Dear Mr. Bonhoeffer, 

 

In my first letter to you, I shared about my 2018 visit to Berlin and your parents' house, and the thrill I had sitting at your desk. My last day of that trip was spent at the German Historical Museum, where two extraordinary eras in German history captivated my mind and soul. One era was after your death – a profound period encompassing 28 years from 1961 to 1989 called the Berlin Wall Era. It was an outcome of a "cold war" with Russia, but maybe I will tell you that story in a future letter. 

 

The second era was even more powerful. And you lived it. You experienced it. Your life, to me, was at the heart and spirit of the era – the 13 years of the Nazi Era. 

 

Now, I must tell you that my generation believes that the Nazi Era is simple to understand: the Nazis were evil and Hitler was a racist. That just about captures it. You see, my generation seems to crave a simple, easy-to-understand story. I know you disagree with this simplistic view of the Nazi Era, and I can almost hear your words of protest. The reality was far more nuanced. Like many things in history, it was a complex, messy business. 

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly. 

 

So I decided to explore the history of the era by reading two excellent books: William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and Richard Evans' The Third Reich in Power, 1933-1939: How the Nazis Won Over the Hearts and Minds of a Nation. 

 

After reading and thinking about the Nazi Era, especially Mr. Evans' book, I found the "how?" question interesting, but wondered about the "why?" question. Namely, why did Germany acquiesce to the Nazis? Why did the German people respond to the Nazis the way they did? 

 

This is where you come in. I think the whole of your life provides the key insight, and I have used you as a measuring stick to formulate four different groups of Germans who respresent the different responses to Hitler and the Nazis. And in this analysis, I believe I have come up with a humble answer to the "why" question. 

 

Before I explain my answer, please allow me to provide four necessary background highlights for the benefit of 21st century Americans. For we do not usually excel in our knowledge of history, least of all history of another part of the world. 

 

First, the Nazis were a political party. Their official name was the National Socialist German Workers' Party. The Nazis were one of many political parties vying for votes in the short-lived German constitutional republic from 1919 to 1933, in which an elected parliament called the Reichstag made the laws. 

 

Second, in 1932, these National Socialists unexpectedly won 37% of the popular vote and became the largest party in the Reichstag. Their success can be largely attributed to Adolf Hitler's oratorical skills and the advent of the global great depression. Hitler keenly blamed the 1919 Versailles Treaty, which ended World War I, for bringing upon Germany extreme calamity, unfair economic punishment, and the loss of German land with many German-speaking residents. The great depression gave Hitler the closing arguments he needed. He then lured politicians and industrialists to pressure President Hindenburg to appoint him as Chancellor on January 30, 1933. This date marked the beginning of the Nazi Era. It all started with an element of legitimacy. 

 

Third, Hitler executed three very adroit political maneuvers. On February 27, he took advantage of a fire in the Reichstag building set by a minor arsonist who happened to be a communist; Hitler cunningly blamed the entire Communist Party, the 3rd largest party, for the fire and got them totally banned from the government. On March 14, he established the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, led by Joseph Goebbels, who immediately secured Nazi control of the news media, literature, filmmaking, theatre, music, and broadcasting. And then on March 23, Hitler intimidated and pressured the other remaining political parties to get parliament to pass The Enabling Act, which gave Hitler and his cabinet the semi-legitimate power to make any law, including ones that violated the 1919 Constitution. Thus, in this short span of only 52 days, Hitler became, in effect, the dictator of Germany – a weak nation, but an ascending one. 

 

Fourth, and finally, Hitler was then able to implement his program of terror and propaganda. Terror was extremely effective and intimidating; however, terror tended to be concentrated and localized, and it could not physically touch the majority of German people. Propaganda, on the other hand, could spread the Nazi terror to the far ends of the nation. Hitler and Goebbels knew the power of the media and propaganda, and the media was critical to the National Socialists. Their propaganda campaign dominated information and disinformation to achieve the same ends as terror, including making the people fearful of Nazi intimidation. Eventually, the National Socialists got the people to even think and feel what they wanted – to enlighten the people, as it were. 

 

Forgive me for writing more background than I had planned, but thank you for allowing me to set the stage for my argument. My argument of how four groups of Germans responded differently to the Nazis. The critical determinant was each group's self-identity. 

 

The Majority 

I would call the first group the Majority, meaning most Germans in both the cities and the countryside. They were your neighbors. They were patriotic and loyal. They were convinced that the Treaty of Versailles, which blamed Germany as the lone perpetrator of World War I, was vastly unfair. Versailles severely punished Germany with reparations and other drastic punishments economically, geographically, and militarily. 

