Abstract

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is famous for his statement that “God is dead” — and for the fact that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis claimed Nietzsche as one of their great inspirations.* Were the Nazis right to do so — or did they misappropriate Nietzsche’s philosophy?* What were the key elements of Hitler and the National Socialists’ political philosophy?* How did the Nazis come to power in a nation as educated and civilized as Germany?* What was Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy — the philosophy of “Live dangerously” and “That which does not kill us makes us stronger”?* And to what extent did Nietzsche’s philosophy provide a foundation for the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis?