Chapter 33 Chapter 5 "A Man So Crazy and So Reasonable" (4)

In the spring of 1923, Hitler had his hands full.The most urgent need is money.As a result, Hitler ran around to raise funds for the party. In early April, Hitler and Hanf Stangel boarded Hitler's "Self" classic car, driven by Morris, and headed for Berlin.They traveled via Saxony, where many areas were under Communist control.On the outskirts of a small town north of Leipzig, they encountered a barricade and were stopped by the Red Militia.The majestic Hanf Stangl waved his Swiss passport, and then declared in German with an American accent that he was a foreign paper manufacturer who came to participate in the Leipzig Fair. One of the people in the car was the driver. The other is the follower.He really had a plan.Although Hitler claimed after the drive that "they're going to chop off my head," it was clear that he wasn't happy about being called a entourage.

In Berlin, they not only begged for money, but also visited the Military Museum and the National Gallery of Art on Sunday.In the National Gallery of Art, Hitler stood in front of Rembrandt's "Man Wearing a Golden Helmet", paying special attention to the heroic expression of the soldiers in the painting.He said it proved that the great painter "was a true Aryan and a German at heart, despite the many paintings in the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam!" boxing match.Hitler was expressionless, but insisted on watching a few more games before leaving."It's better than a sword duel in Germany," he said.

The next day they left Berlin, avoiding Saxony and taking a detour home.Along the way, in order to drive away the boredom of the long journey, Hitler whistled entire sections of Wagner's operas and gesticulated to perform for his traveling companions.He even laughed at himself by reciting a long antithesis poem ending in "Yitler." "When he was happy," recalls Hanf Stangl, "Hitler would recite his edited poem over and over again, making us all laugh and cry." They stopped at Wright, Richard Wagner's hometown, and told the Festival Theatre, into which the porter had shown them.The stage set was still set for The Flying Dutchman.The play has been staged here since war was declared in 1914.Seeing this set, Hanfstangel took the opportunity to point out that the original set of the play was designed by his great-grandfather Ferdinand Heine.Everything here fascinated Hitler, especially Wagner's study - the walls of which still hang on the walls of his teachings to artists and staff.

On the last day of that journey, during a picnic at noon, Hitler mentioned the monument they had seen outside Leipzig commemorating the "Battle of Nations Against Napoleon."His comments on this disturbed Hanf Stangel deeply.He said: "In the next war, the most important point is that we must ensure that we control the food supply lines in western Russia." This shows that Rosenberg and his Russian friends are again propaganda to Hitler.Hanfstangel countered that it was futile to go to war with Russia, and that the United States, with its enormous industrial potential, needed to be considered. "If you push them the other way, you've lost the future war before it even started."Hitler hesitated and made no reply.Obviously, this argument "he didn't listen to".

Once back in Munich, he threw himself into the campaign against the French occupation of the Ruhr, but he often beat around the bush and seemed more interested in mobilizing his audience against the Jews.On April 13, for example, he blamed them directly for the occupation of the Ruhr, for the defeat of the war, and for inflation.He attacks that "so-called world pacifism" is in fact a Jewish invention; that the leaders of the proletariat are Jews ("Jews again!"); Is plotting to conquer the world!Therefore, he exclaimed, "Russia and Germany must be overthrown in order to confirm the ancient prophecies! That is why the whole world is outraged! That is why every false propaganda agency is in full swing against the last - German - idealist Country! So, the Jews won the world war! Or, do you want the French, the British and the Americans to win the war?" At the end of his speech, Hitler was emotional and clamored for the two million Germans who died in the world war. , and justice for the millions of orphans, widows, and disabled. "For the sake of these millions of people, we must build a new Germany!"

With both hatred and fear of the Jews, Hitler was out of touch with reality.Their anti-Semitism, although expressed in logical language, actually transcends all boundaries of logic.He turned the world upside down: France, Britain and the United States really lost the war.In the end it was Germany that was victorious, because Germany was getting rid of Jewish control.If Hitler was deceiving himself, he also succeeded in deceiving his audience.Hitler subtly appeals to raw emotion, and when the audience leaves the meeting, they remember few details; all they remember is to join Hitler's crusade to save Germany; France must be expelled from the Ruhr, and most importantly , the Jews must obtain their home.

Hitler's pulpit skills had improved considerably over the past year.His gestures have become as complex and varied as his arguments.What particularly impressed Hanf Stangl was the sudden raising of his arms. "He has the character of a truly great orchestra conductor. A great conductor does not just strike the beat with his hand gestures downwards, but also swings his baton upwards to direct the inner rhythm and meaning." Hitler said in his speech I used my musical knowledge and feeling in my speech to give my speech a musical rhythm.The first two-thirds are "March Rhythm" before picking up speed so that the final third becomes "Fever".His imitation skills are also skillfully used.He is good at imitating an imaginary opponent, "often interrupting himself with a paradox, and returning to the original train of thought after completely crushing the imaginary enemy."

Despite the complex structure of his speeches, they are not difficult to follow because the main purpose is to strike an emotional chord.In this way he can easily pass from one subject to another without losing his audience, for the bridge between subjects communicates some emotion—anger, fear, love, or hate.Despite the twists and turns of his speech, he led his audience along like a gifted actor who guides the audience through the complex plot of a play. Hitler also had the rare gift of involving his audience in the content of his speeches. "When I make speeches to people," he told Hanf Stangl, "especially to non-Party members, or to those who for one reason or another are about to leave the party, I often speak as if the As if their fate were bound up with their decision. They should be an example to many, and that meant, no doubt, an appeal to their vanity and ambition. Once I had achieved this, the rest would follow. "Everyone, rich or poor, has an inner sense of unfulfilled obligations," he said. "Sleeping somewhere means putting in jeopardy some final sacrifice or some kind of adventure to build a new form of life. They'll spend their last penny on the lottery. It's my job to put that desire Turning to political ends. In essence, every political movement is based on the desire of its supporters (whether men or women) to get something better not only for themselves but for their children or others. … The lower the rank of men, the greater the desire to be involved in a cause higher than themselves, and if I can convince them that the fate of Germany is at stake, they will be part of an irresistible movement , this movement can also include all classes.”

