3
SEARCHING FOR A HERO
Heroism and charisma are intertwined. So much so that Max Weber maintained that “personal heroism” was one of the most important indicators of “genuine charisma.” 1 It was therefore no accident that Adolf Hitler claimed that his leadership of the Nazi party was justified, to a large extent, because of his “heroic” past.
In Germany after the First World War, there were many who longed for a hero to emerge—a “strong man” 2 as Nazi supporter Emil Klein puts it—to lead them into a new and brighter world. Steadily, between 1919 and 1923, Adolf Hitler evolved into that heroic leader for them, and in doing so he was able to build on a powerful tradition of individual heroism—one that had been fanned by the creation of the modern German state in the nineteenth century. More than two hundred
Bismarcktürme
(Bismarck towers), for example, had been erected throughout Germany to commemorate the “heroic” leadership of Bismarck, the Chancellor who had united the country. German philosophers like Arthur Schopenhauer also revered the rule of individuals rather than governments, whilst Friedrich Nietzsche was a passionate advocate of the importance of the heroin what he announced was a Godless world. Nietzsche hero-worshipped Napoleon as the “embodiment of the noble ideal.” 3
Germans were now inspired to look further back into their own history for examples of individual heroes. One of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany was the
Hermannsdenkmal
(Hermann monument) completed in 1875 in the Teutoburg Forest, which commemorated the victory of the German tribes led by Arminius (or Hermann, leader of the Cherusci) over the Roman General Varus and his three legions nearly two thousand years before.
Before the war, many members of the
Wandervogel
, a popular youth movement, called for a heroic leader to rescue Germans from the increasing industrialisation of the country and lead a return to nature. “Their eager, tense, young faces light up,” wrote Peter Viereck of one group of
Wandervogel
, “as, in the light of the campfire, someone reads from his favorite writer: Nietzsche or perhaps Stefan George who, as early as 1907, had pleaded, ‘The Man! The Deed! Volk and high counsel yearn for The Man! The Deed! … Perhaps someone who sat for years among your murderers and slept in your prisons, will stand up and do the deed.’ ” 4
Founded in 1901, and inspired by the ideals of a young diplomat, Herman Hoffmann Fölkersamb, the
Wandervogel
grew into the most popular youth movement in pre-war Germany. Subsequently, a number of members of the
Wandervogel
, like Bruno Hähnel, joined the Nazi party and took their youthful idealism with them. “We would sit there [in the countryside] in the evening, and these were big occasions for us, and my wife also took part later; we met when we were very young. And in later life we always thought back to it because for us it was a beautiful time in our lives. Often there was singing, we had singing groups, we had folk dancing groups, both of us, my wife and I both come from the folk dance movement. There was a real feeling of belonging based on the philosophy of the
Wandervogel
. We were something like a protest against the bourgeois world.” 5
“It was a reaction against the Emperor Wilhelm era, which was all about industry and commerce,” confirms Fridolin von Spaun, another member of the
Wandervogel
who was to grow into a committed believer in Adolf Hitler. “They were young people, they simply got bored stiff with it and went out into nature and searched in natural surroundings for something which they couldn’t get in their own environment. I joinedquite by chance an association in Elberfeld—this was still during World War One. We went on rambles … we could sing our songs, cook, play, also do sports … It was a spiritual movement.” 6
Richard Wagner, another supporter of “spiritual movements” and a protester
SEARCHING FOR A HERO
Heroism and charisma are intertwined. So much so that Max Weber maintained that “personal heroism” was one of the most important indicators of “genuine charisma.” 1 It was therefore no accident that Adolf Hitler claimed that his leadership of the Nazi party was justified, to a large extent, because of his “heroic” past.
In Germany after the First World War, there were many who longed for a hero to emerge—a “strong man” 2 as Nazi supporter Emil Klein puts it—to lead them into a new and brighter world. Steadily, between 1919 and 1923, Adolf Hitler evolved into that heroic leader for them, and in doing so he was able to build on a powerful tradition of individual heroism—one that had been fanned by the creation of the modern German state in the nineteenth century. More than two hundred
Bismarcktürme
(Bismarck towers), for example, had been erected throughout Germany to commemorate the “heroic” leadership of Bismarck, the Chancellor who had united the country. German philosophers like Arthur Schopenhauer also revered the rule of individuals rather than governments, whilst Friedrich Nietzsche was a passionate advocate of the importance of the heroin what he announced was a Godless world. Nietzsche hero-worshipped Napoleon as the “embodiment of the noble ideal.” 3
Germans were now inspired to look further back into their own history for examples of individual heroes. One of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany was the
Hermannsdenkmal
(Hermann monument) completed in 1875 in the Teutoburg Forest, which commemorated the victory of the German tribes led by Arminius (or Hermann, leader of the Cherusci) over the Roman General Varus and his three legions nearly two thousand years before.
Before the war, many members of the
Wandervogel
, a popular youth movement, called for a heroic leader to rescue Germans from the increasing industrialisation of the country and lead a return to nature. “Their eager, tense, young faces light up,” wrote Peter Viereck of one group of
Wandervogel
, “as, in the light of the campfire, someone reads from his favorite writer: Nietzsche or perhaps Stefan George who, as early as 1907, had pleaded, ‘The Man! The Deed! Volk and high counsel yearn for The Man! The Deed! … Perhaps someone who sat for years among your murderers and slept in your prisons, will stand up and do the deed.’ ” 4
Founded in 1901, and inspired by the ideals of a young diplomat, Herman Hoffmann Fölkersamb, the
Wandervogel
grew into the most popular youth movement in pre-war Germany. Subsequently, a number of members of the
Wandervogel
, like Bruno Hähnel, joined the Nazi party and took their youthful idealism with them. “We would sit there [in the countryside] in the evening, and these were big occasions for us, and my wife also took part later; we met when we were very young. And in later life we always thought back to it because for us it was a beautiful time in our lives. Often there was singing, we had singing groups, we had folk dancing groups, both of us, my wife and I both come from the folk dance movement. There was a real feeling of belonging based on the philosophy of the
Wandervogel
. We were something like a protest against the bourgeois world.” 5
“It was a reaction against the Emperor Wilhelm era, which was all about industry and commerce,” confirms Fridolin von Spaun, another member of the
Wandervogel
who was to grow into a committed believer in Adolf Hitler. “They were young people, they simply got bored stiff with it and went out into nature and searched in natural surroundings for something which they couldn’t get in their own environment. I joinedquite by chance an association in Elberfeld—this was still during World War One. We went on rambles … we could sing our songs, cook, play, also do sports … It was a spiritual movement.” 6
Richard Wagner, another supporter of “spiritual movements” and a protester
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