The "Hitler Myth": Image and Reality in the Third Reich

The "Hitler Myth": Image and Reality in the Third Reich is a book by British historian Ian Kershaw that was first published in 1987.

The "Hitler Myth": Image and Reality in the Third Reich
AuthorIan Kershaw
CountryEngland
LanguageEnglish
PublisherOxford University Press
Publication date
December 13, 2001

Overview

In the book, Kershaw explores a concept he calls the "Hitler Myth" that describes two key points in Nazi ideology that depict Adolf Hitler as a demagogue figure and as a mighty defender.[1][2] In the demagogue aspect Hitler is presented as a figure that embodies and shapes the German people, giving him a mandate to rule. As a defender, he is depicted as defending Germany against its enemies and redressing the imbalance imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. These were essential elements of propaganda of the time and helped to 'plaster over' early cracks in the Nazi Regime's facade, 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 World War I.

Thus, as 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."[3]

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,[4] 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.[5]

The year 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.[6] According to Albert Speer, by around 1939 the Hitler Myth was under threat, with officials having to organise cheering crowds, presenting a stark contrast with Hitler's spontaneous crowds he could previously have relied on without any worries.[7]

In his book Last Train from Berlin, Howard K. Smith wrote:

"I was convinced that of all the millions on whom the Hitler Myth had fastened itself, the most carried away was Adolf Hitler, himself."[8]

Reception

The book was reviewed in The English Historical Review,[9] European History Quarterly,[10] and Journal of European Studies.[11]

Editions
  • Ian Kershaw (1987). The 'Hitler Myth'. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280206-2.
  • Ian Kershaw (2001). The 'Hitler Myth'. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0192802064.

See also

References

Notes

  1. Russell, Gail. "How the Hitler myth took hold in Germany. Manipulating masses". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  2. Lindenfeld, David F. (1997). "The Prevalence of Irrational Thinking in the Third Reich: Notes Toward the Reconstruction of Modern Value Rationality". Central European History. 30 (3): 365–385. doi:10.1017/s0008938900014485.
  3. The 'Hitler Myth'. Image and Reality in the Third Reich, p. 71. Kershaw. 1998
  4. Hite, John; Hinton, Chris (2000). Weimar and Nazi Germany. Hodder Murray. p. 106. ISBN 978-0719573439.
  5. Hite, John; Hinton, Chris (2000). Weimar and Nazi Germany. Hodder Murray. p. 214. ISBN 978-0719573439.
  6. Gitta Sereny (1995). Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth. Knopf. ISBN 978-0394529158.
  7. Speer, Albert. Inside the Third Reich. p. 158. The shift in the mood of the population, the drooping morale which began to be felt throughout Germany in 1939, was evident in the necessity to organize cheering crowds where two years earlier Hitler had been able to count on spontaneity. What is more, he himself had meanwhile moved away from the admiring masses. He tended to be angry and impatient more often than in the past when, as still occasionally happened, a crowd on Wilhelmsplatz began clamoring for him to appear. Two years before he had often stepped out on the "historic balcony." Now he sometimes snapped at his adjutants when they came to him with the request that he show himself: "Stop bothering me with that!"
  8. Howard K. Smith (1942). Last Train from Berlin. New York: A. A. Knopf. p. 59. ASIN B001KUHRFU.
  9. Kater, Michael H. (October 1988). "The 'Hitler Myth'. Image and Reality in the Third Reich by Ian Kershaw (review)". The English Historical Review. 103 (409): 1014–1016. doi:10.1093/ehr/CIII.CCCCIX.1014. JSTOR 570284.
  10. Geary, D. (July 1989). "The 'Hitler Myth', Image and Reality in the Third Reich (review)". European History Quarterly. 19 (3): 385–390. doi:10.1177/026569148901900305.
  11. Merridale, C (1988). "The Hitler Myth (review)". Journal of European Studies. 18 (4): 292–296. doi:10.1177/004724418801800414.

Further reading

  • Michael FitzGerald (1990). Storm Troopers of Satan. Robert Hale Ltd. ISBN 978-0709042600.
  • Michael FitzGerald (2008). Adolf Hitler: A Portrait. The History Press. ISBN 978-1862274426.
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