The Aspiring Autocrat and the Personal Loyalty Oath
I caught a short segment on the news a while back, showing a group of immigrants becoming Americans by taking the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance. It was very moving and got me thinking about how important these oaths are to those who hope to become autocrats.
Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God." {Code of Federal Regulations Section 337.1 }
Swearing loyalty to the Constitution and the laws, not to a tyrant
Those who take the oath pledge to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the US. All those who enlist in the armed forces and all federal officials take an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution before starting their jobs. <https://www.thoughtco.com/oaths-of-office-for-federal-officials-3368324>
It is much the same for all the people who wear the uniform of the United States, including the top brass:
US Military Oath of Enlistment
I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
(Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).
Tyrants Demand Personal Loyalty
We are very lucky in this country that no one has yet tried to replace the standard oath with a pledge of personal allegiance to the leader. History offers examples of aspiring autocrats who used personal loyalty oaths as a way of gaining power, often by getting control over the generals and admirals who lead the military. This is what happened in Germany in 1934:
Germany 1934
“All through the summer the seemingly indestructible Hindenburg {Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (1847–1934) German military leader and President of Germany} had been sinking and, on August 2, at nine in the morning, he died in his eighty-seventh year.
“At noon, three hours later, it was announced that according to a law enacted by the cabinet on the preceding day the offices of Chancellor and President had been combined and that Adolf Hitler had taken over the powers of the head of state and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. {Law on the Head of State of the German Reich <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_German_head_of_state_referendum>}.
“The title of President was abolished; Hitler would be known as Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor. His dictatorship had become complete.
“To leave no loopholes Hitler exacted from all officers and men of the armed forces an oath of allegiance—not to Germany, not to the constitution, which he had violated by not calling for the election of Hindenburg’s successor, but to himself.
“It read:
“I swear by God this sacred oath, that I will render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, the Fuehrer of the German Reich and people, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and will be ready as a brave soldier to risk my life at any time for this oath.
“From August 1934 on, the generals, who up to that time could have overthrown the Nazi regime with ease had they so desired, thus tied themselves to the person of Adolf Hitler, recognizing him as the highest legitimate authority in the land and binding themselves to him by an oath of fealty which they felt honor-bound to obey in all circumstances no matter how degrading to them and the Fatherland.
“It was an oath which was to trouble the conscience of quite a few high officers when their acknowledged leader set off on a path which they felt could only lead to the nation’s destruction and which they opposed. It was also a pledge which enabled an even greater number of officers to excuse themselves from any personal responsibility for the unspeakable crimes which they carried out on the orders of a Supreme Commander whose true nature they had seen for themselves in the butchery of June 30 {The “Night of the Long Knives”—a violent purge ordered by Adolf Hitler, during which the SS and Gestapo executed hundreds of perceived political enemies, most notably the leadership of the Sturmabteilung (SA) paramilitary group}. <https://www.britannica.com/event/Night-of-the-Long-Knives>
“One of the appalling aberrations of the German officer corps from this point on rose out of this conflict of “honor”—a word which, as this author can testify by personal experience, was often on their lips and of which they had such a curious concept. Later and often, by honoring their oath they dishonored themselves as human beings and trod in the mud the moral code of their corps.”
Shirer, William The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1960) pp. 226-227 <https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Third_Reich/Z-sKPBSh-pcC>
Thus Hitler got the army to swear allegiance by changing the military oath of loyalty, making soldiers swear "unconditional obedience" directly to Hitler, the Führer and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, instead of to the German constitution or country. This shift, supported by military leaders who sought to secure their positions and advance their nationalist agenda, created a personal, binding loyalty to Hitler that solidified his control over the armed forces.
Almost all these officers followed Hitler, without question, all the way to the end of World War II, when Germany lay in ruins and about 4,200,000 Germans were dead. <https://www.britannica.com/question/How-many-people-died-during-World-War-II>
➡️ I was unable to find verifiable information online about what happened to those senior officers who swore allegiance to Hitler. One source wrote “During World War II, many German generals lost their lives, either in combat or through execution. The total number of generals killed in action is estimated to be around 135, while 84 were executed by the Nazi regime.” Another source says” 642 German generals and field marshals died from all causes during the war. In addition, 33 others were executed by the Allies for war crimes after the war. Of the 675 total, on Hitler's orders, 84 were executed by military or People's Courts verdicts.” SBZ
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Satire: The Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade
“Almost overnight the Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade was in full flower, and Captain Black was enraptured to discover himself spearheading it. He had really hit on something. All the enlisted men and officers on combat duty had to sign a loyalty oath to get their map cases from the intelligence tent, a second loyalty oath to receive their flak suits and parachutes from the parachute tent, a third loyalty oath for Lieutenant Balkington, the motor vehicle officer, to be allowed to ride from the squadron to the airfield in one of the trucks. Every time they turned around there was another loyalty oath to be signed. They signed a loyalty oath to get their pay from the finance officer, to obtain their PX supplies, to have their hair cut by the Italian barbers. To Captain Black, every officer who supported his Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade was a competitor, and he planned and plotted twenty-four hours a day to keep one step ahead. He would stand second to none in his devotion to country. When other officers had followed his urging and introduced loyalty oaths of their own, he went them one better by making every son of a bitch who came to his intelligence tent sign two loyalty oaths, then three, then four; then he introduced the pledge of allegiance, and after that "The Star-Spangled Banner," one chorus, two choruses, three choruses, four choruses.”
How Google’s Gemini AI answered the question “How do dictators get the army behind them?”
Dictators maintain the army's loyalty through a calculated mix of rewards, threats, manipulation, and the deliberate fragmentation of military power. By preventing the military from becoming a unified threat and ensuring key officers personally benefit from the regime, dictators secure the armed forces as a tool for repression rather than a source of rebellion.
Co-opting the officer corps
Targeting senior leadership: Dictators focus on buying the loyalty of top military officers, who are best positioned to launch a coup. This can be achieved through generous financial rewards, lucrative business opportunities (such as military-owned companies), and access to illicit gains.
Political promotions: Rather than promoting based on merit, dictators advance officers based on personal or political loyalty. This places loyalists in positions of power and sidelines or removes potentially disloyal officers through forced retirement or purges.
Incentivizing corruption: By involving military leadership in corrupt activities, a dictator can make officers' fortunes dependent on the regime's survival. This creates a powerful financial incentive for them to remain loyal, as a new government could prosecute them.
Ethnic and social favoritism: Some dictators appoint officers from their own family, clan, or ethnic group to the most sensitive military posts, such as Saddam Hussein did in Iraq. This further solidifies personal connections and loyalty.
🇺🇸 A Familiar American Loyalty Oath
Americans are familiar with one particular loyalty oath, the Pledge of Allegiance. I suspect most believe it’s an oath of allegiance to the flag and don’t pay attention to “the republic for which it stands” part. It is definitely not an oath of personal loyalty to any aspiring autocrat.
4 U.S.C. United States Code, 2018 Edition Title 4 - FLAG AND SEAL, SEAT OF GOVERNMENT, AND THE STATES
CHAPTER 1 - THE FLAG
Sec. 4 - Pledge of allegiance to the flag; manner of delivery; From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov
§4. Pledge of allegiance to the flag
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
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