Analysis of the Hitlers Table Talk, 1941-1944 - Book Report/Review Example

Term Paper on Hitler’s Table Talk, 1941-1944. The loose collection of recorded and reconstructed conversations with Hitler throughout the of the Second World War is an interesting historical source because it gives plenty of insight into Hitler the man, as well as the military leader and strategist. Despite some issues relating to the doubtful authenticity of the remarks, and the difficulty of rendering a full account from partial notes, and in translation as well, there are revealing snippets which show how Hitler felt about things as a mature leader. A great deal of work has gone into his early life and writings, where he laid out his great plans for Germany, and philosophized about the Aryan race and the way it was destined to create a great and wonderful Reich that would conquer all other races. The special importance of this book is that is shows what Hitler was like when he was off guard, and in the last years of his life, when many of his early ideas had largely been enacted upon. He was not speaking here to huge assembled crowds, and in the more intimate setting of the dinner table, he may have revealed some of his innermost thoughts, including ideas, fears and wishes that he would have hesitated to make known in a more public setting. The first paragraph selected (Paragraph A, p. 298) shows just how impressed Hitler was with one of the greatest British politicians of the twentieth century, the Welshman Lloyd George. People tend to forget that Hitler was an admirer of the British, and that he retained this admiration even through the war years when pursued a bitter conflict against them. It is interesting that he admires the speaking style of Lloyd George, and contrasts this with the “repulsive, affected type of English” spoken by Anthony Eden who was British foreign secretary at that time. It is true that Lloyd George quite rightly believed that the Treaty of Versailles amounted to an unjustly harsh repression of Germany after the First World War, and that this was bound to be popular with Hitler, who did everything in his power to evade the conditions of that treaty. The intriguing message in this paragraph is, however, that Hitler stresses it is not just what a man believes that is important, but also the way that he conveys his message to others. Lloyd George and Hitler were both charismatic speakers, who declaimed their views in a loud and manly way, not mincing their words, and saying even things that were unpopular with conviction and pride. This paragraph shows that Hitler was very conscious of the power of rhetorical skills, including his own, and it would be a great irony indeed if, as suggested here, he modelled his style on someone like Lloyd George of Britain. The power to convince others and carry forward strong views is one of the key reasons behind a politician’s success. This shows that Hitler was always conscious of the emotional and physical effect of other men on their followers, and he shrewdly spotted this talent in others. He could hardly shout his admiration for Lloyd George from the rooftops, but it appears that he did harbour a secret admiration for one of the enemy leaders. The second paragraph (Paragraph B, pp. 494-495) shows a side of Hitler that is not often mentioned in biographies of his life. He is usually depicted as a strong leader, running a number of paramilitary organizations which were segregated quite strictly along gender lines. He never married, and it is disputed just how far Hitler really appreciated women as romantic partners or as equal citizens. In his vision of Nazi Germany, young men went into the Hitler Youth, which prepared them for eventual service in one of the military services while young women had their own separate organization which prepared them to be successful wives and mothers, producing more population to sustain the growing German Reich. There is an inherent bias in this structure, which privileges the men to an active and leading role and relegates the women to a lower position of support for their men. The comment that it is better to pay women well rather than to have rely on a male friend or partner is an indication that Hitler may have changed his mind on women throughout the course of his life, coming to value them more as he got older. This paragraph shows Hitler expressing a rather modern view, and one which places women on a more equal footing. He argues that working women should be paid a fair wage, on a par with men, in return for their hard work. It may be that he noted how important women had become in sustaining the morale of the population while the men were at war, and increasingly also, how critical women’s work was in maintaining industrial output, and a smooth running of society. No doubt these ulterior motives influenced his thinking on this point, but nevertheless this paragraph is evidence that Hitler respected women, and valued their contribution, at least in the case of German women. The final paragraph selected for discussion (paragraph C, p. 170) is one which occurs early in the book, at a time when the winning