Heinrich Nann Analyzes Nazi Hate

(“They are not the real Germany-neither Hitler, or Goering, nor Goebbels,” says Heinrich Manu, famous German novelist, critic and essayist, in his latest books, “Der Hass”-“Hat-red”, just brought out by the Querido Publishing House in Amsterdam, Holland. Although not a Jew, Manu is sharing the fate of his “non-Ar-yan” colleagues and friends who had made Germany-culturally-what she was in pre-Hitlerite days. The following chapter on “Hate”, secially translated for the Jewish Daily Bulletin, will be follwoed shortly by other excerpts from this remarkable collection of essays.)

Witnessing what is going on in Germany, we are amazed at the proportions-never before imagined-that hate can assume. Under normal conditions, it is a comparatively mid form of hatred that one encounters in civilized society. The individual, as a rule, finds it next to impossible to hate without stint and without limit. To be sure, one is bound to make enenies, but one is loathe to believe that they are capable of any dastarther are one’s friends opposite direction. Both our friends and enemies are not unlike ourselves in that we all love or hate only up to a certain limit. After this has been reached, one is usually beset with doubts – something wholesome for one’s physical and spiritual does more arm than good and, besides, is not worthy of one’s intelligence. We compare our friends with our enemiees, and come to the inevitable conclusion that, when all is said and done, they are-all of them-human beings.

One must leave a great deal behind before one decides to devote oneself to the pursuit of unbounded hate, unless the individual in question has never been civilized enough to be motivated by humane considerations and doubts. Indeed, there are two distinet groups within the ranks of Germany’s ruling party-plain beasts, beasts, and deserters from civilization who had to force themselves to fall back into a state of primitive barbarism. It is safe to assume that members of the second group have to carry their of the first group, because beasts by nature need not prove to themselves that they are inhuman.

GOEBBELS AN EXAMPLE

A case in point is Goebbels, that morally bankrupt young literalteur and present Minister of Propaganda. He was, at one time, the disciple of a Jewish university professor, of profound learning, himself in the vanguard of the circle surrounding Stefan Georg, the poet. But once those who despise the “great unwashed” throw themsleve into a mass movement, their repulsion for the masses still persisting within them, they cannot help but incite these very masses, with unflagging zeal, against their own class. It would have been so simple, not to say natural, to infuse the common people, with hopes, perhaps Marxian, yet hopes, nevertheless. What has the young moral degenerate given them, instead? Hate, hate, nothing but hate. Hardly had he joined the National-Socialist movement when he began sowing hatred by words of month and by deeds. He forgot his Jewish studies, and launched a crusads against the Jewish spitit. Conscious of his failure as an author, he swore public vengeance against writers more gifted than himself. And yet, his background had filled him with aversion for the crude desires of the hoi-polloi. He therefore whipped up his audiences with fury until they fairly jumped at the very mention of the word Marxist. All his past faifures and the club-foot with which nature had endowed him, became the never drying well of his lust for revenge, and he has known how to impart it to others. Therein lies his strngth.

He breathed hatred. He poisoned th air of meeting halls, of open air meetings, the air of the entire country. He was not raving all by himself-so were all the Nazi agitators their accession to power, and so they are to this day. But he was better equipped for the gospel of hatred than any one else in their midst. At any rate, he had to renounce his past until it became so distant that he could loosen all his primitive instincts. To demand, year in, year out, the heads of Jews, intellectuals and Marxists was quits natural for a Goering who is more of a beast than a man, a beast inflicted with mysticism. Nor did the “great” Hitler suffer from any pangs of conscience when he undertook ot become the high priest of hats. One must admit that hated is the very essence of his existence.

What does surprise us is that Goebbels, the young, alert Miniter of Propagada, the well mannered, gentleman, chose the road of hated knowingly and aided in the rise of the barbarians. It has even helped him learn the meaning of joy, something to which he was an utter stranger during his pursuit of the higher branches of literature. Now he feels himself no longer a misfit, and something of the youthful joy of living has entered his being. His very style has become rejuvenated and has reached a certain degree of crudeness which has an irresistible appeal for the masses. He appeals to vast multitudes who listen and repound to his harangues. He opens his equally-figuratively speaking-vast month, and releases Nia gras of hatred. But he also known how to flatter his audiences. FOr Goebbels’ flattery seems ot have an irresistable appeal ot his listeners and wins their hearts for him.

It is to cry, but the fact remains that with the aid of a combination of circustances and opportunitiees that could obtain only once in the course of centuries, a certain trait in human character has been loosened and crystallized, which otherwise would have been absolutely unthunkable. Otherwise the sorry spectacle presented by the Germany of today would defy all underdanding. The least civilized members of society could not possibly overpower by themselves, unaided a culture nurtured on indeals of Man’s higher duties. This could not have taken place without the co-operation of deserters.

Be that as it may, it was the humiliation of the defeat, the stupid criminality of the unemployment problem, that were reponsible for Germany’s becoming the Land of Hate. National pride, too, was a factor, but not of prime importance. This pride had a great deal to do with the hatred of the Germans of the Right for those of the Left, and without this feeling being present it is doubtful that the limitless hatred as it obtains in Germany today would at all be possible. The Republic, too, was nationalistically minded but its leaders realized full well that the accomplishment of that which was desired by all – peace and understanding in the economic as well as inthe spiritual field. All nations had had enough trials and tribulations.

At times, the Republic was confronted with the accusation fo being responsible for events that were very painful to its leaders themselves. To this are to be added its vacillation and occasional lack of deciions, combianed with falling back decision, combined with falling back upon the most harmful forms of nationalism. Good intentions were not always effective where courage was wanting. I know from personal knowledge how saddend Briand was by the repeated denonstrations of the Steel Helmets. And this took place when the Republic was at the height of its power! It condoned all this means of organizing greater and greater numbers of Storm Troopers. Heavily shaken at its foundations, the Republic did not care to admit that it might fall.

The bourgeois minded Republicans put all their faith in law and order. That is why they never realized the full meaning of hate. And yet, they saw it surge and threaton to engulf them. They were facing it and its precursor, bloodshed. But they kept consoling themselves by saying: “It will blow over. These National Scocialists will destroy one another. Some day, the more moderate ones among them will become our corulers and will, in the long run, learn the meaning of responsibility. After all, what do they want? Continued on page Five