Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi was a cosmopolitan, a freemason, a pacifist, a feminist, a mischling, and, ultimately, a better class of liberal, but his fame among those who believe in a supposed ‘Kalergi Plan’ is unfounded.
🧵 Thread with some excerpts from his books:
He had excellent networking abilities, partly due to his aristocratic linage and partly because he had some knowledge of at least 10 languages. Thomas Mann and Freud attended to his Pan-European Congress.
The program of the 1932 Pan-European Congress, was markedly progressive.
From the book ‘Hitler’s Cosmopolitan Bastard’ by Martyn Bond (a good book).
From the book ‘Hitler’s Cosmopolitan Bastard’ by Martyn Bond (a good book).
Hitler called him a "Mischling“ and an “Allerweltsbastard”(cosmopolitan bastard). Two of his wives were jewish and he expressed favorable sentiments towards jews and Zionism in the book ‘Anti-Semitism throughout the Ages.’ Many jews attended his Pan-Europa congress.
He thought that NS antisemitism was a new form of anti-pacifism and anti-cosmopolitanism that scapegoated jews for these traits that he valued.
However, two of his brothers were National Socialists during the war.
However, two of his brothers were National Socialists during the war.
In 'Paneuropa', which was written when he was 25 years old, he uses racial arguments to define the borders of the European state. He claims that Russia and Finland are “an admixture of European and Mongol” and refers to Spengler’s prediction about the future of Russia.
He also states that "European Turkey" belongs politically to Asia, and uses the same “political” argument to exclude England and the British Empire.
From ‘Hitler’s Cosmopolitan Bastard.’
From ‘Hitler’s Cosmopolitan Bastard.’
Another important point about his demographic views is that he considered that Europe was already overpopulated, and thus maintaining her colonies was of extreme importance for this surplus population. From 'Pan-Europa.'
There are some statements of his that are critical of women's liberation, but this one from his book 'From war to peace' is among the worst examples of gynocentric ideology that I've ever seen.
He is known by many for this infamous quote taken from his book 'Practical idealism': "The Eurasian-Negroid Future race, externally similar to the ancient Egyptian, the diversity of peoples with a will Replace diversity of personalities."
This represents very well the faux esoteric and humanistic views that many Freemason aristocrats shared at the time, but still, it is idiotic to propose such a mix as a successful strategy for Europe.
He thought that Europe should be united to avoid war, and also to avoid becoming irrelevant on the global stage; instead, what has happened is that Europe has united because it IS more irrelevant than ever in the international stage.
It is pacifistic because it is weaker than ever before against all of her enemies, whose existence its elites refuse to recognize exists (if they are not Russian).
He was however, more realistic with the borders that he proposed.
He was however, more realistic with the borders that he proposed.
Further than that, I've not seen anything that can point to his writing being influential in the construction of a "Kalergi plan." So my conclusion is that his influence is greatly exaggerated.
Very well-put.
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