the war appeared still to be within Germany’s grasp. Hitler looks back on his earlier life and speaks of “my setback in 1923” which refers to his mis-timed and failed attempt to seize power during a public meeting in Munich. His resulting arrest, trial and imprisonment were a huge blow to his self-esteem, and he reveals here that saw this as a temporary “setback” using the image of a coiled spring, waiting to be released again so that it could spring into action as if nothing had happened. This reveals the resilience of his self-belief as a young man. It appears that he has transferred some of this faith into his followers in middle life, since he says “I believe blindly in my nation.” What is new in his later reflection in this paragraph, is that he is beginning to realize that he is mortal, and he fears the possibility of losing faith again, because he is not the same resilient youth that he once was. Hitler’s philosophy is curiously fatalistic. He believes that one is born either to be an optimist or a pessimist, which denies the freedom of an individual to make his or her own destiny. He further believes that optimism grows weaker, which in effect is to say that even optimists tend towards pessimism as they grow older. On the surface this is just a generalization about life which need not be taken too seriously, but it is possible that there is also some deeper psychological truth about Hitler hidden in this paragraph. It seems that Hitler is not able to tolerate the prospect of gradual decline. In this respect he is fighting against human nature because everyone will one day, if they are fortunate, reach old age and discover that their powers are becoming less. Life becomes more of a struggle and it takes great courage to keep going in the certain knowledge that decline is inevitable. Hitler reveals here that he can imagine a situation where he would not have the strength to recover from a setback. He implies that he could not face being let down by the nation that he so blindly has placed his confidence in. Saying that he would have no other alternative but “to shut up shop” if he lost this belief in his country is in fact a very prophetic remark. It turned out at the end of it all that he took his own life, and in effect closed down the huge apparatus of Nazism, rather than face the shame of defeat and the strenuous challenge of dealing with the aftermath of a war which Germany had lost. These three small paragraphs contain clues about the emotional make up of a man who is often viewed as a monster. He shows a human side in these paragraphs, admitting emotions like admiration, pride and fear of failure and this gives the reader a more rounded picture of him as a human being. In between the rather repetitive and boring sections about Nazi ideology these personal touches show good and bad points in his character that illuminate his actions. One could speculate, for example, that if he had been less fatalistic about the human ability to be optimistic, and to retain resilience in maturity, then he might have survived the war and been a focal point for revival of the ideas he so strongly believed in when he was alive. He had argued all along that the Jews were to blame for everything, and he could have continued in this vein through another arrest and trial. It seems, however, that Hitler in his heart of hearts knew that he might one day face another “setback” and his intriguing off-hand dinner conversation suggests that he had already planned his response to this, several years before it came to pass. Reference Cameron, N. and Stevens, R.H. (Eds) Hitler’s Table Talk, 1941-1944. New York: Enigma Books, 2000. Extracts from Hitler’s Table Talk, 1941-1944. Paragraph A. (p. 298) The Briton who made the deepest impression on me was Lloyd George. Eden speaks a repulsive, affected type of English, but Lloyd George was a pure orator, and a man of tremendous breadth of vision. What he has written on the Treaty of Versailles will endure for ever. He was the first man to declare that this Treaty would lead inevitably to another war. The idea that a people like the German people can be destroyed is madness, he said. Britain, he added, had no alternative but to live on terms of friendship with Germany. Paragraph B. (pp. 494-495) Of primary importance were the measures we took to ensure a living wage for working women, such as secretaries, shopgirls, artistes and the like. By insisting that they receive a regular wage in accordance with their qualifications—instead of the sort of pocket-money they formerly received—we have delivered them from the doleful necessity of being dependent on an ami for their existence. Paragraph C. (p. 170) One is born an optimist, just as one is born a pessimist. With age, optimism gets weaker. The spring relaxes. When I suffered my setback in 1923, I had only one idea, to get back into the saddle. To-day Id no longer be capable of the effort which that implies. The awareness that one is no longer capable of that has something demoralising about it. I believe blindly in my nation. If I lost that belief, wed have nothing left to do but to shut up shop. Read More