A history lesson: Germany before, during and after the 2.WW

[TopSecret]

As most of you know I am from Germany. Born and raised and (unfortunately) still living there most of the time.
In the last 2 years I got to know a lot of people from all over the world… the States, Canada, Australia, Europe. Most of them are like ‘Oh hey, it’s cool that you are from Germany’ but of course there were also those uneducated retards that called me a ‘Nazi’ just simply cos of the fact that I am a German. They never talked to me, they never got to know me, they never even tried but called me ‘Nazi’… maybe cos they thought it was cool and funny… I dunno but it does bother me sometimes.

Another thing that usually bothers me is seeing ‘funny’ Hitler pictures in forums. I never say anything about it unless someone posted it cos of me, cos I’m German (which already happened) but I sure as hell don’t find it funny but that’s just me *shrug*

Yes, we Germans have a ‘bad’ history, yes we started the 2 World Wars, yes we supported the NS-Regime, yes we killed millions of Jews for no reason, yes there are still idiots out there that think Hitler was cool, Hitler was amazing, Hitler was the best but they are not only from Germany. There are NS supporters in the States, in Canada, in Australia, the Netherlands, etc. but no one knows or people ignore it. I dunno.

The whole project will take me some time tho cos I have to look thru tons of material and translate some of it, so please do not expect a new post every day… hell, every week will be quite hard…

I will start with some sort of biography… a very very long and detailed one.
Main source was http://www.historyplace.com... but I was doing quite a bit of reading too… my old stuff from HS and certain magazines… but they were saying basically the same and that way there was no need to translate . Also on that website there is more information… a whole lot more info.

~TS

Sources:

• Informationen zur politischen Bildung – Nationalsozialismus I und II (basically 2 magazines with 70 pages each about National Socialism)

• http://www.historyplace.com

• http://www.secondworldwar.co.uk

• My Brain

 

[TopSecret]

Adolf Hitler – From Austrian Nobody to German Dictator (1889 –1934)​

Hitler’s Childhood

• Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Branau am Inn (Austria) , just across the border from Germany

• In May of 1895 Hitler entered elementary school and his father retired from his job… this meant a double dose of supervision, discipline and regimentation under the watchful eyes of teachers and his strict father at home

• Shortly after the retirement the family moved to Lambach

• Adolf attended school at the old Catholic Benedictine monastery in the town. The ancient monastery was decorated with carved stones and woodwork that included several swastikas
  • In Germany it is forbidden to show symbols of or sympathy for the 3.Reich. It is not allowed to openly show swastikas or tattoos of Hitler etc.; if cops see you with it you will be asked to cover it up, if you don’t they will take you in and you will have to pay a certain amount of money

• Hitler did well in school and even attended the boys choir. He admired the priests and considered becoming a priest himself

• His half-brother Alois described him as quick to anger and spoiled by his indulgent mother

• In 1898 the family moved again…. Another school change for young Hitler. But he did well and discovered he had considerable talent for drawing, especially sketching buildings

• In September 1900 Adolf attended the technical high school in Linz because his father wanted him to. Hitler himself was more dreaming about going to classical HS and becoming an artist
  
  

• His grades were poor in the first year. In his second year of high school another interest of great importance surfaced, German nationalism
  • The area of Austria where Hitler grew up is close to the German border. Many Austrians along the border considered themselves to be German-Austrians.
  • In defiance of the Austrian Monarchy, Adolf Hitler liked to use the German greeting, "Heil," and sing the German anthem "Deutschland über alles" (‘Germany above all&#8217
  • On another note: nowadays the German anthem is the third stanza of the so called ‘Deutschlandlied’… the first stanza was forbidden because it was the official anthem of the 3.Reich

• In January 1903, Hitler's father died suddenly, leaving his thirteen year old son as head of the household
  
  

• In Autumn 1903 things got worse: he had poor grades in school… he was a lazy and uncooperative student, he behaved badly (played pranks on his teachers), knowing he was likely to fail

• In May of 1904, at age 15, Adolf Hitler received the Catholic Sacrament of Confirmation in the Linz Cathedral

• Shortly after this, Hitler left the high school in Linz and entered another HS at Steyr in September 1904

• Hilter passed his exam in September 1905 but never took the final exam to get his diploma. He left school at age 16 and moved to Vienna

• He would later describe his teenage years in Vienna free from responsibility as the happiest time of his life

• At age 18 he tried to enter the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts but failed and went back home

• On December 21, 1907 Hitlers mother died cos of breast cancer
  
  

The Vagabond

• Now, with both parents gone, Hitler once again moved to Vienna in February 1908.
  • But things didn’t go well… He eventually ended up sleeping on park benches and eating at charity soup kitchens
  • His years of misery in Vienna would also be a time when he formulated many of his ideas on politics and race which would have immense consequences in the future

• To make some money Hitler sold his paintings to mostly Jewish shop owners and was also assisted by Josef Neumann, a Jew he befriended.

