Hitler's Use of Machiavelli's Ideas

As soon as Hitler came to power, he started the militarization of Germany which eventually led to every German contributing to the war in one way or another. This perfect military state would prove to be the end of Hitler, and funny enough Machiavelli also tells of how one can fall easily from power after gaining a new principality. Machiavelli’s lengthy description includes Hitlers major fault, gaining too much force and too much authority “He has only to take care that they do not get hold of too much power and too much authority, and then with his own forces, and with their goodwill, he can easily keep down the more powerful of them, so as to remain entirely master in the country. And he who does not properly manage this business will soon lose what he has acquired, and whilst he does hold it he will have endless difficulties and troubles.” (Chp.3 Pg.46). Too much force was the flaw that Machiavelli had forewarned. To say whether or not Machiavelli would have agreed with other tactics of Hitler’s power stuggle, I would have to say yes. In politics, people only dream of the things that Hitler did. Ethics behind the genocide of the Jewish population obviously show that the guy was a complete nutcase, but in terms of his rise to political power Hitler did an amazing job. Although it was more of a right place righ time situation, as shown in a part of David A. Meyer's biography of Hitler "In January 1923, French and Belgian troops marched into Germany to settle a reparations dispute. Germans resented this occupation, which also had an adverse effect on the economy. Hitler's party benefitted by the reaction to this development, and exploited it by holding mass protest rallies despite a ban on such rallies by the local police. The Nazi party began drawing thousands of new members, many of whom were victims of hyper-inflation and found comfort in blaming the Jews for this trouble. The price of an egg, for example, had inflated to 30 million times its original price in just 10 years. Economic upheaval generally breeds political upheaval, and Germany in the 1920s was no exception ". It is what he did with that power that ruined his political reign. I shall list here some things that Machiavelli would have liked about hitler, although my main argument is over. Hitler knew that “war is not averted, but it is postponed to the advantage of others” (Chp.3 Pg.47). Hitler also knew how to hold an image of power, just as M says “a prudent man should always enter by paths beaten by great men and imitate those who have been most excellent, so that if his virtue does not arrive there, at least it gives off some scent of it”(Chp.6 Pg.55). Hitler was a large fan of Benito Mussolini, who had created a Facist party in Italy in 1922. He knew to do something great he must act as though he already were great, this attitude mixed with his Wagnerian aesthetics made him seem that much more than he really was. In conclusion, Machiavelli's takes on human condition and struggle for power stayed true long enough for them to be taken into consideration by one of the most evil men to walk the earth.

A great video to check out is https://youtu.be/EV9kyocogKo which shows the virtue that Hitler contained and shared to the minds of his people.

Works cited:

http://www2.dsu.nodak.edu/users/dmeier/Holocaust/hitler.html