Summary
Title: The 'Hitler Myth': Image and Reality in the Third Reich
Author: Ian Kershaw
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192802062
Pro:
• Addresses an important aspect of Nazi Germany not usually discussed
• Provides an unusual and informative perspective on Hitler and the Nazis
Con:
• None
Description:
• Analysis of why Hitler was so popular in among the German people
• Argues that the “Hitler Myth” was a clever propaganda creation
• Explains how Nazi propaganda fed off prior expectations and beliefs in Germany
Book Review
The idea that Hitler himself hypnotized or manipulated the German people is a popular theory for how he achieved so much, but in his book The ‘Hitler Myth’: Image and Reality in the Third Reich, Ian Kershaw argues that the real source of Hitler’s popularity and ability to lead the German people actually lies in certain social and political values among the Germans which Hitler took advantage of and which unfortunately exist elsewhere in the world.
In other words, the source of Hitler’s popularity can be found in the people “who adored him,” against all reason and sense, rather than in Hitler himself. Thus there are two Hitler Myths, in a sense: the myth that held the German people in thrall of him and the myth which has developed since his death of Hitler as a hypnotic manipulator.
One of the most fundamental factors which helped Hitler’s popularity was the German ideal of a Führer, someone who could boldly and heroically lead them into a glorious future. The Führer-principle already existed in Germany well before Hitler came on the stage, and Germans actively desired someone who could rise above political parties, above ideology, and above historical constraints in order to unite them behind a single cause. We can find similar desires elsewhere, as well — people who tire of political conflict and ideological strife in their society may wish for someone to rise up, unite the factions, and lead the nation to its divinely-mandated destiny.
It was the genius of the Nazi propaganda machine that such principles could be used against the Germans themselves. Rather than imposing ideas upon people, truly successful propaganda efforts takes advantage of what people already believe in order to manipulate it for other purposes. That’s what Joseph Goebbels managed to do, turning Hitler into a heroic figure who rose above all petty disputes and became an ideal for Germans.
Hitler even rose above the Nazi party itself — however much people grumbled about the Nazi party and its various functionaries, they never believed that Hitler had anything to do with the problems. It was common for people to say that if only Hitler knew about what was going on, he would set things right, but his subordinates are keeping the truth from him. Even after the war and after all the horrors had been brought to life, some continued to insist that Hitler couldn’t have known about it and that it was all the responsibility of lower-level bureaucrats.
There is even evidence that Goebbels and Hitler succumbed to the propaganda of the Hitler myth, believing it themselves. That, however, probably played a role in the downfall of Germany.
No longer able to separate propaganda from reality and believing their own deceptions, they failed to deal with reality in a rational manner. Another factor in successful propaganda is that somewhere, someone responsible is able to keep fact and myth separated.
It is unlikely that a similarly charismatic figure could rise up to lead millions like Hitler did, but the idea that we need to follow a strong leader in times of crisis has not disappeared. The Hitler Myth has disappeared, but myths about leadership and social unity persist — and can continue to pose dangers for all involved.
Kershaw’s book is less about Hitler and more about the German society which adored him so much. It’s about the successful propaganda efforts that made a demigod out of him and the ability of Germans to profess loyalty to Hitler even though Nazi Germany was crumbling all around them. It’s not so much a biography of Hitler as a sociological study of German attitudes and beliefs. As such, it’s also a cautionary tale of how people can be led astray when they allow themselves to be manipulated by a large propaganda machine.
