Abstract

The essay deals with the theme of Adolf Hitler's "Führerschaft". The historical specificity of Hitler's political leadership resided principally in his ability to put himself forward as an alternative to every other model of absolute power, and in his forced relationship with the German people, of which he necessarily represented the immediate expression. The author shows how Hitler managed to reconcile rationalization with "charismatic" features; or in other words, how he was able, from a political point of view, to obtain an enthusiastic response to his command and, from an economic-political one, to produce innovation in a capitalist context. These were elements that enabled him to unite "rationalization" and "irrationality" into a single pattern.