Historical Overview by
Reichsleiter Philipp Bouhler
The „German Workers Party”, founded by Schriftleiter
Karl Harrer on the 5th of January 1919, had almost no political existence. The
six members of the party formed a union of well-meaning nationalist men who
knew about the fateful activities of Marxism and thus had united with the
purpose of giving the German working-classes back to the nation. Although the
knowledge of these men was perfectly true, they were not capable of translating
their plans into reality. They had no money but that was not the worst part.
They lacked a general grand idea that could have guided them in their fight.
Alone and helpless they faced a world that either intentionally ignored them or
did not even know that they existed. They simply did not know how to attract
the people’s attention and most likely they would never have exceeded the
importance of an entirely meaningless debating club. In a word, they needed a
Führer. They found him in their 7th member.
On
the day - it must have been the 16th of September 1919 - that Adolf Hitler
joined the party its unique career began. Hitler immediately realized that the
party had to abandon its hidden existence and make itself publicly known. He
believed that immense propaganda, adequate for the psyche of the masses was the
only possible method of achieving this goal. First though, before he could
introduce even the slightest innovation, Hitler had to overcome strong
opposition from parliamentary oriented members to the „liquidation” of the
party as it existed.
What
is obvious in any army, especially in the German army, has almost completely
disappeared in the political life of most nations: acknowledgement of the value
of personality and its responsibility. In yesterday’s Germany it was the
decisions of a majority that dictated the actions of the political leaders who
could then hide behind those majority resolutions, free from any
responsibility. Adolf Hitler however, structured his party according to the
principles of authority towards those below and responsibility towards those
above.
When
the executive head of the party that had been known as the „NSDAP“ since the
9th of August 1920, resigned in July 1921, Adolf Hitler was elected chairman
and was given almost dictatorial powers. Soon afterward it became clear that
the speaker, who fascinated the masses with his words, had perfect
organizational skills. He immediately and indiscriminately broke away from the
[party’s] previous habits in which he saw the destruction of every
organization. After all, he did not want to form a party in the common sense of
the word. What he needed was a powerful, rigidly organized instrument that
blindly obeyed his dominant willpower. This instrument was the NSDAP. It was
the organizational core of the National Socialist Movement that should
gradually take over the entire German nation. The national community had to be
determined by blood and bound to the native soil. All differences of political,
social or religious doctrine that hitherto had dispersed nations in all
directions had to be bridged. Any small-minded impulse of self interest in
individuals or groups had to be drowned out by the command that dictated that
all Germans must act in a united manner.
Of
what importance is the question of the form of government, the conflict over
ecclesiastical problems, or the hate-filled disputes between workers and owners
in view of the almighty fate that had to decide inexorably over the life or
ruin of Germany!
An
organization, as Adolf Hitler envisaged it, was not only a state which could
one day replace the rotten, collapsing, Marxist state structure, but one with
which a leader’s genius, borne along by the eternal truth of the idea, had to
be able to unhinge a world!
According
to these grand principles he formed the NSDAP and its sub-divisions. In the end
however, it was only Adolf Hitler's personality that guaranteed success. His
knowledge and actions (obviously guided by Providence) his work, his faith, his
willpower and determination, the shining example of the Führer over and above
the hourly and daily chaos, these were the only assurances of success. If it
was not for the Führer, how could it have been possible that these boys and all
the men and women, sacrificed property and blood without so much as a claim for
gratitude? How could they have defied destiny, suffered from misery, need and
persecution. How could a look from the Führer’s eyes have been enough
compensation for the most difficult sacrifices?
There
are things in human life that must be done without regard for whether they will
be successful or not. Certain decisions and actions can only be avoided at the
price of inner freedom, respect, happiness or even one’s life. Consequently,
the individual as well as the Movement or the nation must suffer some defeats.
Such was the defeat on the 9th of November 1923. A black day indeed for the
National Socialist Movement but at the same time a turning point in
contemporary history. On that day a man and a few followers tried to change
Germany’s destiny. This man dared to take action although there was almost no
chance of success.
Nevertheless,
it had to be done. The German future belonged only to him who had the courage
to leap into the unknown. The seed of a better Germany could grow up only
through blood and combat.
