alternatehistory.com

‘What I knew of futurism thanks to Franz was very appealing, for at the time I was still young.

I remained focused at that time on the struggle between nations and peoples. Even though my understanding of these concepts were rooted in fallacies I did not yet understand, futurism offered a bridge between my convictions about the nation state and my hatred of the Hapsburg tyranny. In the same way the Italian futurists declared that the Austrian Empire was oppressing its Italians I found common cause in the Hapsburg oppression of their Germans, but the basis of their outlooks provided a greater emphasis. It seemed that this could be the way forward for the ten million Germans trapped in chains.

The advancement of technology, the expansion of industry and the new evolution of mankind that would be brought with it would not only free the German-Austrian people. In its wake, the old mother country could be brought into the twentieth century, mightier than she had ever been. This was before it became evident to me that socialism was the only true way of harnessing such advancement, a fact that has been proven time and time again by the power of the worker's industries in comparison to the decay of fascist-capitalism. As for many fellow workers, as a young man I was more focused on the caricature of the German rather than the true plight of the German worker. My enemy was not just the Hapsburgs, they lived amongst me.

I was not betrayed, though these futurist ideals were very attractive to me. The fact that the movement aimed to improve not only the nation itself but also the harmony within it seemed to be a great strength. These aims are not wrong, though it became clear in time that the movement was not interested in them. The disgraceful courting of the bourgeois and international capital had become apparent before I'd left Vienna, I who accepted their stated aims of advancement and empowerment without realising how easily those forces could be manipulated towards the enslavement of the common man.

Hence, prior to the beginning of the great imperialist slaughter you might indeed have called me a futurist but I would have protested, as I still protest. For even before the futurists disgraceful alliance with fascism or their willing veneration of the great slaughter of European youth between 1914 and 1918 they were already revealing themselves to be a cancerous element in both the Viennese intelligentsia and proletariat.

Marinetti, the self-proclaimed leader of the movement has become a mere lackey of Italian fascism. He dare not speak about against Mussolini nor does he wish to. He is content with being a higher caste of slave. He has been made a jester. ’

~ The Degeneracy of Fascist Culture, Adolf Hitler


‘Though it is officially claimed that Hitler had lost any identification with futurist ideals prior to his leaving Vienna in 1913, it seems likely that the basis of this epiphany was motivated by a bitterness over being fooled that he was being sent to defend Germany during what he refers to as 'The great imperialist slaughter' in his infamous Our Struggle and various other writings.

Hitler’s ideological zealotry is claimed to have been formed in his own words by three complementary factors, his experiences of union politics and mistreatment in the building trade whilst in Vienna, his discussions with socialist intellectuals introduced to him via Cizek, and his experiences of the war, where he suffered with millions of others in the mud of Belgium and France. There is undoubtedly some truth to these claims, despite the tenuous nature of Hitler’s autobiographical accounts and their slavish echoing for the organs of the Worker’s Republics propaganda. Though far too many, especially on the left, have contented themselves with these accounts it is not quite the full picture, as recently discovered correspondence has shown.

Hitler’s experience of trade unionism is something of a mixed bag according to letters to his half-sister in the period between 1912 and 1913, his conversations with intellectuals are also mentioned but the young Hitler seems to stress the art-related nature of the content of these discussions. It seemed that much of the political content of these discussions were mere background noise for a painter who wanted to emphasise his work. Furthermore Hitler continues to write to his friend Franz of the strength and appeal of futurist ideals despite the hypocrisy of their advocates. They detail a man in high spirits about a conflict to ensure German domination of Europe rather than a devotion to the defence of the mother country.

It seems that a man resigned to the slaughter of “great betrayal” might have been even more duped than he let on’


~ Hitler: The Man Behind the Infamy, Michael Green

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The pai,...,sorry, the youtube video is sometimes going to serve as an opening rather than a painting. I hope everyone likes Blue Oyster Cult.