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

532 DER FUEHRERThe party's downward course was by no means ended. This wasapparent even among a section of the population where NationalSocialism was believed to be most firmly entrenched: the students. Inthe elections to the student committees of various universities theNational Socialists lost many votes and mandates; as late as January 25,they lost approximately a tenth of their votes at the South Germanuniversity of Tubingen. Hindenburg remained unfriendly, and Hitlerwas apparently willing to do anything, provided only that Schleichershould fall. 'The Leader maintains an attitude of waiting,' wroteGoebbels on January 27. 'There is still a possibility that Papen will bereappointed.' He hastily added that this would be 'a hopeless, short-termaffair'; but essentially, he says elsewhere, only one thing was important:the Reichstag must not be dissolved before the National Socialists hadwon power because (he implied) that would bring a new defeat.On the twenty-seventh, the Reichstag's council of elders — a kind ofrules committee — decided that parliament should convene on the lastday of the month. No party was very eager for this meeting, but it washard to avoid the decision. Only Schleicher could have asked for anadjournment, but he suddenly decided that this was the time to put thefear of God into parliament; to let them convene and then calmly tellthem that they were dissolved if they did not do his bidding.And so Schleicher had come to the point where Papen had left off; hispolicy of conciliation with parliament had failed. True, he did not admitthis. His government, he maintained, even if it did not at the momenthave a majority in the Reichstag, enjoyed the confidence of largesections of the people, for he confused party and trade-union leaderswith the people. And he would have regarded the return of Papen,especially with Hugenberg in his cabinet, as a catastrophe more ruinouseven than a Hitler government, for Hitler at least represented themasses, while Papen and Hugenberg would 'have only a tenth of thepeople behind them.' Kaas had just threatened him with 'illegality frombelow.' Schleicher and his friends vehemently refused to send out theReichswehr to defend an unpopular government against the people. Onthe twenty-seventh, Schleicher met with his associates in theReichswehr