Thefollowingarticleisfromour

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.