Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

HE IS BOTH TERRIBLE AND BANAL 63many. In the Czech and Hungarian sections there were state's attorneyswilling to prosecute Jews for alleged ritual murder, and a Germandeputy in the Vienna parliament demanded a law 'grant-ma the liberty toshoot at Jews.' In Austria, anti-Semitism was one of the many nationalhatreds and that is what gave it its murderous power.Among the Germans of Austria, the party with the program of 'Hometo the Reich' and 'Away from Rome' had a third slogan: 'Out with theJews!' This movement called itself Pan-German. Toward the beginningof the century, a small, radical, and anti-Semitic group broke loose fromit, and in 1904 called itself the 'German Workers' Party.' In 1913, thisgroup debated whether to call itself the National Socialist Party ofAustria and in 1918 did so. A much greater development was that of asecond anti-Semitic movement embracing the mass of the Germanpetty-bourgeoisie and parts of the working class, but also having manysupporters among the numerous Czech population of Vienna: this wasthe Christian Social Party, led by an intellectual who had arisen frommodest circumstances: Doctor Karl Lueger. A strong personality, apowerful tribune of the people, a party despot who made himself the allpowerfulmayor of Vienna. Young Hitler admired him gready, handedout leaflets for the Christian Social Party, stood on street corners andmade speeches. Lueger had the young sons of his supporters paradethrough the streets with music, banners, and the beginnings of auniform, and Hitler said to Hanisch that this was right, the youth couldnot be given political training early enough.Later, Hitler was regretfully forced to criticize this 'mightiest Germanmayor of all times' for not having understood the racial question despitehis anti-Semitism; for him a baptized Jew was a Christian — what folly!Lueger was a good Catholic Christian, persecuting the enemies of Christas he saw fit; an armed sentry guarding Peter's Rock, obedient anddevoted to the Holy Father in Rome whom young Hitler alreadyconsciously hated, because he Was always an Italian and hence anenemy of the German people. Lueger was a loyal subject of the oldemperor, a true son of the great paternalistic Austria; with his ChristianSocial movement he