• Now at age 21 he was becoming interested in politics, watching events unfold around him in Vienna

• Vienna, a city of two million, had a Jewish population of just under two hundred thousand. Among the middle class in Vienna, anti-Semitism was considered rather fashionable

• Hitler admired Lueger (Mayor of Vienna), a powerful politician, for his speech making and manipulating skills as well as his effective use of propaganda in gaining popular appeal

• But at this point Hitler's anti-Semitism was not apparent in his personal relationships with Jews… The seeds of hate were planted and would be nurtured by events soon to come

Munich and the 1.World War

• Hitler left Vienna at age 24 to avoid military service… in May 1913 he settled down in Munich.
  • He was tracked down by Austrian officials but never punished for dodging the service

Hitler in the crowd in Munich after the declaration of war against Russia

• On August 3, 1914 Hitler volunteered for the German army

• Corporal Hitler was a dispatch runner, taking messages back and forth from the command staff in the rear to the fighting units near the battlefield, always ready to volunteer for dangerous assignments

• On October 7, 1916, Hitler was wounded in the leg by a shell fragment… he was sent back to the front in March 1917

• In August 1918, he received the Iron Cross first class
  • Interesting fact: the lieutenant that recommended Hitler for the medal was a Jew

• End of World War 1 on November 10, 1918…
  • Hitler did not blame the military for the defeat but the politicians in Germany, their supporters… and the Jews
  • The war experience intensified his prejudices, he developed hatred for every foreign thing together with a fear of the outer and inner enemy

 

[TopSecret]

‘Back-Stab-Theory’ and Germany’s Humiliation

• The German army was never forced to admit defeat by surrendering… that was one of the reasons for the very popular ‘Stab in the Back Theory’
  • The army had not been defeated on the battlefield, they could have fought on to victory… but the army was betrayed by politicians of the left wing and supporters of those politicians who stabbed them in the back and therefore caused the defeat by undermining the war effort
  • Hitler became obsessed with this idea… now he could blame the Jews and Marxists, all the left wing politicians and supporters in general

• On June 28, 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was signed
  • Germany alone was forced to accept responsibility for causing the war and had to pay huge war reparations for all the damage
  • Germany had to give up land to France and Poland
  • The German Army was limited to 100,000 men and was forbidden to have submarines or military aircraft

Early Politics

• In September 1919, at age 30, Hitler joined the German Workers Party… it was his entry into politics

• Hitler wanted to make sure the party succeeds… he invited people, he advertised the party in (mainly anti-semitic) newspapers and every time he got up to speak, he astounded everyone… Hitler became the main attraction
  • In his speeches Hitler railed against the Treaty of Versailles and delivered anti-Semitic tirades, blaming the Jews for Germany's problems

• On February 24, 1920 the German Workers Party held it’s first mass meeting (2,000 people including a large number of communists) where Hitler introduced his 25-points-program of ideas which were the basis of the party

• Not long after his famous speech Hitler was discharged from the Army

• He continued to expand his influence in the party and began to form a private group of thugs.. this group later became the SA (Sturmabteilung… Hitlers storm troopers)

• In Summer 1920 Hitler chose the symbol which to this day remains perhaps the most infamous in history, the swastika

• The German Workers Party changed it’s name to National Socialist German Workers Party on April 1, 1920… by the end of 1920 it had about 3,000 members

The Leader

• In February 1921 Hitler spoke to a crowd of already 6,000 people

• When Hitler travelled to Berlin he faced an unexpected revolt among his own Nazi Party leadership in Munich
  • The Party was still run by an executive committee whose original members now considered Hitler to be highly overbearing, even dictatorial.
  • To weaken Hitler's position, they formed an alliance with a group of socialists from Augsburg

• Hitler rushed back to Munich and announced his resignation from the party on July 11, 1921

• They realised that the loss of Hitler would mean the end of the Nazi party… so Hitler was able to force them to accept him as formal leader of the party with dictatorial powers

