Nazi Appropriation of the Order
The Nazi appropriation of the Teutonic Order was an extreme form of the German national-mission rhetoric of the previous century, and the Nazi appropriation was, a substantial embarrassment for the German national tradition. The Nazi ideologues of the 1920s and 1930s were interested, in this period, in the construction of a usable medieval past, and the Teutonic Order was, a particularly attractive source of national symbolism. The Order’s crusading vocation was, in the Nazi view, a model of the German defence of Europe against the Slavic and the Asiatic. The Order’s medieval empire was, in the Nazi view, the model of the future German empire in the conquered east.
The Ideological Background
The ideological background of the Nazi appropriation is to be found in the German national-mission rhetoric of the nineteenth century, in the period of the German national awakening and the construction of the German Empire. The German Romantics of this period, including the historians of the Prussian school, the publicists of the Wilhelmine period, and the ideologues of the Pan-German League, were interested in the construction of a usable German national past, and the Teutonic Order was, a particularly attractive source of national symbolism.
The Teutonic Order was, in the German national-mission rhetoric, a symbol of the German imperial mission in the east, and the Order’s Prussian crusade was the model of the German colonial expansion in modern times. The Order’s medieval empire was the model of the future German empire in the conquered east, and the Order’s crusading vocation was the model of the German racial and imperial mission in modern times.
The Nazi ideologues of the 1920s and 1930s inherited, generally this national-mission rhetoric, and the Nazi ideologues adapted the rhetoric to the requirements of the Nazi racial ideology. The Order was, in the Nazi view, an institution that had, in the Middle Ages, defended Europe against the Slavic and the Asiatic, and the Order was a model of the German racial and imperial mission in modern times.
The Appropriation of the Symbols
The Nazi appropriation of the Order was, in practice, a central element in the propaganda of the Nazi period. The Order’s black cross was, in the Nazi period, a central element in the iconography of the SS, and the Order’s black cross was a central element in the visual culture of the Nazi state. The Order’s founding at Acre was, in the Nazi propaganda, a founding moment of the German imperial mission, and the Order’s territorial state in Prussia was a model of the future German empire in the conquered east.
The Nazi appropriation of the Order’s symbols was, in addition, a central element in the architecture of the Nazi state. The Order’s medieval castles were a central element in the architectural vocabulary of the Nazi state, and the Order’s medieval churches were a central element in the architectural vocabulary of the Nazi state. The Nazi appropriation of the Order’s architecture was a central element in the construction of the Nazi visual culture, and the Nazi appropriation was a central element in the construction of the Nazi imperial iconography.
The Nazi appropriation of the Order’s rituals was, in addition, a central element in the ritual culture of the Nazi state. The Order’s chapter meetings were a central element in the ritual vocabulary of the Nazi state, and the Order’s processions were a central element in the ritual vocabulary of the Nazi state. The Nazi appropriation of the Order’s rituals was a central element in the construction of the Nazi ritual culture.
The Historiographical Response
The Nazi appropriation of the Teutonic Order was, a substantial embarrassment for the German national tradition, and the postwar German historiography of the Order has, distanced itself from the Nazi appropriation. The postwar German historiography was, in its first decades, dominated by the attempt to recover the Order’s medieval character as a German institution, and the postwar German historiography was, an attempt to distance itself from the Nazi appropriation.
The postwar German historiography has, treated the Nazi appropriation as a distortion of the Order’s medieval character, and the postwar German historiography has treated the Order as a complex institution with a long and varied history. The postwar German historiography has developed a more nuanced and more balanced view of the Order’s history, and the postwar German historiography has treated the Order as an institution that is best understood in the context of the medieval European frontier societies and the medieval European state system.
The postwar German historiography has, also been critical of the national-mission rhetoric of the previous century, and the postwar German historiography has treated the national-mission rhetoric as a distortion of the Order’s medieval character. The postwar German historiography has, developed a more nuanced and more balanced view of the Order’s history.
The Long Shadow of the Appropriation
The Nazi appropriation of the Teutonic Order was, a substantial factor in the construction of the modern German national identity, and the Nazi appropriation was a substantial factor in the construction of the modern German self-understanding. The Nazi appropriation was, a substantial embarrassment for the German national tradition, and the Nazi appropriation was a substantial factor in the postwar German attempt to recover the Order’s medieval character.
The long shadow of the Nazi appropriation was, in addition, a substantial factor in the construction of the Polish national identity, and the long shadow of the appropriation was a substantial factor in the construction of the Polish national self-understanding. The Polish postwar historiography has, retained the Grunwald narrative as a central national symbol, and the Polish postwar historiography has, treated the Nazi appropriation as a confirmation of the Polish national narrative of the Order as a German oppressor.
Sources
- Biskup, Marian, and Gerard Labuda. Dzieje zakonu krzyżackiego w Prusach. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Morskie, 1986.
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Burleigh, Michael. The Third Reich: A New History. New York: Hill and Wang, 2000.
Related Reading
For the modern perception of the Order, see the cluster on the modern perception. For the modern historiography of the Order, see the article on modern historiography. For the romantic and nationalist legacy, see the cluster on the romantic and nationalist legacy. For the German Romanticism and the Order, see the article on German Romanticism. For the black cross of the Order, see the article on the Order’s symbols. For the Battle of Grunwald, see the article on the Battle of Grunwald.