Hitler salute
1030851
226081921
2008-07-16T19:16:59Z
Atavi
1629275
[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 226070346 by [[Special:Contributions/92.233.38.198|92.233.38.198]] ([[User talk:92.233.38.198|talk]]):vandalism
[[Image:Hitler 1928.jpg|thumb|right|[[Adolf Hitler]] and others at a Nazi party rally in [[Nuremberg]], [[Germany]], performing the salute. [[Hermann Göring]] is standing in front of Hitler.]]
The '''Hitler salute''' ({{lang-de|Hitlergruß}}, also known in Germany during [[World War II]] as the ''Deutscher Gruß'', literally: ''German Greeting''), or in English as the '''Nazi salute''', is a variant of the [[Roman salute]], adopted by the [[Nazi Party]] as a sign of loyalty to its leader [[Adolf Hitler]]. 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. The Hitler [[salute]] became the embodiment of Hitler's [[cult of personality]] throughout [[Nazi Germany]].
==Description==
For the Hitler salute the right arm is raised at an angle of about 45 degrees above the horizontal and slightly sideways to the right, 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]]''.
==Origins==
[[image:germansalute.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A picture from the ''Illustrated Exhibitor'' (1852) portraying a reconstruction of the installation ceremony of an early German king]]
Although the Italian fascists associated the salute with ancient Rome, Hitler and the [[Schutzstaffel|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 Enzyklopädie|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' [[Nordic theory|Nordicist]] version of [[Aryan race|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.
==Use in the Third Reich==
[[Image:Hitler at Reichstag.gif|thumb|Hitler salute]]
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. One German joke from the war-era played on this identity: "Heil Hitler!" / "I can't, heal him yourself."</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]]!" (Hail, my Leader) or simply "Heil!", as addressing him with "Hitler" would be in third person.
''[[Sieg Heil]]!'' or "Hail victory!" (lit., ''Sieg'' "victory", ''Heil'' "hail"; ''cf.'' "Heil, Maria" {[[Hail Mary]]}) was a common [[Nazism|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, and there are many photographs of him saluting crowds from one of his open motor vehicles. 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. Like the more familiar Hitler salute, it predates the Nazi and Fascist movements.
[[Image:Reichsparteitagnov1935.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Hitler saluting from a staff car]]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]], four days after the attempt on Hitler's life in [[Kętrzyn|Rastenburg]], however, many units chose to ignore this order and continued to use the traditional salute. 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. (In the German armed forces of that period, a junior would not greet or salute a superior unless offered such a courtesy by the latter).
==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 is less common since 1975 when the dictatorship of [[Francisco Franco]] ended with his death, although it is still employed by neo-[[Falangist]] parties and groups.
Use of the salute and accompanying phrases has been forbidden by law in Germany and Austria since the end of [[World War II]]. Versions of the salute are used 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). One version is the so-called [[Michael Kühnen|Kühnen]] salute with extended thumb, index and middle finger, also forbidden in Germany.
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 [[Romulan]]s (depicted as a fascist society) in the original [[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]] television series (1966-69) use an upraised arm, palm down salute in several episodes, such as ''[[The Enterprise Incident (TOS episode)|The Enterprise Incident]]'', and the evil versions of the Enterprise crew in the "mirror universe" of the episode, [[Mirror, Mirror (TOS episode)|Mirror, Mirror]] gave a modified version of this salute, first bringing their fist to their chests then extending it outward Nazi-style.
==Satirical use==
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Heartfield salute.jpg|thumb|right|150px|"The meaning of the Hitler salute", a photo-montage by John Heartfield, depicting Hitler receiving secret donations.]] -->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 politics|right-wing]] [[Capitalism|capitalists]] stands behind Hitler, placing money in his hand, suggesting "backhand" donations <ref>http://sauber.50webs.com/kapital/zdralbuch.jpg</ref>. The caption is, "the meaning of the Hitler salute" and "Millions stand behind me". After the [[Night of the Long Knives]], cartoonist [[David Low (cartoonist)|David Low]], a longtime foe of Hitler, drew a cartoon showing terrified [[Sturmabteilung|storm troopers]] with their hands raised in surrender under the caption, "They salute with both hands now."
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. Chaplin himself remarked that Hitler's "hand thrust backward made one want to place a tray of dirty dishes on it."
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 Führer." While being "indoctrinated," the POWs, all wearing fake Hitler moustaches, give a German sergeant the Nazi salute and shout "Sieg Heil!" The sergeant then comments "One Führer 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 [[Alien Hand Syndrome]], the actions of which give away his subconscious thoughts (including choking 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-Nazism|neo-Nazi]] thoughts or urges.
[[Image:11-04-06-LSJUMB-004.jpg|thumb|275px|left|The [[Stanford Band]] doing the Hitler salute to the [[Spirit of Troy]] ]]
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 sometimes ambiguous, and comedians using it for humorous purposes have sometimes been accused of [[anti-semitism]] (see, for instance, [[Dieudonné M'bala M'bala]]'s controversial "Isra-Heil" sketch).
The [[Stanford Band]] will give the Hitler Salute to the University of Southern California [[Spirit of Troy]] Marching Band. The Stanford Administration had not taken action against the band for this practice despite complaints from alumni and fans from both Universities.
The satirical use of the salute is often coupled with an exaggerated [[goose-step]], another Nazi gesture, as seen in the 2004 film, [[EuroTrip]].
In the film [[American History X]] the salute is performed to taunt a character who is seen as being a racist zealot.
Another satirical reference is found in the film, ''[[Alpha Dog]]''. [[Heather Wahlquist]], who plays the girlfriend of a [[Judaism|Jewish]] man performs the salute in front of him, saying, "Heil!".
In the British sitcom "[['Allo 'Allo!]]", set during [[World War II]] France, there is a different version of the salute; when a German soldier salutes the Italian counterpart, the Italian retorts with "Heil Mussolini"
==Footnotes==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>
==See also==
* [[Roman salute]]
* [[Ave]]
* [[Bellamy salute]]
* [[Sieg Heil]]
{{Gestures}}
[[Category:Nazism]]
[[Category:Greetings]]
[[Category:Gestures]]
[[Category:Adolf Hitler]]
[[cs:Heil Hitler]]
[[da:Heil]]
[[de:Hitlergruß]]
[[es:Heil Hitler]]
[[fr:Salut hitlérien]]
[[hr:Hitlerov pozdrav]]
[[it:Saluto nazista]]
[[nl:Hitlergroet]]
[[ja:ナチス式敬礼]]
[[no:Hitlerhilsen]]
[[pl:Heil Hitler]]
[[pt:Heil Hitler]]
[[ru:Нацистское приветствие]]
[[fi:Natsitervehdys]]
[[sv:Hitlerhälsning]]
[[zh:納粹禮]]