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The Hitler Myth

The Hitler Myth. nature and effects of the myth Hitler’s personal popularity. What was the myth? A carefully cultivated image; evidence to suggest that this image was believed. Gobbel’s said the creation of the Hitler myth was his finest achievement as Minister for Propaganda.

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The Hitler Myth

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  1. The Hitler Myth • nature and effects of the myth • Hitler’s personal popularity

  2. What was the myth?A carefully cultivated image; evidence to suggest that this image was believed. Gobbel’s said the creation of the Hitler myth was his finest achievement as Minister for Propaganda • Hitler personified the nation and stood above selfish or private interests. • Hardworking, dynamic, energetic – a political genius • Utterly devoted to the good of the German nation • Understood and represented the German people • The People’s Chancellor and a ‘man of the people’ • Gave Germany back its pride and defended it against its enemies • Architect of the German economic miracle

  3. Lazy – rose late (after mid day) and frequently spent the day watching films Got bored with detail – ignored official papers Reliant on officials around him Indecisivie – frequently delayed making decisions Had a long term relationship with his mistress Eva Braun The Reality

  4. Fuhrerprinzip: exploited the German people’s desire for strong leadership Hitler sustained the regime and brought most people together through strong leadership By late 1930s c. 90% of Germans admired Hitler Bases of Personal Popularity • “ the adulation of Hitler by millions of Germans who might otherwise have marginally committed to Nazism meant that the person of the Fuhrer as a focal point of consensus formed a crucial integral force in the Nazi system of rule” (Ian Kershaw, Hubris 1933-39)

  5. What was Hitler’s appeal? • Offered what people wanted; maintained traditional values • Capitalised on disillusionment with Weimar • Political changes were technically constitutional • Promised to restore hope and create a strong national community –Volkesgemeinschaft • Hitler was seen as moderate: subordinates blamed for the regime’s failings

  6. Downfall • Myth eventually contributed to the decline of the Third Reich- power struggles made the regime unstable • Hitler began to believe in the myth, that he was infallible. • Kershaw:” The day that Hitler began to believe in his own myth, marked in a sense the beginning of the end of the Third Reich.”

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