ABSTRACT
The greater Adolf Hitler’s monocratic power, the greater was the tendency towards a polycratic division of power among the countless little Hitlers. In the rest of Poland, Hitler was careful not to establish any legal norms so that his murderous racial policies could be implemented without hindrance from an administration with some remaining moral scruples. The Gauleiters stood alone, supported only by cliques of local favourites, but they mostly enjoyed direct access to Hitler and basked in his special favour. The key to power and influence in Nazi Germany was the right of access to Hitler. Hitler denounced civil servants as ‘aesthetes’ who lacked common sense and who would never be able to make a career in the real world. Hess hoped to strengthen his position by demanding the right to examine all proposed legislation to see whether it was ideologically sound and a true reflection of the National Socialist world view.
