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

THE AGE OF GOLD 257said that this was the same in politics as in the business field, inadvertising a soap or a toothpaste. Actually it was entirely different inpolitics. What Hitler wanted was power, and the struggle for powerdemands an endlessly shifting adaptation to shifting circumstances. Butwhen he was discharged from prison, these were the circumstances: Hewas impotent, a political nonentity, dependent on the good humor of theBavarian government; and for that reason he had to avoid any suspicionof ever wanting to harm this government. Therefore, he cried: The fightof his party was not against the government, not against the bourgeoisparties, not against the police, but only against a single enemy, which hewould best have liked the government to choose as an enemy, too. Andagain this enemy had to serve as a model:'To make a struggle intelligible to the broad masses, it must always becarried on against two things: against a person and against a cause.'Against whom did England fight? Against the German Kaiser as aperson, and against militarism as his cause.'Against whom do the Jews fight with their Marxist power? Againstthe bourgeoisie as a person and against capitalism as its cause.'Against whom, therefore, must our movement fight? Against the Jewas a person and Marxism as its cause.'And against nothing else! Sharpest concentration! And so Hitler wasperfectly serious and sincere when he cried that it was necessary 'tochoose only one enemy, so that everyone can see that he alone is guilty.'He was as sincere as a general who attacks the enemy from the front,but has a second troop lying in ambush; for that is the nature of war.'Especially in a people like the German people,' Hitler thundered, 'it isabsolutely necessary for psychological reasons to point to only oneenemy, to march against one enemy. . . .' Suddenly he lowered his voiceand grinned, some of the listeners laughed, for they guessed what wascoming. In an easy-going tone Hitler said: 'By one enemy, if necessary,many can be meant.'On pacified, contented Germany he wanted to force enemies andredeemers; enemies of which she was not aware, and redeemers