Actually their devotion is to the leader, and if you fail to display sufficient devotion it's well known that they fucking kill you and put three generations of your family in a concentration camp.
But the truth is that people who want power will appeal to whatever they think they need to for acquiring it. Religion, patriotism, racial identity, historical identity, the people, the betterment of workers, the common good, security and safety, jobs jobs jobs, revenge, the stupidity or cruelty of the other. The list goes on.
The counterweight is a culture with a robust sense of personal liberty, suspicion of authority and centralized power and a healthy competitive marketplace.