hitler

250an ethical compulsion inherent in man, the categorical imperative,man‟s internal moral law.The categorical imperative, it seems, has lost its fascinationfor young Germany. Hitler and his associates are utilitarianpoliticians. Their program – their dogma – has toyield to usefulness. Hitler preaches political exigencies andnot what he thinks are eternal truths. He does not derivehis thoughts from first causes – a process beloved by oldfashionedGermany – but motivates them with the needs ofthe day. It would be bold, perhaps, to assert that Hitler‟sGermany has succumbed to American pragmatism, but it isno more than just to say that it is undergoing a change ofheart.Hitler, at the same time, gives expression to Germany‟sconversion to individualism. From the East the averageGerman has inherited a tendency to submerge himself inthe mass. While the Frenchman is always on his guardagainst infringements of his individuality, the typical Germanview had been that personality could be best expressed througha homogeneous community. Hence the difference betweenthe conception of nationality in Germany and in the WesternEuropean countries. To the Englishman his country is aclub and to the Frenchman it is a protective association. Theyconcluded a contract with the State in the distant past thattheir lives and properties would be protected and that theywould be given a reasonable assurance of pursuing their wayof happiness.To the German this idea of citizenship is wholly alien.The State means to him primarily the collective expression