1. HIST3025 Hitler and the National Socialist Ideology Lecture 4: The Politics of Genre 21 February 2013

2. Mein Kampf Genres: Political philosophy Historical representation Autobiography Central themes: Race State: Expansion & War History

3. Mein Kampf: Racial Groups Kulturbegründer Creators of culture: Aryans: Germanic (English, Dutch, Danish, etc.) + North American people Kulturträger Bearers of culture: Orientals / Asians Kulturzerstörer Destroyers of culture: Jews, ‘Gypsies’, Africans, etc. = Governed by ‘iron logic of nature’

4. Race factor Conferred by ties of blood: For membership of nation For drawing boundaries of state For driving foreign politics

5. State: Expansion & War State to serve needs of whole nation State not to serve dynastic interests State to feed members of race State with right to expand by acquiring territory near mother country State not to pursue overseas expansion State expansion by military means to secure basis for future prosperity

6. History Extended reflections on world & German history Descriptions of wrong-doings of past policy decisions Outlines of Hitler’s own prescriptions

7. Positive past ☺Holy Roman Empire of German Nation (Old Empire), 10 th c. - 1806 ☺ Wars of Prussian King Frederick II (the Great), 18 th c. ☺ Wars of Liberation vs. France, 1813-1815 ☺ ‘Greater German’ union incl. Austria = An ill-defined mythical golden past as source of inspiration

8. Negative past ☻ ‘Little German’ solution excl. Austria, 1871 ☻ Bismarck’s successors as chancellor, 1890-1918 ☻ Colonial & World Policy of German Empire, 1880s/90s-1914 ☻ Versailles Treaty, 1919 = An ill-defined process of decline driven by modernity, liberalism, commerce

9. Positions No return to status quo ante of 1914 No priority of 19 th c. commercialism No return to bourgeois age up to 1914 = No reactionary & restorative vision =Driven by need of race + its regeneration

10. Politics of New Kind Hitler as fascist visionary: Revitalization & rebirth after alleged decay, defeat, decline, division of Germany Vision of reunified Germany & heroic future Self-image of new species of politician