Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler

shed tears over the lost 'lambs'; for it lost only those who had long ceased to belong to it. The
difference between the new reformation and the old one was that in the old days many of the
best people in the Church turned away from it through profound religious conviction, while
now only those who were lukewarm to begin with departed, and this from 'considerations' of
a political nature.
And precisely from the political standpoint the result was just as laughable as it was sad.
Once again a promising political movement for the salvation of the German nation had gone
to the dogs because it had not been led with the necessary cold ruthlessness, but had lost
itself in fields which could only lead to disintegration.
For one thing is assuredly true:
The Pan-German movement would never have made this mistake but for its insufficient
understanding of the psyche of the broad masses. If its leaders had known that to achieve
any success one should, on purely psychological grounds, never show the masses two or
more opponents, since this leads to a total disintegration of their fighting power, for this
reason alone the thrust of the Pan-German movement would have been directed at a single
adversary. Nothing is more dangerous for a political party than to be led by those jacks-ofall-trades
who want everything but can never really achieve anything.
Regardless how much room for criticism there was in any religious denomination a political
party must never for a moment lose sight of the fact that in all previous historical experience
a purely political party in such situations had never succeeded in producing a religious
reformation. And the aim of studying history is not to forget its lessons when occasion arises
for its practical application, or to decide that the present situation is different after all, and
that therefore its old eternal truths are no longer applicable; no, the purpose of studying
history is precisely its lesson for the present. The man who cannot do this must not conceive
of himself as a political leader; in reality he is a shallow, though usually very conceited, fool,
and no amount of good will can excuse his practical incapacity.
In general the art of all truly great national leaders at all times consists among other things
primarily in not dividing the attention of a people, but in concentrating it upon a single foe.
The more unified the application of a people's will to fight, the greater will be the magnetic
attraction of a movement and the mightier will be the impetus of the thrust. It belongs to the
genius of a great leader to make even adversaries far removed from one another seem to
belong to a single category, because in weak and uncertain characters the knowledge of
having different enemies can only too readily lead to the beginning of doubt in their own
right.
Once the wavering mass sees itself in a struggle against too many enemies, objectivity will
put in an appearance, throwing open the question whether all others are really wrong and
only their own people or their own movement are in the right.
And this brings about the first paralysis of their own power. Hence a multiplicity of different
adversaries must always be
combined so that in the eyes of the masses of one's own supporters the struggle is directed
against only one enemy. This strengthens their faith in their own right and enhances their
bitterness against those who attack it.
That the old Pan-German movement failed to understand this deprived it of success.
Its goal had been correct, its will pure, but the road it chose was wrong. It was like a
mountain climber who keeps the peak to be climbed in view and who sets out with the
greatest determination and energy, but pays no attention to the trail, for his eyes are always
on his goal, so that he neither sees nor feels out the character of the ascent and thus comes
to grief in the end.
The opposite state of affairs seemed to prevail with its great competitor, the Christian Social
Party.
The road it chose was correct and well-chosen, but it lacked clear knowledge of its goal.