Hitler, in his closing speech of the Triumph of the Will, maintains a celebratory tone consistent with the parading of much of the film. There are a few statements in particular that interest me because they seem to hint at what is to come in the near future under the Nazi regime. Hitler asserts that the National Socialist party will hold onto its power at all cost saying:
"The German people are happy in the knowledge that the constantly changing leadership has now been replaced by a fixed pole; a force which considers itself the representative of the best blood, and, knowing this, has elevated themselves to the leadership of this Nation and is determined to keep this leadership, to use it to the best advantage and never to relinquish it again."
Within this assertion, Hitler makes reference to his 'best blood,' which suggests that he and his fellow National Socialists are genetically superior to their competitors. He revisits the notion of superiority: "The Party will for all time to come represent the elite of the political leadership of the German people." Already, the framework for genocide is in place, though at the time unrecognizable. This underlying framework is perhaps most evident when Hitler says "Today, we ourselves must remove undesirable elements which have proven to be bad. What is bad, has no place among us! " At the time, this statement was more likely perceived to be a statement of personal purification or ridding political corruption than a statement of ethnic cleansing. The double readings of these statements are a clever way for the Party to be aboveboard about their goals without the affront of an outright racist manifesto. The careful manipulation of words and images is the reason that the Nazi party was so successful.
You make some great points about "best blood".
ReplyDeleteBe careful, however, with the connection between blood and genocide, however, as the connection between the two at this point in time is debatable and would reduce history to a clear, single path easily read in retrospect. Systematic genocide did not start until 1942 (Wannsee Conference), where high ranking officials decided on genocide as a solution to the "Jewish Problem".