatingtheantiSemitismdormantinGermany.Indeed,morethan
anyothergroup,theJewsembodiedandcultivatedmodernism.Althoughit'srarelydiscussed
thesedays,backthenthereweresignificanteconomic,socialandintellectualdifferences
betweentheGermanGentileandtheJewishcommunities.TheNazisfueledthoseconflictsuntil
theyescalatedintoamajoritywaragainsttheminority,whichfounditsultimateexpressionin
coldlyexecutedmassmurder.
TheGermanswerenotmurderousantiSemitescontrarytothe
claimofDanielJonahGoldhagen.Buttheylookedtheotherway,toleratedandevenprofited
fromthegenocide.
Hitlerwagedwarwithmoderntactics.Theenthusiasmheandhiscohortsshowedforthenewest
techniquesinpropaganda,massmobilizationandweaponsofwarhaslongobscuredthefact
thattheNazisandtheirFhreravailedthemselvesofthosetoolsonlyasameanstoanend,and
thatendwasacampaigntoexterminatemodernismanditsadherents.Hitler'sultimategoal
neverchangedareturntotheearth,to"bloodandsoil",totheidealizedworldoftheTeutons.
The"totalwar"theNazisproclaimedin1943wasthebrainchildofpropagandaministerJoseph
Goebbels.MillionsofGermansparticipatedenthusiastically,steadfastuntilthebitterendintheir
loyaltytoHitler.Whatresistancetherewas,madeuplargelyofelitearmyofficers,lackedall
supportamongthemasses.SoClausvonStauffenbergandhiscomradesinarmswhomadean
attemptonHitler'slife,onJuly20,1944,wereforcedtodissimulateandpretendtodefendthe
authorityofthestate.
NazipropagandaclaimedasupranaturalunitybetweentheFhrerandthepeople:"Germanyis
Hitler,andHitlerisGermany."Whilethetotalityofthatalliancemaybeexaggerated,thereisno
doubtthatHitlercouldnothavedonewhathedidexceptbyjoiningforceswiththeGermans.