It
was one of the most difficult decisions of his life when Adolf Hitler decided
to take action. He proved his incredible courage when, supported only by his
own resolution he challenged the existing system and declared the government
dismissed although it was in possession of the federal means of power. All by
himself he carried the burden of responsibility for everything that was to
result from this coup. His effort failed. It could not bring to an end the five
years of fatal destiny that had crushed Germany. The system of the 9th of
November 1918 remained in charge, damaging the entire nation. The attempt of
Adolf Hitler and his friends was not a complete failure however.
In
later years the Führer came to believe that on the 9th of November 1923 the
time had not yet been ripe for victory. On the 9th of November 1933, at the
10th anniversary celebrated in the Burgerbräukeller he called the failed
attempt, „Wisdom of Providence” but he added, „and yet I am convinced that when
we acted the way we did, we had to act in this and no other way, because we
were on a mission from God”.
Those
men did not follow a phantom, but the call of their hearts beneath the flag
with the swastika when they marched towards the Feldherrnhalle on their way to
a new Reich. They followed the loud call of an ideal that talked to them
through the words of Adolf Hitler. They were ready to sacrifice the most
precious good they possessed because they valued the ideal that materialized in
Adolf Hitler, higher than their own lives. Destiny accepted this sacrifice from
16 men. Hence, the men who died on that 9th of November were the first martyrs
of the National Socialist struggle. They were, followed by many who sacrificed
their blood and life on the shrine of their country. But those 16 were the
first. For their fight the odds were much worse than the odds were in later
years. This means that their effort had to be much stronger. They proved to the
world that this new Movement was prepared to fertilize the way to Germany’s
freedom with the blood of its fighters. It was the reason that the Führer
picked those 16 men out of the line of comrades shot by Red Fronters and
Reactionaries and established a monument for them. The Hall of Honor on the
Königsplatz in München is a plain and aristocratic monument that reminds us of
their great sacrifice and provides the acknowledgement they get from the
Movement. This is why on the 9th of November 1935 the mortal remains of these
16 men were taken out of their simple graves in various cemeteries in München
and its surroundings. After they were displayed for one night in the
Feldherrnhalle they were transferred in a festive parade to their new tomb.
There they will forever be Eternal Guards, reminding coming generations of this
day.
More
than a year passed during which the Movement tried to re-establish an organized
system after the breakdown on the 9th of November 1923. It was a time of inner
turmoil, of discord and disputes among the leaders. The powerful resurgence of
interest in National Socialist thought throughout the entire Reich as a result
of the great publicity surrounding the trial of Nazis at the Volksgerichtshof
in München, was overshadowed by infighting. Many of the old fighters were
deeply seized by a feeling of disillusionment and hopelessness. Many turned
their back on the Movement. In northern Germany a few ambitious national
leaders tried to take over Adolf Hitler's heritage with the goal of turning his
Movement around for their own purposes. It was a relatively small group that
loyally stood by the old flag.
Then,
on the 20th of December 1924, the gates of the prison at Landsberg am Lech were
opened for Adolf Hitler. For the remaining five years of his „punishment” (he
had been sentenced for high treason) he was put on probation.
A
sigh of relief went through his fellow fighters. Now that the Führer was once
again among them, more determined than ever to guide the way with the flag,
they no longer felt anxiety for the future. What meant frustration for some,
was out of the question for Hitler and his followers: he could not rely on one
of the existing national political organizations, but had to re-establish the
old NSDAP. On the 25th of February 1925, among the unbelievable cheers of his
followers, he proclaimed that his Movement was founded again. The historic
Burgerbräukeller in München had to be cordoned off by the police on that day,
due to overcrowding. And indeed it was a great achievement that Adolf Hitler in
a masterful speech could reunite the deadly rivals among the members of the
Großdeutsche Volksgemeinschaft and the Nationalsozialistische
Freiheitsbewegung, which at that time were the two dueling sides.
The
beginning was made. The fight could be started anew in the same old spirit. In
one way however, this fight was different in the methods that had been used up
until the 9th of November 1923. Until that date everybody had been prepared to
turn the existing government over in a coup.