• On July 29, 1921 Hitler was finally introduced as the leader (‘Führer’) of the NSDAP

 

[TopSecret]

The Beer Hall Putsch

• After the war reparations were announced the German currency (Deutsche Reichsmark) slipped drastically in value causing an inflation
  • In January 1923 you needed 18,000 RM to get an US Dollar
  • By July 1923 it sank to 160,000 RM… by August, 1,000,000 RM
  • And by November 1923, it took 4,000,000,000 RM to obtain a dollar

• Germans lost their life savings, salaries were worthless, groceries cost billions… hunger riots broke out

• The Nazis and other extremist political groups saw their chance… and Hitler made a plan to overthrow the Weimar Republic

• On November 8th, 1923 Hitler led an attempt to take over the local Bavarian Government in Munich in an action that became known as the "Beer Hall Putsch"
  • SA troops under the direction of Hermann Göring surrounded the beer hall, where a large number of businessmen and important officials were meeting… at 8:30pm they stormed into it and caused instant panic
  • Hitler and Göring forced their way to the podium
  • "The National Revolution has begun!… The Bavarian and Reich governments have been removed and a provisional national government formed. The barracks of the Reichswehr and police are occupied. The Army and the police are marching on the city under the swastika banner!", Hitler shouted
  • The highest officials however were not at all impressed or scared… General Ludendorff arrived at the scene and spoke to them and advised them to go along with a Nazi Revolution… finally they agreed
  • After the meeting 2 officials (Kahr and von Lossow) changed their mind and issued a statement blasting Hitler, saying they were blackmailed and had no other chance than to show support for Hitler
  • German Army reinforcements were ordered into Munich to put down the Putsch
  • Around 11am on November 9, 1923 3,000 Nazis were marching towards the center of Munich… there they stood face to face with about 100 policemen
    
    
  • The whole thing ended with 16 (some sources say 14) dead Nazis and 3 dead policemen
  • Hitler’s bodyguard shielded him, taking several bullets and probably saving his life… Hitler then crawled out of the line of fire into a waiting car and left his comrades behind
  • After 2 days of hiding Hitler was arrested and taken to the prison at Landsberg charged with treason…

The Trial

• In a lot of ways this trial did not mark the end of Hitler and the NSDAP, it actually marked the true beginning

• Overnight Hitler became a nationally and internationally known figure

• The judges allowed Hitler to use the courtroom for his propaganda, he was allowed to speak at any length, interrupt others at any time and even cross examine witnesses

• He admitted to wanting to overthrow the German government, portraying himself as a German Patriot and the government itself as the real criminals

• Newspapers quoted Hitler at length, people read it and liked what they read and heard

• The court's verdict however - guilty… possible sentence - life… Hitler's sentence - five years, eligible for parole in six months

• Hitler was taken to Landsberg on April 1, 1924 and given a private cell, he was allowed to have guests whenever he liked, he received gifts and even had his own private secretary (Rudolph Hess)

• During his term in prison Hitler began dictating his thoughts and philosophies to Rudolph Hess which became the book "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle)
  
  

A New Beginning – Re-building the NSDAP

• Hitler was released from prison on December 20, 1924
  
  

• At that time the party and its supporters were banned by the government

• Hitler had a new idea on how to take over Germany for himself and the Nazis - play by the democratic rules and get elected

• In early 1925 Hitler visited the Bavarian Prime Minister and convinced him to lift the ban

• On February 27, 1925 the Nazis held their first big meeting again… shortly afterwards Hitler himself was forbidden to hold public speeches all over Germany for at least 2 years

• The Nazi party itself was divided into two major political organizations
  • I - Dedicated to undermining and overthrowing the German democratic republic
  • II - Designed to create a government in waiting, a highly organized Nazi government within the republic that would some day replace it
  • For young people the Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend) was created… it was for boys aged 15 to 18
  • Younger boys aged 10 to 15 could join the Deutsches Jungvolk
  • The organization for girls was called ‘Bund Deutscher Mädel’ and for women there were the ‘Frauenschaften’

• Hitler also began re-organizing the SA… they adopted a brown-shirted outfit, with boots, swastika armband, badges and cap

• Within the SA, a new highly disciplined guard unit was formed by Hitler that would be solely responsible to him and would serve as his personal bodyguard… the SS (Schutzstaffel) was born

