Monday, November 18, 2013

das third reich


            During the hardships in Germany, the cruelest time was probably during the Third Reich. The cruelties practiced by the Germans over the Jews in Nazi Germany were one of the worst remembered. When looking back in the past, especially when visiting Berlin, you can still see a lot of evidence that there was a war there, and that there was a lot of bad things that happened. There are bullet holes still in buildings and even on the news every once in a while, you hear them talk about finding a hidden bomb are something back from that day that never detonated. The holocaust stands out so vividly because it was so recent, and it was a very tragic event.
            The Nazi Party was attractive to the majority of the German people because Hitler and his part proposed a solution to nearly every problem that was facing the various segments of the population. According to history, one example was given that the Nazi Party agenda addressed the problem of Germany’s loss of WWI. There was a myth going around that Germany’s the Weimar Republic’s first politicians stabbed army in the back. In that way, they seemed to have brain washed the Germans into believing that the loss of the war with Democracy.
            One goal, the Nazi’s wanted to abolish the Treaty of Versailles. This treat was designed to humble Germany. Germany was required to abolish compulsory military service, pay a fine in reparations, relinquish its colonial lands and assume complete responsibility for starting the war. The Germans did not like this treaty. To every German, the idea of tearing the treaty up would bring a sense of empowerment and elation.
            In many speeches during the rise of Hitler, he often spoke about the treasonous attitude of the Weimar government with its policies of fulfilling the treaties terms. On February 24, 1920, Hitler spoke and had his first meeting. The first point addressed the concept of a unified Germany enjoying self-determination. The second point on the Treaty of Paris, they demanded equality of rights for the German people in its dealings with other nations, and the abolition of the Peace Treaties of Versailles. The Nazis put themselves in a position where they would ensure the German people a way to build back their nationalistic pride and remove the knife from the army’s back. Without the treaty, Germany could rebuild their military, which had always played a major role in the country’s identity.
            After World War I, Germany faced extreme economic hardships. The extreme poverty of the time caused hardship in rural communities among farmers. Much of the village life was filled with community and people helping one another. The harder it became financially, the more the communities began to break down.
            The Nazi Party combined the issues of Germany’s betrayal in WWI, the treaty of Versailles, and the Weimar Republic’s ineptness at handling the economy, national unity, and fear of Marxism, anti-Semitism and the German people’s ethnic identity into a masterfully crafted propaganda package. Its aim was to work on the German people’s fears and hopes until they were mesmerized by the Nazi ideology. Hitler’s true genius laid in his ability to use propaganda like a surgeon’s scalpel. He knew how to target specific groups and appeal to them on an emotional level. Germany was a nation with a damaged pride and a very unhealthy economy. I believe the German’s were desperate to find a way out to get their freedom. I believe that they were brainwashed by Hitler, and because the Germans wanted to get rid of the Weimar Republic, they were willing to believe anything to get their freedom. I am not sure if they knew what they wanted, and during Hitler’s reign, they changed for the worse, possibly because fear, or because they liked Hitler. Then back to the Unification, people were called Germans, but they people still considered themselves as individuals. Like when the Berlin wall came down, I am not sure if a lot of the East or West Germans wanted to change sides or not. In conclusion, the Germans had it rough, and followed who was more powerful, but  I feel they came to their senses in the end.