Now
the Führer clearly saw the necessity to continue his fight on a completely
legal basis. That however, meant a change in tactics only. By no means did it
mean a modification of the goal which, then and always, could only be the
conquest of the political power in Germany. The constitution of the „November
Republik” with its democratic foundation left the possibility open to gradually
win the people’s support through relentless propaganda and thus, in the course
of elections, to enter parliament. So we reached our goal in a perfectly legal
way. We only had to beat democracy at its own game. The Führer’s challenge to
the political system was perfectly clear and the political leaders of Germany
of that time immediately took counter measures to prevent the party from
getting' established and from spreading its idea. The Bavarian government
prohibited public speeches by Adolf Hitler, justifying their action with a
manipulated version of one of Hitler’s speeches, which led to a series of
oppressive measures and persecutions carried out by public authorities. Other
states joined in and for years the Führer could speak in person only at
unofficial meetings of party members. Moreover, it was essential to avoid the
possibility that the party would be suppressed again and consequently the
propaganda possibilities were limited. Nevertheless the fight against enslaving
contracts and the weak governmental policy of consensus was carried on
pitilessly and by the use of all legal means. Likewise, the examination of
Marxism and its corrupting influences on all fields progressed. Gradually the
Movement came to a firm footing in the parliaments outside of Bavaria too:
first in Thüringen in 1930, then in Braunschweig and Anhalt.
While
the political fight continued in this way with unbroken vehemence and tenacity,
difficult organizational problems piled up for the Movement. Decisions about
assignments of members were not made on a round table basis but the structure
of the party developed organically from the bottom up. The true leaders had to
emerge out of a free game of powers.
Finally
however, this wild growth had to be regulated and controlled. All those who had
formed a towngroup - those who had proven that they were men enough to make
their own way - they were acknowledged and from then on protected against all
attacks. In the end, when those towngroups had spread all over the nation, one
after the other was made part of a Gau [District]. The position of Gauleiter
was given only to those men who, born in combat, had conquered their
territories by themselves.
In
this way, fighting, working and constantly ready for action, the apostles of
National Socialism stood up in all parts of Germany. They drove around
relentlessly, always talking, always fighting. They were hard, coarse and rough
men, not at all easy to get along with, often stubborn and individualistic. But
how else could they have performed the almost superhuman task of preparing the
ground for the planting of Adolf Hitler?
There
was a time when many lawyers waited to destroy the party: there were rebels
within the party, selfish, ambitious and corrupted subjects who were willing to
abuse the NSDAP for their own purposes or to split and thus weaken the party.
There were enemies from all sides who, full of hate and in great number, tried
to crush the Movement using all possible means of lying and defaming, as well
as boycott and terror; there were over-zealous party members who misunderstood
the revolutionary spirit and leaped ahead endangering the Movement (as they
provided the authorities with a good reason to interfere). These dangers were
mastered by the Führer by virtue of his higher insight, his intelligence, his
courage and determination. Today it seems like an impressive and unbelievable
miracle to us, that he was able to successfully steer the small ship of his
party through all those troubled waters.
The
Movement was spared nothing. It had grown on fight, need, sacrifice and
privation, and this made it hard and pure. A thousand times, party members were
exposed to persecution. They were stripped of their brown shirts, they were
beaten and thrown in jail. The filth of defamation was poured down on them,
they were damaged financially, their lives were ruined and trials were aimed at
wearing them down. Fights carried out in city halls left thousands of National
Socialists with bleeding wounds of honor. At night, many were slain on the
streets by brutish „comrades”. A pitiless determination whipped everybody
through endless propaganda and election campaigns, through meetings and
parades. Private life was hardly known to the National Socialist. Always on the
march, serving, fighting. At the end of a success one remembered the Führer’s
iron slogan: „The fight goes on“. To this command he completely devoted
himself, too. On the way, many lost their courage and sank down, others lost
their belief in the eventual victory and some broke down physically. Only faith
kept the Movement going; faith and its symbol, the Führer, who led the way for
the Movement like a banner in the middle of a chaotic fight ... The hardest
year however, was yet to come.
