raised the black flag of war against all states and all peoples one needs your talents or knowledge. You, salt of the earth, of the world. By selecting the Jews as victims of its are doomed to become waiters and taxi drivers. Don’t you demagogy, National-Socialism freed its hand against every see the cold and merciless eyes of world Jewry gazing at nation and social class. It was able to declare war both on you like a fog encircling Germany? Let us fight on behalf Marxism and the new structure of Russian society, and of our national honor and trampled earth, let us together on plutocratic England, America and France; in a word, it extinguish the decaying world of Jewry.’ was able to declare war against the world. This choice of Having reached this dead end, Germany blindly victims constituted the first decision made by the criminal, followed National-Socialism. It was pushed onto this path jingoist National-Socialists. by defeat and reaction. But not by these things alone, no. Antisemitism has always been the banner, weapon Germany had been prepared for this path over the centuries and wool used by reactionaries to blindfold the masses. by a culture of national and political egoism. Germany It has always been an opiate in dark times when ruling had never lost faith in the strength of its clenched fist to minorities sought to deceive the masses, and deflect the knock the world flat. It had always continued to believe righteous anger of the oppressed. National-Socialism came in the sanctity of righteous war, and regarded the strategic to power in Germany during a period when reaction had plans of its military as its highest social ethic. And so, ten gripped every stratum and class within German society. years ago Germany finally became wedded to National- Reactionary politics won out in Germany after its defeat Socialism. The explosive interaction of historical factors in the imperialist war of 1914. Blinded by national egoism, and a reactionary atmosphere became the second reason every strata of German society had invested different why National-Socialism felt compelled to choose the hopes in an eventual victory. But the war failed to resolve Jewish people as victims of its criminal demagogy. the conflicts of the modern capitalist world, and the Treaty And the final reason: fascism is profoundly opposed to of Versailles proved equally unable to resolve them. The the idea of equality among nations, of the brotherhood and solution to these conflicts lies in the great and sacred unity of all peoples of the world. The foundational principle principles of brotherhood and equality of all peoples; it of fascism, after all, is a belief in the master German race. lies in the eradication of imperialistic conflict between Fascism therefore decided to construct a great ladder of states, the elimination of class structure in society, and in forced labour of nations. It resolved to poison each nation the creation of a collective means of production and a just against all others: to place the Dutch and Danes on the distribution of goods. highest rungs of the ladder of punishment in order to But to its own misfortune, humanity did not have the show them that they are better off than the Norwegians strength to complete this task. and French; to poison the French with an awareness of At that point, National-Socialism led onto the execu- the petty privileges they have over the Czechs and Greeks; tioner’s block a universal and eternal, tried and true, to place the Serbs further down, and appease them with defenceless and therefore desirable enemy: the Jew. With the fact that Ukrainians and Belorussians stand below no law and no army to defend him, the Jew is an optimal them on the bottom rungs. And finally, fascism resolved to target for the wrath of a weak underdog. frighten this whole entire colony of peoples, its ladder of ‘You fear proletarian revolution,’ the Nazis told oppression, with the horrible abyss of non-existence it had Germany’s capitalists, ‘you fear communism, which is a prepared for the Jewish people. Do itler and the German fasist leaders all truly believe that ews are Germany s foremost enemies, or that their annihilation is neessary for Germany s happiness­ €f ourse not ‚hese people onsiously produed this bloody propaganda hundred times more frightening to you than the Versailles But for fascism it was not enough to scare the Treaty. We too fear the proletarian revolution. Let us unite Ukrainians with the destruction of the Jewish people, or to against the Jews. They are, after all, the eternal origin of placate their fear with the notion that they had at least been trouble and bloody rebellion; it is they who as orators and granted existence on the ladder of forced labour. Fascism authors of revolutionary books inflame and agitate the hoped for more than this; it hoped to infect Ukrainians masses; they who created the idea of class struggle and with hatred for the Jews and to deceive them by spreading proletarian revolution!’ the idea that Jews were to blame for all the poverty, To the toiling German masses the Nazis said, ‘You misfortune and burdens that had devastated Ukraine. suffer the consequences of the Versailles Treaty; you are The principle to divide and conquer, and to poison hungry and out of work. The heavy burden of reparations enslaved and doomed nations with hatred for one another has fallen on your weary backs. But just look at whose was the third factor that compelled Adolf Hitler to embark hands turn the wheel—it is the hands of Jewish tycoons, on a bloody provocation, and to lead millions of defenceless Jewish bankers, kings without crowns in America, France women, elderly people and children to the executioner’s and England. Your enemies are our enemies; come, and let block. us fight together.’ Do Hitler and the German fascist leaders all truly Addressing the German intelligentsia, the Nazis said believe that Jews are Germany’s foremost enemies, or that ‘You are humiliated, your ideals have been shattered. No their annihilation is necessary for Germany’s happiness? Jewish Quarterly • 1ž