Talk:Nazi salute/Archive 3

Archive 1

Archive 2

Archive 3

Jeffrey Lord sacking

Does it make sense to include the fact regarding Jeffrey Lord tweeting something in the popular culture section? I find it to be trivia that is really irrelevant to the topic of the nazi salute. It is certainly not the only time something like this has happened... see here: https://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/greek-soccer-player-banned-for-nazi-salute/ . Should that be included to? I can't even begin to understand how this improves wikipedia or this article.

@Beyond My Ken: - maybe you can expand upon "disagree"

‡ Єl Cid of ᐺalencia ^ᐐT₳LKᐬ 17:31, 26 January 2018 (UTC)

• It being "certainly not the only time this has happened" is irrelevant. If there are other instances, add them to the current one, don't delete the one that is most recent and currently best known. As for "trivia" - it is not trivial for a public personality to be fired for emulating the Nazis. It's sad and it's disturbing, but it's not trivial, especially considering the current public profile of neo-Nazis and their alt-right compatriots here and in Europe. We overlook these things at our own peril. Beyond My Ken (talk) 17:36, 26 January 2018 (UTC)

@Beyond My Ken: So you think having a piece of trivia in this article is going to stop neo-nazis? Oy vey. ‡ Єl Cid of ᐺalencia ^ᐐT₳LKᐬ 19:37, 26 January 2018 (UTC)

It's you who thinks it's "trivia", not me, and you've presented no evidence (or argumentation, for that matter) to show that it is in fact trivia, simply your personal opinion that it is. I happen to think when a modern person in the public limelight copies the behavior of the indoctrinated people of a country which followed a despot who came close to conquering the world, and was responsible for killing many millions of people, that's both newsworthy and encyclopedic, and that if we hide this stuff behind the woodshed -- even the small stuff -- we do a disservice to ourselves, our readers, and the world at large. As to whether having it in the article will "stop neo-nazis", that is, of course, an irrelevant piece of rhetoric that is neither here nor there, and you should be ashamed of yourself for having come up with it. Beyond My Ken (talk) 02:16, 27 January 2018 (UTC)

Military Use

The traditional military salute was not permitted when not wearing headgear - in common with most armies (the USA being a notorious exception). That does not mean that "all salutes performed bareheaded,...made the Nazi salute de facto mandatory in most situations". Apart from the poor English, the logic is also flawed. If not wearing a uniform headgear - or other headgear - there is no salute given. The Nazi salute is entirely voluntary is such cases.Royalcourtier (talk) 06:34, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Well, no. First, it's not true that no salute is given without headgear - the official word for saluting is "greeting" in Germany, and of course you greet other soldiers, only not with hand-to-the-head but with looking at them and saying "good morning", just as in civilian life. In these situations, it was all but mandatory to use the Nazi salute even before 1944; "all but", it is true, but there's not so much "entirely voluntary" things in the military (!) of a totalitarian (!) state if to leave it out means, practically, to declare that you are a dissident.--2001:A61:260D:6E01:F49A:F167:C7B4:6E9E (talk) 16:56, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Is it appropriate for a [supposedly] factual article to refer to the The National Socialist German Workers' Party as the Nazi party? - According to a page on Amazon Video, Nazi was/is a pejorative term?

Discussion Alib 15 (talk) 11:51, 21 December 2017 (UTC)

Yes, it is appropriate, no it was not, to begin with, a pejorative term, just a shortening based on the sound of the name in German, but why the hell should be care about being pejorative to Nazis anyway, given that the name is used by just about every reliable source, and BTW, a page on Amazon is not a reliable source. Beyond My Ken (talk) 17:44, 21 December 2017 (UTC)

The Nazis as a rule were themselves accepting enough to calling themselves Nazi, just as our present Social Democrats are accepting enough if you call them Sozi. (In fact the only, little, beef they had with being called Nazi is that it could be read as implicit denial of their proclaimed Socialism. Goebbels, as far as I'm aware, published a book called Der Nazi-Sozi.)--2001:A61:260D:6E01:F49A:F167:C7B4:6E9E (talk) 17:02, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

The relevant policy is WP:COMMONNAME. We call them Nazis because that is what everybody else calls them in English and we want everybody else to be able to understand what we are talking about. Whether Nazis find this offensive is, frankly, neither here nor there. --DanielRigal (talk) 18:32, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

"Heil"

I recently reverted a user who was claiming that in the sense of the Nazi salute that "Heil" meant "salvation." In looking through a German-to-English dictionary, the facts are a bit more complicated than what Google Translate produces. The more common translation of "heil" (uncapitalized as an adjective) is health, wholeness, safety, etc. - in other words, well-being. The capitalized noun version is also welfare, well-being, and in an ecclesiasticalsense, salvation. Based on what I see, the literal "heil" = "hail" is inaccurate in any case. Acroterion (talk) 00:33, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

I don't think you are correct about "heil" =/= "hail". Evans, in his trilogy of books, consistently uses "Hail" in translating "Heil". "Hail" in English, in fact, also means "health, wholeness, well-being", etc., as in "Hail and hearty", "You're looking hail today!". Beyond My Ken (talk) 00:42, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

Yes, it may be tied to an older English meaning common to both English and German. It would be nice to have references for the situation-specific translation, since Google lacks nuance. Acroterion (talk) 00:48, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

As I said, it's used throughout Richard J. Evans' The Coming of the Third Reich, The Third Reich in Power and The Third Reich At War. Most other historians writing in English choose to leave the term in German, presumably because it's so well known, but Evans makes it a practice throughout the books to translate almost everything into English, even the notoriously slippery volkisch. Beyond My Ken (talk) 03:50, 10 September 2018 (UTC) Beyond My Ken (talk) 03:47, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

I meant more along the lines of a specific reference that discusses the translation, more than Evans' default translation. Perhaps I'm anticipating a non-event, but we do sometimes get tendentious editors who will be tiresome about such things, it would be a good thing to pre-empt. Acroterion (talk) 11:55, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

OK, yes, I understand. I'm not aware of any, but it's worth a look to see if something can be found. Beyond My Ken (talk) 01:23, 11 September 2018 (UTC)

The Online Etymological Dictionary [1], gives "Hail" (in this sense) as

salutation in greeting, c. 1200, from Old Norse heill "health, prosperity, good luck," or a similar Scandinavian source, and in part from Old English shortening of wæs hæil "be healthy".

