History of Rudolf Hess

Rudolf Hess was a prominent yet enigmatic figure in the early to mid-20th century political scene in Germany, primarily known for his close association with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. His life mirrored, in many ways, the tumultuous and destructive trajectory of Nazi Germany itself. Here is a comprehensive overview of Rudolf Hess’s journey as a politician.

**Early Life and Entry into Politics:**

Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was born on April 26, 1894, in Alexandria, Egypt, into a wealthy German merchant family. He was educated in Germany and later served as an officer in the German Army during World War I. This experience sparked a fervent nationalism in Hess, a sentiment that would deeply influence his future political career. After the war, Hess attended the University of Munich, where he studied geopolitics under Professor Karl Haushofer. It was during this period that Hess developed his early political beliefs, which were marked by strong nationalist and anti-Semitic ideologies.

Hess’s political career began in earnest when he joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), commonly known as the Nazi Party, in 1920. He quickly became a devoted follower of Adolf Hitler. In 1923, he participated in the failed Beer Hall Putsch, an attempted coup by the fledgling Nazi Party to seize power in Munich. Following the coup’s failure, Hess was imprisoned along with Hitler. During their time in Landsberg Prison, Hess served as Hitler’s personal secretary and confidant, assisting him with the writing of *Mein Kampf*, a key manifesto of Nazi ideology.

**Rise in the Nazi Party:**

In the subsequent years, Hess climbed the Nazi Party ranks, largely due to his unwavering loyalty to Hitler rather than any particular political acumen. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Hess's standing within the party improved significantly. He was appointed Deputy Führer in April 1933, a role in which he was responsible for various administrative duties and acted as an intermediary between Hitler and several government agencies.

Despite his high rank, Hess's influence was often overshadowed by other leading Nazis. Unlike more prominent figures such as Heinrich Himmler or Joseph Goebbels, Hess lacked the charisma and scheming nature necessary to dominate the inner workings of the party. Nevertheless, he played a critical role in promulgating and enforcing Nazi policies, particularly those related to racial purity and anti-Semitic legislation.

**The 1941 Flight to Scotland:**

Rudolf Hess’s political career took a dramatic turn on May 10, 1941, when he embarked on a mysterious and ill-fated solo flight to Scotland. Motivated perhaps by personal conviction or desperation over Germany’s war position, Hess sought to broker a peace agreement with the United Kingdom independently of Hitler and the Nazi government. He aimed to negotiate with members of the British aristocracy whom he believed were sympathetic to Germany, thereby circumventing an all-out conflict between the two nations.

However, Hess’s mission was an unmitigated disaster. After parachuting into Scotland, he was promptly arrested by British authorities and declared a prisoner of war. The British government, bewildered by his sudden appearance and unauthorized diplomatic overture, treated him with skepticism. Hess’s motives have been the subject of much speculation: some historians argue he sought to protect Germany from a prolonged two-front war, while others suggest he was manipulated by false intelligence or purely acted out of a misguided sense of duty.

**Later Life and Trial:**

The ramifications of Hess’s flight were substantial, both for himself and the Nazi regime. Hitler declared him mentally unstable, effectively erasing him from political significance. Despite this, the Nazis portrayed Hess as a martyr to certain factions within the party, a symbol of the unattainable peace between their movement and the Western powers.

After World War II ended in 1945, Hess was returned to Germany to stand trial at the Nuremberg Trials, a series of military tribunals held to prosecute the leaders of Nazi Germany for their roles in the war and the Holocaust. Hess was charged with crimes against peace and conspiracy to commit crimes. During the trial, he displayed erratic behavior, alternating between amnesia and denials of wrongdoing. Hess was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment in 1946.

**Spandau and Legacy:**

Rudolf Hess spent the remainder of his life in Spandau Prison in Berlin, where he was the sole inmate from 1966 until his death. His years in Spandau were marked by isolation, during which he portrayed himself as a prisoner of conscience. Hess died on August 17, 1987, under circumstances officially ruled as suicide by hanging, although the exact details remain a source of speculation and conspiracy theories.

Hess's legacy is complex and often reduced to his dramatic flight to Scotland, overshadowing his influential role in the early years of the Nazi regime. Hess remained a polarizing figure, with neo-Nazi groups sometimes deifying him as a symbol of their ideology, while many others remember him as a symbol of the misguided and destructive nature of extremist beliefs.

In conclusion, Rudolph Hess's political career was emblematic of the broader narrative of Nazi Germany—marked by a rise to unchecked power and eventual downfall. His life remains a cautionary tale of the dangers posed by blind loyalty and extremist ideologies.