It
was the year of 1932 when the opposing forces concentrated the most, demanding
the very best of every man, from the Führer to the last unknown SA-man. It was
the year of the elections for the Reichsprasidenten, the elections for the
Reichstag, the numerous elections for the Landtag and Bürgerrat. At that time
Hitler flew through Germany four times and during the 14 days of the third trip
he made speeches before 49 mass assemblies. And all this was accomplished by a
wave of propaganda that until then was unheard of. The year of 1932 saw the
colorful changes in the cabinets of Brüning, Papen, Schleicher; and it brought
the prohibition of the SA as well as a state of national emergency It was in
this year that the government tried in vain to push the Führer off on a side
track by offering him the position of Vice-Chancellor. In 1932 we witnessed
massive losses for the National Socialists at the second elections to the
Reichstag in November; we saw the constant vice of the communist wave as well
as Gregor Strasser's stab in the back; and finally we saw streams of the finest
German blood shed for the rebirth of the Reich. But even that year went by and
when, on the 30th of January 1933 it was announced that Hindenburg nominated
Adolf Hitler Reichskanzler the entire German nation was deeply affected.
There
were those who worried because of their sins against the Movement and nation.
They looked into the future with a dreadful heart. Some of them preferred to
grab their money and flee across the border so that they could aim their
poisoned arrows against Germany sheltered in a foreign country. And then there
were those who had suffered enough from the calamity of the past years. They
thanked Providence that it finally had brought about a change in things.
On
the 21st of March the German Reichstag met again in the Garnisonkirche in
Potsdam At this historic site, a place where faded flags of glory cast shadows
on the last resting place of the great King of Prussia, the festive ceremony
was held that introduced a new era in German history.
Once
again Germany belonged to Germans! The door to a brighter future was open1
Adolf Hitler could begin to form the Third Reich! In 1926 the Austrian National
Socialists became an organizational part of the NSDAP, after years of close
contact with their German and Bohemian brother parties. But whereas Adolf
Hitler and his brown army won the Reich, the National Socialist Movement was
brutally suppressed in German-Austria. In the Summer of 1934, when the people’s
spontaneous attempt to break their chains failed, a time of immense misery
began for our brothers on the other side of the border, who felt a part of
Greater Germany as National Socialists. But in this case again, it became clear
that terror and suppression can never kill the spirit in the hearts of those
who are deeply committed. It is true that the party and its sub-divisions were
dissolved and illegal activities were severely punished. It is true that it was
prohibited to carry the swastika and to greet people in the German manner. But
thousands were glad and ready to hold up the prohibited banner in darkness and
misery just to see the dawning of a victory whose time had to come. This street
of sacrifices led many through the jails of the establishment, through agony
and disgrace. Many a man had to take his final journey but he went in an
upright manner unbroken and with a hard look on his face. He was transformed by
the knowledge that a change was ahead and he went with the words „Heil Hitler“
on his dying breath. None of the suppressive measures imposed by reactionary
powers of state could hinder the constant call: „one People, one Reich, one
Führer“. The call could be heard all over Austria and it found a receptive
heart on the other side of the border, in the in the great homeland.
In
July 1936 the Führer had tried to end the strained relations with Austria by
way of an agreement. Despite all promises, the Austrian government did not give
up its hostile attitude toward National Socialists. Then, on the 12th of
February 1938, the Führer met with the Austrian Chancellor on the Obersalzberg
and Mr. Schuschnigg agreed to grant full equal rights to Austrian National
Socialists. The moment he arrived home however, Schuschnigg thought of treason.
On the 9th of March he announced in Innsbruck that there would be a referendum
to decide on Austria’s independence. Not only was such a procedure
unconstitutional but it defied all principles of law. There was no doubt that
it was impossible to conclude a just referendum in three days without any
preparation and without any ballots. Schuschnigg however, never wanted the
people’s honest opinion. He only used fraud and terror to secure an outcome
favorable to him, on the basis of which he hoped to continue his policy of
suppression against Germanness. He had forgotten that Germany under Adolf
Hitler’s flag had again become a superpower that would not tolerate treachery
and the enslavement of millions of German folk companions.
