German Leaders Research Articles

Big Business and Fascism: Light on the German Case

Before the advent of the Hitler regime in Germany, the Reichsverband der Deutschen Industrie (Germany's equivalent of our National Association of Manufacturers) circulated privately to its members a newsletter entitled Deutsche Führerbriefe (German Leader Letters). Below, we publish a highly revealing excerpt from one of these Letters, dated September 1932, written at the bottom of the Great Depression, and concerned with the question of how to save capitalism under the then-existing conditions in Germany. We do not know whether the Deutsche Führerbriefe are available in this country and would be glad to hear from any of our readers who may have information on this subject. The passage below is quoted in an article in the March, 1954, issue of the West German Social Democratic monthly Links, from which we have translated it. —The EditorsThis article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.

German leaders

German leaders

German leaders

German leaders

German leaders

German leaders

Yugoslavia

GERMANY'S attempt to fasten a strangle-hold on Yugoslavia by “diplomatic means” may prove to have been an even greater blunder than the miscalculation of Mussolini's threat to Greece. The Axis powers, like Germany in the War of 1914-18, have shown themselves singularly inept in estimating the force of the spirit of resistance in a free people prepared to endure suffering even to martyrdom in defence of a way of life and a tradition which embody their highest ideals. No doubt the German leaders have been confirmed by their experiences of recent years in a cynical realism which backs mechanized forces against an idealism with little to rely upon beyond the strength of its right arm and the justice of its cause. Yugoslavia, however, stands in a category different from those nations until lately free, which have succumbed to the traitor within their gates. By the bloodless revolution of March 26-27, Yugoslavia, to quote Mr. Churchill, “found her soul”. Her three peoples stand united in their resistance to aggression. Nor must it be forgotten that each one of them has a long and honourable tradition in the cause of freedom.

Lenin and Mussolini

Excerpts from articles appearing in previous issues of Foreign Affairs on subjects of the development of contemporary international relations are presented which include a September 1923 article by Harold J. Laski about Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilich Lenin and Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, a July 1930 article by Paul Scheffer about Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, and an April 1932 article by Paul Scheffer about German leader Adolf Hitler.; (AN 69880004)The Rise of the Modern Order What follows are selections from our archives that tell the story of the ideological battles of the past century and the emergence of the modern order. To make the package as a whole coherent and accessible, we have included only the most relevant parts of articles directly related to this theme and presented the articles in substantive, rather than strictly chronological, order. The contents of each article have not been rearranged, however, and all elisions have been clearly marked. The full text of all the articles in the package, and more, can be found in the accompanying e-book, The Clash of Ideas, available at ForeignAffairs.com.