Edmond H. Wollmann

German Civilization

May 1, 1995

My task was to show and compare general themes within the German culture as reflected in the Nibelungenlied and Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. I found, however, that Adolf Hitler was very dry and politically scientifically oriented, which was unexpected. Never-the-less I have found much similarity and thematic commonality that seems to run throughout the German culture. I will try to tie Mein Kampf to specific sections in the Nibelungenlied.

Immediately obvious in Studies and Struggles in Vienna, Hitler begins to argue against social democracy, for the individual and in his words, "The Jewish doctrine of Marxism rejects the aristocratic principle in nature, and in place of the eternal privilege of force and strength sets up the mass and dead weight of numbers." (page 25, the heroic concept and rule of the superior). He argues vehemently for the "value of the individual among men" and how nature takes revenge on any usurpation of her realm.

The idea of effort and responsibility (which I got the impression of from the Nibelungenlied) seems to be woven heavily into his philosophies and perspective. The idea of mastery is strong, "I am delighted to hear that your pride has been lowered in this way" said brave Siegfried, 'and that there is someone alive who can master you" (to Brunhild in The Nibelungenlied page 68). In Mein Kampf Hitler discusses repeatedly about the young men and how they should be disciplined and trained for any eventuality and that they should be lead by the competent individual. "Do we believe that progress comes in this world from the combined intelligence of the majority and not from the brain of the individual?" (page 34) "One thing we must and may never forget: a majority can never be a substitute for the man. It is always the advocate, not only of stupid, but also of cowardly policies; and just as a hundred fools do not make one wise man, an heroic decision is not likely to come from a hundred cowards." (page 35) I think that he was tapping into the concept of the heroic German identity and in so doing revived a very important issue to the German people. He argued quite a bit against the idea of "that the twaddle about so-called 'State authority' or 'order and tranquility' is a sufficient inducement to fight to the death" (page 74), and in so doing, as is seen all through the Nibelungenlied, consistently brought up the ideas of the Germanic past-the nobility of death for a cause.

This idea is reflected over and over again in passages such as "They killed a host of warriors while the battle raged, but none could tell you all the marvels which Sigfried performed whenever he entered the fray, such sorrow did he bring to the ladies by slaying their kinsmen!...he has all the qualities that go to make a brave, good knight." (Nibelungenlied page 42).

Hitler has a strong inclination to associate the German culture and its accomplishments to the past history of Germany. In talking about the training of youth, he admonishes that the unhealthiness of "art and Kulture. It was a sad sign of our internal decadence that it was impossible to let young people visit most of the so-called 'homes of art' (Kunststatte)..."for adults only" "What could the great dramatists of all times have said to such a warning and to the cause which made it necessary? Imagine the indignation of Schiller; how Goethe would have turned from it in fury!" (page 113, Signs of Collapse in The Old Empire). "Thus the saddest side of the condition of our national culture in the period before the war was not merely the complete impotence of our creative power in art and general culture, but also the spirit of hatred in which the memories of the greater past were besmirched and blotted out." (page 113 last paragraph). We can see that Hitler had a very strong attachment to the German hero and believed that this great power in the arts, literature, and culture in general had been lost by the dispersement of central authority, a general laxness of personal ethics (which he believed was the driving intent of the Jews) and a lack of self control and application to the greatest of ones abilities.

He believed so strongly in Nationalism (loyalty) that when he was speaking of the nation and of the fatherland at his first meeting of the German workers party, he converted and won many to his point of view; "I may claim some success; in the course of my addresses I won hundreds, nay, thousands, of my comrades back to their nation and fatherland." (page 95). In The Nibelungenlied we find this idea of loyalty to ones land throughout the script; 'The loyal friends that I have advise me to stay here, for there are none of my kin in Nibelungenland.' These words of Kriemhild's pained King Siegmund. 'You should not listen to that. You shall hold sway over all my kinsmen with undiminished powers. You shall not be made to suffer for our having lost Sigfried. But come back with us too, for the sake of your little son-you must not leave him a little orphan. .. 'Lord Sigmund' she replied, 'I cannot ride away with you I must remain here with my kinsfolk...(page 142).

Now the most prevalent theme that I observed in Mein Kampf was the nobility of the sword. But Hitler saw the need for the sword in everything from defending the fatherland physically from intruders, to defending against the intrusion of the internationalization of German business, demoralization, the invasion of the heavy industries, the attack on the German states railways to "the squandering of Germany's fortunes since the revolution" (page 107 on The Collapse of The Old Empire).

In the following example he sites the evils of money domination (which he believes is coming about through Jewish intervention). In The Nibelungenlied, it seemed that money or possessions were easily forfeited for the sake of some noble cause, to me it is striking how Hitler discusses this in this passage. "Unfortunately, domination by money received sanction in the very quarter which ought to have been most opposed to it. It was a particularly unhappy inspiration when his majesty induced the nobility to enter the circle of the new finance. It must be admitted in excuse for him that even Bismarck failed to realize the danger; but in practice it drove the ideal virtues into the second place behind that of money, for it was clear that, having once taken that road, the nobility of the sword would very soon have to play second fiddle to that of finance." And again "Germany ought to have been prepared to support with the sword her effort to make sure of her daily bread by means of 'peaceful economic labours'."

Of course hand in hand with the sword, and loyalty is honor. "He has done us nothing but good,' interposed the King himself, 'and he has brought us honour."..."Let your murderous anger be,' said the King. 'Sigfried was born for our honour and good fortune, and moreover he is so terrible strong and so prodigiously brave that were he to get wind of it, none could dare oppose him.' (The Nibelungenlied, page 117, 118). Hitler compares these issues of the old empire as he argues for the promotion of these concepts, and expresses fear that these ideals are being lost. "To the state and the army were added the incomparable body of officials in the old empire. Germany was the best organized and best administered country in the world. However one might call the German state officials pedantic bureaucrats, this was no better in other states; on the contrary, it was worse. Other states did not possess that wonderful solidity of the apparatus nor the character of incorruptible honour in those who belonged to it. Better to be rather pedantic, if honest and faithful, than enlightened and modern if at the same time inferior in character and-as so often happens today- ignorant and incompetent." (page 120).

Overall I think that much of Mein Kampf , to my surprise, reflects much of what we have studied in this course and in The Nibelungenlied. The Heroic German Identity seemed to be quite alive in Hitler's mind at least-- and perhaps this is why he gained such a hold over the German people at this time. It seemed that he hated mish-mush and lack of direction and on that point I have to agree. These themes seem to be continued to a great extent today in the German people. They are one of the few nationalities that still maintain a good degree of these early heroic themes (I may be biased of course since I am only second generation in the U.S.). There seems to be guilt in the German civilization for the use of the sword, and so pacificism seems to have become popular. However, it still seems that the culture and the arts will reflect this conflict for some time to come.

I was quite surprised just how much of these old themes ran through Mein Kampf and perhaps there is some sort of collective or racial consciousness that runs through a culture or nationality.

After reading this text and comparing the themes I was struck by the good sense that Hitler made of many of the subjects discussed. Although he was very judgmental and focused on specific "rights and wrongs" his reasoning on many issues I found to be rather accurate and could be food for thought. The racism which he obviously expressed was not all that unusual for the time in which he lived (they liked to think of it as loyalty of course) and I'm sure if he would alive today he would be arguing that he was not necessarily evil as this Jewish media has so artfully portrayed him as, and on some accounts I would have to agree. Breadth of vision and natural empathy, however, does invalidate the thrust of his visions, no matter how well meaning in his mind or time.

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