Editing Oswald Spengler (section)

===Aftermath===
In 1924, following the social-economic upheaval and [[hyperinflation]], Spengler entered politics in an effort to bring [[Reichswehr]] General [[Hans von Seeckt]] to power as the country's [[leadership|leader]]. The attempt failed and Spengler proved ineffective in practical politics.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

A 1928 ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' review of the second volume of ''Decline'' described the immense influence and controversy Spengler's ideas enjoyed during the 1920s: "When the first volume of ''The Decline of the West'' appeared in Germany a few years ago, thousands of copies were sold. Cultivated European discourse quickly became Spengler-saturated. Spenglerism spurted from the pens of countless disciples. It was imperative to read Spengler, to sympathize or revolt. It still remains so".<ref>{{cite magazine|date=10 December 1928|title=Patterns in Chaos|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]]|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,928375,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122151616/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,928375,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 November 2007|access-date=9 August 2008}}</ref>

In 1931, he published ''[[Man and Technics]]'', which warned against the dangers of [[technology]] and [[industrialism]] to culture. He especially pointed to the tendency of Western technology to spread to hostile "Colored races" which would then use the weapons against the West.{{Sfn|Hughes|1991|p=}} It was poorly received because of its anti-industrialism.{{citation needed|date=July 2010}} This book contains the well-known Spengler quote "Optimism is cowardice".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Spengler |first1=Oswald |last2=Atkinson |first2=Charles Francis |title=Man and technics; a contribution to a philosophy of life; translated from the German by Charles Francis Atkinson |date=1932 |publisher=A.A. Knopf}}</ref>

Despite voting for [[Hitler]] over [[Paul von Hindenburg|Hindenburg]] in 1932, Spengler found the Führer vulgar. He met Hitler in 1933 and after a lengthy discussion remained unimpressed, saying that Germany did not need a [[heldentenor|heroic tenor]] but a real [[hero]] ". He quarreled publicly with [[Alfred Rosenberg]], and his pessimism and remarks about the Führer resulted in isolation and public silence. He further rejected offers from [[Joseph Goebbels]] to give public speeches. However, Spengler did become a member of the German Academy that year.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

''The Hour of Decision'', published in 1934, was a bestseller, but was later banned for its critique of [[National Socialism]]. Spengler's criticisms of [[liberalism]]<ref>Tate, Allen (1934). "Spengler's Tract Against Liberalism," ''[[The American Review (literary journal)|The American Review]]'' April 1934.</ref> were welcomed by the Nazis, but Spengler disagreed with their biological ideology and [[anti-Semitism]].{{Sfn|Farrenkopf|2001|pp=237–38}}  While racial mysticism played a key role in his own worldview, Spengler had always been an outspoken critic of the racial theories professed by the Nazis and many others in his time, and was not inclined to change his views during and after Hitler's rise to power.{{Sfn|Engels|2019|p=6}}  Although a German nationalist, Spengler viewed the Nazis as too narrowly German, and not [[Western world|occidental]] enough to lead the fight against other peoples. The book also warned of a coming world war in which Western Civilization risked being destroyed, and was widely distributed abroad before eventually being banned by the [[National Socialist German Workers Party]] in Germany.  A ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' review of ''The Hour of Decision'' noted Spengler's international popularity as a polemicist, observing that "When Oswald Spengler speaks, many a Western Worldling stops to listen". The review recommended the book for "readers who enjoy vigorous writing", who "will be glad to be rubbed the wrong way by Spengler's harsh aphorisms" and his pessimistic predictions.<ref>{{cite news|date=12 February 1934|title=Spengler Speaks|work=Time Magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,746957,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517053047/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,746957,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 May 2008|access-date=9 August 2008}}</ref>