• The SS adopted a black uniform, modeled after the Italian Fascists

• But now things were getting better in Germany… the ‘Dawes Plan’ stabilized the currency, Germany also got rather huge loans from America to help rebuild the industry… and Germany had a new Presdient, Paul von Hindenburg

• But Hitler was sure the good times wouldn’t last… the republic was living on borrowed money and borrowed time… for now, he just had to wait

 

[TopSecret]

The Depression and the Beginning of the Fall of the Weimar Republic

• On October 29, the Wall Street crashed with disastrous worldwide effects. First in America, then the rest of the world, companies went bankrupt, banks failed and people instantly lost their life savings… Germany was hit really hard since it was built on foreign capital

• Unemployment, starvation and poverty became real possibilities for everyone

• Hitler knew his time had come

• By July 1930 Chancellor Brüning, who became chancellor in March, without a parliamentary majority in the Reichstag, was forced to ask President Hindenburg to dissolve the Reichstag and call for new elections for the coming September

• The elections were set for September 14

• Hitler started a campaign, travelling through the country, holding speeches all over Germany, attending meetings, shaking hands, signing autographs etc.

• Hitler offered something to everyone
  • work to the unemployed, prosperity to failed business people, profits to industry, expansion to the Army, social harmony and and and
  • He would make Germany strong again… end the payment of war reparations to the Allies, tear up the treaty of Versailles, stamp out corruption, keep down Marxism, and deal harshly with the Jews

• On election day the Nazis received 6,371,000 votes, over 18% of the total and got 107 seats (compared to 12 in 1928) in the Reichstag… it was 8 times more votes than in 1928

• Overnight the NSDAP became the second largest party in Germany… SPD (Social Democrats) was still number 1 with 24%

• 82% actually went to the election and voted

• The NSDAP had no intention at all to cooperate with the democrats

• Nazi storm troopers dressed in civilian clothes celebrated their electoral victory by smashing in the windows of Jewish shops, restaurants and department stores, an indication of things to come

• At this time Hitler also began to win the support of both the army and the big industrialists, the latter contributing to the finances of the Nazi Party

Hitler vs. Hindenburg

• October 1931 marked the beginning of the destruction of the Weimar Repbulic

• The hundreds of Nazis in the Reichstag were always trying to undermine democracy… they always disrupted proceedings with rowdy and vulgar behaviour

• People turned to Hitler and the NSDAP and their promises for a better future, mainly because their elected leaders were arguing with each other, ignoring the civilians and their problems

• In 1932 there was supposed to be a presidential election but Hindenburg said he was not interested in running for president again

• In early 1932 Hitler got an invitation to Berlin to discuss the whole Hindenburg situation

• In February 1932 Hindenburg decided to run again… Hitler on the other hand decided to oppose him

• Joseph Goebbels started a huge propaganda campaign
  • Speeches for himself and Hitler
  • Thousands of rallies were held each day all across Germany
  • They gave out millions of pamphlets and extra copies of Nazi newspapers
  • Goebbels also used new technology, making phonograph records and films of Hitler

• Hindenburg did nothing… he was too convinced of himself, too sure that his reputation will get him the votes he needed

• In the presidential election on March 13, 1932, Hitler got over eleven million votes (30%) of the total. Hindenburg got 18,651,497 (49%)

• Hindenburg failed to get the absolute majority, so they needed a run-off election… another huge propaganda campaign for Hitler started… Hindenburg again did nothing

• On April 10, 1932, the people voted… Hitler got 13,418,547 votes (36%) and Hindenburg 19,359,983 (53%)… 85-year old Hindenburg was elected for another 7 years

The Final Collapse of the Weimar Republic

• There were now about 400,000 SA members all over Germany, SA Chief was Ernst Röhm

• On April 13, 1932 in response to growing NAZI violence Brüning's government persuades Hindenburg to ban the SA and SS all across Germany… the Nazis were of course outraged but Hitler did not fight for them. He knew the Republic was about to fall

• On May 29, 1932, Hindenburg called in Brüning and told him to resign, which he did the next day

• Kurt von Schleicher, an Army officer who had ideas of leading Germany himself was now in control but underestimated Hitler… as a puppet chancellor he chose Franz von Papen, a reactionary, rather stupid and arrogant man

• Papen met Hitler and he told him that the Nazis might support the new government in exchange for lifting of the ban on the SA and new elections. Papen fell for it and the Reichstag was dissolved on June 4, 1932

