While reading The 'Hitler Myth', I was struck by the passages in Chapter Five, "Hitler the Statesman", which began to separate Hitler's personal image from the image and idea of the Fuhrer. It seems to me that, despite Hitler's own personal success as the head of the Nazi party, by playing the role of Himself and Party Leader, he was never able to fully immerse the country in the myth.
As the head of the Nazi party, especially when the party was first gaining major political successes, any attempt to cater strongly to the extreme/fanatical branch of the party on a very public basis probably would not have been met with great response from the general public. As we have discussed in class, the NSDAP was quite good at presenting a flexible, locally popular agenda in order to gain different levels of support. Had the party proposed a turn towards its racist, anti-semitic roots, it's chances of success would have been minimized.
The party's strength, it's flexibility, may also have been a large party of why it could not sustain long periods of "national euphoria" (Kershaw, 124). Though Hitler could rally the country around a brief cause, possibly a demonstration of one of his charisma-based miracles, many in the party would probably still remain divided on the nuts and bolts politics of the entire situation. Though Hitler was surrounded by this aura of the "Hitler Myth," he also took on the role of the Fuhrer, and with it, should have had the ups and downs of popular political support. However, despite proclamations of "Hitler is Germany," his own mysterious aura and personal charisma kept him on a plain far above the rest of the German government.
I think this is an interesting point that Kershaw made especially after watching Triumph of the Will. The complete hysteria that surrounded Hitler was a little unbelievable. It is hard for me to picture this much idol worship over a politician. Possibly because I have never seen a politician with such wide approval. I wonder if Hitler's policies, or the policies he benefited from, had failed what the German people's reaction to his total takeover would have been. I also wonder if Hitler's aura was different, if he was warmer, sent a peaceful message, how people would have reacted to that. Chapter 5 also reminded me, as well as your comment on how most people in the government couldn't measure up to Hitler in most respects. Once again Triumph of the Will showed this, he was a better speak, a bigger presence than any of the other Nazi leaders who were there. I think it also highlights the importance of propaganda, people were feeding into the the information that they were given. It wasn't new and it certainly isn't over that this happens, but Hitler and the other Nazis knew how to manipulate people in just the right way to benefit themselves.
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