The Great Leader Can Do Wrong

Up until 1941, it seemed like Hitler could do no wrong. His foreign policy, foreign conquests, and military victories were affirming that he truly was Germany’s savior and great leader. Once things took a different turn in the war, he began to lose support and the “Fuhrer myth” began to die down. “‘Charismatic leadership’ could not survive lack of success (Kershaw, 1987: 200).”

Kershaw states that an overwhelming amount of the population supported Hitler and the ‘Fuhrer cult.’ This belief in Hitler was reinforced with his victories in foreign policy. In 1935, a naval treaty with Great Britain reintroduced military service in Germany under this propaganda for peace. Hitler then achieved the realization of a ‘Greater Germany’ when he was able to unify Germany and Austria. He was able to do this without bloodshed, which was important because the public did not want bloodshed or war. Hitler became Time magazine’s “Man Of The Year” in 1938 for being the person who most influenced the events of the previous year. Sudetenland was handed over to Germany after the signing of the Munich Agreement. People were ready to follow Hitler every action for being able to conquer “the world without war (Kershaw, 1987: 131).” Professor Ertman mentioned the great military victories of the German army in World War II continued to legitimize the ‘Hitler Myth’. Hitler was on a higher plane above all other Nazi officials and could do no wrong in the eyes of the German public.

Once things started turning sour for Germany many people began to lose belief in the ‘Hitler Myth’. The public did not want to go into war in the first place, but belief in their Fuhrer and belief the war would end soon led them into war. The ‘Hitler Myth’ began to lose support when people saw that Hitler was to blame for prolonging the war, when stories of soldier suffering from lack of resources came in, the Stalingrad crisis where they suffered a huge defeat and death to many of their soldiers, and finally when there were air-raids on Germany. People asked “how it was possible for the Fuhrer to allow the systematic destruction of our German Fatherland (Kershaw, 1987:205).” People had no hope that Germany would win the war once their country was being destroyed and their soldiers were being defeated and killed. So the ‘Hitler Myth’ began to lose support because Hitler could not continue to succeed and provide the German public with “miracles.”