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( , spelled ''Fuehrer'' when the umlaut is unavailable) is a German word meaning "
leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
, the dictator of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
from
1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...
to 1945. Hitler officially called himself ''der Führer und Reichskanzler'' (the Leader and Chancellor of the Reich) after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in 1934, as well as the subsequent merging of the offices of ''Reichspräsident'' and '' Reichskanzler''. Nazi Germany cultivated the ("leader principle"), and Hitler was generally known as simply ("the Leader"). In compound words, the use of remains common in German and is used in words such as ( travel guide), ( museum docent), ( mountain guide), or (
leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
). However, because of its strong association with Hitler, the isolated word itself usually has negative connotations when used with the meaning of "leader", especially in political contexts. The word has cognates in the
Scandinavian languages The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages—a sub-family of the Indo-European languages—along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages. The language group is al ...
, spelled '' fører'' in Danish and Norwegian. In Norwegian, the word has the same meaning as the German word. The Norwegian word for mayor is ''ordfører'', literally meaning ''word leader''. In Swedish ''Ordförande'' means Chairman and applies to a wide range of situations, for example in corporate boards or as the head of an official gathering of members. In Swedish and Danish, '' förare'' and ''fører'' normally means "driver" (of a vehicle), a meaning ''Führer'' can also have in German. However, in the compound word '' härförare'' and '' hærfører'', that part does mean "leader", and is a cognate of the German ''Heerführer'' (military leader).


History


Background

has been used as a military title (compare Latin '' Dux'') in Germany since at least the 18th century. The usage of the term "''Führer''" in the context of a company-sized military subunit in the
German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
referred to a commander lacking the qualifications for permanent command. For example, the commanding officer of a company was titled " ''Kompaniechef''" (), but if he did not have the requisite rank or experience, or was only temporarily assigned to command, he was officially titled "''Kompanieführer''". Thus operational commands of various military echelons were typically referred to by their formation title followed by the title , in connection with mission-type tactics used by the German military forces. The term was also used at lower levels, regardless of experience.


Origins of the political concept

The first example of the political use of was with Austrian Georg Ritter von Schönerer (1842–1921), a major exponent of pan-Germanism and German nationalism in Austria, whose followers commonly referred to him as the , and who also used the Roman salute – where the right arm and hand are held rigidly outstretched – which they called the "German greeting". According to historian Richard J. Evans, this use of "" by Schönerer's Pan-German Association, probably introduced the term to the German far-right, but its specific adoption by the Nazis may also have been influenced by the use in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
of "", also meaning "leader", as an informal title for
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
, the
Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
, and later (from 1922) dictator, of that country.


of the Nazi Party

Adolf Hitler took the title to denote his function as head of the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
; he received it in 1921 when, infuriated over party founder
Anton Drexler Anton Drexler (13 June 1884 – 24 February 1942) was a German far-right political agitator for the ''Völkisch'' movement in the 1920s. He founded the German Workers' Party (DAP), the pan-German and anti-Semitic antecedent of the Nazi Part ...
's plan to merge with another antisemitic far-right nationalist party, he resigned from the party. Drexler and the party's Executive Committee then acquiesced to Hitler's demand to be made the chairman of the party with "dictatorial powers" as the condition for his return.


and Chancellor

In 1933, Hitler was appointed (Chancellor of the Reich) by President Paul von Hindenburg. A month later, the decision to vote with the Nazi Party taken by the MPs of the Centre Party allowed the Nazi-dominated Reichstag to reach the qualified constitutional two-thirds majority required for passage of the Enabling Act allowing the cabinet to promulgate laws by decree, rendering in practice the system of checks and balances defunct. The Act became the official legal justification for such decrees later routinely issued by Hitler himself.


and Chancellor of the German Reich

One day before Hindenburg's death, Hitler and his cabinet decreed the " Law Concerning the Head of State of the German Reich", which stipulated that upon Hindenburg's death, the office of the president was to be merged with that of Chancellor.Gesetz über das Staatsoberhaupt des Deutschen Reichs
1 August 1934:
"§ 1 The office of the Reichspräsident is merged with that of the Reichskanzler. Therefore the previous rights of the Reichspräsident pass over to the Führer and Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler. He names his deputy."
Thus, upon Hindenburg's death, Hitler became – although eventually was quietly dropped from day-to-day usage and retained only in official documents. Hitler therefore assumed the President's powers without assuming the office itself – ostensibly out of respect for Hindenburg's achievements as a heroic figure in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The Enabling Act had specifically prohibited legislation that would affect the position or powers of the Reich President, but the first one-party Reichstag elected in November 1933 had passed an act on the first anniversary of Hitler's appointment as Chancellor, 30 January 1934, abolishing those restrictions. It was then approved by a referendum on 19 August.


and Chancellor of the Greater German Reich

On 28 July 1942, the title was changed to "" (Leader and Chancellor of the Greater German Reich).


and Supreme Commander of the ''Wehrmacht''

According to the
Weimar Constitution The Constitution of the German Reich (), usually known as the Weimar Constitution (), was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era. The constitution created a federal semi-presidential republic with a parliament whose ...
, the President was the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Unlike "President", Hitler did take this title () for himself. When conscription was reintroduced in 1935, Hitler created the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, a post held by the
Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
. He retained the title of Supreme Commander for himself. Soldiers had to swear allegiance to Hitler as "" (Leader of the German Reich and Nation).
Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
Werner von Blomberg Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg (2 September 1878 – 13 March 1946) was a German general and politician who served as the first Minister of War in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1938. Blomberg had served as Chief of the ''Truppenamt'', equivalent ...
, then the Minister of War and one of those who created the Hitler oath, or the personal oath of loyalty of the military to Hitler, became the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces while Hitler remained Supreme Commander. Following the Blomberg–Fritsch affair in 1938, Hitler assumed the commander-in-chief's post as well and took personal command of the armed forces. However, he continued using the older formally higher title of Supreme Commander, which was thus filled with a somewhat new meaning. Combining it with "''Führer''", he used the style (Leader and Supreme Commander of the ), yet a simple "''Führer''" after May 1942.


of the German Reich and Nation

Soldiers had to swear allegiance to Hitler as "" (Leader of the German Reich and Nation). In his political testament, Hitler also referred to himself as (Leader of the Nation).


