“The German word Dolchstosslegende means roughly, ‘myth of the stab-in-the-back.’ In the June issue of Harper‘s, Kevin Baker has a major article about the history of this peculiar right-wing myth. It’s a long article and well worth reading in full, but here’s a brief summary with some excerpts. The understanding of this myth is, I think, crucial to understanding the origins of the phony culture war, and therefore to understanding the mindset of the American right.

The story of the stab-in-the-back is common in many ancient myths, in which the hero is betrayed by a close friend and companion. The point of this story is usually to convey the importance of the hero: too strong or wise or good to be defeated by his enemies, the hero can only be defeated from within his group of companions. When you regard your nation as heroic, as many Americans do, then similarly it cannot be defeated by external enemies, only by internal ones.

Baker argues,

Since the end of World War II [the myth of the stab-in-the-back] has been the device by which the American right has both revitalized itself and repeatedly avoided responsibility for its own worst blunders. Indeed, the right has distilled its tale of betrayal into a formula: Advocate some momentarily popular but reckless policy. Deny culpability when that policy is exposed as disastrous. Blame the disaster on internal enemies who hate America. Repeat.

Baker takes the reader on a journey through the past century of the myth… ” (The Green Knight weblog)