The infamous first line of Germany's anthem originally urged the fragmented German states to prioritize a unified nation over petty regional loyalties. Written in 1841, it was a liberal, nationalist call for internal unity, not a program for external domination.

The Nazi party strategically used disgusting imagery, describing Jewish people as dirty, greasy, or slimy. This rhetorical strategy was designed to elicit visceral disgust, thereby dehumanizing an entire population and motivating social avoidance, ostracism, and ultimately, violence.

In the late 19th-century Habsburg Empire, national identities were actively constructed and weaponized. Competing linguistic groups established separate choirs, fire brigades, and banks to invent and enforce rigid national identities where they were previously fluid, turning civil society into a political battlefield.

Unlike other forms of bigotry focused on exclusion, antisemitism often includes a belief in a global conspiracy by Jewish people, which is then used to justify violence against them as a necessary counter-action.

Hitler's Austrian nationality was less of a hurdle than it seems today. In the 1920s, a strong political movement in post-empire Austria advocated for unification with Germany. This widespread sentiment made Hitler's claim to a 'greater German' identity plausible and relatable to many Germans and Austrians.

Instead of replacing the Weimar Republic's anthem, the Nazis reinterpreted its first verse for their ideology and elevated their own party song, the "Horst-Wessel-Lied," to co-anthem status. This created a dual-anthem system blending traditional nationalism with specific Nazi party veneration.

Despite his personal failings, Crown Prince Rudolf held liberal political views, supporting Jewish equality and opposing German nationalism. These progressive stances made him a target for the rising pan-German movement, which saw him as a puppet of 'Jewish capitalism' and an obstacle to their agenda.

Coined in 1879, "anti-Semitism" was not just a new word for old hatred. It was a modern political tool framing Jews as a foreign race ("Semites") to specifically oppose their emancipation and the Enlightenment values that enabled it.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, racism was not just socially acceptable but academically esteemed. Fields like phrenology and eugenics were considered legitimate sciences pursued by the era's leading intellectuals. This presents a stark inversion of modern values, where intellectualism is aligned with anti-racism.