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The Problem with Hitler. the Man Nobody Knows

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The Problem with Hitler. the Man Nobody Knows HAOL, Núm. 9 (Invierno, 2006), 131-140 ISSN 1696-2060 THE PROBLEM WITH HITLER. THE MAN NOBODY KNOWS Ben Novak City University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. E-mail: [email protected] Recibido: 1 Diciembre 2005 / Revisado: 11 Enero 2006 / Aceptado: 19 Enero 2006 / Publicación Online: 15 Febrero 2006 Resumen: We know so much about Adolf than is known about most other lives. We know, Hitler. We probably have more information— for example, his eating habits, and just about facts, details, and minutiae—about this man’s every illness and every medication he ever took. life than any other major figure of modern times. We know he was psychotic, sociopathic, Nonetheless, we still feel that we do not know paranoid, a bit schizophrenic, definitely a the man. His life is one of the greatest mysteries manic-depressive, who often talked of suicide— in human history. Why is it that Hitler, about and eventually died with a pistol in his mouth whom more facts and details are known than and a cyanide capsule clenched between his perhaps any other figure in modern history teeth. We know, too, about the women with (perhaps in all history), remains such a mystery? whom he had affairs; we suspect that he was Hitler frustrated his opponents, amazed neutral homosexually inclined, and perhaps even active. observers, and delighted his supporters by We even know how he felt about his dogs. We pulling off the seemingly “impossible”. He know that he considered himself an artist—we never would have made it into power except by have many of his drawings and paintings—and accomplishing these five “impossibilities”; and that he frequently spoke about his idea of art. it was this, more than anything else, that bound We know that he had an astonishing gift for his supporters to him, gave him an aura of oratory, and we have copies of just about every exceptionality, and catapulted this otherwise speech he ever made. We have his own ugly little man into power. This article will writings—the two books he published, the one illustrate that five “impossibilities” and their he never published, and just about all of his influence on Hitler’s personality: The Early correspondence—from the earliest postcards he Years: 1919-1923; The Putsch Trial; The wrote from Vienna, to his last will and Refounding of the Party; The Political testament. We know what he talked about when Earthquake of 1930 and his ascense to the he relaxed in the bunker; his evening power. conversations over a period of years were Palabras Clave: Germany, historiography, recorded verbatim. We know that he revealed Hitler, nazism, Putsch. himself, his goals, and his intentions in ______________________ speeches, writings, and conversations, more accurately than perhaps, any other world leader e know so much about Adolf Hitler. in history. We have volumes of memoirs and We certainly know who he was: the reminiscences about him, from the earliest Wmad German dictator with the friend of his youth, to those who knew him in ridiculous Charlie Chaplin moustache who the First World War, to the multitudes of people founded the Nazi Party, took power in Germany who followed, opposed, or simply watched him in 1933, imposed a terrible tyranny, persecuted during his rise to power, as well as those who the Jews, started the Second World War, and observed him at the height of his power and then presided over the Holocaust. We know that he under the stresses of war and defeat. We was a tyrant condemned at Nuremberg as one of probably have more information—facts, details, the worst criminals in history, and a terrible and minutiae—about this man’s life than any conqueror in the same category as Attila the other major figure of modern times. Hun, Ghenghiz Khan, and Tamurlane. We also know much about his personal life, far more © Historia Actual Online 2006 131 The problem with Hitler. The man nobody knows Ben Novak Nonetheless, we still feel that we do not know “The NSDAP of the late twenties was wholly the man. His life is one of the greatest mysteries and entirely Hitler’s creation; as an organization in human history. To his biographers, he is it was already superior to any other party even unlike any man who ever lived. His most before, in the early thirties, it began to rally the respected biographer, Joachim Fest, calls him an mass vote behind it. It far outstripped the famous “unperson”1, and writes that “History knows no old party organization of the Social Democratic phenomenon like him”2. His most recent Party of Germany; even more than that party scholarly biographer borrows Winston during the Imperial period, the NSDAP was Churchill’s phrase about the Soviet Union to already a state within a