Hitler's Readings

Chamberlain and Wagner 

Hitler read Chamberlain's biography of Wagner thoughtfully. The impact of Houston Stewart Chamberlain is frequently highlighted in historical accounts. His work The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century, which presents a racial theory that the author himself did not regard as scientific but more as a product of his intuition, is often discussed. However, he found it absurd to turn the Jews into a universal scapegoat, and he held a deep respect for St. Paul. Chamberlain was a good citizen, somewhat liberal even. He wrote serious works on Kant, Goethe, and Wagner. For Hitler, Chamberlain's personality was more important than his work. The English general's son became German while promoting the superiority of the German race. What was even more significant was that Chamberlain married Wagner's daughter, thus becoming a symbol of the great composer. Hitler's most personal book in his library was Chamberlain's book on Wagner. A Wagner fan lady gifted it to Hitler on his birthday in 1933. Hitler regarded Wagner as his only predecessor, but their connection cannot be reduced to mere anti-Semitism. Hitler saw in Wagner's anti-Semitism only an atmosphere, born from resentment, in contrast to his own scientifically judged racism.

Hitler's admiration for Wagner had deeper roots: at 16, he saw The Rhinegold in Linz and was truly ecstatic. He spoke to his friend about his mission and the endangered state of the German nation. "It began at that hour," he later said. He allegedly knew The Mastersingers of Nuremberg by heart. Wagner's theory of genius comforted Hitler in his life's failures. The vision of the struggle between Wagnerian heroes and the evil external world validated his opposition to the world, strengthening his "all or nothing" primitive philosophy of life and his expectation of miracles. Wagner's operas also provided an experience of mobilizing and moving large crowds. For Hitler, art became the art of moving the masses. It is not Wagner's fault that Hitler discovered "the myth of blood." Hitler continued Wagner's legacy with his own melodrama. Using Wagnerian-inspired words, he informed those around him that he would marry Eva Braun and, after that, choose death with her.

In Chamberlain's book, Hitler found one of his own earlier pieces of wisdom: "Fundamentally, my movement is nothing but a renewal process emerging from the primal strength of the German people." According to Chamberlain, the path to renewal was shown to the German people by two poets, Schiller and Wagner, not by politicians. Hitler derived not just inspiration but also concrete guidance from Chamberlain's book, more precisely confirmation that he was on the right path. He, too, planned for social leveling, the abolition of all noble privileges, the acquisition of colonies, and the creation of a general people's army. Wagner's thoughts also aligned with the Führer principle: the leader expresses the people and, based on some kind of common agreement, holds absolute power. For Hitler, Wagner was more than just a composer. But Wagner was only a composer, who only illustrates. Because: "It is entirely impossible to express a worldview as a science musically." That is the Führer's task, who assigns further duties: "Everything healthy is alone right and natural. Everything right and natural is thereby beautiful... The world enemy, against whom we are at war, has committed to the destruction of truth just as it has committed to the destruction of beauty... do not let ourselves be deceived..." Wagner's music became the background noise for the cult of race, or rather some sort of psychotropic drug. Hitler liked the symbolism of Wagner's music, its poster-political character, but perhaps he did not actually like Wagner. (J. Roth).

Miskolczy Ambrus " A Führer olvas", Napvilág Kiadó, Budapest, 2000