Everyone knows that according to the racial theory, taken by Hitler as the basis of the ideology of National Socialism, there are racially valuable and racially inferior people. Everyone who watched films about the Great Patriotic War and read books about this page of history is familiar with the expressions “untermensch”, “true Aryan”, “Nordic race”.
It is clear that the “untermenschi”, that is, “subhuman”, are we, the Slavs, as well as Jews, gypsies, blacks, Mongoloids, and so on. But who, in this case, are the "true Aryans", in other words, "ubermenshi" - "supermen"? Who, besides themselves, did the German fascists consider racially valuable?
Günther's racial theory
First you need to figure out where these fabrications about “true Aryans” came from. The idea belongs to the German theorist Günther, who in 1925 developed a theory of the unequal value of races, their ability to develop, work, and, conversely, their tendency to degrade. He divided people according to anthropological characteristics: the shape and size of the skull, the color of hair, skin and eyes, attributing to each type, in addition to purely external characteristics, mental and mental qualities. It was he who singled out the "Nordic type" ("Nordic race") in the Caucasoid race. These people are characterized by high stature, a narrow long face, fair skin, hair pigmentation from light to light brown. In terms of mental endowment, Gunther put representatives of the Nordic type in the first place. Representatives of the Nordic type live in northern Germany, Holland, Latvia, Scandinavia, eastern England, along the entire Baltic coast.
"True Aryans"
Ideas of this kind were very much in vogue at the beginning of the 20th century in Europe and the USA. #Racism was not then a forbidden theory, its clear signs can be found, for example, in some of the works of Jack London. Hitler also liked this theory very much. It must be said that such ideas often become popular in countries whose inhabitants consider themselves disadvantaged at the present time. They draw hope for a glorious future from myths about a glorious past. In itself, this is commendable until the "bearers of glorious traditions" begin to consider themselves exceptional, and representatives of other peoples - "subhuman."
This is exactly what happened in Germany, which survived the defeat in the First World War and was in a state of deep crisis by the time Hitler came to power. Not surprisingly, Hitler's ideas of "Nordic conquerors" and "true Aryans" were very much to the liking of most of the German public. The researchers called Aryans the ancient peoples who spoke languages belonging to the eastern branch of the Indo-European family and belonged to the northern racial type. The word "aire" is of Celtic origin and means "leader", "to know".
According to the creators of the racial theory, the modern heirs of the ancient Aryans should be tall, blond and blue-eyed. However, it is enough to look at Hitler and his closest associates to see how little this ideal portrait corresponds to the external appearance of the leaders of the Third Reich. Clearly understanding this, the ideologists of National Socialism paid more attention not to appearance, but to the “Nordic spirit”, which, in their opinion, was characteristic not only of the representatives of the German peoples, but even, in part, of the Japanese.
Ubermenshi - who are they?
Who, from the point of view of Hitler's ideologists, could be considered "racially full-fledged", "true Aryan", "bearer of the Nordic spirit"? We are talking, of course, about the representatives of the Germanic peoples. But even here it is not so simple. The "purity of the blood" was of decisive importance. The most "pure blood" was among the Germans. Next came the Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, Dutch, whom Hitler considered, although Aryans, but still not quite "ubermens". Why the blue-eyed and fair-haired Scandinavians did not please him is not entirely clear.
The inhabitants of the more southern regions of Europe, various French and Spaniards, #Hitler did not like very much, considering them “mestizos with an admixture of Negroid blood”. However, the Italians still considered the bearers of the "Nordic spirit", thanks to the ideological closeness to Mussolini. According to the ideologists of the racial theory, “true Aryans” and other “bearers of the Nordic spirit” should take great care of the purity of their blood, not allowing it to mix with the blood of lower races, and especially with Jewish blood. This is important because, according to the ideologists of fascism, only the "Nordic race" is capable of creativity, development, only representatives of the "Nordic race" created all the great civilizations and cultural achievements.
For this reason, the duty of the "true Aryans" and "bearers of the Nordic spirit" is also the preservation of physical health, because the "true Aryan" is not only creative abilities, but also a powerful body. For the same reason, by the way, purebred Germans who suffered from mental illness, epilepsy, etc. were declared "Untermensch" and subject to destruction. The blatant scientific groundlessness of this theory did not prevent it from spreading widely and finding followers not only among the Germans, but also among the representatives of those peoples whom Hitler declared "racially inferior", including among the Russians. And this is a very disturbing fact.
