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Concept
Führer
Summary
(ˈfjʊərər ; ˈfyːʁɐ, spelled Fuehrer or Fuhrer when the umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning "leader" or "guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi politician Adolf Hitler, who officially styled himself der Führer und Reichskanzler (the Führer and Chancellor of the Reich) after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg and the subsequent merger of the offices of Reichspräsident and Reichskanzler.
Nazi Germany cultivated the Führerprinzip ("leader principle"), and Hitler was generally known as just der Führer ("the Leader").
In compound words, the use of "Führer" remains common in German and is used in words such as Bergführer (mountain guide) or Oppositionsführer (leader of the opposition). However, because of its strong association with Hitler, the isolated word itself usually has negative connotations when used with the meaning of "leader", especially in political contexts.
The word Führer has cognates in the Scandinavian languages, spelled fører in Danish and Norwegian, which have the same meaning and use as the German word, but without necessarily having political connotations. In Swedish, förare normally means "driver" (of a vehicle). However, in the compound word härförare, that part does mean "leader", and is a cognate of the German "Heerführer".
Führer has been used as a military title (compare Latin Dux) in Germany since at least the 18th century. The usage of the term "Führer" in the context of a company-sized military subunit in the German Army referred to a commander lacking the qualifications for permanent command. For example, the commanding officer of a company was (and is) titled "Kompaniechef" (literally, Company Chief), but if he did not have the requisite rank or experience, or was only temporarily assigned to command, he was officially titled "Kompanieführer". Thus operational commands of various military echelons were typically referred to by their formation title followed by the title Führer, in connection with mission-type tactics used by the German military forces.
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