Hitler and the «Seer of the Third Reich»

Abstract

Hitler made arbitrary use of the authors he read to form his worldview. From Houston Stewart Chamberlain, for instance, he adopted elements of his theory of race, his anti-Semitism and his belief in the German mission. How Hitler chose to use those elements, however, was independent of the author’s intentions. Yet authors such as Houston Stewart Chamberlain could be described as visionaries of National Socialism. Firstly, Chamberlain’s racist and anti-Semitic resentment prepared the way for an even more radical interpretation. Secondly, Chamberlain himself believed that Hitler was the longed-for saviour of Germany and of the world.

Keywords

• Chamberlain
• Hitler
• race and culture
• German idealism
• German mission
• the Führer