The Establishment of Hitler's Ideology through Charisma: A Myth Orchestration

Extract

[...] From then on, the staging of power intensifies with Hitler, relying particularly on the adherence of officials to Hitler's ideology. II The establishment of Hitler's ideology through a charisma defined by Max Weber: a myth orchestrated 1° The myth of power 'of the people, by the people and for the people' Within the framework of the Third Reich, there was a staging of power: a staging of monarchs, tyrants, and princes, and therefore figures such as Hitler, but also other people close to Hitler, and therefore of power, such as Gubbels. [...]

[...] Paul Bert (Minister of Public Instruction) even compared the sensation of approaching the ballot box to that of kneeling before the altar. The Altar, which was the physical link between God and the believers, just like the ballot box is what connects the commune to the transcendent nation. This staging benefits Hitler, who uses it to legitimize his position. We can see this particularly in the youth, as in the image above: Hitler leads many young people in his wake, attracted by the allure of power and the symbols of power associated with the state man. [...]

[...] 2nd The staging of totalitarianism "The myth of unity, expressed through race, people, or masses, becomes the scenario governing the theatricalization of politics. Thus, Balandier spoke about the different forms of unitarism. Totalitarianism is the submission of all and everything to the State. However, through the staging of this subjugation, totalitarian regimes will give the illusion of acting only in the interest of the common good and thus develop a legitimacy that will make this domination acceptable. Totalitarianism will 'désindividualiser' society and build a 'we'. [...]

[...] This is the case of Pan-Germanism and the Aryan race in Germany. The Nazi propaganda, orchestrated by Goebbels, according to Balandier's words, 'allied the people and their leaders in the exaltation of common achievements'. This is the massive meetings in Nuremberg where the military parades reveal the exaltation of power and force. The Soviet totalitarianism is characterized more particularly by a very strong cult of personality of Stalin, but also, to a lesser extent, of Leonid Brezhnev. The myth of the proletariat and communism is very present, we manufacture models like the exemplary miner Aleksey Stakhanov. [...]

[...] What has remained the same is the need to theatricalize political life to legitimize domination. We must make people believe, master illusion and the imaginary, and Machiavelli's advice: 'The prince must always appear virtuous in public' has never been better applied. Myths have also changed. The biblical lineage of the kings of France has been dethroned by democracy, the all-powerfulness of the last judgment by the Republic. However, the theory of the two bodies of the King by Kantorowicz still endures, even if the political body of the monarch that ensured the continuity of the royal lineage has become the presidential body that preserves the perpetuity of the Republic. [...]