United States history overview

Sebrina Whitener

The "Hitler Myth": Image and Reality in the Third Reich

I chose Hitler as my subject for a variety of reasons, most of which will be discussed as I outline the most important parts of this book. Hitler, in history, has always stood out to me as somewhat of a mythical figure. A man who has left an indelible mark of evil in our time and in our minds. But with all powers of both good and evil, these stories of men and of events have a tendency to grow in size and in truth over time. This is why I chose The "Hitler Myth" as my book. I wanted to understand the persona and power behind this man.

Based largely on the reports of government officials, party agencies, and political opponents, Ian Kershaw's book details the creation, growth, and decline of the "Hitler myth." As an author, he demonstrates the integrating forces within the Third Reich and shows us how it was a vital element in the attainment of Nazi political aims. According to him, the Nazis used "image-building" to exploit the beliefs, phobias, and prejudices of the day. Kershaw greatly enhances our understanding of the German people's attitudes and behavior under Nazi rule and the psychology behind Hitler's persona. (318)

"Hitler's Myth" helps us understand just what went into the damage and domination of Hitler and how he was able to attain such power. He shows us how much game-playing and other mind magic went into his acts of evil and how he got so many of the Germans to follow him in his plight.

Over time, myth becomes its own thing regardless of reality. It generates its own images. "The sense of history not only dictates perception of the past, but is a template for the future which will "repeat" the past. Historical myth is one type of "fact" that must be decoded as well as courageously doubted." (128) For, as we know only too well, the myth of the Holocaust has for forty years been more compelling than reality, and not only for people of Jewish descent. This is something the author in, "Hitler's Myth" is trying to dispel. He's trying to show us how so much of what happened has become mythical in the minds of us all.

The images of Hitler and of the West's fantasies about him, create the perfect place for the Nazis to become fantasy. As the author suggests, "were it not for this deadly combination of admiration, envy, passivity, and delegation of the "aggressor" role, the West would not have given such license to German impudence." (307) I believe what he's trying to say is that Hitler believed his own propaganda and his adversaries, seemingly beyond their own choice believed it and were paralyzed by it, too.

If we look at this way, the Germans were victims of Hitler, too. Both of their own national psychology, mythology, and of their role in the international family, just like the Jews. They were all brainwashed and trespassed against. It's because of this that we cannot view the Holocaust as simply something that happened only to the Jews.

Hitler's myth is captured in this line:

"I follow my course with the precision and security of a sleepwalker."