Davis1

Sammy Davis

Writing 2010

Ms. Rogers

26/01/18

Hitler’s Power Play

In 1933 on March 23 Adolf Hitler went to the Reichstag (main legislature of the German

State under the Reich-sort of like congress, except they have less power*1) to address the issues

that Treaty of Versailles caused them, and to propose an Enabling Act. In his speech, Hitler

relies heavily on pathos, logos, and ethos (but most of all pathos) to convince them to pass it.

Pathos being the use of words to arouse emotion in the reader to convince them. Logos is an

appeal to the use of logic in writing. Ethos, an appeal to a higher authority to vouch for the

validity and honesty of the writer.

In Hitler’s speech he presents the Enabling Act as a way of flipping the developmental

decline around, but it was more of a power play than anything. The speech goes over the

problems that the Treaty of Versailles causes, and how unfair that it was that the legal

responsibility was passed off onto their shoulders (despite having done the same thing to other

countries when they won). He also plays the Enabling Act off as the better option by

emphasizing its efficiency. The act was supposed to be limited to 4 years, allowed the Reich

government to create decrees/laws with other countries, made the laws evitable from the

constitution, there needs to be no theme to the laws, and no Reichsrat or house committee

individual had the right to abolish the laws.

*1- “Reichstag.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/reichstag.

*2- “Third Reich: An Overview.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum, www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005141.
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One of the very first uses of pathos in Hitler’s speech would be when he’s venting his

frustration at the revolution that the French caused, and how they were able to get away with it.

He starts this with “The success of the revolution in a material sense protected these criminals

from the grips of justice” (Hitler, 1933). He uses this to rile them up against the injustice of them

not paying for the war because they were part of the winning side. He used this despite knowing

that Germany itself had benefited from the same thing in the past and were completely fine with

it. This is in the beginning, and from what he’s trying to get done, this doesn’t aid him in the

sense it’s directly tied to the topic. However, it does help in a sense that it makes it more likely

that they’ll agree to whatever he says blindly.

Hitler used pathos as a main driver in his speech and used it very effectively. This is

showcased when he addressed public’s view of the legislative bodies and how it would

negatively affect the country and the new Reich (referring to Germany under Nazi rule*2) if they

were to vote on a new power to rule the Reich: “It also results in a complete invalidation of the

legislative bodies in the eyes of the Volk [(German people, the public)] even assuming normal

times, the Volk is driven to the polls…almost twenty times in the course of four years” (Hitler,

1933). He invoked a fear of the public and he was almost threatening legislative bodies with the

fear of their scorn, but he disguises it as concern for their wellbeing. If the public doesn’t

approve of their methods, they would undoubtably fear that they’d have another revolution on

their hands, but this time in their back yard. He also used this as a device to stay in power, but

plays it off as a mere coincidence, and reassures them that it is what’s best for the country and

for the Reich.

Hitler also uses logos to his advantage but doesn’t rely as heavily on it as he does with

pathos, seeing as how pathos can be the most effective (and potentially dangerous) way of
*1- “Reichstag.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/reichstag.
*2- “Third Reich: An Overview.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum, www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005141.
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manipulating people, that is if it’s used correctly. Logos was used subtly and was intertwined

with his usage of pathos. It is shown as he further explains why it would be more effective to

keep the Reich the way it is by this statement: “A further reform of the Reich will only ensue

from ongoing developments” (Hitler, 1933). This in of itself is a logical statement, and is written

almost as a nonchalant “besides, it would’ve gone like this anyway”. This would be logical

because shuffling the way the country works usually sets back whatever previous progress was

made (or all together eradicating the progress). It also is a play on logic by the way it implies that

it would be a bad thing, or set back, and that would be the exact thing that they’d want to fight

against. That it would potentially create chaos and they wouldn’t want all their hard work to go

to waste. Even before stating that it would undermine he pointed out, to paraphrase, that the

country is in a constant developmental decline. Which backs up his logic with the simple truth

that without the money, they can’t develop as a power, and they can’t do much to progress

forward.

Ethos was the first thing he used, and understandably so, because it’s always good to start

off talking about the people who back you up. It was within the first few sentences that Hitler

used it: “By agreement with the Reich Government, today the National Socialist German

Workers’ Party and the German National People’s Party have presented to you for resolution a

notice of motion” (Hitler 1933). There was no real need for it to be a strong since he was

Chancellor when the speech was given. However, what is interesting is the way he gave them

most of the blame. It was if he was saying “if you don’t like this, it’s not my fault, it wasn’t my

idea”. This would be considered as ethos because he used their positions as a cover and an

endorsement for his idea(s). If he was to use anyone’s position to improve the opinion of an idea

as an appeal to authority it would have had to be them (because they’re the next highest in the

*1- “Reichstag.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/reichstag.

*2- “Third Reich: An Overview.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum, www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005141.
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government beside him, and the Fuhrer). It even sounds like a better idea/plan because it’s

coming from many people, and not just a few individuals. He also discretely used his influence

to influence the listeners/readers. He was powerful enough to be able to convince them to give

him even more power, and he had to have gotten himself the position of Chancellor somehow.

He also shows this by saying he got the Reich Government and two other parties to agree, and he

probably wouldn’t have been able to get them to agree with him if he hadn’t been in such a

position.

Hitler relies heavily on pathos, and with that even when he uses logos and ethos he uses

pathos as well, making his statements and observations all that more effective and convincing.

However, it’s bone chilling to realize just how much he relied on pathos, especially when all the

things he’s done are considered, because he was so successful at utilizing it without the public

thinking that much of it or being able to do anything about it. The Enabling Act was a way that

he edged his way into complete control of the country.

*1- “Reichstag.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/reichstag.

*2- “Third Reich: An Overview.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum, www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005141.