Final victory
The term final victory (as an abbreviation for “final victory”) was used as early as the First World War to designate the final and unquestionable victory of the Central Powers against the Ente- Powers , which was ultimately more and more improbable, but against all setbacks and doubts . In 1918 Karl Kraus gave a gloss depicting the hopeless situation the ironic title Before the final victory . Rosa Luxemburg also used the term in this sense in the left-wing political spectrum to mark the position of political opponents. As a propaganda term more common than "final victory" in the First World War, however, the expression "victory peace", which was used as a catchphrase against the proponents of a mutual agreement .
In an anti-Semitic sense, Adolf Hitler also used the term "final victory" in Mein Kampf :
“I had gone from being a weak global citizen to a fanatical anti-Semite . Only once more - it was the last time - fearful, oppressive thoughts came to me in the deepest trepidation. As I examined the work of the Jewish people through long periods of human history, the anxious question suddenly arose whether perhaps the inscrutable fate might not, for reasons unknown to us poor people, wish the final victory of this small people in an eternally irrevocable decision ? "
The expression was shaped today during the National Socialist era , when the term “final victory” became a mantra of Nazi propaganda during the Second World War . It was understood to mean the final victory over the Allies , which the propagandists of the regime inculcated in a confessional manner until immediately before the surrender . The "belief" in the final victory was also emphasized in obituaries and mourning cards for fallen members of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS . Ideologically, the “final victory” was viewed as inevitable because of the alleged racial superiority of the Germans, although unconditional allegiance to the “ Führer ” was required from them. From a military point of view, it was to be brought about through extreme willingness to make sacrifices, Japan's entry into the war at the end of 1941, the submarine war or, from 1943/44, through the technological innovations in warfare that were hailed as “ miracle weapons ”. Since June 1941, the focus of National Socialist propaganda has been on the idea of a political split between the Allies in East and West, which in the last years of the war was often seen as the “last chance” for final victory. However, this did not happen despite incessant incantation propaganda. Expressions of doubt about the final victory could be interpreted as defeatism , particularly in the years 1942 to 1945 , and punished with death as " undermining military strength ". The convicts were often the victims of denunciations from colleagues or friends.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kraus, Karl Glossen. In: Die Fackel, 20/15. October 1918, p. 149.
- ↑ Luxemburg, Rosa 'Order prevails in Berlin'. In: Die Rote Fahne , No. 14 from January 14, 1919
- ↑ Adolf Hitler: Mein Kampf . Munich 1933; P. 69.