I must say that despite all his written and oral rhetoric on the "racial issue", the views of Adolf Hitler do not fit into the framework of "simply" racism (in the sense that there is the Aryan race and all the others, and the Aryan race is cheers and seals, and all the rest are to be destroyed). No doubt he thought so, but that was not his basic world view. The fact is that the basis of his views - the word "doctrine" is inappropriate, he never stated his views in a holistic way - was not just a race, but a struggle between races. And in this struggle for living space, the strongest race wins regardless whether she is "right" or "wrong", superior or inferior, and the losing race with the need must die. Such a conclusion allows us to draw both the material of his book "My Struggle", and in particular his statements, actions and orders during the last period of the war, when he directly said that the Germans were unworthy of the title of the highest race and should die with him and his Reich (and gave the appropriate orders to destroy the industrial potential and infrastructure of Germany up to water pipes). He talked a lot about culture, about the state, about the nation, about everything - but all these were just attributes that meant little in what he really wanted - devoid of any conventions and boundaries of free struggle between races.
As for the actual races - let's go up a notch - then yes, he had literally three varieties of races. He singled out the creators of the Kulturbegrunder culture, the bearers of the Kulturträger culture, and the destroyers of the Kulturzerstörer culture. The fact is that for him, in reasoning about the properties of races, the aspect of creating culture was perhaps the most important (based on at least his own tastes - he was a connoisseur of architecture, painting, music, especially opera, and being the Fuhrer built in German cities before all opera houses). Therefore, he endowed the superior race with the ability to create culture, even civilization. Of course, such a race was the Aryan, which he reduced primarily to the German. True, in practice this led to contradictions (like everything else in Nazi Germany) - despite the fact that the Nazi doctrinaires did not see the Aryans in the Slavs (Hitler's arguments about the inability of the Slavs to state building, as well as the fact that the arena of racial struggle the Slavic east of Europe was to become a living space), in practice, citizens of the Reich of Polish, Russian and other origin were considered Aryans, and during the war, the Gauleiter of West Prussia and Danzig A. Forster easily handed out German passports to the Polish inhabitants of his Gau.
The second position was occupied by races that, in his opinion, did not create civilization themselves, but were able to accept it and become its bearers. These included the peoples of the East, primarily the Japanese, and in general all peoples capable of receiving from the superior race the achievements of culture born of it. The third category, of course, was assigned to the Jews - "a race, but not people", the absolute destroyers of civilization. Next to them are all those lower peoples who are unable to accept civilization and contribute to the gradual destruction of the superior race - these are African peoples, gypsies, etc. In addition, many peoples were "under suspicion" among the Germans, but a selective approach was practiced here - for example, the French were considered racially inferior, but at the same time, allied Italians were Aryans.
The Thought of Adolf Hitler Walter Langer
Part I Hitler - how he considers himself
Hitler - how he considers himself
During the re-occupation of the Rhineland in 1936, Hitler used an unusual rhetorical phrase to explain his actions. He said, "I follow my course with the precision and caution of a sleepwalker." Even at the time, it shocked the world as the extraordinary statement of the undisputed leader of a nation of sixty-seven million, made in the midst of an international crisis. Hitler wanted it to be a kind of reassurance to his cautious followers, who questioned the soundness of his course.
However, it seems that this was a true confession. And if only the cautious followers would realize its meaning and background, they would have reason for much greater concern than that which appeared after Hitler's proposal to re-occupy the Rhineland. For, thanks to the chosen course, this lunatic unerringly walked uncharted paths that led him to heights of success and power previously inaccessible. And yet the course beckoned him until the day when he stood on the brink of disaster. He will go down in history as the most adored and most hated man the world has ever known.
