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

THE RACE WITH CATASTROPHE 499must be governed by a parliamentary majority — 'the establishment of arealistic basis for a possible majority government is entirely in accordwith my ideas,' said Hitler for the record; both men agreed thatHugenberg, as the spokesman of the junkers and heavy industry, madesuch a majority government impossible.But confidence — the national catastrophe is with us! This was thecomfort Hitler gave his followers and even more himself: 'In a fewmonths the end [of the present government] will be worse than thebeginning is today. Then they will turn to us a third time.'Provided we are still in existence — Gregor Strasser might haveanswered. He was now the loudest voice in the whispered panic that hadseized upon the party, the proud prophet of calamity who had beenproved right. The majority of the party shared his opinion that in a fewmonths, whatever happened to the government, something worse wouldhave happened to the party.In the course of 1932, Strasser's face had become imprinted on theconsciousness of the German masses. He publicized himself as thesocialist in the party, and no other party leaders equaled him in massappeal. Within the party machine he had built up a sort of labormovement, known as the N.S.B.O. (National Socialist Organization ofShop Cells). It was a part of the 'state within the state,' which Strasserhad made of the party apparatus. His idea was that when the NationalSocialists seized power, they would march into the Wilhelmstrasse, notas a single minister or chancellor, but with a whole ready-madegovernment; they would discard the old state completely and set anentirely new one in its place. This type of party had cost him a hardfight with Hitler. Hitler had feared Strasser's machine, which, to hismind, embodied too much planning and preparation; too little fightingand propaganda. The semi-socialist manifestoes and inflation plans ofthis machine had attracted many voters, but had aroused the businessmen among Hitler's friends; Schacht had warned Hitler to stop makingeconomic promises. Hitler decided to dissolve the economic planningapparatus headed by Gottfried Feder. Now it was said that the Leaderwas against socialism, but that Strasser wanted to save the socialism ofthe party.