state, an alternative state describe him: “He has proved,” writes Ian on a small scale. And in contrast to the Social Kershaw, “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside Democratic Party, which had become ponderous an enigma”3. Ron Rosenbaum, an American and self-sufficient, Hitler’s NSDAP possessed journalist who set out to investigate the story of an uncanny dynamism from the start”6. the historians’ bafflement at the mystery of Hitler, concludes that, despite all the efforts of a Haffner calls this a “masterly psychological multitude of historians over the half century achievement”7. Let us now briefly review since Hitler’s death, “He remains a figure that in Hitler’s five major, still unexplained, some profound ways nobody knows”4. In a way “accomplishments” on his way to power that unlike that of any other historical personage, astonished observers, amazed his supporters, writes Rosenbaum, “Hitler has somehow and caused his opponents to constantly complain escaped explanation” 5. that they had “underestimated” him. Why is it that Hitler, about whom more facts and details are known than perhaps any other 1. HITLER’S FIVE IMPOSSIBLE figure in modern history (perhaps in all history), “ACCOMPLISHMENTS” remains such a mystery? 1.1. The Early Years: 1919-1923 The answer is simple: no one can figure out how he did it? And this how-did-he-do-it? question is By everything known about Adolf Hitler up to quite specific. It refers to five the time he entered politics at the age of thirty in “accomplishments” on his way to power that 1919, he was the most improbable would-be apparently could not, and certainly should not, politician imaginable. No reasonable person have happened—but nevertheless did. Time would have expected this high school dropout, after time, Hitler frustrated his opponents, this vagabond from Vienna, this dutiful soldier amazed neutral observers, and delighted his who through four years of war showed no sign supporters by pulling off the seemingly of leadership capacity, this immigrant who was “impossible”. He never would have made it into unqualified to hold office or even vote, to ever power except by accomplishing these five become a major force in German politics. “impossibilities”; and it was this, more than anything else, that bound his supporters to him, When he began, there were more than fifty gave him an aura of exceptionality, and political parties formed in Munich alone, and catapulted this otherwise ugly little man into 178 throughout the rest of Germany, containing power. hundreds, if not thousands, of beer hall orators and politicians, many of whom had a much After he assumed power, he worked many better family background and education, and “miracles,” too. In only a few months, he much better political experience, contacts, and abolished all other parties, and took total power. resources. There were also many excellent He worked an “economic miracle” putting orators among these. Even within his own party, Germans back to work; began rearming; spat in Hermann Esser was initially considered a better the face of the League of Nations, built roads orator than Hitler. Hitler was, indeed, but a very that would have impressed Roman Emperors; small fish in a sea of sharks. and instilled in his people a confidence that they had not felt for decades. Yet each of these was Yet, Hitler’s fledging NSDAP “possessed an not really a surprise. They stemmed from the uncanny dynamism from the start”8. Within a movement he had created on his way to power. few years, this vagabond took a tiny party that Sebastian Haffner describes it: was no more than a “Stammtisch,” imposed his iron will upon it, and convinced its members 132 © Historia Actual Online 2006 Ben Novak The problem with Hitler. The man nobody knows that he was the future “savior” of Germany. He results so disastrous, that his enemies had a field then turned it in less than four years—to the day ridiculing it. Hitler himself was so astonishment of everyone—into the most despondent that he stopped eating and powerful political movement in Bavaria, threatened to kill himself. The party that he had securing the leadership of all the political forces built up was declared illegal, its assets seized, of the Right. Historians recount the facts that led and most of its leaders imprisoned or in exile. It to this, but they have so far not been able to seemed to be the end. explain it. They have not been able to explain convincingly, for example, what there was about But then Hitler did the impossible again. He this man that enabled him to do it; what he had took his trial, which should have been a “set- that the others did not; and what distinguished piece” conviction after an open and shut case, him from all the other politicians and beer hall and turned it into a public relations victory right orators.
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