Many people thought and asked themselves: “Is this person sincere in his endeavors, or is he a fraud?” Indeed, even a fragmentary knowledge of his past life gives grounds for asking this question, especially since our correspondents have presented us with many conflicting opinions. At times it seems almost incomprehensible that this man could be sincere and do what Hitler did in the course of his career. Yet all of his former associates we have been able to contact, as well as many of our foreign correspondents, are firmly convinced that Hitler truly believes in his own greatness. Fuchs quotes Hitler's words to Schuschnigg during an interview in Berchtesgaden: "Do you understand that you are in the presence of the greatest German of all time?" Rauschning he once said: "But I do not need your approval to convince me of my historical greatness." And to Strasser, who once took the liberty of remarking that he thought Hitler was wrong, he replied: “I cannot be wrong. What I do and say is historic." Many similar statements by Hitler can be cited. Ochsner very well formulated his attitude to this issue in the following words:
"He believes that no one in the history of Germany was so thoroughly prepared as he was to lead the Germans to the supremacy that all German statesmen desired, but could not achieve."
In this respect, Hitler does not limit himself to the role of a statesman. He also considers himself the greatest military leader, as when he says to Rauschning:
“I don't play war. I don't let the generals give me orders. The war is being waged by me. The exact moment of attack will be determined by me. There will be only one time that will be truly auspicious, and I will wait for it with unbending determination. I won't miss it..."
It must be admitted that Hitler made a certain contribution to German tactics and strategy of attack and defense. He considers himself an outstanding expert in the legal field and does not blush when, standing before the Reichstag, he declares to the whole world: "For the last twenty-four hours I have been the supreme court of the German people."
Moreover, he also considers himself the greatest of all German architects and spends much of his time sketching out new buildings and planning the rebuilding of entire cities. Despite the fact that Hitler failed to pass the entrance exams to the Academy of Arts, he considers himself the only competent judge in this area. Although a few years ago he had appointed a three-member committee to act as the final judge in all matters of the arts, when the verdicts received did not satisfy him, he dissolved the committee and took over its duties. It makes no difference whether it is the field of economics, education, international relations, propaganda, cinema, music or women's clothing. In absolutely every field, Hitler considers himself an undeniable authority. He also prides himself on his firmness and steadfastness:
“I am one of the most adamant people in Germany for decades, perhaps centuries, having a higher authority than any other German leader ... But above all, I believe in my success, I believe in it unconditionally.”
This belief in one's own strength actually borders on a sense of omnipotence, which Hitler is not going to hide. One diplomat shares his impression:
“After the events of the last year, his faith in his own genius, or, one might say, in his star, is boundless. His environment clearly sees that he unconditionally considers himself infallible and invincible. This explains why he can no longer tolerate criticism or different opinions. If someone tries to contradict Hitler, then it seems to him a crime against his own person; opposition to his plans, from whatever side it comes, is regarded as sacrilege, to which the only reaction can be an immediate and striking manifestation of his omnipotence.
Another diplomat reports the same impression:
“When I first met Hitler, his logic and sense of reality struck me, but over time it began to seem to me that he was becoming more and more reckless and more and more convinced of his infallibility and greatness…”.
Consequently, there is less and less room for doubt that Hitler was firmly convinced of his greatness. We must now inquire about the sources of such confidence. Almost all authors attribute Hitler's confidence to the fact that he strongly believes in astrology and constantly communicates with astrologers who advise him on the sequence of his actions. But our informants, who knew Hitler quite intimately, dismiss this idea as absurd. They all agree that nothing is more alien to Hitler's personality than seeking help from outside sources of this kind. The Danish embassy informant is of the same opinion. He says: "The Führer not only never made his own horoscope, but he is also a principled opponent of horoscopes, because he feels that they can subconsciously influence him." Also indicative is this fact: shortly before the war, Hitler banned the practice of divination and stargazing in Germany.
True, it seems that the Führer may have acted under some sort of guidance, thanks to which he was imbued with a sense of his own infallibility. Stories about this, perhaps, originate from the very first days of the creation of the party. According to Strasser, in the early 1920s, Hitler regularly took lessons in oratory and mass psychology from a man named Hanussen, who also practiced astrology and fortune telling. He was an exceptionally intelligent person and taught Hitler much about the importance of stage meetings for maximum dramatic effect. It is possible that Hanussen was in contact with the group of astrologers mentioned by von Wiegand, who were very active in Munich at the time. Through Hanussen, Hitler could also have made contact with this group. Here is what von Wiegand writes:
“When I first got to know Adolf Hitler, in 1921 and 1922, he had connections with a circle of people who firmly believed in the signs of the stars. There was a lot of talk about the upcoming "second Charlemagne and the new Reich". I was never able to find out how much Hitler believed then in astrological forecasts and prophecies. He did not deny or confirm his faith. However, he was not opposed to using the forecasts to strengthen the people's faith in himself and in his then young and developing movement.