The same source [2], in defining "sieg heil" gives

Nazi salute, German, literally "hail victory;" from German Sieg "victory," from Old High German sigu (see Siegfried) + heil "to hail," from Proto-Germanic *hailitho (see health). English heil was used in Middle English as a salutation implying respect or reverence (c. 1200; see hail (interj.))

and the verb form [3]

"hail," German from Sieg Heil (q.v.). Middle English cognate heil was used as a salutation implying respect or reverence (c. 1200; see hail (interj.)).

Not the best possible source, but it's something. Beyond My Ken (talk) 01:33, 11 September 2018 (UTC)

6th grade photo of JFK Jr. classmates

I don't see any wp:rs backing up the notability of this photo, nor do I see a value in including it. Discuss?-- Work permit (talk) 22:54, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

No value in including this. Beyond My Ken (talk)

After I added two other student incidents, I changed my mind and added the JFK Jr Collegiate School incident (but not the photo) to the article. Beyond My Ken (talk) 04:03, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

Using just a yearbook photo as a reference is probably questionable, but I admit the existence is interesting. Your new section is good since I think the rise in use of fascist repertoire is worth highlighting. I do fear your new section could attract a lot of recentist additions, guess we'll cross that bridge if it happens?---- Work permit (talk) 04:23, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

Let's see what happens. Beyond My Ken (talk) 04:27, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

Images in military salute

Im looking to (re)introduce an image showing the Wehrmacht performing a traditional salute. The entire section is about them holding onto that tradition. There seems to be a problem with another editor regarding formatting. Lets discuss the issue, since I can't reproduce it on my end with either an IPad or a PC.---- Work permit (talk) 07:43, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

@Work permit: I was using my cell phone and now it is in the right spotJack90s15 (talk) 16:45, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

@Jack90s15: great to hear, thanks!---- Work permit (talk) 22:06, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

Incidents involving American students

There has been a friendly back and forth on the section on incidents involving american students. It was added relatively recently. More recently, an editor tagged it as recentism, another deleted it, and these changes were reverted. I thought it would be useful to have a discussion about the section and establish a consensus. Given the subject matter, this article has been remarkably "calm". So a discussion would be useful not just now but for the future. @Beyond My Ken, Jay D. Easy, The C of E, and Jack90s15: would you be willing to give it a try?---- Work permit (talk) 03:14, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

The material is obviously relevant to the subject and is reliably sourced, there's very little else to say about it. Beyond My Ken (talk) 04:16, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

The material is relevant by showing people still do the salute with the Horrible history Behind it Jack90s15 (talk) 04:44, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

My concern was that it was recent was by the fact that it only goes up to 2018. I am not saying the section shouldn't be there as it is sourced, but why the focus on American students post-2018 as opposed to say Chinese tourists or Canadian tourists? The C of E God Save the Queen! (talk) 10:53, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

The solution is to add those incidents not to tag the section. Beyond My Ken (talk) 13:30, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

I would have had the section not clearly stated it was just covering American students 2018 onwards. The C of E God Save the Queen! (talk) 16:53, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

Well, then add the incidents and change section title to something appropriate, or start a new section for them. Nothing's written in stone, better more incidents than fewer, to show this is not a problem which has gone away.. Beyond My Ken (talk) 23:56, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

Perhaps a section called use in 21st century? If there are many examples, subsections could be added to list, for example in US schools, In germany, etc? Or perhaps the section starts later, say since 2010.---- Work permit (talk) 00:37, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Changes in origins

Please discuss the recent wholesale changes to the referenced, stable version. Include what you think is wrong with it, and you think needs to be added. Thanks---- Work permit (talk) 21:55, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

1. Making clear that Winkler says the Roman salute was not used in antiquity.

Current: The salute gesture is widely believed to be based on an ancient Roman custom

Suggested: The salute gesture is widely and wrongly believed to be based on an ancient Roman custom.

2. Modifying the Horatii passage because "may have been the starting point" in its own words is pure supposition. However, this and other examples of French art could be interpreted as a salute associated with ancient Rome. Will retain the Boime reference.

Current: Jacques-Louis David's painting Oath of the Horatii (1784) may be the starting point for the gesture that became known as the Roman salute. The gesture and its identification with ancient Rome was advanced in other French neoclassic art.

Suggested: However, the gesture and its identification with ancient Rome appears to be depicted in Jacques-Louis David's painting Oath of the Horatii (1784) and a few other French neoclassic paintings.

3. Offering a little of who Bellamy was and making clear his intention for the Pledge and the salute in the context of nationalist pledges from his viewpoint as an ardent socialist. Please, there should be no quibbles that the method and intention of a daily oath in school children is indoctrination. "Bore a resemblance" is begging the question of there not being influence without demonstrating that there wasn't.

Current: The Bellamy salute, originated in 1892 to accompany the American Pledge of Allegiance, bore a resemblance to the Nazi Salute.

Suggested: The Bellamy salute originated in 1892 to accompany the American Pledge of Allegiance. Both were devised by Francis Bellamy, a democratic socialist, to indoctrinate the concept of nationalism in American school children.

4. The Bellamy salute was already well-known internationally in the late 19th and early 2th centuries. In addition, it has demonstrated connections to directors of early film as compared with esoteric French paintings. The original text made no connections at all between French art and film except by proximity in sentences.

Current: This was further elaborated upon...

Suggested: The Bellamy salute was widely popular in the United States and well-known abroad. It was elaborated upon... (I realize this reference is fringe, but not all the scholarship in it is. The evidence in it for the Bellamy salute being known abroad and its connection with early film directors is solid.)

Question, is the Tinny source available online somewhere to be reviewed by others? 6YearsTillRetirement (talk) 02:29, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Not that I know of. Google Books provides snippets. Kcornwall (talk) 15:48, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

5. More logical to move origins of Hiel down with Nazi part of the origins.

6. No need to elaborate on the U.S flag code here. Stating what changed and when is sufficient. So suggest removing.

Thank for responding. I'm tied up now, will have suggestions later---- Work permit (talk) 23:08, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

I was in the process of writing an alternative paragraph here in the talk page, but I see you have made some changes in your comments. The changes seem all for the good. Would you mind writing a test paragraph here in the talk (using references). The only concern that immediately pops out to me is the flat out statement "The salute gesture is widely and wrongly believed". I happen to agree with you, but I wonder if thats too strong a statement relative to what the source says.---- Work permit (talk) 00:28, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Here is quote from a review of Winkler by Bryn Mawr. Chapter One "is convincing in its claim that the Roman salute, as a specific gesture, did not exist in Antiquity." http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2009/2009-08-45.html Kcornwall (talk) 02:15, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

• And this from the Wikipedia Bellamy Salute article: "...the Roman salute, a gesture that was popularly (albeit erroneously) believed to have been used in ancient Rome."Kcornwall (talk) 02:15, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

oh, by the way I assume you have winkler but if you don't I can help find reference pages for the bellamy connection. If memory serves, the connection may come from popularity in the US to plays and films in the US, which then gets "exported" to foreign films? ---- Work permit (talk) 00:33, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

I don't have all of Winkler, but I believe the existing references suffice. Kcornwall (talk) 01:50, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

This is just the first half or origins that I would like to change. Kcornwall (talk) 01:50, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Origins and adoption

See also: Bellamy salute and Roman salute

The salute gesture is widely and wrongly believed to be based on an ancient Roman custom. No surviving Roman work of art depicts it, nor does any extant Roman text describe it. However, the gesture and its identification with ancient Rome appears to be depicted in Jacques-Louis David's painting Oath of the Horatii (1784) and a few other French neoclassic paintings.