The
curtain fell quickly on this act of shame that had lasted long enough. After a
few violent attempts to put down the revolts that had started everywhere,
Schuschnigg resigned on the 11th of March. Public authority now rested with
Seyß-lnquart who had been a National Socialist member of the cabinet since the
Berchtesgaden agreement. To resurrect peace and justice he asked for an
invasion of German troops because the Marxists were planning to fish in
troubled waters. The next day squadrons of German planes roared over Austrian
territory, greeting National Socialist Austria with millions of leaflets. The
Führer, along with soldiers of the German armed forces who crossed the border
everywhere, returned to his home country in triumph. The yearning call had
finally come true: „one People, one Reich, one Führer“. The next day there was
but one cry of gratitude and the crowd cheered as the Führer moved into Vienna
through an ocean of jubilant, flag-waving people. Clearer than any referendum,
the Germans in Austria had spoken when they carried Adolf Hitler through his
home country on waves of exaltation in those unforgettable days in March. The
outcome of the referendum that had been scheduled for the 10th of April was
nothing more than another affirmation of a perfect fact. It could only reveal
the overwhelming support for the Greater German Reich and its founder and
Führer.
It
was not an idea alone with the dynamic power to break down the bastions of the
old system that had conquered Germany, and it was not only through powerful
speeches in which the Führer had hammered the new Weltanschauung into the
hearts and brains of the new generation; it was the personality of Adolf Hitler
that from the very beginning had been the driving force behind the idea. His
personality had guaranteed success. The unique appearance of the Führer and the
power of his charisma are grounded in the totality of his genius and in the
harmony of his personality; that rare combination chosen by Providence to bring
about a change in world history. As dazzling as may seem the contrasts in the
Führer’s genius and the variety of the interests to which he is attracted and
which he masters, it is exactly this multitude of mutually supporting talents
and inclinations that coalesce into the harmony and gigantic perfection of his
genius. Thus the Führer, whose roots are in the fine arts made his way into
politics filled with the brave virtues of a soldier. He topped the creations of
a politician with the military success of a general. His creative imagination
which endows him with grand concepts and plans, is tamed by a razor-sharp logic
and an extraordinary instinct for reality. His sense for the needs and
necessity of everyday life is as clear and unclouded as his opinion in all
fields of arts and estheticism. He has the political attitude of a soldier so
his warfare has to yield to political necessities. He elevated leadership in
governing and war into the art of governing and the art of war. Therefore, it
is only logical that the Führer had already finished an outline of his cultural
program and had made plans for huge buildings and revolutionary urban projects
at a time when he was still fighting for the political power in Germany; at a
time when he had to battle the corrupting influences of the Jewish-Marxist
system, sometimes even by using brute force. It is only logical that later on,
when he installed an armed force and formed the domestic and foreign policies
of the new Reich, he began to carry through all the cultural plans. Thus, he
gave new impetus to German art and prepared the ground for an economic upswing.
Cool
and calculating minds could not follow the Führer until actual events proved
his prophecies correct and made the iron logic in his line of argumentation
visible. Thus, his claim to leadership was supported by the facts as well as by
success. But long before all this became clear, thousands had believed with all
their heart in this man who despite actual circumstances, had promised to
resurrect beloved Germany and to guide the way to unknown magnitude. But it was
not the words that the masses believed in, it was the man, the personality
Adolf Hitler. This was the secret process by which during the time of fighting
he attracted fighters from all Districts like a magnet, by virtue of his
personality. He welded them together in a blood brotherhood and thus won the
Reich.
Today
the whole German nation, not only looks up to the Führer with deep admiration,
but it is ready to sacrifice everything and feels deep love for the father of
the nation; feelings that are mainly grounded in Adolf Hitler's humane nature.
This man rose out of the people and thus has an understanding for the worries
and concerns of the people. It shines down on the masses and fills them with
faithful confidence to see this man’s solidarity with them, his loyalty towards
his fellow combatants, his distinct sense for justice, his deep feelings for
the great and beautiful and his immense goodness of heart that shines through
even if, in national interest, he has to make adamant decisions. What makes the
personality of Adolf Hitler so special, however, is the shining example he
gives the people every single day. The people know that the Führer demands the
most from himself and never demands anything from anybody that he is not ready
to do whenever it needs to be done. The people are content in the knowledge that
his work and whole existence belong to Germany and that he himself sacrifices
his private life. Thus, in the best sense of the word he leads the way for his
people as a standard bearer - visible for everybody, the Führer of the nation,
the founder of the Reich, the pioneer of a new era!
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