My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad

One of the most significant passages from this week's reading for me was the part where the "3 main currents of opinion" towards the regime were laid out. "Reckless 'go-getters' asked what was the use of having a strong army if it was not going to be used, ...[and] immediate release of the Sudetens from their 'distress and subjugation'. The 'anxious' set, on the other hand, were certain that there would be a war which Germany, with its economic weakness, was incapable of winning against the might of the entire world...and they asked how the Fuhrer could contemplate plunging them into another war...The third group, however, members of the party and its affiliates, took the confident line that 'the Fuhrer is always right', had always proved right so far, and would do so again," (Kershaw 134).

This third group of followers, in my opinion, is the one that perpetuated the "Hitler Myth". While Hitler "reunited" German speakers from other lands at first he was able to "incorporate" them into Germany with little to no resistance. Hitler's way of doing things was in itself new, and its initial successes clearly supported the Nazis through their rough patches that we have read about. In this sense, the image of the "Fuhrer" to me is completely paternal. We trust our fathers to protect us, by peaceful means, but to step up if needed. We are also expected in society to listen to the words of our own respective parents without question. The paternal structure of families was and still is a driving force of German culture, and by serving as a father for the nation, Hitler was able to get away with a lot of things that we let our fathers get away with like flawed logic and unchecked power.

Kershaw also pointed out a large generation gap in opinion towards Hitler. The older generation during Hitler's rise to power viewed him from a very different lens as the "Hitler Youth". Many of the youth had not lived through WWI and experienced its atrocities first hand, which allowed them to support Hitler and the idea of war victory. Much like many teenaged boys, the Hitler youth felt as if "the Fuhrer can rely upon his youth" (Kershaw 135), which is both naive and telling. Young men classically feel the need and ability to support their own families, especially when they said fathers are busy or unable to work for whatever reason. To me the "Hitler Youth" did not even care much for what der Fuhrer actually did, but who he was: a father for all Germans.