• On June 15, 1932 the ban of SS and SA was lifted

• Murder and violence soon erupted on a scale never before seen in Germany… roaming groups of SA members walked through the streets singing and looking for fights

• Hitler soon decided that von Papen was in the way and had to go… the July elections would give him the chance

• Hitler now was speaking to audiences of up to 100,000 at a time

• On July 31, 1932 the people voted and gave the Nazis 13,745,000 votes (37%) of the total, as well as 230 seats in the Reichstag.
  • The NSDAP was now the largest and most powerful party in Germany

• The SA was expecting a takeover of power soon but Hindenburg distrusted Hitler especially after the behaviour of the SA

• On August 13, 1932 Schleicher and von Papen met with Hitler to tell him the bad news… Hitler was furious, threatened to let loose the SA but in the end backed down… they would have to wait a little bit longer

• Von Papen resigned and Kurt von Schleicher became Chancellor of Germany on December 2, 1932.

• Now began an incredible amount of behind-the-scenes political intrigue and backstabbing that would put Hitler in power in only 57 days

• On January 28, 1933, after endless attempts to get the government moving but failing cos of a lack of trust, Schleicher resigned

• On January 30, 1933 Hitler finally was announced as chancellor… a new Chapter of German History began
  • Democrats and Conservatives underestimated Hitler, his power and his supporters… they were convinced that they would be able to ‘push Hitler so far in the corner that he'll squeak’ within 2 months

 

[TopSecret]

The Burning of the Reichstag

• Adolf Hitler had no intention of abiding by the rules of democracy

• On his first day Hitler manipulated Hindenburg into dissolving the Reichstag and calling for the new elections he had wanted - to be held on March 5, 1933

• The SA was about to reach new heights of power and begin a reign of terror that would last as long as the 3.Reich

• Hindenburg had fallen under Hitler’s spell and signed pretty much anything
  • He signed an emergency decree that put the German state of Prussia into the hands of Vice Chancellor von Papen
  • Göring as Minister of the Interior for Prussia took control of the police and replaced hundreds of policemen with Nazi officials… he also ordered the police not to interfere with the SA and SS under any circumstances
  • This meant that anybody being harassed and beaten had nobody to turn to for help… same for families of people that were murdered by Nazis
  • Prussia was Germany's biggest and most important state and included the capital of Berlin

• On February 22, 1933 Göring set up an auxiliary police force of 50,000 men, mostly consisting of members of the SA and SS. The Nazi storm troopers now had the power of police

• On February 27, 1933 the Reichstag was burning… the arsonist (or scapegoat) was Marinus van der Lubbe… a communist from Holland
  
  
  • No one knows what really happened but the SA under the direction of Göring were also involved… chances are high they were actually planning the fire
  • Lots of investigations tho say van der Lubbe did it alone, without help and it all happened by chance

• However, the main outcome was that Hitler was given an excuse to have all the Communist deputies of the Reichstag arrested and managed to obtain a decree from Hindenburg ‘for the Protection of the People and the State’ (Reichstagsbrandverordnung)
  • ‘Restrictions on personal liberty, on the right of free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press; on the rights of assembly and association; and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed’
  • Thousands of Communists as well as Social Democrats and Liberals were taken away into ‘protective custody’ to SA barracks where they were beaten and tortured
  • 51 anti-Nazis were murdered. The Nazis suppressed all political activity, meetings and publications of non-Nazi parties

• On March 5, the last free elections were held… the Nazis got only 44% of the total vote, about 17 million votes

• The lack of the 2/3 majority was an obstacle… one that soon should be overcome

• As for van der Lubbe, he was tried and convicted, then beheaded

The Enabling Act

• After the elections of March 5, 1933, the Nazis began a systematic takeover of the state governments throughout Germany
  • Armed SA and SS thugs stormed into government buildings and used the emergency decree as pretext to replace legitimate officials with Nazi commissioners
  • Political enemies were arrested by the thousands, they were often beaten and tortured to death
  • This was the very beginning of the NS Concentration Camp system

• On March 15, 1933 Hitler and Göring discussed how to obstruct what was left of the democratic process to get an Enabling Act passed by the Reichstag
  • This law would hand over the constitutional functions of the Reichstag to Hitler, including the power to make laws, control the budget and approve treaties with foreign governments

• Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels put together a brilliant PR display at the official opening of the newly elected Reichstag… the so called ‘Tag von Potsdam’
  • On March 21, in the Garrison Church at Potsdam, an elaborate ceremony took place designed to ease public concern over Hitler and his gangster-like new regime
  • It was attended by President Hindenburg, foreign diplomats and the General Staff
  • They watched a most reverent Adolf Hitler give a speech paying respect to Hindenburg and celebrating the union of old Prussian military traditions and the new Nazi Reich. As a symbol of this, the old Imperial flags would soon add swastikas
  • Finishing his speech, Hitler walked over to Hindenburg and respectfully bowed before him while taking hold of the old man's hand
    
    

• Later that day Hindenburg signed 2 decrees:
  • The first offered full pardons to all Nazis currently in prison. The prison doors sprang open and out came an assortment of Nazi thugs and murderers
  • The second decree allowed for the arrest of anyone suspected of maliciously criticizing the government and the Nazi party

• On March 23, 1933 the Reichstag met to discuss the passing of the Enabling Act… officially it was called the ‘Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich’

• Members of the SA were all over the place, even inside the building… threatening and making sure no one will oppose Hitler’s will

• On March 24, 1933 the Enabling Act passed… Democracy in Germany ended, the Weimar Republic did not exist anymore… Hitler was now a dictator
  • Many agreed, many more disagreed and left the country, most of them never came back

 

[CTsupra]

holy crap! yeah, i'll be reading this later, lol.

 

[SupraMario]

Wow, nice bio, as hopefully most people should know these things but dont,
My mom is a sub for public schools and the kids call her nazi sometimes, she is german, also they ask stupid questions like what was it like during WWII. shes only 40.... but what gets me is that germany is only picked on because of WWII.
no one says anything about these wars and countries/areas of the world.
Japan- WWII
USA- Killed millions of Indians,
France- Nepolian
(North)Africa- still slaughtering each other
Middle east- everyone knows whats going on over there right now, but i bet a lot of people didnt know this, 1970s afaghaistan was a booming western type civilization.
People call me a nazi too, when they find out that my mother is german, so it carries over, which sucks.
but all of what you have posted and the very first post has to do with ignorance.

 

[encomiast]

good job, TS.... I didn't know most of those details myself even though I'm German too....

regarding ignorance: I remember friends of me telling me stories about their school exchange with a US high school. when they were there, they were asked things like "how's Hitler doing" and were greeted with "Heil Hitler" by some of the US students.... :aigo:
it was actually quite shocking to see that some people out there still think of Germany as "Naziland".
(even though many US liberals/democrats would be considered "conservative", and probably most US republicans would be considered as "right wing" in today's Germany.)

one other thing I'd like to differentiate though is that it wasn't "us" who started two world wars, but some of our ancestors. at least I can in no way identify with those blinded people back then.

oh, and I think there's a typo somewhere in this sentence:
"In May of 1985 Hitler entered elementary school"

keep up the good work....

 

[TopSecret]

one other thing I'd like to differentiate though is that it wasn't "us" who started two world wars, but some of our ancestors. at least I can in no way identify with those blinded people back then.

oh, and I think there's a typo somewhere in this sentence:
"In May of 1985 Hitler entered elementary school"

keep up the good work....

with 'us' i meant germans... germany

typo fixed, thanks for the hint!

 

[csr ma71]

Everything I learned, I learned from the Family Guy. http://www.gozer.org/cool_stuff/video/video/Family_Guy/European_Road_Show-German_History.avi

 

[TopSecret]

Everything I learned, I learned from the Family Guy. http://www.gozer.org/cool_stuff/video/video/Family_Guy/European_Road_Show-German_History.avi

"Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /cool_stuff/video/video/Family_Guy/European_Road_Show-German_History.avi on this server."

is what it tells me.
but i think i know what you mean... and it was quite hilarious
(was it the thing when they were in bavaria or soemthing and sat in some sort of tourbus and someone asked about hitler and then the tourguide did something rather funny?!?!? can't remember what tho.)

 

[Joel W.]

wow ts, you did some great work here.. I cant wait to read the rest..

 

[csr ma71]

Yeah, they're on the tour bus asking about Germany. Ok, try going here, http://www.gozer.org/cool_stuff/video/ and then downloading it.

 

[TopSecret]

Tourguide: "[...] Munich was the home of many great writers such as Thomas Mann [...]

Brian: "About your pamphlet... ummmm... I'm not seeing anything about German history between 1939 and 1945...its just a big gap"

Tourguide: "EVERYONE WAS ON VACATION!!!
On your left is Munichs first City Hall elected in..."

