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

THE BLOOD PURGE 721order of leadership' — and that is what Hitler wanted his party to be —must learn to discipline itself if it wanted to discipline the people; for'what the people demand of the state, this order of sworn leadership willdemand of itself and realize through absolute subordination to its ownlaws.' The National Socialist Party, said Hitler, was far more than apolitical movement, and anyone who believed that its aim was meredomination of the state 'has neither learned anything from the past norunderstood the task of the future.'The task of the future consisted in creating, by artificial cultivation,the nation of which Houston Stewart Chamberlain had dreamed, and'scientifically drilling' it. The higher race, indeterminate in origin but inits essence clearly definable as 'Aryan,' should create and lead thisnation; for this very reason, Heaven protect the German nation from thecurse of so-called racial purity! Chamberlain had called racial purity ascientific monstrosity; Hitler thought that racial purity — though luckilyit was an impossibility— would be a political misfortune. He firstexpressed these thoughts in all their breadth at a Party Day inNuremberg in September, 1933. 'A glance at nature,' he declared, 'showsus that the creatures of a pure race are more or less equal, not onlyphysically, but also in their nature and abilities. This equality is thegreatest obstacle in the formation of higher communities ... amultiplicity of individuals must sacrifice their individual freedom andsubordinate themselves to the will of an individual. But much as reasonwould counsel this, it would in reality be very difficult to explain to menwho were entirely equal why, nevertheless, one man must ultimatelyraise his will above that of the others.' Strange! It would be hard tomake noble equals understand why they must obey? Yes, up till then hehad publicly preached obedience as a virtue; but in the circle of hisintimates he had said the opposite; and now, 'after victory,' he admittedthat the movement possessed a secret doctrine of which he had neverspoken in public. Now he would do so for the first time; and so themasses of the movement learned that the opposite was true of what theyhad been hearing from their Leader up till then. It is the better man whocommands, the inferior who obeys. 'The two concepts of commandingand obey-