The Bellamy salute originated in 1892 to accompany the American Pledge of Allegiance. Both were devised by Francis Bellamy, a democratic socialist, to indoctrinate the concept of nationalism in American school children. The Bellamy salute was widely popular in the United States and well-known abroad. It was elaborated upon in popular culture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in plays and films that portrayed it as an ancient Roman custom. This included Ben Hur (1907) and Cabiria (1914), whose screenplay was written by the Italian ultra-nationalist Gabriele d'Annunzio, arguably the forerunner of Benito Mussolini. In 1919, when he led the occupation of Fiume, d'Annunzio adopted the style of salute depicted in the film as a neo-Imperialist ritual, after which it was quickly adopted by the Italian Fascist Party.

After the Nazis started using the salute, the United States replaced it, in 1942, with the now-familiar hand-over-heart gesture to be rendered by civilians during the Pledge of Allegiance.

The oral greeting "Heil" became popular in the pan-German movement around 1900. As a manner of address, Führer was introduced by Georg Ritter von Schönerer who considered himself leader of the Austrian Germans.

• I don't see how this is better. Drmies (talk) 01:21, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Better because it make clear that there was no such thing as the Roman salute in history. That the idea of it was introduced in early film and that the basis was the preponderance at the time of the Bellamy salute. And so on until finally adopted by the Nazis. Kcornwall (talk) 01:50, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

• The third paragraph strikes me as fringe. I'll add the Bellamy salute (the entire gesture) is clearly NOT the fascist salute, so saying the fascists "adopted it" is wrong. You've weakened the link to neoclassical paintings, which is fair, but strengthened it to the Bellamy salute, which seems excessive. A quick rescan of Winkler leads me to believe he observes the appearance in painting, observes the appearance of the Bellamy salute, goes into quite a bit of depth on its appearance in plays and film. Ben Hur is superfluous, its just another movie. The direct connection is d'Annunzio (through Cabiria). Unfortunately I'm a bit tired today I can give more feedback tomorrow. ---- Work permit (talk) 01:49, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Rest up. I appreciate your input. Hmm, not sure where you see it says the fascists adopted Bellamy. I may have deleted 3rd paragraph in the interim. In fact, almost everyone agrees that in practical application pledgers didn't turn their palms up. Too hard. Try it, yourself. Especially, if you had to do it every day, and you're a kid. Look at the picture I included, even the teacher doesn't do it.

Yes, you did delete it in the interim ---- Work permit (talk) 02:30, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Bryn Mawr again. "The author first turns to the early form of the Pledge of Allegiance, which originally included an entirely similar gesture to the one that came to be used by Fascists and Nazis. This uncomfortable association is not explored in depth; Winkler simply asserts that the gesture had no political or historical connotations in the United States." So not demonstrated by Winkler. Kcornwall (talk) 02:15, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

• Are we good to go with this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kcornwall (talk • contribs) 15:19, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

References

No, not with me. As I mentioned last night I can take a cut at this hopefully tonight, but big picture it seems stating the observation is wrong is redendant given the followup sentence, the mention of Ben Hur is unneeded, the first two paragraphs could probably be merged.---- Work permit (talk) 17:49, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Here's how the Wikipedia Bellamy Salute article handles it. I was following their lead: "...the Roman salute, a gesture that was popularly (albeit erroneously) believed to have been used in ancient Rome." For me, first sentence introduces the idea that is wrong. The second sentence explains why.

We both agree the widely held view of the gesture is an incorrect view because there is no evidence of its existence. I guess its a matter of taste how to say that. As I see it, the second sentence is now disjoint from the first. Perhaps the problem is that we have two separate sentences rather than two independent clauses joined with a conjunctive adverb? In other words, The salute gesture is widely believed to be based on an ancient Roman custom; however no surviving Roman work of art depicts it, nor does any extant Roman text describe it.? The wordy way to say it is The salute gesture is widely and erroneously believed to be based on an ancient Roman custom. This view is wrong because no surviving Roman work of art depicts it, nor does any extant Roman text describe it.---- Work permit (talk) 23:36, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Ben Hur is there to support it being well-known in movies, generally, so the fascists were already warmed up to the idea, and so quickly adopted it when the opportunity arose. Actually, maybe adding an additional movie would make the point better. Let me know. Kcornwall (talk) 18:02, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

That's a stretch. I don't remember any credible source making that strong a connection to ben hur. The direct, well sourced, documented connection is not fascists generally warming up to it. The connection is specifically Gabriele d'Annunzio. He created the entire fascist repertoire, and happen to have previously written the screenplay for Cabiria. The implication is he took the gesture from that that movie. The connection to Ben Hur, the bellamy salute, the oath of the horatio is just the emergence and popularity of the gesture.---- Work permit (talk) 23:41, 19 September 2019 (UTC)

Ben Hur: Here from the Bryn Mawr review, again: Winkler now turns to pre-WWI cinematic depictions of salutes in Chapter Four, "Early Cinema: American and European Epics" (pp.77-93). The popularity of movies with religious themes, particularly the so-called 'passion' works, is discussed, especially in so far as they give an air of credibility to the details therein. Such films, like the movie Ben Hur, were often epic in scale and visually spectacular, features which became the norm for movies on religious subjects. The author notes that the cinema took over many conventions that had become ubiquitous in theatre, the Roman salute amongst them. This is an important step in establishing the link between the Roman salute and its use in the movies. Cabria is Chapter 5

