ABSTRACT
The contribution of a tradition of militarism to the rise of fascism seems so obvious that it would scarcely seem to warrant further investigation. Militarism had formed an essential part of German intellectual and cultural history during the whole period of Prussia’s rise to ascendancy in Germany. F. Nietzsche strongly influenced Germans of a slightly later generation, in particular those Nazi Party members who were interested in the occult and mysticism. The overthrow of the Empire and the advent to power of the Social Democrats confirmed many Germans in their belief that Bernhardi had been right in his condemnation of toleration for those who preached peace policies. Militarism was given a new energy by the humiliations of the unsuccessful war against Germany. Fears of Germany’s steadily increasing naval power led to an upsurge of militarism and the development of a more extensive naval programme.