It is quite possible that the myth of his collaboration with astrologers grew out of this hobby. Although Hitler was widely acquainted with the literature concerning various fields of research, he in no way ascribes his infallibility or omnipotence to any intellectual aspirations on his part. On the contrary, when it comes to ruling the destinies of nations, he looks with disapproval at the sources of scientific information. In fact, he has an extremely low opinion of intelligence, as at various times he makes statements like the following:
"The training of mental faculties is of secondary importance."
"Super-educated people, stuffed with knowledge and intelligence, but devoid of any sound instincts."
“These shameless scoundrels (intellectuals) who always know everything better than anyone else…”
"The intellect has grown into a despot, and has become a disease of life."
Hitler was guided by something completely different. It seems clear that he believes that Providence itself sent him to Germany and that he has a special mission to carry out. Perhaps he does not fully understand the scope of this mission, except for the fact that he has been chosen to save the German people and reshape Europe. Only how to do this is also not entirely clear to him, but this does not particularly touch him, since the “inner voice” tells him the steps to be taken. It is this that guides him on his chosen course with the precision and caution of a sleepwalker.
"I carry out the commands given to me by Providence."
“No force in the world can now crush the German Reich. Divine providence wished me to carry out the fulfillment of the German destiny.
It is this firm conviction that he had a special mission to perform and that he was under the guidance and protection of Providence that is the cause of the hypnotic influence he had on the German people, one might say.
Many people believe that this sense of destiny and mission came to Hitler as a result of his successful activities. Most likely, it is not. Later in our study, we will try to show that Hitler had this feeling from an early age, and only much later did it become conscious. In any case, it began to break into consciousness already during the First World War and every time after that it played a dominant role in its actions. Mend (one of Hitler's associates), for example, reports:
“In this regard, I recall how before Christmas (1915) he suddenly announced that we would still hear a lot about him. We just had to wait for this strange prophecy to come true.”
Hitler himself spoke of several incidents that happened to him during the war, which suggested to him that he was under Divine Providence. The most striking of these are:
“I ate my lunch while sitting in a trench with a few comrades. Suddenly I heard a voice say to me: "Get up and go there." The voice sounded so clear and urgent that I automatically obeyed, as if it were a military order. I immediately got to my feet and walked twenty yards down the trench, carrying lunch in a bin with me. Then I sat down and continued to eat, my mind calmed down again. I had scarcely finished when, in the part of the trench which I had just left, there was a flash and a deafening explosion. A stray shell exploded over my comrades, and everyone died.
Then there was also a premonition that he had in the hospital during his blindness supposedly caused by the gas.
“When I was bedridden, the thought came to me that I would liberate Germany, that I would make her great. I immediately realized that it could be done.”
This experience of foresight must have later fitted in perfectly with the views of the Munich astrologers, and perhaps subconsciously Hitler felt that if their predictions were in any way true, then they must have concerned him. But in those days he did not mention any connection between himself and the astrologers, nor did he expand on the Divine guidance which he believed led him on the right path. Perhaps Hitler felt that such claims, at the beginning of the development of the Nazi movement, might hinder him rather than help him. However, as von Wiegand pointed out, he was not averse to using forecasts to further his own goals. At that time he contented himself with the role of "drummer" proclaiming the coming of the true Savior. Even then, however, judging by Hitler's thinking, the role of the "drummer" was not as innocent or insignificant as one might think. This was evident in his testimony during the trial that followed the unsuccessful Beer Putsch in 1923. At the time he said:
“You can also take note that I do not consider the ministerial position to be fought for. I believe that a great person does not have to become a minister in order to go down in history. From the very first day I repeated in my mind a thousand times: I will be the liquidator of Marxism. I will solve the problem, and when I solve it, then for me the title of minister will be a common thing. The first time I stood in front of the grave of Richard Wagner, my heart was filled with pride for the man who deserved such an inscription: "Here lies the ashes of a member of the Privy Council, chief conductor, His Excellency Baron Richard von Wagner." I was proud that this man, like many people in the history of Germany, wanted to leave his name for posterity, and not his title. It wasn't modesty that made me want to be a "drummer". This is what is of the greatest importance, and everything else is a trifle.