 

Simply put, the Treaty humiliated the German people. And the Nazis tapped into this, for humiliation is a powerful emotion. They did not try to win over the Majority with dreams of domination over Europe or excitement over war victories. Instead, through their shrewd use of propaganda, Goebbels and the National Socialists sold the Majority an attractive and compelling product – a way to regain their self-esteem. And that path led to a craving for respect from the world. Soon, as the Nazi train journeyed from successful battlefield to conquered neighbors, the Majority welcomed the ultimate prize offered by the National Socialists – vindication for Germany. When the war was going so well with victory after victory, humiliation had culminated in euphoria, and the Majority welcomed the prestige and envy of a chastened world, or so they thought. 

 

So what was the key to the Majority's acquiescence to the Nazis? It was their National Identity. This was the primary, overarching identity for the majority of German people. They identified first and foremost as Germans in a proud nation, with a rich history and culture. 

 

Thus, the Majority were a relatively easy group to win over because of their predisposition - their national identity was of utmost importance to them. Because of their national identity, the Majority were predisposed to being led by any savior who would break the shackles of the Treaty of Versailles, and set them free from national humiliation. 

 

The Military Class 

The second group I have delineated was the Military Class, especially the officers. And most military officers came from the upper crust of German society, often the intellectual, elite families. It ran in their blood for generations. The Bonhoeffer family was one of these. 

 

I know you and your parents had many discussions about Hitler and the Nazis, and that your family saw, very early on, the dangers posed by the National Socialists. 

 

The Military Class were the career military officers. They were different from regular soldiers, who were really part of the Majority. The Military Class had a higher, more primary identity than the masses. Yes, the Military Class were very loyal Germans and placed a high value on their country. But higher than their national identity -- was their Soldier Identity. This was their career and life's pursuit. 

 

They were soldiers first, and that influenced their loyalty to the State. For them, of utmost importance was their loyalty to their military code. Honor and duty above all. This meant they served the nation and whichever political party held power at the moment. They were a difficult group for Hitler and the Nazis to win over. 

 

Deep down, the Military Class disliked Hitler and the Nazis. He was not as sophisticated as they were. When the National Socialists took control, the Military Class obeyed because that was their role as honorable soldiers. Their duty, as military men, was to serve Germany. Most of them assumed another political party would beat out the Nazis in future elections. 

 

They reluctantly accepted the rule of the Nazis, for they acknowledged that the National Socialists did have some political legitimacy. So when the Nazis began their terror and propoganda campaign in 1933, they felt they could not be disloyal to Germany. But when Hitler shared his war plans with them in 1938, before the invasion of Poland, their soldier identity began to kick in and it trumped their national identity. They were dumbfounded that Hitler appeared crazy enough to carry out his war plans for dominating Europe. 

 

So some of the Military Class started a conspiracy and began making plans to assassinate Hitler and his top generals. It was a dangerous business and difficult to know who was with them, without being discovered. When they learned about the atrocities the National Socialists were perpetrating against the Jews – that convinced some reluctant military officers to join the conspiracy. But the conspiracy was kept off balance because of the amazing successes in Hitler's war. Incidentally, one key plot of the conspiracy was the subject of an entertaining film in 2008 called Valkerie, which I enjoyed immensely.

 

Mr. Bonhoeffer, I would propose that your parents and the extended Bonhoeffer family were in this group, the elite and the officers. They and their network distrusted Hitler from the very beginning, especially your father, the top psychiatrist in the country. They hoped that when the National Socialists came to power, that it would be a short transition until the next ruling party came along. 

 

The German Church 

The third group you also knew well -- the German Church. The largest church in Germany was the Lutheran Church, the enduring result of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Even though most Germans were Lutheran, the thing that set this group apart from the Majority was their primary identity – which was their Church Identity. 

 

They identified as German Christians whose faith was integrated with Martin Luther's doctrine of two separate kingdoms -- the secular and the spiritual kingdoms. They viewed the Church as different and separate from the State. Their church identity translated into a general acceptance of the political rule of the National Socialists because they believed the church was meant to concern itself with spiritual matters only, not civic matters. 

 

This was perfect for Hitler, because his plan was to make it appear that he would leave the church alone. Hitler's plan was to placate the Church in Germany early in his reign, to make them think he was one of them. Hitler was so successful with his ruse that a few Christian leaders predicted that in another 10 years, Hitler would occupy the same place in Germany as Jesus Christ did. Hitler needed and used the German Church in the beginning, until he had amassed sufficient power, and then he no longer needed them. So he cast them aside and did not pay much attention to the church thereafter. 

