Part Two: Adolf Hitler on Basic Ideas Regarding the Meaning and Organization of the S.A. (Part Two)

Chapt. 9, Vol II: Basic Ideas Regarding the Meaning and Organization of the S.A. (Part Two)  Summary

9.8 The Revolution led to the enforced creation of a new power factor to ensure state authority—a worldview in direct contradiction to the former one. It was able to create a new army—limited externally by the peace treaties—that was subsequently transformed in spirit into an instrument of the new state conception.That the revolution as a political act succeeded was due to: 1) a paralysis of our conceptions of duty and obedience, and 2) the cowardly passivity of our so-called state-preserving (conservative) parties. [Mitch McConnell is the epitome of this in the US.]

To this must be added: The paralysis that attacked our concepts of duty and obedience was fundamentally due to our wholly non-national and State education. Consciousness of duty, fullfillment of duty, and obedience are not ends in themselves but means to facilitate and assure a community of spiritually and physically homogeneous people. According to our current bourgeois state conception, if a divisional general received an order not to shoot, he acted dutifully and thus rightly in not shooting because blind, formal obedience is more valuable than the life of a nation. But according to the National Socialist conception, it isn't obedience to weak superiors that should prevail at such moments, but obedience to the national community. The duty of personal responsibility towards the whole nation comes to the fore. The Revolution succeeded because that concept had ceased to be a living concept with our people, and government – and gave way to something that was merely formal and doctrinaire.

On the second point, the deeper reason for the cowardice of the 'state-preserving' parties is that the most active and well-intentioned section of our people died in the war. The bourgeois parties were covinced they ought to defend their principles only by intellectual ways and means, To fight Marxism with 'intellectual weapons' only was an absurdity. Marxism always professed the doctrine that the use of arms was purely a matter of expediency, and that success justified their use. From 7 to 11 November 1918, the Marxists did not bother themselves in the least about parliament or democracy, but gave the death blow through their yelling and shooting mob of criminals. The bourgeois talking clubs were defenseless.

9.9 After the Revolution, the new state developed along its own course, as if there were no national opposition at all. When the Law for the Protection of the Republic was introduced, the bourgeois 'statesmen' voted for the law because they feared they might get their heads smashed by the demonstrating Marxists on leaving the Reichstag. Marxism's success was due to a perfect combination of political will and ruthless brutality. Nationalist Germany lacked both.

9.10 The French Revolution and the Russian Revolution owed their success to a new and great idea. It was [equally] an idea that enabled fascism to triumphantly subject a whole nation [Italy] to a process of complete renovation. Bourgeois parties are incapable of this.

Marxism gradually acquired the authority to enforce its power over the Reichswehr, and then proceeded to abolish those defense leagues that seemed so dangerous. Some rash leaders who defied orders were sent to prison. (Sound familiar? -cy)

9.11 The founding of the NSDAP initiated, for the first time, a movement that sought to substitute an organic folkish State for the present absurd state mechanism. From the first day, it took its stand on the idea that muscular force would be employed to defend it with its own forces. Acknowledging that one worldview can only be conquered by a new and different worldview has always been unpleasant for the bureaucrats of the State. Bourgeois simpletons babble about the necessity of not governing against the wishes of the workers, and by 'workers' they mean Marxism.

The German State is strongly overrun by Marxism. In view of the complete subordination of the present State to Marxism, in 70 years of struggle the State has been unable to prevent the triumph of this worldview. [In light of this] the National Socialist movement feels all the more bound to prepare for the triumph of its idea, but also to take upon itself a defense against the terror of the International.

9.12 What distinguishes the security troops of the National Socialist movement from all other defense leagues is the fact that our formations weren't meant to defend the conditions created by the Revolution, but that they fought exclusively for a new Germany.

In the beginning, [it] merely had the character of a meeting-hall guard, making it possible to hold our meetings, which otherwise would have been completely prevented by our opponents. After the meeting-hall fight in the Munich Hofbräuhaus, our security troops were called the Sturmabteilung [storm section] (SA). They are only one section of the movement, one link, just like propaganda, the press, educational institutes, and other sections.

We learned how necessary that formation was when we sought to gradually spread the movement beyond Munich. Once we began to appear dangerous to Marxism, they lost no opportunity to try to preempt or break up any NS meeting. All Marxist organiations always blindly supported the policy and activities of their representatives and reduced to silence the bourgeois parties. Yet these bourgeois parties were pleased with every set-back we had in our fight against Marxism! They were happy that those whom they could not defeat, couldn't be broken by us either. What can be said of persons who debased themselves so far, for a pitiful word of praise from the Jewish papers?

Our movement became secure and attracted public attention and the general respect given to those who can defend themselves when attacked, only when it built up its own defense.

Next: Part Three