The source: “Das große Wunder,” Wetterleuchten. Aufsätze aus der Kampfzeit (Munich: Zentralverlag der NSDAP., 1939), pp. 365-368.
Moving hours of great pleasure, unlimited joy, and happy assurance! A hundred meters away the General Field Marshal of the Great War stood at the window until midnight to view the passing masses. In honor of him and his historic accomplishments, hands and flags were raised, standards lowered. At times he waved to Germany’s youth, and when he showed his affection, his sympathy, and his deep solidarity, the masses broke out in a hurricane of jubilation, for everyone knew that what was happening here was more than a mere gesture.
The great soldier, the symbol of our unity during the war, the president of the Reich, reached out his hand to Germany’s youth and with deep satisfaction the German youth reached back. The bond was established. Old and new Germany were united in loyalty and filled with determined will declared battle against the enemies of the nation, desiring to lead the nation upwards to a new and glorious greatness.
The miracle has happened! What many doubted, what some had not though no longer possible is now fact! Adolf Hitler has the leadership of Germany in his hands and the work can now begin!
We never concealed the fact that if one gave us power there were problems to face that no previous government had to deal with. For fourteen years Marxism and its allied bourgeois center parties undermined and subverted Germany’s ability to exist. The country was totally mismanaged, the shame of November [1918] was preserved, the economy brought to the edge of an abyss, finances were ruined. Millions of people lost their jobs, living standards, hearth and home, cities decayed, the budgets of the provinces and the Reich collapsed. For fourteen years we warned unceasingly, roused the people, proclaimed resistance against growing catastrophe, appealed to conscience, until finally the people moved and amidst the confusion and chaos of the post-war era joined a passionate vanguard of millions that led to the nations’s awakening.
The fourteen years of November shame must now be cleared away! There will be difficulties, problems, and resistance. No god can uproot in a few days what grew over fourteen years. Only major actions can save Germany. The men who will implement these actions must be brave and intelligent. They need people’s confidence. One may not hinder their work. It is necessary that they have freedom of action. A government of national concentration that has its hands and feet tied will necessarily fail, disappointing the hopes placed in its work. That may not be and will not be!
The current Reichstag is not in the least able to master this critical situation. It came out of the confused crisis of November 1932. The situation has changed entirely since then. There are new facts that call for new measures. This Reichstag also seems unwilling to give the government the free hand it requires. It seems to have a criminal intent to play cat and mouse with the new men at a moment when Germany’s very existence is at stake. It probably thinks that it can make difficulties for the cabinet with parliamentary tricks and sabotage, crippling the nation’s constructive efforts. That must be stopped.
Therefore the Reich Chancellor asked for and has received permission from the Reich President to dissolve the Reichstag. The nation is called on once more to decide, to give the government the freedom of action that it requires to carry out its comprehensive reforms.
Jewish newspapers are whimpering in dismay. They complain that the German people is once more thrown into the confusion of a new election campaign. How quickly they have forgotten what they wanted yesterday. We still hear their calls that the National Socialist movement must be brought down. Since it supposedly feared new elections, there was nothing left for Schleicher’s cabinet to do but to threaten that to force Hitler to give in. That was only a week ago, but now we present them with the same threat that they believed would frighten us. They can calm down! The new Reich government will find ways and means to ensure that this new election will do no harm to the German people. It will be as brief as possible. We will conduct it with the tough determination and active strength that is necessary to ensure that national Germany has a working majority.
The party is in harness once more. This time, it has entirely different feelings than during the last elections. Then we wanted to gain power. Now we have to use it, and more than that, we must build foundations that will stand firmly and unshakably in coming years. This election will be a general reckoning with the criminal Marxism that took everything from workers for fourteen years, that trampled on the honor of the German nation. We will bring the Red marauders to trial and the German people will judge them
The party has won a great victory. 30 January opened to us the door to responsibility. This victory is not enough for us! We have a government, we have a program, and we have the will: what is still lacking is the great and mighty confidence that the German people with its great strength and passionate national affirmation will place at the disposal of Adolf Hitler and his cabinet.
Once more we join the battle! It will be a battle unlike any Germany has seen before. We will come out of it with a glorious victory!
To work! Germany is awake! We do not want to rest or relax until Germany’s enemies lie beaten on the ground!
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