 

Thus, in 1933, the same year the Nazi Era began, churches had formed the German Evangelical Church, which soon became a pro-Nazi and Reich-supported church. After some early contentions, largely due to the issue of the Jews, it ended up supporting the anti-Jewish ideology of the National Socialists, and its congregations became intertwined with Nazi culture. 

 

Mr. Bonhoeffer, you struggled mightily with the German Evangelical Church, and you led the formation of the Confessing Church in Germany, which represented the true gospel of Jesus Christ, along with accepting and defending the Jews. And yet, you found that even the Confessing Church leaders had elements of a national identity and a church identity that took them perilously close to the Nazis. This was your personal dilemma. 

 

The Few 

Then there was a fourth group -- I call them the Few. This was a very small segment of Germany. Perhaps it was just a handful of individuals. What made this group – and you – so different? I am amazed that you were only 27 years old when Hitler was appointed Chancellor. Perhaps it was your two life questions: “what is the Church?” and “who is Jesus Christ for us today?” Perhaps it was your constant struggle for faith in action. Perhaps it was your haunting words from your book, Cost of Discipleship: "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Was that how you resisted Hitler and the Nazis? 

 

What was your primary identity? Not a national identity, though you were a loyal and proud German. Not a soldier identity, though you did have some military training early in your life. Not a church identity, though you were a theologian, pastor, and leader in the Christian church. 

 

This is what I think was your primary identity: a Disciple Identity. A serious follower of Jesus Christ. One who counted the cost, and was willing to follow wherever God leads. A disciple who returned from safety in America in 1939 to be in the war and church struggle with your people in Germany. You willed the defeat of your beloved Germany so that Christian civilization may survive. Your voice and your life resounds through the ages. 

 

Identity 

These, then, were the four groups of how I think the German people responded to the National Socialists. I hope I am right; if you disagree, I beg for your forgiveness. It is good for my generation to understand the truth about this era. It is so easy -- read lazy -- to simplify the Nazi Era as "Hitler was evil", and believe one understands that history. No, my generation must understand the truth – that the Nazis were a political party that amassed too much power and which, through deception, terror, and propaganda, unfortunately won wide approval in Germany for the reasons I have written. 

 

I believe the principal lesson of the Nazi Era was not, as many people would postulate, a battle of good versus evil. No, I believe the principal lesson was the dominating power of identity. This is our human condition, our commonality, our search for joy and meaning. 

 

Perhaps the consequential nature of identity is best epitomized by your fellow pastor Martin Niemoller, who survived the war and eight years in a concentration camp, and wrote these haunting, now famous words: 

 

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – 

    because I was not a socialist. 

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – 

    because I was not a trade unionists. 

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – 

    because I was not a Jew. 

Then they came for me – 

    and there was no one left to speak for me. 

 

As I have attempted to argue, in Hitler's Germany, one's self-identity was critical. All this thinking and writing has provoked me to examine my own sense of identity. It is only fair and fitting that I share with you my self-identity. 

 

In my generation, it is common to put the question in other ways, such as who am I?  Or to use the phrase finding oneself. The most common answers to identity are usually based on one's race, vocation, place, nationality, religion, or relationship with others. 

 

How one answers the identity question reveals quite a bit about who they are. Being as honest and open as I can, I have settled on the following identities, ranked in order of meaningfulness to me. 

 

First, as my primary identity, I am a child of God, a follower of Jesus Christ, and a member of God's people, His worldwide church. Second is my family identity, which is as a husband and a father. Third is my national identity, which is a citizen of the United States, and I would go so far as to consider myself a loyal patriot. Fourth is my vocational identity, the one that logically changes the most: I am a finance executive, investor, writer, historian, and philosopher. Fifth is my racial identity, which topped the list for Hitler, and is at the top of some peoples' lists in my generation -- I am a 3rd generation Japanese American, and originally from Hawaii, the 50th state in the U.S. 

 

I hope that by revealing my sense of identity, you are getting to know me better. Understanding of one's identity is key to understanding a person. 

 

Let me close my letter. As a pseudo-philosopher, I am intrigued by the human condition and the place for identity. And identity provides a stable foundation for experiencing life. In an unstable, unpredictable, precarious, and changing world, identity provides stability and security. I am fully convinced of this truth: by knowing one's identity and accepting it, one can thrive in life. Or in your case, thrive in death. 

 

Very sincerely yours, 

Ted at Common Reason