Landmark Speeches of National Socialism (Landmark Speeches: A Book Series)

"The power which has always started the greatest religious and political avalanches in history rolling has from time immemorial been the magic power of the spoken word, and that alone."—Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf As historians have long noted, public oratory has seldom been as pivotal in generating and sustaining the vitality of a movement as it was during the rise and rule of the National Socialist Party, from 1919 to 1945. Led by the charismatic and indefatigable Hitler, National Socialists conducted one of the most powerful rhetorical campaigns ever recorded. Indeed, the mass addresses, which were broadcast live on radio, taped for re-broadcast, and in many cases filmed for play on theater newsreels throughout the Third Reich, constituted one of the most thorough exploitations of media in history. Because such evil lay at the heart of the National Socialist movement, its overwhelming rhetoric has often been negatively characterized as propaganda. As Randall Bytwerk points out, however, the "propaganda" label was anything but negative in the minds of the leaders of the National Socialist movement. In their view, the clear, simplistic, and even one-sided presentation of information was necessary to mobilize effectively all elements of the German population into the National Socialist program. Gathered here are thirteen key speeches of this historically significant movement, including Hitler's announcement of the party's reestablishment in 1925 following the unsuccessful Beer Hall Putsch, four addresses by Joseph Goebbels, the 1938 Kristallnacht speech by Julius Streicher, and four speeches drafted as models for party leaders' use on various public occasions. The volume concludes with Adolf Hitler's final public address on January 30, 1945, three months before his suicide. Several of these works are presented for the first time in English translation. Bytwerk provides a brief introduction to each speech and allows the reader to trace the development and downfall of the Nazi party. Landmark Speeches of National Socialism is an important volume for students of rhetoric, World War II, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust. "Because such evil lay at the heart of the National Socialist movement, its overwhelming rhetoric has often led to its negative characterization as propaganda. As Randall Bytwerk points out, however, that association was anything but negative in the minds of the leaders of the National Socialist movement. In their view, the clear, simplistic, and even one-sided presentation of information was necessary to effectively mobilize all elements of the German population to the National Socialist program." "Gathered here are thirteen of the key speeches of this historically significant movement, including Hitler's announcement of the party's reestablishment in 1925 following the unsuccessful Beer Hall Putsch, four addresses by Joseph Goebbels, the 1938 Kristallnacht speech by Julius Streicher, and four speeches drafted as models for party leaders' use on various public occasions." "Landmark Speeches of National Socialism is an important volume for students of rhetoric, World War II, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust."--Jacket The Magic Force of the Spoken Word 12 Adolf Hitler: Reestablishing the National Socialist German Workers Party, 27 February 1925 22 Joseph Goebbels: "The Storm Is Coming," 9 July 1932 36 Joseph Goebbels: Propaganda and Public Enlightenment, 6 September 1934 42 Gertrud Scholtz-Klink: Duties and Tasks of the Woman in the National Socialist State, October 1936 51 Gerhard Wagner: Race and Population Policy, 11 September 1936 60 Joseph Goebbels: "Our Hitler," 19 April 1937 70 Julius Streicher: Speech after "The Night of Broken Glass," 10 November 1938 75 Adolf Hitler: To the Old Guard in Munich, 8 November 1941 81 Joseph Goebbels: "Total War," 18 February 1943 94 Model Speeches for Nazi Leaders, 1944-1945 113 Adolf Hitler: Adolf Hitler's Last Speech, 30 January 1945 120 Acknowledgments 125 Index 126