ForthethirteenmillionGermanswhovotedNaziin1932,Hitlersymbolised

chameleonlikethevariousfacetsofNazismwhichtheyfoundappealing.Inhispublic
portrayal,hewasamanofthepeople,hishumbleoriginsemphasisingtherejectionof
privilegeandthesterileoldorderinfavourofanew,vigorous,upwardlymobilesociety
builtuponstrength,merit,andachievement.
Hewasseenasstrong,uncompromising,
ruthless.HeembodiedthetriumphoftrueGermanicvirtuescourage,manliness,
integrity,loyalty,devotiontothecauseovertheeffetedecadence,corruption,and
effeminateweaknessofWeimarsociety.

Aboveall,herepresented'struggle'asthe
titleofhisbook
MeinKampf
advertised:struggleofthe'littleman'againstsociety's'big
battalions',andmortalstruggleagainstGermany'spowerfulinternalandexternal
enemiestoassurethenation'sfuture.
Moreprosaically,forthemanystillless
convinced,heheadedahugemassmovementwhich,giventheweakanddivided
Weimarparties,seemedtooffertheonlywayoutofallembracingcrisis.
***

till,notoneGermanintwocastavoteforHitler'spartyintheMarchelectionof

1933
heldfiveweeksafterHitlerhadbeenappointedChancellorinanatmosphereof
nationaleuphoriacoupledwithterroristicrepressionoftheLeft.
MostGermans
remainedeitherhostileto,orunconvincedby,theirnew'people'sChancellor',asthe
Nazipressdubbedhim.
Withinthediehardranksofthepersecuted
socialistand
Communistleft,ofcourse,thehatredofHitler
andallhestoodforwhichinmany
respectswasaccuratelyforeseenwasimplacable.InCatholicquarters,deep

suspicionslingeredabouttheantiChristiantendenciesofNazismthoughtherewas
alreadyagrowingreadinesstodistanceHitlerhimselffromthe'dangerouselements'in
hismovement.AndbourgeoiscirclescontinuedtoseeinHitlerthesocialupstartand
vulgardemagogue,mouthpieceofthehystericalmasses,theheadofapartycontaining
somewildandthreateningelementsbutaman,withallhisfaults,whocouldhavehis
usesforatime.
AttitudestowardsHitlerinearly1933variedgreatly,therefore,andwere
oftenheatedlynegative.
Threefactorsatleasthavetobetakenintoaccountinexplaininghow,nevertheless,the
Fuhrer
cultcould,withinastrikinglyshorttime,extenditsholdtowidesectionsofthe
population,andeventuallytotheoverwhelmingmajorityofGermans.Ofcrucial
significancewasthewidespreadfeelingthattheWeimarpoliticalsystemandleadership
wasutterlybankrupt.Insuchconditions,theimageofadynamic,energetic,'youthful'
leaderofferingadecisivechangeofdirectionandbackedbyanarmyoffanatical
followerswasnotaltogetherunattractive.
Manywithgravedoubtswerepreparedtogive
Hitlerachance
.Andcomparedwiththepathetichelplessnessofhispredecessorsas
Chancellor,theapparentdriveandtempoofgovernmentactivityinthemonthsafterhe
tookofficeseemedimpressive.

TheHitlerpersonalitycultgoesbackto19223,whensomeparty
memberswerealreadycomparinghimwithNapoleonordescribing
himasGermany'sMussolini.
Secondly,thegrossunderestimationofHitleragainpavedthewayforatfirstreluctant
orcondescending,andthenwholehearted,enthusiasmforthewayheapparently

masteredwithinsuchashorttimetheinternalpoliticalsituationwhichhadseemed
beyondthecapabilitiesofanupstartrabblerouser.Thirdly,andmostimportantly,Hitler
embodiedanalreadywellestablished,extensiveideologicalconsensuswhichalso
embracedmostofthose,excepttheLeft,whohadstillnotgivenhimtheirvoteinMarch
1933.ItschiefelementswerevirulentantiMarxismandtheperceivedneedfora
powerfulcountertotheforcesoftheLeftdeephostilitytowardsthefaileddemocratic
systemandabeliefthatstrong,authoritarianleadershipwasnecessaryforany
recoveryandawidespreadfeeling,evenextendingtopartsoftheLeft,thatGermany
hadbeenbadlywrongedatVersailles,andwasthreatenedbyenemiesonallsides.
Thispreexistingwideconsensusofferedthepotentialforstrongsupportforanational
leaderwhocouldappeartoofferabsolutecommitment,personalsacrifice,andselfless
strivinginthecauseofinnerunityand.outwardstrength.
By1933,Nazipropagandahadbeenhighlysuccessfulinestablishing'charismatic
authority'astheorganisationalpremiseoftheNaziParty,andtheninportrayingHitlerto
Nazisympathisersasnotjustanotherpartyleader,butastheLeaderforwhomthe
nationhadbeenwaiting
amanofincomparablydifferentstaturetocontemptibleparty
politicians.Themostimportantpropagandastepnowremainedtobetaken:the
conversion,forthe'majorityofthemajority'thathadstillnotsupportedHitlerinMarch
1933,ofhisimagefromthatofleaderoftheNaziMovementtothatofnationalleader.
***

iventhefactthat
Nazipropagandanowenjoyedavirtualmonopolywithin

Germany
,andthatthose
takingalessthanfavourableviewofHitler'squalitieswere
nowincarceratedorsilencedbyfearandrepression
,thescenewassetfortherapid
establishmentbytheendof1934ofthefullblown
Fuhrer
cultofanalmostdeified
nationalleader.NodoubtmanyGermansfoundtheextremesofthenowomnipresent
Hitlercultnauseating.ButtheywereforthemostpartcomingtoacceptthatHitlerwas
noordinaryheadofgovernment.Aboveall,onecouldnotignorehis'achievements':
'order'hadbeenrestoredunemploymentwasfallingrapidlytheeconomywaspicking
upstronglyGermanywasbeginningtostandupforitselfagainintheworld.Therecord
seemedtospeakforitself.
By1935,HitlercouldbehailedintheNazipressandtherewasbynowhardlyany
otherpresstospeakofinsideGermanyasthe'SymboloftheNation'who,having
struggledasan'ordinaryworker'toestablishGermany's'socialfreedom',hadnow,asa
onetimeordinary'Frontsoldier',reestablishedGermany's'nationalfreedom'a
referencetotherecentreassertionofGermanmilitarysovereignty.Themessagebeing
conveyedwasthatpeopleandnationfoundtheiridentity,their'incarnation',asitwas
put,inthepersonofthe
Fuhrer
.TothisweightplaceduponHitler's'achievements',
Goebbelsaddedthepathosofthehumanqualitiesofthe
Fuhrer
:hissimplicityand
modesty,toilandendeavourforhispeople,masteryofallproblemsfacingthenation,
toughnessandseverity,unshakabledeterminationthoughflexibilityofmethodinthe
pursuitoffarsightedgoals.Withallthiswenttheintenselonelinessandsadnessofa
manwhohadsacrificedallpersonalhappinessandprivatelifeforhispeople.This

extraordinarycatalogueofpersonalvirtuesmakingthe'human'Hitleralmostinhuman
inthedegreeofhisperfectionwassetalongsidethepoliticalgeniusofthe
Fuhrer
asa
humancounterparttotheimageofthelofty,distantstatesman.Itamountedtoalmosta
mirrorofcontemporarybourgeoisvaluescharacteristicswithwhichalmosteveryone
couldfindsomepointofassociation.
Seemoreat:
http://www.historytoday.com/iankershaw/hitlermyth#sthash.gEX8F8lw.dpuf