Ian Kershaw's The Hitler Myth

They say it only takes one person to change the world. History has been filled with many notable figures that have left a tremendous mark on the world. Such figures include: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Charles Darwin, Napoleon, and a plethora of others. Perhaps one of the more interesting, and possibly contentious names to stand along these other figures is Adolf Hitler. Known for having orchestrated one of the worst events throughout human history, he has been the subject of many portrayals and depictions and with there being many different mediums available to do it. Hitler is at that caliber of notoriety where he has appeared in almost every form of medium out there. With all these different and varying forms of media Hitler has …show more content…
While it is evident that in Mein Kampf Hitler may have not been true with everything he wrote, and that he altered certain aspects in order to make himself look less inferior, and attribute himself as a leader and defender of the “Lord’s work”. With Kershaw’s monograph, he used a wide variety of sources to collect his information, as opposed to Hitler having everything come from himself. What Kershaw suggests in the monograph was that Hitler was a product of the ‘Hitler Myth’. The ‘Hitler Myth’, or rather ‘Führer Myth’, was an “image-building” technique used as propaganda to entice the masses by having a leader that would lead Germany. Kershaw mentions that there was a time where Hitler was just to drum up support in order to pave the way for the rightful leader to lead the German people. The Hitler portrayed here is more in line with an outside supporter rather than the leader figure he showed himself to be in Mein Kampf, as Hitler believed himself to be the one to pave the way for the great leader. Even according to Otto Braun, the SPD Prussian Minister President referred to Hitler as a “prototype for the political adventurer.” Eventually, Hitler would transition into his role and in which, “he had to act as the ‘Leader,’” and he would transform himself into the “Führer.” The way Hitler is portrayed by Kershaw showed that this persona of ‘Führer’ was more a product of propaganda which was placed onto Hitler and a role that he had accepted, rather than Hitler having been this way before. Moreover, the way Hitler portrayed himself as this “Leader” in Mein Kampf could be a result of this myth. Hitler was set up to be a defender of the German people and a man of the people that he claimed to be in Mein Kampf. As been noted, Kershaw portrayed Hitler in a way that seemed as though he was just a product of this propaganda “image-building” used to appeal to the masses. Furthermore, the Hitler that