Audiences have always been prepared for Hitler's lavish and masterly heretical military displays.In addition to the exciting music and the flag fluttering in the wind, new colors have been added - the Roman flag and the Roman salute designed by Hitler himself.Perhaps, both were borrowed from Caesar via Mussolini, but he declared that the salute was German. "I've read about the 'Insect Diet' in session. During this time Luther was greeted with this German salute. It showed him that he was not meant to meet him in war, but in peace We met... probably in 1931, at the Lasch Hotel in Bremen, I saw this kind of straight arms and raised hands for the first time." No matter where it comes from, in the sea of ​​music and peace, this trembling "Long live" The raised hand in the voice did assure the audience that what they are about to hear is the real voice of Germany.

On the day Hitler publicly declared anti-French and anti-Semitic, he once again publicly confronted the Bavarian government.He called on the Prime Minister of Bavaria.He was accompanied by a former military officer, commander of a private army of the Combat Organization Working Group.This "working group" is actually a hodgepodge of right-wing radical groups.The pair handed an ultimatum to the Prime Minister calling on the government itself to repeal the Republic Protection Act.If Weimar rejects this demand, then Bavaria would be blatantly breaking the law. It was Friday the 19th, and Hitler demanded an answer on Saturday.

With no reply, the radical military bloc of the right facilitated a "military exercise" on Sunday.Today is Easter.Hitler standing inside the convertible.As the SA and his followers marched past, Hitler stretched out his hand to inspect.Looking from inside Göring's private car, Helena Hanfstangl noticed that Hitler's eyes "beamed with triumph and satisfaction."After the review, Hitler brought "a bouquet of bright roses" to Hanf Stangl's home and presented it to his wife as a birthday present.Afterwards, they "drank happily for an hour of tea," and Hitler talked and laughed.A week later, on his own birthday, he was sullen and paranoid, warning Hanf Stangl not to eat the swastika-decorated birthday cake—which, among other presents, nearly filled his pile. cabin. "Don't forget," he said, "that this building belongs to the Jews, and it's a child's play to let poison sap run down the walls in order to kill a rival." On Monday, the Chancellor finally gave Hitler an answer: he himself opposed the "Republic Protection Act", but, since it had become Bavarian law, he had to implement it.Hitler called for a mass demonstration on May 1 in protest.This was explosive, because May Day was not only a labor and Marxist holiday sacred, but also the anniversary of Munich's liberation from Soviet republic rule. On the evening of April 30, right-wing radical forces poured out to the Oberwiesenfeld military training ground, a few miles north of Munich's main railway station.By dawn, nearly a thousand people had gathered there.In order to prevent the attacks of the leftists, they also sent sentries.Hour by hour passed, but still no action. "At 6 o'clock," Hitler recalled, "gangs of Reds came to confront us. I sent some men to provoke them, but they did not respond." At about 9 o'clock, various teams from outside the city came one after another, and Hitler's team grew to more than 1,300 people.They stood in the warm sun with their guns in hand, waiting irritably and anxiously.The vicious Hitler, holding a steel helmet in his hand, asked, "Where are the red elements?" Around noon, an army and policemen in green uniforms suddenly came and surrounded the armed demonstrators.With them came an angry Captain Rom.He told Hitler that he had just returned from the general of the local garrison, and the general demanded that Hitler disarm immediately, otherwise, Hitler would be responsible for the consequences. Hitler was furious, but had to withdraw the request of Gregor Strasser and others-they asked to confront the government and let the soldiers charge.The decision to disarm must have been painful.But if Hitler attacked, his troops would surely be wiped out, and the senseless bloodshed might spell the end of him as a political leader, or even as a person.In the retreat at Oberwiesenfeld he succeeded.At Schhobing, his troops encountered the advance party of the Communists, who he scattered and fled, setting fire to their flags.This was Hitler's triumphant moment, and he made a short impromptu speech.The conflagration, he said, was a sign of the Bolshevik world epidemic, and that it was only a small prelude to the seizure of power by the National Socialists.His provocative speech boosted the morale of his men and turned a blunder into a victory.However, their ecstasy was only fleeting.In the evening, Hitler's revolutionary actions had completely failed. This failure cost him many staunch followers. "I completely despise Hitler!" exclaimed a former "Free Corps" commander. "He was defeated on May 1st, and he will always be defeated!" Hitler was by no means alone in failing in the Oberwiesenfeld affair.For the Bavarian government, this was an even greater failure and embarrassment.Hitler was officially charged with endangering public security and ordered to stand trial.Hitler answered one by one arrogantly, making the prosecutor overwhelmed.Hitler was indomitable and made political capital out of the disaster.Turning defeat into victory is becoming his pattern. However, many foreign observers predicted that this was the beginning of his end.Robert Murphy was one of them.In his report, he said the momentum of the Nazi movement was "weakening".The people, he wrote, "had grown weary of Hitler's demagoguery, which produced little and nothing constructive. His anti-Semitism had made many enemies; among his young followers The near-disruptive behavior has caused great pain to many members of society who love order."