Germanic ''Führer''

An additional title was adopted by Hitler on 23 June 1941 when he declared himself the "Germanic Führer" (), in addition to his duties as ''Führer'' of the German state and people. This was done to emphasise Hitler's professed leadership of what the Nazis described as the " Nordic- Germanic master race", which was considered to include peoples such as the
Norwegians Norwegians () are an ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the Norsemen, Norse of the Early ...
,
Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...
,
Swedes Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...
, Dutch, and others in addition to the
Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
, and the intent to annex these countries to the German Reich to form the Greater Germanic Reich (). ''
Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...
'' formations from these countries had to declare obedience to Hitler by addressing him in this fashion. On 12 December 1941, Dutch fascist Anton Mussert also addressed him as such when he proclaimed his allegiance to Hitler during a visit to the Reich Chancellery in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. He had wanted to address Hitler as ("Führer of all Germanics"), but Hitler personally decreed the former style. Historian Loe de Jong speculates on the difference between the two: implied a position separate from Hitler's role as ("Führer and Reich Chancellor of the Greater German Reich"), while served more as an attribute of that main function. As late as 1944, however, occasional propaganda publications continued to refer to him by this unofficial title.


One of the Nazis' most-repeated political slogans was – "One People, One Empire, One Leader". Historian says the slogan "left an indelible mark on the minds of most Germans who lived through the Nazi years. It appeared on countless posters and in publications; it was heard constantly in radio broadcasts and speeches." The slogan emphasised the absolute control of the leader over practically every sector of German society and culture – with the churches being formally the most notable exception. The designation itself was initially used only in the context of the Nazi Party, though its meaning gradually sprawled to cover the German state, the German Armed Forces, the German nation, and ultimately all the Germanic peoples. Hitler's word became in practice absolute and ultimate, even when incompatible with the constitution, as he saw himself as the sole source of power in Germany, similar to the Roman emperors and German early medieval leaders. In spite of that, he took great care to maintain the pretence of legality of his dictatorship. He issued thousands of decrees that were based explicitly on the Reichstag Fire Decree. That decree itself was based on Article 48 of the constitution, which gave the president the power to take measures deemed necessary to protect public order. The Enabling Act was renewed in 1937 for four years and again in 1939 for four years by the Reichstag. In 1943, it was extended indefinitely by a decree from Hitler himself. Those extensions by the Reichstag were merely a formality with all other parties having been banned. However, Hitler had a narrow range of interest – mostly involving diplomacy and the military – and so his subordinates interpreted his vaguely formulated orders and wishes in a manner beneficial to their own interests or those of their organisations. This led to vicious power wrangles that were immensely beneficial to Hitler in aiding him to ensure that no subordinate amassed enough power to challenge or jeopardise his absolute rule.


Usage in lower ranks of Nazi Germany

Regional Nazi Party leaders were called , "" also meaning "leader". Almost every Nazi paramilitary organisation, in particular the SS and SA, had Nazi Party paramilitary ranks incorporating the title of . The SS including the ''Waffen-SS'', like all paramilitary Nazi organisations, called all their members of any rank except the lowest one a of something; thus confusingly, was also an official rank title for a specific grade of general. The word was also a generic word referring to any commander or leader of troops and could be applied to NCOs or officers at many different levels of command.


Modern German usage

In Germany, the isolated word "" is usually avoided in political contexts, due to its intimate connection with Nazi institutions and with Hitler personally. However, the suffix is used in many compound words. Examples include (mountain guide), (human tourist guide), (manager), (travel guidebook), (team captain — also referred to as ), and ( command duty officer/officer of the watch). When used in the context of vehicles and traffic, it is often interchangeable with the suffix (vehicle driver): (road vehicle driver), (train driver), (skipper); however, it is worth noticing the exception of the pair (car driver) and (road guidebook). It may also be used in this context as a prefix, such as in (driver's license), (train cabin), or (truck cabin). German is a language with
grammatical gender In linguistics, a grammatical gender system is a specific form of a noun class system, where nouns are assigned to gender categories that are often not related to the real-world qualities of the entities denoted by those nouns. In languages wit ...
. The masculine form refers to a leader of unspecified or male gender; the specifically feminine form is . The use of alternative terms like "" (a borrowing from the French, as is the English "chief", e.g. ) or (often in compound words like , , or ) is usually not the result of replacing of the word "''Führer''", but rather using terminology that existed before the Nazis. The use of to refer to a political party leader is rare today, and (chairman) is the more common term. However, the word ("leader of the arliamentaryopposition") is more commonly used.


In fiction

In the
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series '' Fullmetal Alchemist'' (2001–2010), by Hiromu Arakawa, the character of King Bradley/Wrath (King being his given name) has the title Führer President of Amestris, as the country is a military dictatorship.


See also

Terms derived from * * * Deputy ''Führer'' * * ''Führer'' Headquarters *   * ''Führer'' Directives * * * * Other * * * * President for life *   * Supreme Leader (disambiguation) * * List of German expressions in English


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuhrer Adolf Hitler Authoritarianism Dictatorship Fascism Heads of government Heads of state Nazism Government of Nazi Germany Positions of authority Titles of national or ethnic leadership German words and phrases Nazi terminology Connotation