Bellamy: If you look at the timelines and connections, Bellamy is the basis (French paintings as we've agreed is a total reach with no connections to the emergence of the gesture in popular and political culture). Bellamy's salute predates and dominates during this whole period. This from Tinny, about Ben Hur, but which also establishes the influence of the Bellamy salute on the Roman salute in films: "Ben Hur had two directors, of which one had been born and raised in the U.S. That means he attended schools where he was likely forced to perform the Bellamy salute and intone the pledge daily. The other director was from Canada, but had moved to the U.S. at a young age and lived in the U.S. long enough to have observed the U.S. practice toward the flag." The salute also appeared in Nerone (1908) Italian and Spartaco (1914), but Ben Hur, in 1907, which was massively popular, was the predecessor. Overwhelmingly, the most well-known embodiment of the gesture for decades was the Pledge salute - used as non-other than a show of allegiance to the state! It can't be avoided that film directors in America were influenced by daily pledging (certainly not by French paintings) and nothing else that we know of. And so from Bellamy to film and on to d'Annunzio's Cabria (1914) and then to Mussolini and his fellows to whom the Pledge and these movies "gave credibility" that the salute was actually a feature in the glory days of Rome that they were seeking a return to. It is not my intention to take this article that far. But there should be no implication that it wasn't. Kcornwall (talk) 00:57, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

I don't any consensus here as yet. Beyond My Ken (talk) 01:52, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

Thanks. I see now where you want to go. To quickly paraphrase winkler, "people think the salutatory gesture was ancient roman but it was not (chapter one). A similar gesture showed up in a roman context in oath of the Horatti and other french paintings( chapter 2). The americans created a similar gesture in 1892 (page 56-61). The gesture, already established by the pledge can be traced to the american stage production of Ben Hur at the end of the 19th century (page70), the american silent movie version in 1907 (page 85) and other movies of the time (chapter 4). Of special note is cabiria (chapter 5)." And the the rest is history. Putting aside my horrible writing, have I captured the gist of the argument?---- Work permit (talk) 02:12, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

Yes, you captured it. Did you want to take a stab at a rewrite based on this, or I'm happy to continue? Kcornwall (talk) 17:11, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

I'm happy to take a stab tonight. I have the references so can probably be more precise with the citations.---- Work permit (talk) 19:16, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

As an aside, over a decade ago there were edit wars in some article over the fringe ideas of a fellow named Rex Curry, who maintained Bellamy invented the Nazi Salute (and National Socialism in general). His website is still up, though blacklisted on wikipedia. Look it up if you are curious. In no way am I saying these represent your beliefs, just worried when there is a mention of Ian Tinny (one of Currys co-conspirators) and adding the political context of the Bellamy salute allows others to start going down that road. ---- Work permit (talk) 02:27, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

Yes, I am familiar with Rex Curry. He actually did some admirable research, but the way he decided to politicize it in combination with his inflammatory style alienated him from everyone and ultimately did him. Kcornwall (talk) 17:11, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

Proposed Version

The salute is widely, and erroneously, believed to be based on an ancient Roman custom. This view is erroneous since no known Roman work of art depicts it, nor does any extant Roman text describe it.<winnkler p.2> Jacques-Louis David's 1784 painting Oath of the Horatii displayed a raised arm salutatory gesture in an ancient Roman setting.<winkler pp. 42-44><winkler p. 55><Boime p. 46.> This was followed by depictions in other French neoclassic art.<winkler p.50, 51, 40> In 1892, Francis Bellamy introduced the American pledge of allegiance and a visually similar saluting gesture.<winkler p57> Established in the United States through the Bellamy Salute, the raised arm gesture was also used in the 1899 American stage production of Ben Hur.<winkler p70, 72, 74> and its 1907 film adaption.<winkler p.83> The gesture was further elaborated upon in several silent era Italian films.<winkler p. 85-90> One of these films were the silent film Cabiria (1914), whose screenplay had contributions from the Italian ultra-nationalist Gabriele d'Annunzio.<winkler p94>, arguably the forerunner of Italian fascism.<Ledeen, Michael Arthur (2001). "Preface". D'Annunzio: the First Duce> In 1919, when he led the occupation of Fiume, d'Annunzio used the style of salute depicted in the film as a neo-Imperialist ritual and the Italian Fascist Party quickly adopted it.<Falasca-Zamponi, Simonetta (2000). Fascist spectacle: the aesthetics of power in Mussolini's Italy. Studies on the history of society and culture. 28 (illustrated ed.). University of California Press. pp. 110–113.>

The oral greeting "Heil" became popular in the pan-German movement around 1900.< name="Mommsen">

---- Work permit (talk) 02:43, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

I've carefully referenced each statement. I included the "erroneous" statement in the first sentence. I included the introduction of the bellamy salute, then the american stage and film productions of Ben Hur, acknowledging their american origin. I believe this covers the concerns that were raised. I have left out any political connections between the Bellamy salute and the fascist salute. If we have a consensus, I will fill in the references and transfer to the article. I'd prefer to do this myself since I want to check page numbers one more time before adding. If there are any additions, lets discuss. Thanks---- Work permit (talk) 02:43, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Does Winkler actually draw a direct connection with the Bellamy Salute and Ben Hur, or did Ben Hur pick it up from what was already believed to be a Roman salute? What is the wording of the connection per Winkler? Beyond My Ken (talk) 02:50, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Here is page 70 ...The gesture, already established through the pledge of Allegiance, can be traced to the American stage at the end of the nineteenth century, too. Photos of the New York City production of Ben-Hur provide the most importance evidence. pages 72 and 74 are two example photos. ---- Work permit (talk) 03:07, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Winkler also states on pps. 74-75: Wallace's novel had not contained a single instance of a raised arm salute. The same goes for the text of the theatrical production: no stage direction instructs any actor to raise his arm i greeting. Instead, we find directions such as "Officer salutes and exits"....Wallace and other authors of such plays are evidently unfamiliar with the raised arm salute....the salute is evidently an addition intended to increase the audience's involvement and enjoyment of a grand spectacle by means of an effective piece of stage business.---- Work permit (talk) 03:34, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Sorry, but that is not a sufficient connection. Breaking it down, he says that the Bellamy Salute existed, and that the Ben Hur salute existed, but he does not say that there was a connection between the two - "it can be traced" is weak and non-specific. Neither does the second quote make such a connection. Without an explicit pathway from the Bellamy Salute to Ben Hur, the two cannot be causally linked in our article. They can be mentioned as occurring at about the same time, but no direct connection between them can be stated or implied if it's not supported by a citation that makes that point unmistakably. Beyond My Ken (talk) 03:50, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

