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Hitler’s Christianity vs. Nietzsche’s Nihilism: Ideologically Very Little in Common
Many historians paint a picture that would oftentimes mislead us into believing that Hitler was a devout—if not ultimate—student of Nietzschean philosophy. The fact of the matter is, Hitler shared very little in common with Nietzsche, either ideologically or philosophically, and there was no definitive causal link between Nietzsche and Nazi-Soziism. Some scholars have actually claimed that Nazi-Soziism was Nietzsche’s philosophies in practice; that there was virtually no discernible difference between the philosophies of the two, aside from the “fact” that Nazi-Soziism “took it too far.”
It is true that Hitler befriended Elizabeth Förster-Nietzsche, however, this does not mean that he adopted her brother’s—or even her own personal—philosophies. In fact, in Henry L. Mencken’s introduction to Nietzsche’s The Antichrist, it is asserted that Elizabeth did not necessarily wholly adopt her brother’s nihilistic ideas regarding Christianity. In fact, Mencken exhibits that according to Elizabeth, Nietzsche himself may not have despaired of Christianity to the degree whereupon he made himself notorious. She claimed—in her biography of him—that he held “great admiration for the ‘elevating effect of Christianity… upon the weak and ailing,’ and a ‘real liking for sincere, pious Christians’ [in other words, real, true Christians which, you may know, are very rare indeed], and a ‘tender love for the Founder [Christ] of Christianity.’ All his wrath, she continued, ‘was reserved for St. Paul [Saul] and his like’ who perverted the Beatitudes” [Mencken quoted in the introduction to Nietzsche’s The AntiChrist 9-10].
What is so interesting about this whole subject is the fact that Elizabeth never wholly threw off the yoke of her Christian upbringing—she was raised Lutheran—even though she supported Hitler and National Socialism. Additionally, if it is true that Nietzsche himself may have felt some heartfelt compassion towards Christ, or Christians in general, then suffice it to say that he did not differ from a great many German Christian theologians of his day, as many of them expressed similar views. Hitler himself always displayed a marked ambivalence towards Christians and Christianity, but never Christ, and he usually only felt suspicious of Christians when they attempted to transform his movement into a religious revival of sorts, just as Dinter had done. This is one reason why Hitler was a bit reserved about appointing religious zealots to party posts. Clearly, it is not difficult to understand his abjuration in this regard.
Naturally, any pastor who launched tirades against him or the government—especially during the war when complete national unity was most necessary—would not be well-received, and oftentimes these people suffered persecution upon official, or Hitler’s direct, order/s. This is not much different today, as average citizens are not going to condone or support extreme liberalism—i.e., burning of the American flag, American pastors denouncing Bush from the pulpit, etc.—though, it is not in the nature of our government to take legislative action against such dissenters as it was in National Socialist Germany. But, to act as though these particular pastors were completely innocent and did not invite this wrath upon themselves is to lie to oneself, as in the case of Niemöller who had numerous warnings from the government for his incorrigible behavior. He was not interned in a camp to be “systematically liquidated”, but rather, interned in a camp to prevent him from spreading dissension. Also, let it be known that Niemöller was not put away for his Christian faith. If that was the case then millions of Christian Germans would have been interned in camps, as well as thousands upon thousands of Christian SS men. As history has shown, this never happened. Moreover, Niemöller never died in Nazi-Sozi hands [Hitler’s War 186].
Nietzsche most probably parted ways with Richard Wagner when he had come to the resolution that Wagner had succumbed to “Christian sentimentality,” as evidenced in one of his greatest works, Parsifal [The Antichrist 11]. Hitler, on the other hand, had said, “To understand National Socialism, one must first know Wagner” [quoted in Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich]. Indeed, Hitler loved Parsifal, practically worshipped Wagner and his work, and even utilized a Parsifalian painting with himself interjected. Not only that, Winifred Wagner and Hitler shared a much closer relationship than did Elizabeth and Hitler, and their friendship lasted until the end. In fact, Hitler was very close to the whole Wagner family [see Hamann’s Winifred Wagner: A Life at the Heart of Hitler’s Bayreuth, as well as, Dietrich’s The Hitler I Knew 151].
Even Ludecke recalled the fact that Hitler wanted to resurrect a newfound faith—and as Steigmann-Gall reiterates, with “Christ at the center”—that would render National Socialism, as Ludecke put it, “a form of conversion, a new faith.” Ludecke claims that Hitler had said, “… I insist on the certainty that sooner or later, once we hold the power, Christianity will be overcome and the Deutsche Kirche established. Yes, the German Church, without a Pope and without the Bible—and Luther, if he could be with us, would give us his blessing” [Ludecke 520]. This statement is probably not far from nearly verbatim, as Hitler really disliked the ritualism and idolatrous falseness of the conception of the Pope, as well as the official Catholic Church. He also donned the Bible a “Jewish artifact” and followed through, for the most part, with the removal of the official Bible by organizing a research institute, which expunged the Jewish canon from the New Testament. However, even Hitler disregarded his own anti-ritualistic feelings regarding religion, as whenever he visited a church or other religious institution, he “always adhered strictly to religious observances” [Hoffmann 133].
