Hitler and National Socialism

Outline:

A. The Youth of Adolph Hitler and what he read

        Ohne Juda, Ohne Rom             Without Jews, without Rome

        Wird gebaut germaniens Dom.  Will be built Germany’s cathedral.

        Heil!                                          Heil!

B.  Great War and post-war experience.  Difficulties during the Weimar years.

C.  NSDAP platform:  1. anti-Semitic; 2. anti-Bolshevik. 3. German reawakening, a true community spirit.  “The party is such represents the point of view of positive Christianity without binding itself  Flag:  red for the social ideal of the movement; white for the national ideal; Hakenkreuz “the struggle for victory of aryan man, always creative, always anti-Semitic.”  Der Führer.

D.  Race based on blood?  Or on religious practice.  Nuremberg Race Laws:

        1) descendent of 3 Jewish grandparents

        2) 2 Jewish grandparents plus …

            a) practiced Judaism since September 15, 1935

            b) married a Jew after September 15, 1935

            c) born of ¾ or full Jews after September 15, 1935

            d) illegitimately born of ¾ or full Jews after July 31, 1936

E.  Wagner’s mythology:  A corrupted world, a hero-savior (Siegfried : Hitler), Wotan : von Hindenberg, Das Rheingold:  Albrecht and the Nebelungen steal the Rhine gold ; industrialists and capitalist.  Siegfried slays Fafner, the pollution-breathing dragon.  Falls in love with Brunnhilde.  Universe falls into chaos when Siegfried is killed … Gotterdämmerung, The Twilight of the Gods,  perfect peace in perfect death.

F.  Speech patterns:

        Deutsch/land/er/wache! Germany, awake!

        Ju/da/ver/recke!                        Jews, perish!

        Sacred objects:  womb, earth, giants, altars, cathedrals, grail, forests, knights.