The Nazi attempt to draw philosophers and artists, who are not able to protect themselves for the simple reason that they are dead, into the orbit of their own brand of philosophy is not surprising. Their basic insecurity forced them to look for support from all quarters. Nietzsche, Stefan George, and Dostoevski are but a few outstanding examples. Most extraordinary is the Nazi claim that Dostoevski was a precursor of Fascism. Now, after complete military victory over Germany, this task is still ahead of us: to detect and destroy the subtly-penetrating lies which Nazism has built up.
It is not too difficult an enterprise to prove that Dostoevski was reactionary, hyper-nationalistic and anti-revolutionary. His political and ethical views were as contradictory and dualistic as the emotional life of his heroes.