But, what is of most interest is the fact that Ludecke does not make reference to Hitler and Nietzsche in his entire set of memoirs. However, he does make reference to the anti-Jewish attitudes of Schopenhauer and Richard Wagner, two individuals who even Hitler had oftentimes admitted had had a huge influence upon his thinking and ideology. In fact, Ludecke admits that he too was heavily-laden with anti-Semitic sentiments and gives a brief history of the Jewish Problem. [Ludecke 41]. And this is the man who was referred to as Der Amerikaner by Hitler and his closest adjutants in the early years.
Otto Dietrich, in his memoirs, relates the story of how Hitler carried a small pocket-edition of Schopenhauer’s works with him during his days as a soldier during the First World War [Dietrich 76]. In his memoirs, he claims to have recalled that the only portion of Nietzschean ideology Hitler seemed to have adopted was that of the “cult of personality.” He mentions that Hitler spoke quite often about Schopenhauer, however the “pessimism, epistemology, and ethics” of this philosopher is not what interested Hitler, rather, it was his “acid polemical style” and relentless “criticism” [150]. Dietrich recalls that Hitler occasionally mentioned Goethe, Plato, and Kant, and also that he was an ardent “Wagnerian” [150-51].
Heinrich Hoffmann recalls, in his memoirs, that “In the course of twenty-five years, Hitler underwent a complete spiritual metamorphosis, which changed the whole method of his approach towards matters of religious faith; in spite of this however, his attitude [even] towards the Church never acquired that violent aggressiveness, which characterized the attitude of some [most notably Rosenberg and Bormann] of his subordinates and Gauleiters.” Hoffmann recalls Hitler as saying, “ ‘There is too much back-biting on both sides. But while I cannot tolerate the type of fight the Church is waging against us, I must equally condemn the counter-measures taken on our side. I have made it quite clear… that we shall have need of the Church’” [Hitler Was My Friend 129]. In fact, when Hoffmann asked Hitler about what type of school he ought to send his son too, Hitler told him to put him into a convent school, which took Hoffmann quite by surprise, as he has noted in his memoirs. “ ‘For young people the convent school is the best educational institution we have’…” [132].
What is most remarkable too, is the fact that Hitler had said, “I would release any priest, provided he were willing to sign an undertaking not in future to interfere in politics, but to restrict himself to his spiritual duties. But this they refuse to do—a proof, to my mind, that they attach greater importance to political affairs than things spiritual. If these gentlemen are determined to play the martyr—so be it” [Ibid.]! Even Hoffmann gives credit where credit is due and states, “Unfortunately, the Church did little to try and bridge the ever-growing rift between itself and National Socialism” [emphasis added] [Ibid.] So, even Hoffmann indicted the Churches in this regard.
What is rather interesting as well, was Hitler’s apparent belief in premonitions. On one particular occasion, which I believe is well-worth mentioning, Hoffmann recounts when Hitler was getting ready to make the symbolic stroke of the hammer for laying the foundation stone at the Hans der Deutschen Kunst in Munich in 1933. “At the symbolic stroke, the silver hammer in his hand broke in two. … I will never forget the disconcerted expression on Hitler’s face” [136]. Very few people had even cared to take notice of this, but Hitler had made certain that there was no mention of it in the press release covering the occasion. According to Hoffmann, Hitler said, “ ‘The people are superstitious, and might well see in this ridiculous little misfortune an omen of evil.’ “But looking at him, I realized how taken aback he was; it was not of the people, but of himself that he was thinking” [emphasis added] [Ibid.]
So, this serves as yet another example, backed by a primary source, exhibiting major differences, with regard to both ideology and spirituality, between Nietzsche and Hitler. Nietzsche thought that Christianity was absurd, and he felt that the idea that there was a God somewhere out there was for the completely feeble-minded masses. Imagine what he would have thought about Hitler’s ideas of Providence, premonitions, and the like. Nietzsche said, “ ‘Faith’ means the will to avoid knowing what’s true. … ‘Divine Providence,’ which every third man [including Hitler] in ‘educated Germany’ still believes in, is so strong an argument against God that it would be impossible to think of a stronger. … And in any case it is an argument against Germans” [Nietzsche 150]! Hoffmann asserts that, “Hitler firmly believed that he had been chosen by [Providence] to lead the German people to hitherto undreamed of heights; … and his great success strengthened his belief…” [Hoffmann 134].
