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Last two nights watched on History Channel the 4 hr showing of film clips of the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
I grew up in the 1930's and was in the Canadian Reserve Army during WW11. During my time did view a German 8mm film of the failed Dieppe raid and the prodding of Britsh and Canadian soldiers with bayonets while walking on the beach after their capture.
Anyway, the Rise of Hitler from 1922 all the way thru to 1945 just before his suicide was shown. The entire program consisted of actual film clips collected to show Hitlers rise into power...indoctination of the populace...entering the neighbor countries...trying to take Stalingrad and the admitted failure...attempt to eliminate the Jewish people and evidence of the concentration camps.
At one point I gasped at the sight of a man who appeared to be a skeleton coverd by skin who was still standing alive. That sight went deep into my soul which I will never forget.
One part of the film clips depicted the need for many women to bear a child for the New Germany and of the thousands that were recruited 900 became Pregnant. These women were called Fuerer Brides. I do recall seeing some yrs past a early 30's film of the large homes these women lived in during their pregnancy and birth of the babies.
Many German women were Raped by Russian soldiers and 1 out of 10 committed sucide as a result of the rape. Bad reputation for Russia.
Not sure if it is done but do believe the 4 hr film would be a very good lesson for High school students History class...lot better then reading from a History book.
Anyone else view the two nights filming and have a comment other then my own personal opinion?
I was just thinking of creating a thread on this as well as I watched both and thought it was an excellent piece. It doesn't present anything Earth shattering or that folks who studied the period won't already know, but the style it was done in and the extensive use of primary sources, particularly home movies gave an interesting insite into life in Germany during the rise and fall of Hitler.
The moment that got me thinking the most was listening to Hitler's speech upon being elected Chancellor. He gave a speech that the job of politics was to focus on what is best for all and overcome the social differences and distinctions that were separating Germans. Watching his early moments and listening to his speeches it made it somewhat obvious why he was able to garner so much support and people were so willing to listen to him.
I AM NOT DRAWING ANY PARALLELS BETWEEN THEM, but Hitler's first speech to Germany after being appointed Chancellor could have been spoken by Obama or any other U.S. politician and most of us would have stood up and cheered.
Although Hitler made a ton of stupid judgment errors, I think his biggest mistake was prematurely breaking the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with the Soviets. The Soviets weren't ready for a war at the time, both militarily and economically, and weren't looking for one (even though Stalin despised the very thought of Hitler having any sort of power) The fact of the matter is, Stalin wanted to solidify things on the home front first before he began his war with Hitler.
Had Hitler not been stupid and kept the fighting on one front, the western front, we may be reading about a very different outcome in our history books.
At the least, the war would have been prolonged another 5+ years.
Nevertheless, breaking the pact meant that the Soviets really had no choice but to fight. They held on til the winter came in 1942/1943 and, by thwarting Hitler's attempt to capture Moscow, in a brutally cold, snow winter, seriously changed the tied of the war. Second front fully opened, Nazi troops were stretched thin and the end was inevitable.
BTW, I caught some of the Third Reich program, but have it om DVR for tonight's viewing entertainment!
After watching the program last night on the History channel, I think the USA is ripe to be led by someone exactly like Hitler. With the unemployment levels and problems we have with keeping America "American". I wouldn't be surprised if history didn't repeat itself.
I AM NOT DRAWING ANY PARALLELS BETWEEN THEM, but Hitler's first speech to Germany after being appointed Chancellor could have been spoken by Obama or any other U.S. politician and most of us would have stood up and cheered.
Not an uncommon phenomena to find commonality among political appeals from diverse ideologies. The path to obtaining and sustaining political hegemony, whether it was ancient Persia or today's US, is always marked by politicians imploring the people to rally on the basis of patriotism or religious fervor. Criticize the State (as embodied by a particular set of politicians or a despot) and you are branded a traitor. Something goes wrong? It wasn't the State's fault, it was insufficient devotion to God/The Gods and the traditional values which flow from them.
It was the formula that Rome used to keep the patrician class on top, the formula that the medieval Kings used to keep the peasantry humbled and under ambitious, and the formula that the American parties, especially the GOP, employs to obtain or consolodate power.
The basic idea is to get the population to fuse in their minds, the values of the nation with particular people or a particular class of people.
It worked 3000 years ago and it appears to still function well today.
After watching the program last night on the History channel, I think the USA is ripe to be led by someone exactly like Hitler. With the unemployment levels and problems we have with keeping America "American". I wouldn't be surprised if history didn't repeat itself.
It is, the guy is called obama. The only difference is the American people recognized the phony BS liar before it was too late.....
It is, the guy is called obama. The only difference is the American people recognized the phony BS liar before it was too late.....
Umm no, If obama was that man do you think he would have just allowed THE PEOPLE of this GREAT country to vote his base out of power in the house and drastically reduce the senate majority? No!
Given everything that went into its rise, the fall of the Third Reich was inevitable, even without World War II. Hitler got himself appointed Chancellor through a series of backroom machinations that would have embarrassed even the Republican Party. The "government" he put together wasn't anything more than a bunch of thugs with little understanding of much beyond the fact that they had tremendous power in their hands.
Hitler's government took the actions it did mainly because it could. So long as he confined himself to his own borders, he could probably have remained in power for quite a while. But as soon as he started looking beyond them, he was writing the script for his own doom.
Given everything that went into its rise, the fall of the Third Reich was inevitable, even without World War II. Hitler got himself appointed Chancellor through a series of backroom machinations that would have embarrassed even the Republican Party. The "government" he put together wasn't anything more than a bunch of thugs with little understanding of much beyond the fact that they had tremendous power in their hands.
Hitler's government took the actions it did mainly because it could. So long as he confined himself to his own borders, he could probably have remained in power for quite a while. But as soon as he started looking beyond them, he was writing the script for his own doom.
I'd like to add that he probably could have gone beyond his own borders without fear (he did), its when he picked the wrong borders to cross or picked one border to many.
To expand on Grandstander's excellent point about the authoritarian's use of religion to allay fears of the masses and gradually seize power, Hitler was a master at it, initially encouraging religion in all phases of life and invoking God in his personal life. His public stand on traditional values opposing abortion, homosexuality and pornography set well with the conservative Christian community. In his book "Hitler's Pope," John Cornwell states, "Hitler had appealed to God and assured the population that Christianity would be the basis of his reconstruction of the nation."
One of Hitler's first acts was to secure the Reich Concordat, which essentially neutralized interference by the Catholic Church and prepared the way for his persecution of the Jews and other perceived enemies of the state. Soon after, "the Protestant churches across Germany formally announced their acceptance of Hitler and his regime." By then Hitler's compromise of the German Christian community was a fait accompli.
We can hardly congratulate ourselves that a similar take over of government hasn't happened here. We have had our share of political hacks and demagogues, especially in the depths of the Great Depression when people were looking for almost anything that would offer hope. However, in more recent times there is a disturbing trend by politicians in appealing to nebulous "family values," demonizing government as "the problem not the solution," and invoking the name of a supreme power as our exclusive advantage. When a politician starts invoking God and talking about religion, maybe it's time to run for the exits.
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