After his stay at Landsberg, Hitler no longer referred to himself as a "drummer". Occasionally, he spoke of himself in the words of St. Matthew, comparing his efforts to "the voice of one crying in the wilderness," or recalled John the Baptist, whose duty it was to pave the way for the one who should come to Earth and lead the nation to power and glory. More often than not, however, he referred to himself as "the Fuhrer," as Hess suggested to him during their imprisonment."
Time passed, and it became clear that he considered himself the Messiah and that it was he who was chosen by fate in order to lead Germany to glory. His references to the Bible became more and more frequent, and the movement he led began to become imbued with a religious spirit. More and more often he compares himself with Christ, and these comparisons find their place in his conversations and speeches. For example, Hitler could say:
“When I arrived in Berlin a few weeks ago and looked at it, luxury, perversion, lawlessness, debauchery and Jewish materialism aroused such disgust in me that I almost lost my temper. I almost imagined myself as Jesus Christ when he came to the temple of his Father and found that he was captured by money changers. I can well imagine how he felt when he took the whip and drove them out.
Hanfstaengl recalls that he swung his whip sharply, allegedly driving out the Jews and the forces of darkness, enemies of Germany and German honor. Dietrich Eckart, who saw Hitler as a possible leader and attended his speeches, later said: "When a person has come to identify himself with Jesus Christ, this means that he is ripe for a lunatic asylum." But with all this, the identification was not with Jesus Christ Crucified, but with Jesus Christ, furious, scourging the crowd.
In fact, Hitler had little admiration for Christ Crucified. Although he was brought up in the Catholic faith and took communion during the war, he immediately criticized his connection with the church. He considers such a Christ Crucified to be soft and weak, incapable of acting as the German Messiah. The latter must be firm and cruel if he wants to save Germany and make her the mistress of the world.
“My feelings as a Christian point to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. They lead me to a man who once, alone, surrounded by only a few followers, saw in these Jews their true essence and called on people to fight against them and who, righteous God, was the greatest not as a martyr, but as a warrior. In boundless love, both as a Christian and as a person, I read the chapter that tells us how the Lord finally rose in his power and took up the whip to drive out the serpent tribe from the Temple. How terrible must be the struggle against the Jewish poison.”
And he once spoke to Rauschning about "Jewish Christian doctrine with its effeminate, pitiful ethic."
It is not clear from the testimonies whether the new state religion was part of Hitler's plan, or whether the course of events was such as to facilitate it. Rosenberg had long advocated for such a decisive step, but there is no evidence that Hitler was inclined to take it until he came to power. Perhaps he felt that he needed power even before he could begin radical change. Or the succession of his successes was so impressive that people involuntarily began to treat him in a religious way, and this made the Nazi movement more or less obvious. In any case, he accepted this charitable role without any hesitation or embarrassment. White told us that now, when the Führer is addressed with the greeting "Heil Hitler, our Savior", he bows slightly at the compliment - and believes in it. Time passes and it becomes more and more clear that Hitler considers himself truly "chosen" and that he imagines himself to be a second Christ, who is called to establish in the world a new system of values based on cruelty and violence. In playing this role, Hitler fell in love with himself and surrounded himself with his own portraits.
It looks like this mission lured him to even greater heights. Dissatisfied with the role of the fleeting Savior, he seeks to make himself an idol for future generations. Von Wiegand says:
“In vital matters, Hitler is far from forgetful, paying constant attention to the historical assessment of his successes and defeats, which will be brought to the judgment of posterity.”
