How did the Nazi regime exploit German history for its propaganda?
The example of Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck, of Prussian descent, came from a conservative background. His mentors
were two brothers, Leopold and Ludwig von Gerlach, both influential politicians in 1843, who
paved his way into politics. Initially, he quickly gained notoriety by portraying himself as a
careless rabble-rouser with clear views: “the big problems of our time are not decided by
speeches and majority votes, but by iron and blood” (Schuessler, 1928).
After victorious wars against Denmark, Austria and France, his image was a different one,
mainly because he understood how to make diplomatic arrangements and use war only as
an ultimate solution if everything else failed. This not only earned him respect, even among
liberals, it also fulfilled the eternal German longing for a strong man, something that was also
the reason for the emergence of Hitler after the Weimar Republic.
On October 7, 1879, Bismarck, by then chancellor of the German Empire, signed a
defensive alliance agreement known as the Dual Alliance with the Austrian-Hungarian
Empire. This treaty was part of a series of alliances with which Bismarck tried to prevent or
limit any possible wars. It also reflected his belief that the fate of the two empires were
closely intertwined with each other. Adolf Hitler, who became chancellor in 1933, shared this
belief strongly - he subsequently made Austria, his country of origin, part of what became the
Greater German Reich in 1938. At the time, a satirical paper issued a drawing of Bismarck
entitled ‘To the creator of Greater Germany’ on their front page (Thamer, 1998).
Hitler partly saw himself as the perfector of the work of Bismarck (Altenmüller, 2020). Once
in power, Goebbels, Minister for Propaganda, broadcasted the “Rebirth of a Nation” as a
“historic miracle”, saying that while Bismarck was the great political revolutionary of the 19th
century, Hitler was the same of the 20th century. The National Socialists also continued the
tradition of publicly celebrating Bismarck’s birthday every year on 1 April. Radical nationalists
equated Bismarck’s politics with imperialistic expansionism, something Bismarck, an
opponent to colonialism, never had had in mind. It was seen as a holy duty for every real
German patriot to visit Bismarck’s birthplace once a year, lay down a wreath and thus
commemorate his death.
Bismarck was glorified, a cult full of myths surrounded his person, especially after his death.
Everyone, not only the Nazi party tried to use him as a shining symbol for their ideology. The
latter constantly referred to “the immense power” exercised by Bismarck when “founding the
German Empire” (Völkischer Beobachter, 1938).
In summary, Bismarck paved the way for Hitler to get into power as Germans suffered from
an almost virulent yearning for a strong leader. Yet, Bismarck never played a central role in
the Nazi propaganda (Nübel, 2014) and his influence decreased at the same rate as the
Nazis became more established as the ruling power in Germany. In the end, they regarded
him merely as a predecessor to Hitler, the actual “Führer” (Ullrich, 2014).
Thamer, H.-U. (1998) Verführung und Gewalt : Deutschland, 1933-1945, Siedler eBooks.
Available at: [Link]
Völkischer Beobachter (1938) From Bismarck to Hitler.
Available at Bundesarchiv, BArch NS 26/1143
Schüßler, W. (1928) Bismarck, Die gesammelten Werke. Friedrichsruher Ausgabe, Bd. 10:
Reden. P. 140
Ullrich, V. (2014) Otto von Bismarck - Grollend geliebt, Zeit Online.
Available at: [Link]
Nübel, C. (2014) Der Bismarck-Mythos in den Reden und Schriften Hitlers. Historische
Zeitschrift, Band 298, P. 350
Available at: [Link]
Altenmüller, I. (2020) Vom Kanzler zur Kultfigur: Mythos Bismarck. NDR.
Available at: [Link]
zur-Kultfigur,[Link]