It seems to be a recurring theme as to Hitler’s belief in Providence and his honest, heartfelt compassion regarding the teachings of Christ, as well as his proneness to believe in some astrological theories, even though he rejected astrology en toto. When Hitler and Hoffmann drove to the scene of several recent and inexplicable car accidents, Hitler said, “When a man is faced with a puzzle in which he cannot solve, he dismisses it as insoluble. A religiously-minded person would say ‘Providence’ or ‘Fate,’” and indeed that is exactly the “religiously-minded” thinking that Hitler had subscribed to all his life. Hoffmann recounts numerous occasions in which Hitler had said or done something that resulted in the sparing of his—as well as his adjutants—life in Chapter 6 of his memoirs, entitled Hitler-Religion and Superstition. Every situation is completely incredible, unbelievable, and defies rational explanation. In this respect, it is not hard to come to see how Hitler believed that he was under divine protection. Even Ludecke, Baur, Hanfstaengl, Wagener and Dietrich discuss Hitler’s incredible ‘luck’. However, Nietzsche would have dismissed this as nothing more than complete rubbish.
In closing, I would like to mention that Nietzsche is not mentioned one time throughout Wagener’s memoirs, and even Léon Degrelle stated that the only thing Hitler extracted from Nietzsche were his conceptions regarding the “will.” This is probably completely accurate, and as for Hitler having his picture taken with the bust of Nietzsche at the museum… Hitler actually admitted that he had not even wanted to take those silly photos. Indeed, he went so far as to express his detestation for the nihilistic ramblings that Nietzsche had had to offer the German nation. So, he probably did it as a friendly gesture to please his friend Elizabeth. As to whether or not there exists a direct causal relationship between Nietzsche and Nazi-Soziism, I would have to say, ‘none at all’. Christianity played a far more crucial, as well as pivotal, role in the National Socialist movement, and appears to have served as the centrum for many of Hitler’s beliefs, especially his spiritual ones.
Hitler: “An individualistic worldview is being replaced by a socialistic one! A thousand-year-old attitude toward life is being thrust aside by completely new concepts. Such a change cannot be decreed by legislation! … Such a transformation requires an inner conversion [emphasis original]! A mental, a spiritual, an ethical, even a religious one! … What is crucial is the internal conversion of the people, of the Volksgenossen, of the Volk! And that is a political task! As yet, almost everyone is imprisoned in the liberalistic attitude. … For almost two thousand years the Gospel of Christ has been preached, for two thousand years the sense of community has been taught: love one another, care for one another, respect and help one another! But today at the end of these two thousand years, economic liberalism flourishes as never before! During a world war lasting almost five years, the nations slaughtered one another, and in a sadistic delirium the victor tramples on the liberty and lives of the vanquished—while in their temples they pray, ‘Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.’ The mendacity, the infamy, and the hypocrisy of mankind have become a downright blasphemy! [Take notice of how Hitler boils everything down into religious terms; he basically tells us that liberalism is blasphemy against Christ’s Gospel in this passage, and that mankind has been living a complete lie, since Christ’s death and the very inception of the so-called “Christian religion”.]
… “And in a couple years we are supposed to make up for all this and to restore order where millennia have sinned? We’re to believe that we can restore the value of the word of God, the teaching of Christ, the truth of a holy religion, where generations upon generations, nations upon nations, the entire lifespan of a human cultural epoch, all were unable to even recognize the deep abyss in which they wandered or sojourned! [Here, Hitler is referring to the Judeo-Christian lie ushered in primarily by St. Paul, that sought to enslave many nations of men under religious authoritarianism via the institution of the Church, which had interjected itself between God and man after Christ had already eradicated the need to do this. The Church—with the known assistance of Jewry—tortured and murdered people en masse throughout Europe during the two Inquisitions, and sought to destroy European culture, as opposed to doing what it should have done—as per Christ Himself— by freeing them. It was this Judeo-Christian Bolshevist Christianity and the superiority complex of the Churches and priests that Hitler ranted against.]
True this misinterpretation of the Christian faith has become clearly evident only recently, through the mechanization of manual labor and the industrialization of the economy, which allowed the condition of pre-Christian industry to be revived in new forms. But where were the high priests, where were the scribes? They turned away, as they did that time in Jerusalem, from the plight of the people, and with a sanctimonious gesture they folded their hands and prayed, ‘We thank you, God, that we are not like them!’ And they drove the hungry and unemployed masses back into the dust of their despair. … But when you see the masses streaming to join the SA… you will sense the inner conversion… the faith in divine justice, in heavenly truth,… and the will to stand before the throne of the Almighty with the open heart of one ready to believe in God. And they will have sufficient greatness to stammer out the prayer for their brothers and fathers, ‘Forgive them, Lord, for they knew not what they did.’ It is on this basis alone that the new world can be built! To lay this groundwork is our task. … We must leave some things to be done for those who come after us. Your work will be a signpost for the future, a witness to our great intention, but in our time it will not be crowned with realization” [emphasis original].
Wagener: “He fell silent. His enthusiasm had driven the blood into his cheeks. His eyes glowed like bright lights. I thought of Strasser, of our plans [regarding their Organizational Section II plans]. And I felt: Our thinking is so puny. Then Hitler rose to his feet and shook hands with me” [Wagener 56-57].
It should be clear, especially upon reading this Hitler monologue, and the response it received, that this was not the thought-process of a Nietzschean nihilist. Hitler believed so deeply in his movement, and the ushering in of a truly socialistic community founded upon Christian-style brotherly love, that he unswervingly gave his entire life to it.
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