Mises wrote this essay in 1940 from Geneva, where he lived after Nazis forced him out of Austria and his apartment was ransacked by German troops. This section of the German predecessor to Human Action was later cut from the English edition, and remained unpublished until 1988. It is online here for the first time. This section describes the political and ideological support for Hitler, which Mises attributes to the fear of communism, the success of Social Democracy in building the state, the desire of workers for security, the penchant of the masses to take leaps into unknown, and the intellectual bankruptcy of public ideology. [Full Article]
Source link: http://blog.mises.org/2803/the-source-of-hitlers-success/
The Source of Hitler’s Success
Previous post: The American Peso
Next post: Asian Think Tanks Meet
{ 12 comments }
Ludwig von Mises points to the lack of rationality associated with Hitler’s success, and concludes by advocating rational examination, particularly with regard to economic issues. Unfortunately, as a utilitarian, he disregards the role of values. Much of the success in defeating fascism was due to supporting a different vision, which included liberty, family, tradition, etc. To offset barbarism, rationality is required, but what is central are the aspirations of civilization (which include truth, justice, beauty, and individual rights).
Today, the Arab-Muslim bloc advances by the Koranic doctrine of spreading Dar al Islam by force (the sword). Our response requires an alternate approach, where none have the right to initiate force, but the obligation to counter it.
Allen Weingarten
Mises, speaking of the justifications of Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini for their brutal practices:
“It is a law of nature, they say, that great historic changes cannot take place peacefully or without conflict. It would be petty and stupid, they contend, to overlook the creative quality of their work because of some unpleasantness which the great world revolution must necessarily bring with it.”
Notice how easily Mises’ words could be applied to the contempt with which Bush, Rumsfeld, and the entire Neocon establishment have dismissed the “messiness” and “collateral damage” that have accompanied their own revolution to “spread freedom” throughout the Middle East. For that matter, plug in the names Lincoln and Wilson and you get the same thing.
Perhaps I read too much into this article but I feel it has a disturbing resonance with present day life in the UK.
One of the hallmarks of the current left-wing administration here is the constant claim that they are the ‘modenisers’. ‘New Labour’ are framing the UK as ‘modern’ Britain, and as master spin doctors they are the arbiters of ‘cool’. Anything that smacks of tradition is derided. And as the article says , many people go along with it because it seems new or simply because “they fear to appear old-fashioned and reactionary”.
While the context is different (although they are getting frighteningly authoritarian), the rhetoric obviously hasn’t changed much in over 60 years.
After reading this, I understand better how Orwell dreamed up his fact-is-stranger-than-fiction totalitarian dystopia.
von Mises was a utilitarian because he believed in achieving values.
The belief in achieving values via the state is the mistake of the Nazis and their ilk.
Rationality/irrationality, civilisation/barbarism, right/left labour, all the opposition of a concept are all HERE to say us that civilisation is only of the conquerers and the socalled VALUES too. The post of Weingarten is an exemple: we live in a mad world of fanaticism religion drived by insane ideas. In fact, in order to fight one fascism, we oppose another kind of fascism. Where are here the “rationalism” that lead the “Cultur” I don’t succeed to see. I may be wrong but i doubt strongly the emerging power of justice and truth right now. I see instead RETHORIC and self interest only into a despair feeling of decadence of the western culture. For the BEAUTY just a few days ago the famous water-closed by Duchamps was awarded the most representative piece of art of the past century.
It just goes to show: God really is still speaking.
“Ludwig von Mises points to the lack of rationality associated with Hitler’s success, and concludes by advocating rational examination, particularly with regard to economic issues. Unfortunately, as a utilitarian, he disregards the role of values.”
I don’t believe Mises was a utilitarian. The foundations of Austrian economics reject comparisons of utility from the outset, and instead leads to consequential arguments, not utilitarian.
Brian: Look, you’ve got it all wrong! You don’t *need* to follow *me*. You don’t *need* to follow *anybody*! You’ve got to think for yourselves! You’re *all* individuals!
The Crowd: Yes! We’re all individuals!
Brian: You’re all different!
The Crowd: Yes, we *are* all different!
– Monty Python’s Life of Brian
personally, i tend to agree with what nietzsche wrote. people must valuate their own values for themselves. otherwise social conformity — whether from collectivism or democracy — will “grind everyone to dust”.
neocons serve the trotsky agenda of internationalism, but under the guise of “democracy” rather than “communism”. however, just as true communism cannot functionally exist, i seriously question the possibility of truly functional democracy. the cccp was never a true communist state; the usa has never been a true democracy (though certainly a republic).
richard dawkins recently gave a wonderful interview on bill moyer’s NOW about social cultural “wars” against intellectual rationalism.
ultimately, i find that most people are very poor systems thinkers. i suspect this has largely to do with their upbringing and soul-crushing state-controlled formal education. as a consequence, the majority of people seem to believe that the end can justy the means, and pay little mind to the process. combined with an inured belief that the perceived hierarchial supremacy of the state has omnipotent accuracy and precision to effect change like a genie granting a wish (likewise responsible for the delusion that the state can magic away the problem of scarcity), the genie is more like a monkey’s paw. wishes are certainly granted, but not with the contextually intended outcome. or, this reminds me most of all of the pied piper of hamelin. give someone the authority to solve your rat problem, and you’ll soon find them in a position to relieve your of your child problem as well.
or as alan watts once said, “When you set someone up as an authority, never forget that the belief that you have in this authority is just your opinion.”
-z
The source of Hitler’s success was the German’s believe that they are the master race and their hatred of Jews. Germans still think that they are the master race and still hate the Jews. Germany would start WW3 for the Fourth Reich if they thought they had a chance.
To HItler, diverting resources for the purpose of killing Jews was more important than sending resources to the Russian front.
All the above said has a resonance also in the US. Actually, Hitler was almost defeated in the beginning of the 30′s but the ‘donations’ of Prescott Bush (grandfather of the actual US president) in the name of Harriman and Thyssen has brought him and his NSDAP-party to life again. So no wonder why there are actually so many similarities in this world: the right wing parties are favoring Hitler’s thinking in a very old-fashioned way.
The hatred of Jews is no German speciality. The Jews themselves maintain their superiority alive. (See the Middle East conflict!!!) I have traveled all over the world and worked in many different countries, inclusive in Israel and most Arab countries. Jews and Arabs are cousins and have many things in common. Germans and Jews are cousins and have many things in common. I definitely know that my ex-mother-in-law has kept a jewish girl during all the years in her home and although she was from a very rich family and instead of saying ‘Heil Hitler’ she always said: ‘Guten Tag’ to everybody; I definitely know that also her cousin – an extraordinary and wealthy man could not stand Hitler and made this even public. He died in the early 80′s at the advanced age of 102 years… And there are many more examples if you need more.
In the US and in France I have met a lot of people during my business travels who told me that Hitler made a big mistake: he was to moderate in a certain aspect….(to formulate it moderately, too).
Well, fortunately, I was born at the right time just at the beginning of the 2nd World War which was highly favored by the British and the Americans. I also know that there have been pogroms in many parts of the US, too, but the information has been burned….
That again shows us that no ‘race’ is right and no one is wrong: they are all the same and they just jump in on the events which show that the other one might be a bit more ugly….
Love, happiness and peace to all of you from Southamerica. Sigi
Von Mises called himself a utilitarian, and I took him at his word. I believe it was because he would have accepted socialism or communism if they could achieve the ends they claim to seek.
The point I would make is that the values sought can only be achieved through Austrian economics, even if the arguments are consequential.
Comments on this entry are closed.