Thread: Nazi blades

Originally Posted by BobH

Being a Nazi in Germany was the height of political correctness in Germany at the time. The Swastika was the symbol of the ultra right wing NSPD, the National Socialist Party of Germany. The leader of the NSPD was a right wing dictator who hated Communism among other things.

Fast forward 6 or so decades and see the rising popularity of right wing parties and nationalism in various Democratic countries. In those parties there is always a core of extremists. There is always a chance of an extreme right revival even today. Don't ever think it can't happen again.

Bob

(sorry - can't resist...)

Yup, one of the most frightening things about the rise of the NSDAP was the ease with which they slithered into power, concentrated supreme power in the hands of one man, and then went on from there. In many ways it was so banal and gradual that many people didn't realize what had happened until it was far too late to do anything about it. This speaks to many issues raised by this thread, particularly the value of preserving the symbols and artifacts of the past - however hateful and hurtful - in order to preserve our collective memories and hopefully prevent such developments in the future. But as Bob noted in many countries the FAR right is on the rise again, and many moderate, and by 'moderate' I simply mean 'not extreme', people are worryingly complacent about them. From friends casually sharing posts on Facebook from the EDL, BNP, and UKIP (apologies but as someone who lived in the UK for six years, my examples are all from there) without thinking about what their over-simplified memes are actually saying and how they contribute to the spread of the casual racism, scape-goating, and xenophobia that marks extreme movements, to governments implementing laws based on division and fear of the 'other', it is possible to note more and more similarities to our present time and those past times when extreme movements came to power.

Anyway... the rise of the NSDAP is an absolutely fascinating subject and is one of my favourites to teach. Lots to sink one's teeth into.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

:

Anyway... the rise of the NSDAP is an absolutely fascinating subject and is one of my favourites to teach. Lots to sink one's teeth into.

Do you have any online courses?

Originally Posted by 32t

Do you have any online courses?

Sorry, I'm afraid I'm a bit of an old-school historian and I don't know of any off-hand. I'll do a bit of digging though and if I find anything, I'll send it your way.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

Sorry, I'm afraid I'm a bit of an old-school historian and I don't know of any off-hand. I'll do a bit of digging though and if I find anything, I'll send it your way.

A great book on this subject (recently revised) and from my Honours year in History was, "The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town, 1922-1945", Revised Edition Paperback – November 10, 2014 by William Sheridan Allen.

Fascinating account of how the apparatus of the party enchanted the German people and became a blueprint for nationwide success.

My grandma is one of the last few living to experience nazi Germany firsthand. She was in the Hitler youth, and recalls it being a lot of fun. It was all a part to brainwash the children. They would play games, sports, sing songs etc. Disturbing really, just glad she turned out to be amazing! It's true though, the normal people not involved with Hitler and his party were unaware of his agenda until it was too late.

Originally Posted by prodigy

My grandma is one of the last few living to experience nazi Germany firsthand. She was in the Hitler youth, and recalls it being a lot of fun. It was all a part to brainwash the children. They would play games, sports, sing songs etc. Disturbing really, just glad she turned out to be amazing! It's true though, the normal people not involved with Hitler and his party were unaware of his agenda until it was too late.

My Godfather (born 1931) was in the Hitler Youth as well. As were all of his friends at the time. Important to bear that in mind when people are damned for having been in that movement. They were kids. It wasn't their choice. It's remarkable how much some people can come through and still emerge as good people.

Another great on topic read is a book called Ordinary Men. It documents a Polish (I think I am recalling correctly) unit that was convinced to do some truly horrific things. A tough read not for the faint of heart..but an important reminder that you must always question and evaluate what you are doing when being "ordered". Following others blinding can be a truly terrible idea. I picked it up during a tour of the Holocaust Museum in Dallas...a very moving experience.

You all want to see my Hitler razor again? (sorry!)

Originally Posted by Cangooner

(sorry - can't resist...)

Yup, one of the most frightening things about the rise of the NSDAP was the ease with which they slithered into power, concentrated supreme power in the hands of one man, and then went on from there. In many ways it was so banal and gradual that many people didn't realize what had happened until it was far too late to do anything about it. This speaks to many issues raised by this thread, particularly the value of preserving the symbols and artifacts of the past - however hateful and hurtful - in order to preserve our collective memories and hopefully prevent such developments in the future. But as Bob noted in many countries the FAR right is on the rise again, and many moderate, and by 'moderate' I simply mean 'not extreme', people are worryingly complacent about them. From friends casually sharing posts on Facebook from the EDL, BNP, and UKIP (apologies but as someone who lived in the UK for six years, my examples are all from there) without thinking about what their over-simplified memes are actually saying and how they contribute to the spread of the casual racism, scape-goating, and xenophobia that marks extreme movements, to governments implementing laws based on division and fear of the 'other', it is possible to note more and more similarities to our present time and those past times when extreme movements came to power.

Anyway... the rise of the NSDAP is an absolutely fascinating subject and is one of my favourites to teach. Lots to sink one's teeth into.

I think I'll be keeping that in mind when I vote next week.

Bob

Originally Posted by Cangooner

(sorry - can't resist...)

Yup, one of the most frightening things about the rise of the NSDAP was the ease with which they slithered into power, concentrated supreme power in the hands of one man, and then went on from there. In many ways it was so banal and gradual that many people didn't realize what had happened until it was far too late to do anything about it. This speaks to many issues raised by this thread, particularly the value of preserving the symbols and artifacts of the past - however hateful and hurtful - in order to preserve our collective memories and hopefully prevent such developments in the future. But as Bob noted in many countries the FAR right is on the rise again, and many moderate, and by 'moderate' I simply mean 'not extreme', people are worryingly complacent about them. From friends casually sharing posts on Facebook from the EDL, BNP, and UKIP (apologies but as someone who lived in the UK for six years, my examples are all from there) without thinking about what their over-simplified memes are actually saying and how they contribute to the spread of the casual racism, scape-goating, and xenophobia that marks extreme movements, to governments implementing laws based on division and fear of the 'other', it is possible to note more and more similarities to our present time and those past times when extreme movements came to power.

Anyway... the rise of the NSDAP is an absolutely fascinating subject and is one of my favourites to teach. Lots to sink one's teeth into.

UKIP is by no means a far right political party - it's main aim is independence from the European Union. It does have a stance on the level of immigration - one that would be recognised by many Americans who are concerned with the same issue.