I certainly didn't mean to imply they were causal. Just that one preceded the other, which is what I think I (and Winkler) said. I gave the exact statement in the passage. How would you paraphrase it? Perhaps just delete the phrase "Established in the United States through the Bellamy Salute"? I'm happy to do so if the phrase implies a casual relationship that wasn't meant to be there. Perhaps the confusion is the term "the gesture" being overloaded? "It can be traced" meant a general raised arm salute, not specifically the Bellamy version---- Work permit (talk) 04:00, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Just add "also" - "the gesture was also used in the 1899..." to more firmly disconnect the two parts of the sentence. I think that would do it. Beyond My Ken (talk) 04:04, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Done and thank you.---- Work permit (talk) 04:10, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Where did the stage play get it? The article, as is, implies from French paintings? You're saying the director or actors came up with the idea, are the original source?Kcornwall (talk) 08:48, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

I don't read it that way at all. The salute was already established in america when the american directors produced the play. The chronology and geography are explicit. The reader of the article is free to infer. The writer should not imply that which is not in the source.---- Work permit (talk) 17:03, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

• Ken, disconnecting the Pledge Salute, the most pervasive, well-known, and most practiced salute from 1892 up until the present is turning a blind eye to association. No, we can't definitely say there is a casual relationship, but that there is no association isn't credible. Let me reiterate this, again, which establishes the influence of the Bellamy salute on the Roman salute in films: "Ben Hur had two directors, of which one had been born and raised in the U.S. That means he attended schools where he was overwhelmingly like to have been forced to perform the [Pledge of Allegiance along with Bellamy salute. daily]. The other director was from Canada, Sidney Olcott, but he had moved to New York at a young age and lived in the U.S. from before the turn of the century, far long enough to have observed the U.S. practice toward the flag." Note that New York was the first state to pass mandatory Pledge reciting in public schools, 1898. For decades, and overwhelmingly, the most well-known embodiment of any like gesture prior to the Nazi salute was the Pledge salute - used as non-other than a show of allegiance to the state! It's the 800 pound gorilla in the room. It can't be avoided that early film directors in America were influenced by daily pledging (certainly not by French paintings). It can't be denied that the association is there, historically. The reference is this: Throughout the early 20th century, states across the nation passed laws that required student recitation as part of a morning flag salute so that "by 1913, 23 states had passed such laws. Four years later, with the eruption of unbridled nationalism that accompanied the United States' entry into WWI, pledging allegiance to the flag became a fixture of American public education." You can just imagine! What isn't true is that we implicate d'Annunzio alone. He didn't come up with his salute out of thin air (nor any of the other stage/film directors). Yes, d'Annunzio directly popularized the salute with the Italians, but he rode it in on the huge wave that Bellamy had launched. As I said before, it is not my intention to make Bellamy causal. But there should be no implication that it wasn't, either. Work permit already diluted it, I request not to disconnect. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kcornwall (talk • contribs) 03:35, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

• It is not "turning a blind eye to association", it is insisting that there be a reliable source which explicitly shows that association . You don't have that, all you have is a basketful of assumptions, so you cannot add that to the article, period. It would violate both WP:V and WP:OR. Subject experts can have opinions which we will publish (if they fulfill WP:DUE), but your personal opinions cannot be included in articles. If you add the material without the necessary citation, it will be removed.
  Please use paragraph breaks, walls-of-text are extremely hard to read. Beyond My Ken (talk) 04:15, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

• Some of what you are saying is original research, unless you intend to reference Curry and Tinny in which case it is outright fringe. We know the Pledge was introduced in 1892. We know the enormously popular play Ben Hur debuted in 1899 and displayed the salute. We know the salute was not written into the script or stage direction, but added as additional stagecraft. The movie came out in 1907. Italian movies started coming out in 1908. The 1914 screenplay for Cabria was written by d'Annunzio. d'Annuzio went on to create the entire Fascist repertoire when he occupied Fiume in 1919. Besides the salute, he instituted the balcony address, the cries of "Eia, eia, eia! Alalà!", the dramatic and rhetorical dialogues with the crowd, the use of blackshirts, and the use of religious symbols in new secular settings. These are all referenced facts.---- Work permit (talk) 04:42, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

• Regarding my edit, I never intended to imply a causal link. I didn't read my initial write up as implying one, but BMK did. So I adopted his change. I see he was correct since others read my initial edit as a more direct link then either I (or the source) intended. All we know, and all we should say, is there is a chronological order as well a a common geography between the Bellamy Salute and Ben Hur.---- Work permit (talk) 04:46, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

• I know you realize the Bellamy Salute is a show of allegiance to the state. According to the references, the raised arm salute in Ben Hur is used a greeting. The context and meaning is radically different. You must also realize that Rose and Olcott would probably have taken the salute from the 1899 stage play. ---- Work permit (talk) 05:25, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

• Work permit, if "what we know" is all just coincidence, according to the logic and interpretation of the rules Ken states, then we should just start with d'Annuzio and say that as far as anyone knows, outside of some odd coincidences (needn't be named), then he was the origin of the thing. I'm going to hold you guys to your own rules. There is no more evidence that d'Annuzio had ever seen Ben Hur than that he was familiar with the Pledge (Winkler doesn't document when or where d'Annuzio viewed it, he just makes the common sense assumption about a director of film at that time that he lived in the known historical world). But obviously that wouldn't do this section any service. We absolutely CAN assume that d'Annuzio as a film director had seen other well-known films of his day. We can also assume that because, before 1892, this gesture in popular culture didn't exist, then all other versions were based on the general population's experience of it via Bellamy. You can decide, but you can't have it both ways.

Good comments. Ken, bear with me, I'm still sort of new at this. Let me ask, where were you when the current Origins text was written? Somehow no one ever objected to it, even though, it admits right it in the text that it is a rank assumption. "Oath of the Horatii (1784) may be the starting point..." Really? How was a claim with "maybe" as the supporting adverb allowed to stand? It is even permitted to then go on to state that this speculation was "further elaborated on". So that's OK, but it's too much of a stretch to merely imply that a wildly popular and pervasive, and frequently practiced gesture, one used in a nationalist oath (Bellamy) by everyone in America, was a likely influence on a twin gesture used in a nationalist greeting whose adoption it preceded by decades?

