Rosenberg (1893-1946), Alfred

Rosenberg was one of the first members of the Nazi party. In 1923, he owned the magazine Völkischer Beobachter. Rosenberg was appreciated by Hitler because of his excellent knowledge of anti Bolshevik, anti-Semitic and ultranationalist theories largely inspired by the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Houston Chamberlain and Gobineau. When Hitler was jailed, he temporarily took over the management of the Nazi party. In 1927, he published a book, The Myth of the Twentieth Century, that praised the conquest of a Lebensraum in order to preserve the “Aryan race” confronted with the Bolshevik expansionism. It sold only when archbishop Faulhaber commented extracts during an Episcopal meeting. The book was put on a black list by the Holy See in February 1934. The same year Rosenberg took over a new responsibility: the training of all Nazi party members in national socialist ideology. From 1940, he headed the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg that was responsible for the plunder of works of art and of furniture belonging to Jews and Jewish institutions (libraries, etc). On July 17, 1941, Rosenberg was appointed Minister for the Eastern Occupied Territories, giving him full control over the civilian management. In 1943, he received an allowance of 250,000 Reichsmark from Hitler. He was condemned to death on October 1, 1946, and hanged on October 16.

BILLIG, J., 1964, Alfred Rosenberg dans l'action idéologique, politique et administrative du Reich hitlérien, : Editions du Centre.

PIPER, Ernst, 2005, Alfred Rosenberg: Hitlers Chefideologe. Munich: Blessing.