Evening star., 1941-10-26
By Raymond p. Brandt

2d&2
ADOLF HITLER.
Some part OF the most impu-
dent lie piH remain and Stick-a
fact uhich all great lying artists
and societies OF this ,corld kno1o
only too ueH and therefore
also rillainously employ. ."-"Mein
Kanpf." A. P. Photo.
Political technique or popular appeal
has several fundamental principles ap-
plicable to all countries Hitler had
many natural and fortuitous advantages.
He came from a poor Austrian family.
shared the lot of the lowest laborers and
served as corporal throughout the
World War. Without formal education,
he knew people. He worked out what
seemed at the time to be fantastic long
range program for which he declared
he was willing to sacrifice himself and
his followers. German discomfort made
him.
For postwar Germany, his formula
was sure-fire If he could only get mo-
mentum behind it. The depression sup
pltOo tkiC dAANii6 AOlNC. III DiiCl uiS
formula was:
Find fault with all existing conditions:
promise everything to everybody; make
the Germans believe they should rule the
world and that Hitler alone should rule
Germany.
Wide Range Of Discomfort.
In detail, he attacked the treaty of
Versailles, the Weimer Republic, the par
liamentary system, trade unionism, the
Social Democratic and Communist par
ties, the governmental bureaucracy. the
houses of Hapsburg and Hohenzollern,
Soviet Russia, France, the international
bankers and especially the Jews.
He promised to fulfill all wishes and
hopes, telling the peasants they would
get land and the Junkers they would lose
no property. He pledged higher wages to
the workers and promised employers that
wage costs would be reduced
He criticized all other Germans ex-
cept Frederick the Great, Wagner and
Won Hindenberg. Bismarck was almost
but not quite one of his heroes
The two books supplement each other
in showing how he rose to power in the
National Socialist party; how that party
under his leadership got control of the
Reichstag and finally the government:
how he unified the political, economic
and social life of Germany, and how he
set out to dominate Europe and the
world.
Criticisms and promises however, have
been the politicians stock in trade from
time immemorial. Hitler improved on
two practices used by his enemies, the
Communists. He developed Storm Troop
ers, who gave the Na1s control of the
streets against the Socialists and Com
munists, and he established a system of
hierarchic party cells" with the leader
Of each "cell' solely responsible to his
immediate superior for the actions of its
members. The Storm Troopers protected
the NaN mass meetings and broke up
Those Of their opponents. They demanded
free speech for themselves while denying
1t to others. The autocratic leadership
OF the cells" eliminated all democratic
solutions of party problems.
Caught Fancy Of Youth.
In addition, perhaps the reason for
his most permanent, successes, he OBJ
tanned the support Of the German youth,
the "lost" generation of the postwar
period, which had become despondent
and reckless from unemployment and
lack of opportunity.
No politician, unless it was Huey Long,
In.
prospective followers as Hitler is in
"Mein Kampf" He used the democratic
processes of free speech, free assembly,
free press and free elections to gain
power, but he announced that once he
attained leadership, he would be guided
only by his own conscience. He realized
that he had to have the support of the
masses to win election, saying: Every
movement with great aims has anxiously
to watch that it may not lose connection
with the great masses"
Hitler, then without responsibility,
was willing to take responsibility. Bed
bug parliamentarians," he declared, hid
behind the coattails Of the majority on
all important questions. The leader" he
said, must be willing to risk his head for
the carrying out Of ruthless decision. He
added:
zone thing We must and may never
forget: Here, too, majority can never
replace the man. 1t Is not only always
representative Of stupidity, but also of
cowardice. Just as hundred fools do
not make one wise man. an heroic deci-
sion is not likely to come from hum
dred towards"