Dragonslayer: The Legend of Erich Ludendorff in the Weimar Republic and Third Reich

Jay Lockenour's biography of Erich Ludendorff complicates the classic depiction of this German World War I hero, arguing that the strange or unhinged personal traits most historians attribute to mental collapse were integral to Ludendorff's political strategy. Ludendorff patterned himself on the dragonslayer of Germanic mythology, Siegfried, allowing him to embody many Germans' fantasies of revenge after their defeat in 1918.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 312 pages
\n Publication date: 15 April 2021
\n Publisher: Cornell University Press
\n

In this captivating biography of the infamous ideologue Erich Ludendorff, Jay Lockenour intricately complicates the classic portrayal of this German World War I hero. Erich Ludendorff meticulously crafted a persona that solidified his position as one of the most prominent (and despicable) Germans of the twentieth century. With an unwavering energy and an obsessive attention to detail, Ludendorff ascended to power and firmly established a stable and influential public stance among Germany's most influential figures. Between 1914 and his untimely death in 1937, he adorned multiple roles: a war hero, a dictator, a right-wing activist, a failed putschist, a presidential candidate, a publisher, and a would-be prophet. He played a pivotal role in guiding Germany's efforts during the Great War, spanning from 1916 to 1918, and notably set the tone for a politics of victimhood and retribution in the postwar era.

Dragonslayer delves into Ludendorff's life after 1918, contending that the peculiar or unbalanced personal traits often attributed to mental collapse were, in fact, integral to Ludendorff's political strategy. Lockenour asserts that Ludendorff modeled himself, sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously, on the legendary dragonslayer of Germanic mythology, Siegfried—the hero of the epic poem The Niebelungenlied and greatly admired by German nationalists. The symbolic power of this myth granted Ludendorff the ability to embody many Germans' fantasies of revenge after their defeat in 1918, ensuring his relevance in political discourse despite his failure to hold high office or cultivate a mass following after World War I.

Lockenour unveils the profound influence that Ludendorff's postwar career exerted on Germany's political culture and radical right during this turbulent era. Dragonslayer is a narrative as fantastical as fiction.

\n Weight: 534g\n
Dimension: 235 x 161 x 29 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781501754593\n \n