Understanding Nazi Ideology : The Genesis and Impact of a Political Faith

"Nazism did not arise in a vacuum but was deeply rooted in German culture. From German Romanticism sprang ideas of great significance for the genesis of the Third Reich-notions of the individual as a part of the national collective, and of history as a ceaseless struggle between opposing forces. Tracing the origins of the Nazi "political religion," this book examines its foundation in ultra-nationalism, totalitarianism, the Führer cult, racial theory and anti-Semitism, and the glorification of violence-all swathed in an element of occultism-and its culmination in the global cataclysm of World War II and the Holocaust."-- Provided by publisher Table of Contents Preface Introduction PART I The Organic and the Dynamic: Two Aspects of German Romanticism 1 The Demonic Source of Energy: Genius Worship and Nature Mysticism in Sturm und Drang 2 A Drop in the Ocean of Omnipotence: Herder’s View of God 3 The Struggling World Organism: Schelling’s Philosophy of Nature 4 The Historical Background for Fichte’s Concept of Nationalism 5 Two Romantic Idea-Complexes PART II The Organic Nation: The Emergence of the Völkisch Ideology 6 From the Napoleonic Wars to the Unification of Germany: The Historical Background of the Völkisch Ideology 7 The Germanic Community of Faith: Lagarde’s National Mysticism 8 The Mystical Connection with the Soil: Langbehn’s Blood Mysticism 9 From Neo-Romanticism to the Weimar Republic: The Further Development of the Völkisch Ideology PART III The Dynamic Will: The Emergence of Vitalism 10 The Blind Will to Live: Schopenhauer’s Metaphysics of the Will 11 Dionysian Energy: Nietzsche’s Glorification of Creation and Destruction Some Basic Characteristics of The Will to Power 12 From the Cultivation of the Superman to the Glorification of War: The Development of a Lebensphilosophie 13 The Ecstatic Steel Warrior: Ernst Jünger’s Romanticism of Violence PART IV A Worldview Comes into Existence: The Growth of Nazi Ideology 14 From Freikorps to Coup d’état: The Growth of the Nazi Movement from 1919 to 1923 15 The Fighting Volksgemeinschaft: Hitler’s “Worldview” 16 Politics, Ideology, Propaganda: The Nazi Movement from 1925 to 1929 17 The Mystical Center of Force: Rosenberg’s Metaphysics of Race 18 The Deeply Rooted Race Soul: Darré’s Agrarian Romanticism 19 The Agonal Will: Baeumler’s Vitalism Heroic Will: The Dynamic Aspect of Baeumler’s Thought 20 From Mass Movement to Führer State: The Nazi Movement from 1930 to 1934 PART V Manifestations of the Führer Cult 21 Collective Ecstasy: The Nuremberg Rallies 22 Charismatic Authority: The Bond Between Führer and People 23 Polycratic Energy: Institutional and Individual Rivalry 24 Political Mysticism of the Will: The Cult of the Führer as a Political Religion PART VI The Black Corps: SS—Ideology and Practice 25 A Link in a Fighting Chain: The SS System of Beliefs and Order Structure 26 The Tentacles of the Octopus: The New Police State 27 Cleansing Violence: The “Task Forces” in Eastern Europe 28 A Genocide Takes Form: The Wannsee Conference and Nazi Antisemitism 29 Genocidal Yearning for Paradise: Industrial Mass Murder at Auschwitz 30 The Therapy of Extermination: Medical Experiments at Auschwitz 31 The Flashing Sword: The Waffen-SS in Battle PART VII The Conceptual Universe of Nazism 32 Ragnarok: The Cataclysmic End to Nazism 33 Movement from the Bonds of Blood: Nazism in the Light of the History of Ideas Chapter Notes Bibliography Index  Nazism was deeply rooted in German culture. From the fertile soil of German Romanticism sprang ideas of great significance for the genesis of the Third Reich ideology--notions of the individual as a mere part of the national collective, and of life as a ceaseless struggle between opposing forces. This book traces the origins of the'political religion'of Nazism. Ultra-nationalism and totalitarianism, racial theory and anti-Semitism, nature mysticism and occultism, eugenics and social Darwinism, adoration of the Fuhrer and glorification of violence--all are explored. The book also depicts the dramatic development of the Nazi movement--and the explosive impact of its political faith, racing from its bloody birth in the trenches of World War I to its cataclysmic climax in the Holocaust and World War II. "Nazism did not arise in a vacuum but was deeply rooted in German culture. From German Romanticism sprang ideas of great significance for the genesis of the Third Reich-notions of the individual as a part of the national collective, and of history as a ceaseless struggle between opposing forces. Tracing the origins of the Nazi "political religion," this book examines its foundation in ultra-nationalism, totalitarianism, the Führer cult, racial theory and anti-Semitism, and the glorification of violence-all swathed in an element of occultism-and its culmination in the global cataclysm of World War II and the Holocaust."-- Provided by publisher Traces the origins of the “political religion” of Nazism. Ultra-nationalism and totalitarianism, racial theory and anti–Semitism, nature mysticism and occultism, eugenics and social Darwinism, adoration of the Führer and glorification of violence - all are explored. Traces the origins of the "political religion" of Nazism. Ultra-nationalism and totalitarianism, racial theory and anti-Semitism, nature mysticism and occultism, eugenics and social Darwinism, adoration of the Fuhrer and glorification of violence - all are explored.