Kenneth Burke: Fascist Unification Rhetoric

Question 1

Substance:

• Geographical Materialization
• Common Enemy
• Parliamentary Attacks

Answer 1

Geographical Materialization: by giving the idea of german superiority a physical location it makes it more real. Hitler uses this to make the abstract ideology a more concrete physical representation in the city.

Common Enemy:
Hitler personifies an abstract threat as "the international jew" and uses it as a symbol to unite people around opposing them. It magnifies and simplifies the the source of the problem and evil by imagining the conspiratorial danger that is plotting against them.
   - religious significance
   - conspiracy theory
   - sexual symbolism

Parliamentary Attacks

Question 2

Features:

Inborn Dignity
Projection Devices
Symbolic Rebirth
Commercial Use

Answer 2

Inborn Dignity: As human beings born in the world we are born with a certain level of dignity that ought to be respected.
Hitler uses this idea to undermine the dignity of everyone else by saying the Arian race is better and that all other races are inferior.

Projection Devices: projecting your own issue on to someone else (scapegoating) Hitler blames the jewish bankers for being greedy and makes it appear as if its not the system of finance but jewish finance thats the problem.

Symbolic Rebirth: Cleansing through sacrifice. cleansing of the scapegoat to be reborn as a new Germany His goal was to give the populace a positive future to strive for.

Commercial Use: Hitler is offering a non economic explanation of economic problems.

Question 3

The social responsibility of the critics

Answer 3

They have a responsibility to use their information and power to warn people and intervene

Question 4

Success:

Repetition
Spectacle
Totalizing Vision
Desacralization of Religion

Answer 4

Repetition: By repeating the ideas over and over again it makes them stick.

Spectacle: Dramatization of German unity, uniforms, Star, swastika, visual symbols. Violently enforcing unity (people beating hecklers in crowds)

Totalizing Vision: Idea that Hitler gave the people a world view that offered an explanation of everything in totality. Any problem that you had could be referred back to the international jew conspiracy.

Desacralization of Religion: Hitler uses techniques common in religion for secular and political ends. He adopts religious symbols like the swastika and the cross. He used the power of religion in order to make the rhetoric more persuasive.