Hitler salute
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It was adopted following its use by supporters of Italian fascism, a political movement under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, and other mass movements of the era (see Roman salute for details). The Hitler salute became the embodiment of Hitler's massive cult of personality throughout Germany. The right arm is raised at an angle of usually 45 degrees upwards from the chest, and is almost always accompanied by the exclamation of the words Heil Hitler! said in a firm and usually loud voice. If standing in front of a superior the heels might be clicked simultaneously. At rallies and meetings the arms of the crowd may also be raised while rhythmically shouting Sieg Heil.
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[edit] Origins
Despite the fact that the Italian fascists associated the salute with ancient Rome, Hitler and the SS leader Heinrich Himmler believed that it originated from ancient gatherings of Germanic peoples. Hitler regarded the salute as a demonstration of the warlike spirit of the Germans, while Himmler regarded it as a variant of the gesture of giving an oath with a raised spear. Such claims had some justification, since historians had long argued that similar gestures were used at the installation of ancient Germanic kings.<ref>According to the Illustrated Exhibitor, the reconstruction of such ceremonies among the Gauls and Germans was undertaken by Augustin Thierry. Illustrated Exhibitor, 1852, vol. 1., pp.165-6</ref> Illustrations reconstructing such events, and showing the salute, date back to the mid nineteenth century. The modern Brockhaus Encyclopedia also repeats these claims, stating that the salute derived from gestures used during the coronation of early medieval German kings along with exclamation of "Heil".<ref>"Der Nazi-Gruß war aus der spätgermanischen Zeit hergeleitet"; Brockhaus Encyclopedia, 1989,vol. 9, p. 604</ref> According to the Nazis' Nordicist version of Aryan theory, the rulers of ancient Rome were themselves migrants from Northern Europe, and so, in their view, were likely to have brought the salute to Rome from Germany.[edit] Use in the Third Reich
From 1933 to 1945 the Hitler salute was the common German greeting. Heil Hitler! ("Hail to Hitler!")<ref>It is worth noting that the German word "Heil" included the meaning "good health" (comparable to the English word "hale"). These have disappeared from the English "hail", which now simply means "greetings", despite its original identity with the German word.</ref> was used when directly addressing a citizen, or, in the Waffen-SS, a higher ranking officer. Hitler himself preferred to be addressed with "Heil, mein Führer!" or simply "Heil!" (which is logical, since otherwise Hitler would be addressed as a third party).
Sieg Heil! or "Hail victory!" (lit., Sieg "victory", Heil "hail") was a common Nazi chant at rallies, especially after the speeches of Hitler. Usually the words would be repeated three times to form the chant "Sieg...Heil! Sieg...Heil! Sieg...Heil!"
Hitler himself would often use the salute, but when on the receiving end he would frequently adopt a modified version, in which his arm was bent up from the elbow , with the palm of his hand bent back towards his shoulder.
After the July 20 Plot in 1944, the military forces of the Third Reich were ordered to replace the standard military salute with the Hitler salute. The order went into effect on 24 July, 1944, 4 days after the attempt on Hitler's life in Rastenburg. Previous to this, the salute was optional in the German armed forces, though if met with either the salute or the salutation, it was customary to reply with it. Unlike North American saluting customs, in the German armed forces of the time, juniors would not greet superiors, but remained silent unless offered a greeting by their superior.
[edit] After 1945
The Roman salute, on which the Hitler salute is based, was used in many different countries for many different purposes before World War II. For example, the Bellamy salute, used as part of the United States Pledge of Allegiance in the late 19th century and early 20th century, was a version of the Roman salute with some similarities to the Nazi salute. The Bellamy salute has been abandoned since 1942 because of this similarity. The same happened to most other forms of the Roman salute used across the world. In Spain, the fascist salute was kept in political use until 1975, when the dictator Francisco Franco died, the fascist salute was used in Galiza up until 2005, during the presidency of Manuel Fraga Iribarne.
Use of the salute and accompanying phrases has been forbidden by law in Germany and Austria since the end of World War II.
The salute has been emulated in fiction since 1945, being used as a non-verbal shorthand to distinguish the villains from the heroes. As an example, the Romulans (depicted as a fascist society) in the original Star Trek television series (1966-69) use an upraised arm, palm down salute in several episodes, such as The Enterprise Incident.
Versions of the salute are also used with non-satirical intent by neo-Nazis, who also use the number 88 to stand for "Heil Hitler" (the 8 standing for H, the eighth letter of the alphabet).
[edit] Satirical use
Satirical use of the salute dates back to anti-Nazi propaganda in Germany before 1933. The photomontage artist John Heartfield used Hitler's modified version, with the hand bent over the shoulder, in a poster that linked Hitler to Big Business. A giant figure representing right-wing capitalists stands behind Hitler, placing money in his hand, suggesting "backhand" donations. The caption is, "the meaning of the Hitler salute" and "Millions stand behind me".During the war the allies also used the salute in satirical ways, often to poke fun at the Nazis. In Charlie Chaplin's film The Great Dictator (1940) the Hitler character ("Adenoid Hynkel") several times causes chaos while attempting to use the salute.
In the 1953 comedy-drama Stalag 17, Colonel von Scherbach, the commandant of the titular POW camp, provides a copy of Mein Kampf to the barracks, so the camp can be indoctrinated in the "ways of the Fuhrer." While being "indoctrinated," the POWs, all wearing fake Hitler moustahces, give Sgt. Schulz the Nazi salute and shout "Sig Heil!" Schulz then comments "One Fuhrer is enough."
After the war satirical usage continued, most notably in Stanley Kubrick's dark comedy Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The eponymous character is an expatriated former-Nazi scientist with an uncontrollable right arm, the actions of which give away his subconscious thoughts (including punching himself and giving the salute). His left arm attempts to hold it down as it uncontrollably rises. This gesture has come to be used to suggest attempts to struggle against the open expression of neo-Nazi thoughts or urges.
In modern culture the Hitler salute is sometimes used jocularly, but the humour is not always appreciated. It is often used to imply that the person being addressed is behaving like a "little Hitler" (i.e. a bully). In the United Kingdom it is common to signify the satirical nature of the salute by simultaneously placing the index finger of the left hand under one's nose as a parody of Hitler's moustache. This is portrayed in a famous episode from the comedy Fawlty Towers ("The Germans"). The words "Sieg Heil" and "Heil Hitler" are also used satirically in modern times, though they may be considered offensive. However, along with the salute, they have also been used to poke fun at Nazis, or to insinuate that someone may be acting like a dictator. The Swing Kids had a parody of the chant, "Swing Heil"".
The border between satirical and offensive usage of the term "Sieg Heil" is not always unambiguous, and comedians using it for allegedly humorous purposes have sometimes been accused of anti-semitism (see, for instance, Dieudonné M'bala M'bala's controversial "Isra-Heil" sketch).
Use of the salute and accompanying phrases has been forbidden by law in Germany since World War II. However the phrase "Sieg Geil" has been used as a German satirical variant, to hint at the vivid sex life of high Nazi officials like Dr. Joseph Goebbels. The German word "geil" means "horny" or can in some cases more accurately be translated as "hot". Also, in Australia, it has also been forbidden by law, albeit indirectly, by banning all racist salutes and accompanying phrases and categorizing Nazism as "racist."
[edit] Footnotes
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[edit] See also
nl:Hitlergroet ja:ナチス式敬礼 no:Hitlerhilsen pl:Heil Hitler fi:Heil Hitler sv:Hitlerhälsning tr:Hitler Selamı zh:納粹禮
