“Every German, and the German people as a whole, are fully aware of the aims of Nazism, and the majority of the population does not hesitate to give them its enthusiastic approval…” – Hitler? Non, les Prussiens – “Hitler? No, the Prussians” by Georges Costo, published by Fernand Sorlot. Paris, 1940 – First edition. An important publication by a French author in Germany at the outbreak of World War II, demonstrating how Nazi Germany’s ideology is the direct continuation of the centuries-old Prussian legacy and spirit – imperial ambitions, tyranny, oppression, and the subjugation of the weak.
An important publication presenting the overarching claim that the real problem in Europe is not Hitler alone, but rather the Prussians – the representatives of a German military-nationalist tradition that preceded the rise of Nazism, and of which Nazi ideology is a direct continuation. The author argues that the rise of Nazism should not be regarded as a sudden deviation from German heritage, but rather as a further stage in the historical and military development of Prussia and Germany. According to the author, Hitler’s movement, for example, is the result and logical continuation of the German past. For neither the ideas nor the objectives of this movement were invented by Nazism: the history of Prussia contains many precedents, and provides more than one example of methods and means identical to those used by the Hitlerists to implement their criminal plan.
Costo raises searing questions, such as how it is possible that a nation of 65 million people expresses no opposition to Nazi Germany’s new direction, how a people who for centuries played an active role in the advancement of human civilization now cheer the persecution of Jews, worship death, and systematically hunt down innocent people. The author finds the answers to these questions in the link between Prussia and the Third Reich, forged by the Prussians: “They are the ones who hold the hegemony there… The Emperor of Germany was always the King of Prussia, the organization of these states was carried out according to Prussian ideals and methods by Prussian officials, and ultimately the leading figures in Germany’s domestic and foreign politics were mostly Prussian.” From here, he presents a grim portrait of the Prussian people, their national characteristics, history, and role in the progress of human civilization. He argues that, much like individuals, nations reveal typical traits that remain unchanged throughout their existence, and their ideology and history are merely expressions of these traits. Ideas such as the pursuit of superiority, global hegemony, militarism, the supremacy of the German race, blind obedience to a leader, the existence of the individual for the sake of the state, Lebensraum (“living space”), glorification of power and violence, “military education, ” the creation of wars, the violation of treaties to serve a sanctified goal, aggression and ruthless subjugation of victims, and the oppression of peoples under their control – all of these originate in Prussia, in its early thinkers, in the policies of its rulers over generations, and in its conduct over hundreds of years. He concludes: “Everything that may seem surprising in Hitler’s Germany is merely the logical result of this Pan-Germanic ideology, through which Prussia succeeded in influencing the other German states…”
The author, an art collector, lived in Berlin for ten years – about half of that time under Hitler’s regime. “Therefore, he had the opportunity to closely observe the development of events and to become familiar with the circles in which they occurred.” (from the introduction)
Only a few copies listed in the WorldCat global library catalog, mainly in libraries in Germany and France.
83 pages. Minor tear at the top right corner of the cover. Good condition.