Recall my initial proposed rewrite was: "The Bellamy salute originated in 1892 to accompany the American Pledge of Allegiance. Both were devised by Francis Bellamy, a democratic socialist, to indoctrinate the concept of nationalism in American school children." [BTW, Work Permit, if the paintings, and plays, and Pledge salute are included as important coincidences, then this one is equally]. "The Bellamy salute was widely popular in the United States. It was elaborated upon in popular culture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in American plays and films that portrayed it as an ancient Roman custom." With this, I replaced a highly unlikely scenario anchored in nothing but whimsy with an extremely likely one, using the same syntax. Ken, I am going to assume that you simply missed the original violation of policy, and would have emphatically objected, right?

Anyway, I still see my rewrite as reasonable scenario, especially compared with the current one, given that historical people lived in the known historical world of the day where the Pledge, as much as it is today, was a fact of life (like horses or houses), that everyone knew about and most people practiced it from an early age, ad nauseum. I am concerned that if we just state that seemingly similar things randomly existed, then this section should be named Oddly Similar Stuff that was Around at the Time? I'm joking. Seriously, because it is a common error, we have to bring up the paintings. Also, keep the art, the Pledge and its purpose, the plays and films. But a good documentarian lines up facts in meaningful association with the real world.I'm happy if this is written such that it doesn't actively prevent readers from making common sense associations.Kcornwall (talk) 09:04, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

• The original text "Oath of the Horatii (1784) may be the starting point..." was referenced. Here is the quote from the reference that backed up the original statement in the article: <Winkler p. 55> The raised arm, first stretched out as a symbol of righteous fervor-as the Horatii evince it-and later as a symbol of political allegiance and religious-political unity between a people and its leader, becomes an important part of the iconography of new societies. In addition to its specific contemporary use the gesture comes to express, in a fashion that appears timeless and even mystical, an appeal to a higher being and to a heroic ancient past that had served as a model for most of Western civilization for centuries, although often in ways not supported by historical fact. David’s Oath of the Horatii provided the starting point for an arresting gesture that progressed from oath-taking to what will become known as the Roman salute. ---- Work permit (talk) 14:52, 22 September 2019 (UTC)
• The list we have in the proposed paragraph is not just a random collection of facts. That would be wp:synth. We are relying on a wp:rs, namely winkler, who has provided all these examples in a well footnoted book which is specifically on topic. ---- Work permit (talk) 15:09, 22 September 2019 (UTC)
• As an aside, D'Annunzio was not a film director. He was a literary writer and poet, educated at Sapienza University of Rome. He did not direct Cabiria, he contributed to the screenplay, writing all of the intertitles, naming the characters and the movie itself. It is safe to assume he saw Cabiria. I have no reason to believe he was the person to direct the actors to use the gesture. I would guess it would have been the director. Personally, I have no idea if he saw Ben Hur. Personally, I would not at all be surprised if he was aware of David the artist. I was a STEM student and even I studied French neoclassical art (including David) at University. Of course, who cares what I personally think :) ---- Work permit (talk) 15:25, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

• Need to bring these two statements into parity. "Oath of the Horatii displayed the salutatory gesture..." and "the American pledge of allegiance and a visually similar saluting gesture" Either both of these are "the salute" or they are both "visually similar? What we see in the painting is that the boys are pointing at the bundle of weapons or their father, more parallel to the ground than not, quite unlike the Pledge or Nazi versions that angle high in the air. Using your own eyes you can see that the painting isn't the salute AND that it is barely visually similar, too. But the Pledge and Nazi salute... you have to wonder why, if it's used in greeting, the stage and Nazi salutes are angled up in the air instead of pointing just above the greetee, unless... they are modeled on one where people are saluting something that is up in the air. Just saying. Anyway, parity.Kcornwall (talk) 09:04, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

Thats fair. None of these gestures are the fascist salute. Even in Ben Hur, winkler states the gestures are loose and unmmilitaristic. They will remain so for quite a while in theater and on film<p. 75>. So how is this version?---- Work permit (talk) 14:34, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

Nice. Kcornwall (talk) 18:02, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

I added in the header references and photos - shown in chronological order. And moved the first two sentences down before the Nazi part.Kcornwall (talk) 19:25, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

Makes sense to move the history of heil as you did.---- Work permit (talk) 01:02, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

And I don't agree with your addition of the Bellamy Salute image in the section. I understand how passionate you are on the Bellamy salute, and I have worked Bellamy in as much as appropriate into the paragraph given the sources. ---- Work permit (talk) 02:16, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

We are talking visual similarities, so I thought an image would help readers. Also thought it helped with the chronology that the date on it was 1915. But readers can click on the Bellamy link if the want to see examples. So fine.Kcornwall (talk) 18:40, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

Thank you very much. ---- Work permit (talk) 20:23, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

@Kcornwall and Beyond My Ken: Checking in, do we have a consensus? ---- Work permit (talk) 20:25, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

Revised proposed version

The oral greeting "Heil" became popular in the pan-German movement around 1900.< name="Mommsen">. It was used by the followers of Georg Ritter von Schönerer, who considered himself leader of the Austrian Germans, and has been described by Carl E. Schorske as "The strongest and most thoroughly consistent anti-Semite that Austria produced" before the coming of Hitler. Hitler took both the "Heil" greeting and the title of "Führer" for the head of the Nazi Party from Schönerer.<name="Mommsen" /><Kershaw Hubris pp.34-35>

The extended arm saluting gesture is widely, and erroneously, believed to be based on an ancient Roman custom. This view is erroneous since no known Roman work of art depicts it, nor does any extant Roman text describe it.<winnkler p.2> Jacques-Louis David's 1784 painting Oath of the Horatii displayed a raised arm salutatory gesture in an ancient Roman setting.<winkler pp. 42-44><winkler p. 55><Boime p. 46.> This was followed by depictions in other French neoclassic art.<winkler p.50, 51, 40>

In 1892, Francis Bellamy introduced the American pledge of allegiance and a visually similar saluting gesture.<winkler p57> The raised arm gesture was then used in the 1899 American stage production of Ben-Hur.<winkler p70, 72, 74> and its 1907 film adaptation.<winkler p.83> The gesture was further elaborated upon in several silent era Italian films,<winkler p. 85-90> including the silent film Cabiria (1914), whose screenplay had contributions from the Italian ultra-nationalist Gabriele d'Annunzio,<winkler p94>, arguably a forerunner of Italian fascism.<Ledeen, Michael Arthur (2001). "Preface". D'Annunzio: the First Duce> In 1919, when he led the occupation of Fiume, d'Annunzio used the style of salute depicted in the film as a neo-Imperialist ritual and the Italian Fascist Party quickly adopted it.<Falasca-Zamponi, Simonetta (2000). Fascist spectacle: the aesthetics of power in Mussolini's Italy. Studies on the history of society and culture. 28 (illustrated ed.). University of California Press. pp. 110–113.>

Mostly wordsmithing here, but I dropped the "Established in the United States..." connecting phrase as being still too strong considering the lack of evidence showing a connection between Bellamy and Ben Hur. I also want to be sure that the above text is intended to be followed by the paragraph beginning "By 1923...".