He believes that he can become a link between the present and the future of Germany. Therefore, he believes that he will gain immortality in the eyes of the German people. Everything should be huge and match the monument in honor of Hitler. His idea of permanent construction is an idea that should last for at least a millennium. His main path should be known as "Hitler's main path", and it should last longer than Napoleon's path. The leader must always do the incredible and go down in history for centuries, remaining alive in the minds of the German people of future generations. Many authors, among them Gaffner, Hus and Wagner, admit that Hitler had already outlined extensive plans for the construction of his own mausoleum. Our informants, who recently left Germany, cannot confirm these reports. However, they consider them quite plausible. After Hitler's death, this mausoleum would have turned into a Mecca for Germany. It must be a huge monument, about 700 feet high, with every detail designed to produce the highest psychological effect. It is known that during his first trip to Paris, after its capture in 1940, Hitler visited Les Invalides to view the monument to Napoleon. He found it imperfect in many ways. For example, the French put it in a recess, which made people look at it from above rather than from below.
“I will never make such a mistake,” Hitler said suddenly. - I know how to continue to influence people after my death. I will be the Führer they will look up to and will return home to discuss and remember me. My life will not end in the simple form of death. On the contrary, it will only begin then.”
For some time it was believed that Kehlstein was originally built as a perpetual mausoleum for Hitler. However, it seems that if this was Hitler's original intention, he abandoned it in favor of something grander. Perhaps Kehlstein was too inaccessible to visit with a large number of people who could touch the leader's grave and get inspired. In any case, it seems that more extravagant designs were being developed. After all, Hitler needed constant emotional play on the minds of the hysterical masses, and the better he could organize the ways and means to achieve this after his death, the more confident he would be in achieving his ultimate goal.
Hitler firmly believes that the furious pace and epochal age in which he lives and acts (he is indeed convinced that he is the driving force and creator of this age) will end shortly after his death, spinning the world in a long round of a digestive process marked by a certain inertia. People in his "Thousand Year Reich" would build monuments to him and would walk around to touch and look at everything he had built, he believed. Hitler talked about this a lot during his famous visit to Rome in 1938, adding that in a thousand years the greatness, and not the ruins, of his own time will fascinate the people of those distant days ... Believe it or not, this is how this man's thinking projects themselves without embarrassment through the centuries.
There was a time when Hitler talked a lot about resignation. It was assumed that in this case he would take his residence in Berchtesgaden and sit there until his death, like God, who directs the destinies of the Reich. In July 1933, while visiting the Wagner family, he spoke at length that he was getting old, and complained bitterly that ten years of precious time had been lost between the Beer Putsch in 1923 and his rise to power. All this was very sad, because he predicted that it would take twenty-two years to restore the necessary order in the country for transferring it to his heir. Some authors admit that during the period of retirement he will write a book that will last forever, like the great Bible of National Socialism. All this is quite interesting in terms of Rem's statement made many years ago: "Even today, what he likes best is to sit in the mountains and play the Lord God."
An analysis of all the data forces us to conclude that Hitler considers himself the immortal chosen of God, the new savior of Germany and the founder of a new social order in the world. He strongly believes in this and is convinced that despite all the trials and tribulations he will have to go through, he will eventually achieve his goal. But on one condition - he must follow the instructions of the inner voice that guided him and protected him in the past. This conviction does not come from the essence of the ideas that he preaches, but is based on the conviction of his personal greatness. Howard Smith makes an interesting observation:
“I was sure that of all the millions of people who were forced into the myth of Hitler, Adolf Hitler himself turned out to be the most enthusiastic.”
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Everyone knows that according to the racial theory, taken by Hitler as the basis of the ideology of National Socialism, there are racially valuable and racially inferior people. Everyone who watched films about the Great Patriotic War and read books about this page of history is familiar with the expressions “untermensch”, “true Aryan”, “Nordic race”.
It is clear that the “untermenschi”, that is, “subhuman”, are we, the Slavs, as well as Jews, gypsies, blacks, Mongoloids, and so on. But who, in this case, are the "true Aryans", in other words, "ubermenshi" - "supermen"? Who, besides themselves, did the German fascists consider racially valuable?
Günther's racial theory
First you need to figure out where these fabrications about “true Aryans” came from. The idea belongs to the German theorist Günther, who in 1925 developed a theory of the unequal value of races, their ability to develop, work, and, conversely, their tendency to degrade.
