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

CHANCELLOR AT LAST 537were present by the will of Hindenburg, for Hindenburg was honorarypresident of the Stahlhelm, and actually did want the Stahlhelm to havea share in the government. But the Stahlhelm itself was not clear aboutits own desires, its leadership was not united; Duesterberg supportedHugenberg, Seldte supported Hitler; and it became apparent that thesehalf-dozen dictators could no more find a common aim than the sixhundred deputies in the Reichstag.No power can be won without a sacrifice of principles; and Hitler,who looked to power as his salvation, abjured many things that hadseemed to him absolutely indispensable a few months before. After hehad reluctantly renounced massacres and rolling heads, and only tooreadily renounced inflation and socialization, he became Chancellor bydeclaring his readiness not only to be a strictly parliamentarychancellor, but also to tolerate continuous interference on the part ofHindenburg and to submit to every conceivable restriction. Of tenministers only three were to be National Socialists. These three werehimself as Chancellor, his friend Frick as Minister of the Interior, andGoring as head of a newly established Ministry of Aviation. There wasno mention of Goebbels, much less of Rohm. At the same time thePrussian government posts, which gave more practical state power thanthose of the Reich, were distributed. This was the 'commissar' method ofdistributing posts that had prevailed in the largest state of the Reichsince Papen's coup d'etat. Goring became Prussian Minister of theInterior, and that could mean power, for the police is power. ButGoring's superior, also appointed by the Reich, was Papen. In thisgovernment, Papen turned up wherever there was a key position to fill.He also became Vice-Chancellor in the Reich cabinet, and Hindenburgexacted the condition that Hitler should never appear before him alone,but always accompanied by Papen; for the old man wished to speakonly with him.Konstantin von Neurath, Hindenburg's personal adviser, remained incharge of foreign policy. A general regarded by Hindenburg astrustworthy obtained the Reichswehr Ministry. This was a general whofor some time had come forward as an opponent of Schleicher, havingattacked him for forcing the Reichswehr into pol-