I'm a little uncertain of where this stray sentence should go, as it doesn't seem to fit in well anywhere:

:The oral greeting "Heil" became popular in the pan-German movement around 1900.< name="Mommsen">

unless, perhaps, it is moved down to the "Sig heil" section.

Thoughts? Beyond My Ken (talk) 21:05, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

BMK, I moved the heil to where I believe it belongs. Apologies for editing your text. ---- Work permit (talk) 22:11, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

That's the thing, I don't think it belongs there, it's a turn to another subject while the remainder of the section goes on about the physical salute. I think it should go down to the "Sieg heil" section.

I see what you mean, but the "Sieg Heil" section is about the specific crowd chant, not the "heil hitler" that usually goes with the salute. I personally thought leaving it on top was better. Then moving it halfway down.---- Work permit (talk) 23:12, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

Then what about leaving it where it is now, as the first sentence in the section? It would be nice if there was something additional to say about it (in fact, I may be able to find something, let me look), but it would act there as an introduction to the origin of the greeting: first the origin of the vocal part is described, then the origin of the gestural part. Beyond My Ken (talk) 23:21, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

I moved the "Heil" mini-section to the top, and expanded it with material from Kershaw Hubris. Beyond My Ken (talk) 00:18, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

Nice. ---- Work permit (talk) 00:54, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

OK. I think we've been going over this for long enough, I'm going to make the change. Beyond My Ken (talk) 01:06, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

 Done, with a few minor tweaks that occured to me as I was putting it in. I moved the final paragraph (about the Bellamy Salute being replaced, into a footnore. Beyond My Ken (talk) 01:55, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

I restored the original footnote for Boime and included a quote from the reference from winkler, to establish context for the painting.---- Work permit (talk) 02:45, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

Thanks, I wondered about the Biome footnote. Beyond My Ken (talk) 02:59, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

I'm fine with either version.---- Work permit (talk) 22:17, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

• It is unclear what the "raised arm gesture" refers to in your sentence, "The raised arm gesture was then used.." Sorry, to go on about it, but without implying the milieu that had existed for nearly a decade at this time as a result of the omnipresence of the Pledge, as Work permit did with a soft connection, it's too disconnected. So now, good style would require something along the lines of, "Yet another raised arm gesture was invented for the stage production..."

Interesting to me is what Work permit pointed out, the stage and film gestures are not precisely executed, unlike the Bellamy and Nazis military-style executions. On this basis, d'Anunnzio would have had to, at the very least, "clean it up" when he introduced it to his troops; at worst, he invented it out of whole cloth (like everyone else, apparently) because there are no explicit references to him having even viewed Cabiria - although, common sense would allow that he had. Rather than throw out even the historical antecedent of the films, can we come up with a Pledge > Play connecting phrase soft enough to be acceptable, or here's an idea, "Francis Bellamy introduced the American pledge of allegiance and a visually similar saluting gesture that by the turn of the century was in widespread use. The raised arm gesture was then...". Kcornwall (talk) 22:51, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

• Disagree. Since no source provides a hard connection, we cannot either, so my version is the most I will agree to. We cannot make assumptions, as you keep doing, we must have hard and fast citations from reliable sources. Beyond My Ken (talk) 23:01, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

Where do you see a connection in what I wrote? BTW, it's not really a team player or in the spirit of Wikipedia to insist "my way or the highway."

Would you also respond to my note that, It is unclear what the "raised arm gesture" refers to in your sentence, "The raised arm gesture was then used.." What raised arm gesture? Perhaps, you meant "a raised arm gesture..."? Kcornwall (talk) 00:42, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

(1) It is absolutely in the spirit of Wikipedia to insist on relabile sources for any factual claim. Wikipedia is not about compromise, it is about WP:CONSENSUS, which you should read.

(2) The text involving "raised arm gesture" is perfectly clear. Beyond My Ken (talk) 01:03, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

OK. Maybe I am dense. It is not perfectly clear to me. Would you please spell it out? It says, "The.." This means it has a referent. What raised arm gesture is this referring to?

• You didn't answer my question: Do you seen any connection here? "Francis Bellamy introduced the American pledge of allegiance and a visually similar saluting gesture that by the turn of the century was in widespread use. The raised arm gesture was then..." If not, then if we can agree to include it, I'm good with this. Kcornwall (talk) 03:53, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

I'm not reading the passage as a series of unrelated, disconnected events. BMK has separated the two paragraphs. The Bellamy salute is getting top billing in a paragraph that ends with d'Anunnzio. That was more than I was willing to do. The sentences are laid out chronologically and state geography. It flows well, and the reader may infer what they like. Regarding a more explicit connection between the Bellamy salute and the stage production of Ben Hur (to say nothing of d'Anunnzio), the sources do not provide it. A few points:

• The phrase I inserted from the source Established in the United States through the Bellamy Salute is redundant. We are already saying when it was introduced in the preceding sentence. In the original source, the Bellamy salute is introduced on page 57 and discussed until 62. Pages 62 through 70 discusses a number of other things. On page 70 we get to the earliest documented use of the salute in the stage production of Ben Hur The gesture, already established through the pledge of allegiance can be traced on the American stage at the end of the nineteenth century, too. "already established" connects page 70 to page 57. We don't need to connect two sentences right next to each other.---- Work permit (talk) 02:20, 24 September 2019 (UTC)
• I assume you are being factious to him having even viewed Cabiria. Of course he did. In fact his contract required D'Annunzio to be present when Cabiria would open in different countries<winkler p. 96>---- Work permit (talk) 02:22, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

• Of course Italian cinema had an effect on the adoption in Fiume. In imitation of early epic films, not least Cabiria, D'Annunzio appropriated the raised arm salute for his own purposes. Now a more rigid-and rigorously observed-form of the salute because a propagandist symbol for all of Italy, to which Fiume belonged....they needed a sign to distinguish them visually from their political adversaries, one that was readily comprehensible even to outsiders as being (supposedly) ancient. So D'Annunzio and his legionaries adopted the raised-arm salute, long familiar to all and sundry from the screen and now declared to be il saluto romano.<winkler pp 104-105>---- Work permit (talk) 02:22, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