He divided people according to anthropological characteristics: the shape and size of the skull, the color of hair, skin and eyes, attributing to each type, in addition to purely external characteristics, mental and mental qualities. It was he who singled out the "Nordic type" ("Nordic race") in the Caucasoid race.
These people are characterized by high stature, a narrow long face, fair skin, hair pigmentation from light to light brown. In terms of mental endowment, Gunther put representatives of the Nordic type in the first place. Representatives of the Nordic type live in northern Germany, Holland, Latvia, Scandinavia, eastern England, along the entire Baltic coast.
"True Aryans"
Ideas of this kind were very much in vogue at the beginning of the 20th century in Europe and the USA. Racism was not then a forbidden theory, its clear signs can be found, for example, in some of the works of Jack London. Hitler also liked this theory very much.
It must be said that such ideas often become popular in countries whose inhabitants consider themselves disadvantaged at the present time. They draw hope for a glorious future from myths about a glorious past. In itself, this is commendable until the "bearers of glorious traditions" begin to consider themselves exceptional, and representatives of other peoples - "subhuman."
This is exactly what happened in Germany, which survived the defeat in the First World War and was in a state of deep crisis by the time Hitler came to power. Not surprisingly, Hitler's ideas of "Nordic conquerors" and "true Aryans" were very much to the liking of most of the German public.
The researchers called Aryans the ancient peoples who spoke languages belonging to the eastern branch of the Indo-European family and belonged to the northern racial type. The word "aire" is of Celtic origin and means "leader", "to know".
According to the creators of the racial theory, the modern heirs of the ancient Aryans should be tall, blond and blue-eyed. However, it is enough to look at Hitler and his closest associates to see how little this ideal portrait corresponds to the external appearance of the leaders of the Third Reich.
Clearly understanding this, the ideologists of National Socialism paid more attention not to appearance, but to the “Nordic spirit”, which, in their opinion, was characteristic not only of the representatives of the German peoples, but even, in part, of the Japanese.
Ubermenshi - who are they?
Who, from the point of view of Hitler's ideologists, could be considered "racially full-fledged", "true Aryan", "bearer of the Nordic spirit"? We are talking, of course, about the representatives of the Germanic peoples. But even here it is not so simple. The "purity of the blood" was of decisive importance.
Hitler strongly disliked the inhabitants of the more southern regions of Europe, various French and Spaniards, considering them "mestizos with an admixture of Negroid blood." However, the Italians still considered the bearers of the "Nordic spirit", thanks to the ideological closeness to Mussolini.
According to the ideologists of the racial theory, “true Aryans” and other “bearers of the Nordic spirit” should take great care of the purity of their blood, not allowing it to mix with the blood of lower races, and especially with Jewish blood. This is important because, according to the ideologists of fascism, only the "Nordic race" is capable of creativity, development, only representatives of the "Nordic race" created all the great civilizations and cultural achievements.
For this reason, the duty of the "true Aryans" and "bearers of the Nordic spirit" is also the preservation of physical health, because the "true Aryan" is not only creative abilities, but also a powerful body. For the same reason, by the way, purebred Germans who suffered from mental illness, epilepsy, etc. were declared "Untermensch" and subject to destruction.
The blatant scientific groundlessness of this theory did not prevent it from spreading widely and finding followers not only among the Germans, but also among the representatives of those peoples whom Hitler declared "racially inferior", including among the Russians. And this is a very disturbing fact.
Disputes about the status of Crimea, which flared up with renewed vigor after the annexation of the peninsula to Russia, have not really subsided since the Great Greek colonization. “Historically justified” claims to the territory of Crimea were once put forward even by the Third Reich, whose rulers considered the peninsula to be “original German territory”. Moreover, Nazi Germany tried to confirm its position on the Crimea in a very original way.
- Changing the political status of the Soviet republics was the main goal of Germany in the war against the USSR. None of the leaders of the Third Reich doubted that this status would be changed. However, in practice, the post-war future in the occupied territories caused the most controversy among the Nazi military-political elite. If the military regime could only be temporary, then the civil administration, on the contrary, was to become a transitional form on the way to the future political structure of the entire “eastern space”.
