Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

BURNING HEAVENS REFLECTED IN MUD PUDDLE 95But in demanding a strong central power in the Reich, Hitlerimpressed his absolute will on his comrades. In the next few years thisbecame one of the decisive party problems. Up to 1918, Germany hadconsisted of relatively independent federative states; formally, onlyforeign policy and war came within the sphere of the Reich. When theprinces fell, taking with them the historical glamour of the old politicalsubdivisions, the republic ruthlessly broke the old independence of thesesubdivisions, particularly in the realm of tax and finance. Of course, thisaroused violent local opposition; in parts of the Reich an embittereddiscontent against Berlin arose, particularly in proud and volatileBavaria. The German counter-revolution consciously exploited thislocal discontent. An armed uprising was organized amid the tumult andtrumpets of national festivals. Rheumatic old officers still regardedthemselves, not as leaders of the Reichswehr, but as colonels in theRoyal Bavarian Army. A deep-seated, often humorous hatred for themore progressive, more industrial, far larger, richer, more powerful, andpredominantly Protestant Prussia, which for generations had beenleading Germany, was one of the oldest national sentiments of CatholicBavaria. There were influential political figures who wanted it undercertain circumstances to secede from the Reich altogether, perhaps tojoin Austria; some even wanted to form a new Danubian state underFrench protection; at the very least, these men wanted to restoreBavaria's king and its old independence of Berlin.During the next three years, the future of Bavaria became a questionof life and death for Germany and for Hitler. In his personal propagandahe unscrupulously exploited all opposition to Berlin, but in his politicshe combated it. He spoke Bavarian at meetings, but his thoughts werePan-German. In this respect he differed from many fellow members andsympathizers. It was self-evident that he would demand a strong centralpower, some day he wanted to be that central power himself. Therefore,point 25 sounds as though a sentence from The Protocols of the WiseMen of Zion had been ringing in Hitler's ears: 'For modern society, acolossus with feet of clay, we shall create an unprecedentedcentralization, which will unite all powers in the hands of thegovernment. We