Note the referenced connections between Cabiria, D'Annunzio, the creation of the fascist salute at the occupation of Fiume, and the role of Italian cinema in its success. None of this is, or needs to be, "spelled out". Why the need to "spell out" a connection to the Bellamy salute which is not referenced, when we have not spelled out the connection to "several silent era Italian films" ---- Work permit (talk) 02:20, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

Agreed. And I appreciate the changes already agreed to. Really. Better reading of the history. I am proposing "Francis Bellamy introduced the American pledge of allegiance and a visually similar saluting gesture that by the turn of the century was in widespread use. The raised arm gesture was then..." If agreeable, I am good with this. Kcornwall (talk) 03:53, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

Widespread use, as it relates to audiences and stage directors intimate familiarity with the gesture, is not in the sources I have. For example, Winkler states Italians were familiar with the gesture through cinema. Yet all he says about the salute is that it was established.---- Work permit (talk) 04:03, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

"that by the turn of the century was in widespread use" is an unsourced assumption. It's the kind of thing that -- if it were true -- would almost certainly be cited somewhere. We can add it when there's a citation that supports it. Until then, it's unsourced WP:OR. Beyond My Ken (talk) 04:46, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

Fair enough. I will be back if I find anything. Thank you all for working with me on this. Kcornwall (talk) 19:17, 24 September 2019 (UTC)

A reminder

• Just a reminder to everyone: this is an article about the Nazi salute, and not an article about similar gestures. Therefore the vast majority of the material in the article should be directly about the Nazi salute. Material about other, visually similar but not clearly connected, gestures can be included, but only if it conforms to WP:DUE and doesn't start to unbalance the article, or attempt to make connections to the Nazi salute that are not explicitly confirmed by citations from WP:reliable sources. Anything that is directly and explicitly connected should be included in the article, but it should not become a catch-all for material about other gestures. If necessary, a separate article on those gestures can be started, with a short section on the Nazi salue linked back to here. Keep information about unrelated but similar gestures brief and succinct. Beyond My Ken (talk) 15:55, 22 September 2019 (UTC)

"In 1926, the Heil Hitler salute was made compulsory." Please fact check this, as the NSDAP only won the election in 1933.

"In 1926, the Heil Hitler salute was made compulsory." Please fact check this, as the NSDAP only won the election in 1933. 2001:16B8:2D09:C500:3068:7C12:2C67:1336 (talk) 19:19, 31 May 2020 (UTC)

The source needs to be reviewed to confirm, but the sentence probably needs "for party members" added. Acroterion (talk) 19:23, 31 May 2020 (UTC)

The OP's facts are wrong in any event. The NSDAP never won a free election. Hitler was appointed Chancellor by President von Hindenburg at the urging of nationalist conservatives. At no time before Hitler seized control did the NSDAP have a majority in the Reichstag; if they had, they would have elected Hitler as Chancellor. Beyond My Ken (talk) 19:28, 31 May 2020 (UTC)

I checked the source, it did indeed refer to being compulsory within the party. I've adjusted the text. Beyond My Ken (talk) 19:32, 31 May 2020 (UTC)

Ku Klux Klan

KKK groups in the United States often use a similar salute with the left arm.Pbrower2a (talk) 20:45, 25 November 2020 (UTC)

If true, you would need a citation from a reliable source to add it to the article. Beyond My Ken (talk) 22:55, 25 November 2020 (UTC)

Here's a link to an image from CBS News:

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-kkk-today/20/

Fingers are not held together as in the Nazi salute, but the left arm is at nearly at a 45-degree angle as was the Nazi salute. This is CBS News, and the only reason that I do not show the image (a link is shown) is that such might violate a copyright held by CBS, Incorporated.

Next comes a barbarous distortion of the US flag (OK, my use of the word "barbarous" is not NPOV) that melds elements of "Old Glory" (the white stars on a blue field and the red-and-white stripes) with a Nazi swastika.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-kkk-today/21/

It's hard to be NPOV when discussing any fascistic cause. It is safe to assume that most people despise Nazis and the KKK, but people chose to display that banner. Note well that the Klan and Nazis had similar objects of hatred in the 1920's and 1930's. Back then the similarities of a salute may have been coincidence, but a stiff-arm salute with one arm (unless it has the Communist "clenched fist") now generally suggests the extreme Right.

I would suppose that CBS News is a reliable source.Pbrower2a (talk) 00:11, 9 December 2020 (UTC)

CBS is certain a reliable source, but, unfortunately, an image is not the best form of sourcing in the world, as compared to words, and this image is a bit problematic when you consider that all three people have their fingers splayed -- unlike in the Hitler salute , where the fingers are held tightly together, with only thumb, perhaps, splayed -- so it looks very much like they're showing the number four, as a football team would when indicating that they're going to win the game in the fourth quarter. That's probably not the case, but it's not a slam-dunk that the gesture is a Nazi salute.

I think what we need is for a reliable source to say -- in words (and it could be a caption to a photo) that the Klan sometimes uses a version of the Nazi salute, or that these Kan members are using a version of the Nazi salute, or quotes a Klan member as saying "we're proud that we based out salute on Hitler's", or something on that order.

I'm not trying to put obstacles in your way, if this is occurring I'd want it to be in the article, but we do have to do so while following Wikipedia policies. Beyond My Ken (talk) 00:59, 9 December 2020 (UTC)

Here is an explanation by a source (the Anti-Defamation League) hostile to the KKK.

"From its beginnings in the 1860s, the Ku Klux Klan has employed a variety of salutes and hand signs both public and private. Most of the hand signs and gestures used by the first and second Ku Klux Klans have fallen by the wayside over the years, except for the Klan salute, which dates back to 1915. It resembles a Nazi salute (which some Klan members will also use), except that it is performed with the left arm. Often Klan members will separate the fingers of their hand when making the salute (to represent the 4 K's of Knights of the Ku Klux Klan)".https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/ku-klux-klan-hand-sign

This is a possible explanation of why the fingers are not together as in the Nazi salute shown in the picture. Pbrower2a (talk) 11:01, 15 December 2020 (UTC)

Good catch! I've added this information to the article. Beyond My Ken (talk) 13:13, 15 December 2020 (UTC)

Holy?

Wikipedia doesn’t explain what the word “heil” means, Is it “holy” in German? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.192.38.184 (talk) 00:04, 18 May 2021 (UTC)

It means "Hail" in German, as in "Hail Caesar!", which is explained in the third sentence of the article. Beyond My Ken (talk) 06:11, 18 May 2021 (UTC)