- What will it be like after the victory of Germany? This question should have been answered as quickly as possible, and with as much political clarity as possible. Projects for "organization" were available for all the republics of the Soviet Union. As for the Crimea, the Nazis, for all the importance of this peninsula, did not finally decide its fate. But administrative plans were only one side of the future status of Crimea. It is no secret that this is a multinational region. And therefore, no matter what plans the Nazis built, in their calculations they could not ignore interethnic relations on the peninsula. What should be done with the peoples inhabiting the Crimea? We have to admit that in general, with all the radicalism of the Nazi national policy, the solution to this issue also remained at the level of theories.
- ALFRED ROSENBERG'S PLAN
- Alfred Frauenfeld in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden.
- The tasks of Germany in the war against the USSR were finally formulated on March 30, 1941 at a meeting of the top Nazi military-political leadership. From a military point of view, it was planned to defeat the Red Army and reach the line Arkhangelsk - Astrakhan, and on the political plane, it was necessary to make sure that, as Hitler said, "no organized force could resist the Germans on this side of the Urals." Concluding his speech, he expressed himself more specifically: "Our tasks in relation to Russia are to defeat its armed forces, to destroy the state." And to manage the occupied Soviet territories, the Fuhrer proposed the creation of "protectorates": in the Baltic states, in Ukraine and in Belarus. The word "protectorate" is deliberately put in quotation marks here. Of course, these were not supposed to be protectorates like in Bohemia and Moravia. Rather, it was only a political screen and nothing more. This March meeting is also significant because at it all issues of future administrative and political planning in the "eastern territories x" were transferred to the jurisdiction of Alfred Rosenberg - the main Nazi theorist, and concurrently - an expert on interethnic relations.
- Already on April 2, 1941, Rosenberg presented the first memorandum, which reflected his views on the political future of the Soviet Union after its defeat. In general, he proposed to divide it into seven regions: Great Russia with the center in Moscow; Belarus with Minsk or Smolensk as capital; Baltenland (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania); Ukraine and Crimea with the center in Kyiv; Don Oblast with Rostov-on-Don as its capital; Caucasian region; Turkestan (Soviet Central Asia).
- According to the concept set forth in this document, Russia (or, rather, what was left of it) was to be cut off from the rest of the world by a ring of non-Russian states. However, the "reforms" did not end there: according to Rosenberg's plan. she lost a number of territories with a Russian population in favor of state-territorial formations that were created in the neighborhood. So, Smolensk retreated to Belarus, Kursk, Voronezh and Crimea - to Ukraine, and Rostov-on-Don and the lower Volga - to the Don region. In the future Great Russia, it was necessary to "completely destroy the Jewish-Bolshevik administration", and she herself had to "subject to intensive economic exploitation" by Germany. In addition, this territorial entity received a status even much lower than that of its surrounding neighbors, and, in fact, turned into a "receiver for all undesirable elements from their territories."
- This plan provoked significant comments from Hitler, who believed that the future administrative units in the "eastern lands" should not be made so fractional and artificial. For example, the creation of a separate Don region, in his opinion, was not conditioned either politically or economically, or even from the point of view of national politics. The same applied to Belarus. The Führer believed that it could be united with the Baltic States - this would be more convenient from an administrative point of view. And similar remarks were made on almost all points of the Rosenberg memorandum. However, it should be recognized that they almost did not touch upon the general line of the document.
- On June 20, 1941, a regular meeting of the top military-political leadership of the Third Reich took place in Berlin, at which Rosenberg presented Hitler with another memorandum on the future arrangement of what was to remain from the USSR. According to the new plan, it was supposed to create five administrative units - Reichskommissariats: "Muscovy" (central regions of Russia), "Ostland" (Baltic states and Belarus), "Ukraine" (most of Ukraine and Crimea), "Caucasus" (North Caucasus, Transcaucasia and Kalmykia ) and "Turkestan" (Central Asia, Kazakhstan, the Volga region and Bashkiria). These administrative units were to arise as the Wehrmacht moved east. And after the pacification of these regions, the military administration in them could be replaced by a civilian one - as the first step in determining the future political status of the "eastern lands".
- GENERAL DISTRICT "TAVRIA" BETWEEN MILITARY AND CIVIL
- AUTHORITIES
