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

180 DER FUEHREReven then it was felt that Ludendorff represented tradition, while Hitlerwas youth, the future — hence the true leader, 'Der Fuhrer' The termbecame current at this period, and from the beginning it meant theLeader of All Germany — at the very least.The political problem remained as before, the problem which facesevery counter-revolution: to persuade the state power to make arevolution. The revolution from above never ceased to be the goal ofHitler's strategy — even after the top leaders had abandoned the idea assuperfluous. For Lossow, though for a time he had been driven bycircumstances not of his choosing into a sort of revolt amounting almostto mutiny against Seeckt, desired only a return to discipline and order.Rohm resigned from the Reichs-wehr at the end of September, 1923.His exact reasons are still not clear. Perhaps the accusations ofarmament swindling had something to do with it. In any case, hispolitical role in the Reichs-wehr was at an end. He now set all his hopeson a revolution of the National Socialists, on the revolution and victoryof the creature which he had been building for five years. At about thesame time, Epp went on leave, and tendered his formal resignation afew months later. Less courageous, less crafty than Rohm, he movedaway from the National Socialists and aimed at a political career withthe moderate bourgeois parties. He did not believe in Hitler's star.Meanwhile, the middle officers, the captains and majors, continued tolive in expectation of the putsch, for they expected it to bring anenlarged army, with magnificent posts and promotions. They sawLudendorff as their future general; and Hitler as the man who wouldcarry out the putsch. It was their expectations which goaded Hitlerforward. He knew that he was in a desperate way; he exclaimed: 'I havetaken this road, and I will follow it to the end, even alone and forsaken.'Since there was no other solution, he ran headlong into the mostinsane gamble: an uprising against the Reichswehr.He began by giving Lossow another of his words of honor not toputsch against the Reichswehr; in order to be believed, he felt itnecessary to add: 'Don't think I'm stupid enough to do that!' Hepromised Seisser too: no putsch against the police. But later