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

THE REICHSTAG FIRE 553God, Germany will no longer be in the hands of her spoilers.' Meaning:regardless of how the elections turn out. For, as he said in anotherspeech: 'It is now for the German people themselves to decide. If theGerman people abandon us in this hour, that must not deter us. We shallgo the way that is necessary if Germany is not to perish.'The terror became more and more blatant, scorning to conceal itself;yet it did not lure the counter-terror from its hiding-places. The SocialDemocrats, demonstrably, intended no illegal action on a large scale;nor can any such plan be deduced from the acts of the Communistsduring this period. Hitler was alone in publicly claiming the right tomake a coup d'etat; he alone was supported in this claim by a section ofpublic opinion; and this because he alone, amid the fury of this lastimpassioned struggle for freedom and power in Germany, believedhimself able and willing to give society a new shape. In his firstgovernment proclamation he promised to solve the economic crisis 'withtwo great four-year plans.' 'Within four years,' he promised, 'the Germanpeasant must be saved from pauperization; within four yearsunemployment must be ended once and for all.' Four years was the legalterm of the new Reichstag, and by now he was determined to demand ofthe Reichstag four years of dictatorial powers instead of one: 'Germanpeople, give us four years' time, then pass judgment on us!'The vastness of his plans, now that he was in possession of statepower to carry them out, made a profound impression on the voters,though he did not reveal details and doubtless had not formulated any.Germany, he said, had 'become dismal and sad; our people have nearlyforgotten happiness and laughter, as in Soviet Russia; and where peoplehave laughed, it has been the laughter of despair.' Here he spoke theplain truth; and it was the official statistics that he summed up in thesentence: 'Of twenty-three million potential wage-earners, eight to ninemillions are condemned to unemployment.' He would promise no onethat things could be better in a few days, weeks, or months; no, hewould need four years; it would mean hard work for all — 'let no onebelieve that freedom, happiness, and life will suddenly come as a giftfrom Heaven,' for nothing whatever comes as a gift: 'We never