I. Introduction

"The Jew," for example, was a central component of Hitler's ideology. Hitler described Jews as a disease, a force of disintegration, and as "parasite" within the body of the people. Recurring images and metaphors within Hitler's writings and speeches allow us to perceive the core fantasies that structured Hitler's perception of reality—and energized historical action.

The central fantasy contained within Hitler's ideology may be summarized as follows:

• The nation is a living organism consisting of the German people, who constitute the substance or "flesh and blood" of this organism.
• This essentially healthy, sound body politic is, however, being attacked by a virulent, internal force working toward its destruction.
• The source of the destructive force within the national body is the Jew, or "Jewish Bolshevik."
• Insofar as the purpose of politics is to "maintain the body of the people," therefore any action is justifiable if it serves to eliminate the forces working to destroy Germany.

The objective of Nazism was to act to assure that Germany would continue to exist. Hitler aspired to "save Germany from death," ruthlessly committing himself and his party to do whatever necessary to destroy the pathogens whose continued presence within the body politic might lead to the demise of the nation.

According to Hitler's fantasy, each German human being constituted a cell forming a gigantic "national organism." The force of disintegration within Germany was working to cause the cellular structure of the nation to fall apart. Hitler acted to persuade the German people to come together to constitute a unified, cohesive body. If the people "held together like a single block of steel," then the national body would not succumb to the force of destruction.
 

II. Ideology and Fantasy

Hitler believed in his own ideology. His hysteria and passionate rhetoric reflected the depth of his attachment to his own ideas. Hitler acted to persuade millions of people to become passionate about the ideas that moved him. He convinced many Germans that their nation was under attack, whipping the people into a fury, prevailing upon them to undertake a "life or death struggle" to save the nation.

People devalue the power of Hitler's ideas, claiming they are devoid of intellectual content, irrational, inconsistent, etc. People underestimate the impact of Hitler's ideology because they are under the spell of the fantasy of "rationality." Ideas do not have to be true to be believed. It is simply necessary that they evoke an emotional response within the minds of the people to whom they are conveyed.

Politicians articulate their own emotions and fantasies through the vehicle of ideas put forth upon the public stage. If a politician is to become successful, the ideas he conveys must resonate with the populace. The leader's words must evoke emotions and fantasies within his audience not unlike the emotions and fantasies his words evoke within himself.

What was it Hitler said that excited the German people? What emotions and fantasies were conveyed by the words he spoke? How was it possible for Hitler to galvanize so many people to perform such radical acts?

Metaphors and images within the rhetoric of political leaders contain, evoke and bring forth latent fantasies into reality. An ideology constitutes a modus operandi, allowing unconscious fantasies to be activated and externalized into the world. Ideologies "capture" or harness energy contained with latent desires or fantasies, making this energy available for concerted, societal action.