Brian: "Wait wait wait, what are you talking about... Germany invaded Poland in 1939..."

Tourguide: "WE WERE INVITED... PUNCH WAS SERVED... CHECK WITH POLAND!!!"

Brian: "Eh, You can't just ignore those years, Thomas Mann fled to America cos of Nazi-ism..."

Tourguide: "No no, he left to marry a dairy queen."

Brian: "A dairy queen? that's preposterous..."

Tourguide: "I DON'T HEAR NO MORE INSINUATIONS ABOUT THE GERMAN PEOPLE... NOTHING BAD HAPPENED!!!
SIE WERDEN SICH HINSETZEN, SIE WERDEN RUHIG SEIN, SIE WERDEN NICHT BELEIDIGEN DEUTSCHLAND!!!"
(you will sit down, you will be quiet, you will not insult Germany)

Brian: "Ummm, is that a beer hall?"

Tourguide: "Oh yes, Munich is quite known for it's historic beer halls..."


:rofl: that is so awesome! I had to quote it...

On another note tho: it should be 'Sie werden Deutschland nicht beleidigen' in proper German, but kinda sounds better the way it is.
So awesome...

 

[TopSecret]

Germany after the 1.World War​

​

​

1919-1923

• Those years were called ‘Krisenjahre’ (years of crisis)

• Germany lost the 1.WW

• Germany got humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles

• Germany suffered from an inflation

• In 1923 there was the so called ‘Ruhrkampf’
  • Germany was in arrears for the war reparations
  • Because of that troops from France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr area in January 1923… England wasn’t at all impressed by that
  • The German government now called for resistance… people should go on strike or do their work way slower than usual, sabotages were very famous too
  • In September 1928 Germany had to give up
  • Financially and economically it wasn’t able to go through resistance any longer and France wasn’t willing to give up either

• In 1923 inflation struck Germany
  • Reasons were increasing debts, more credits and constant expansion and acceleration of note circulation at constant supply with goods
  • In 1913 prices were stable, in 1919/1922 inflation started slowly (reason for that was among other things the ‘Ruhrkampf’… ratio between money and goods was not balanced anymore), 1923 inflation
  • Supply with food collapsed in some cities
  • Consequences were increasing prices (for a normal bread you had to pay about 200 billion RM), bankruptcies, people lost life savings, salaries were worthless
  • People in debt (including Germany) were the only ones that profit from the situation
  • Also gold, silver and real estate was not concerned

• Reform of currency ended inflation… for 1 trillion Reichsmark you got 1 Rentenmark

• In 1923 there was also the ‘Beer Hall Putsch’

• The Dawesplan from 1924 marked the end of the years of crisis in Germany
  • Germany got loans from the states to rebuild the industry… so it would be able to pay war reparations

1924-1929

• ‘Die goldenen Zwanziger’ also known as the ‘Quiet Years’ or ‘Golden Years’

• Germany’s economy was able to recover
  • Dawes Plan, Young Plan
  • Reform of currency

• And because of the politician Gustav Stresemann Germany got recognized for its foreign politics
  • The ‘Ruhrkampf’ ended
  • October 1925: Pact of Locarno (Germany reconciled with France)
  • April 1926: Friendship Pact with the Soviet Union (Neutrality Pact… Germany was able to train soldiers secretly in the SU)
  • 1926 Germany was allowed to be part of the 'Völkerbund'
  • 1928: Briand-Kellog-Pact (16 countries agreed that war was not gonna be used as a form of politics)

• Social life got better… there now was an 8-hour work day as well as Unemployment-insurance
  • Consequence was a decrease of right- and left-wing activities

1930-1933

• Those years basically marked the rise of Hitler and the NSDAP

 

[TopSecret]

Hitler’s Rise to Power - January 30, 1933 – August 02, 1934​

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• January 30, 1933
  • Hitler becomes German chancellor

• February 1, 1933
  • Hitler dissolves Reichstag

• February 27, 1933
  • The Reichstag burns, which marks the beginning of the persecution of political enemies

• February 28, 1933
  • Hindenburg signs the (emergency) ‘Decree for the Protection of the People and the State’ (Reichstagsbrandverordnung)
  • State of emergency declared, Personal rights were restricted

• March 3, 1933
  • Election… Nazis got 44%

• March 21, 1933
  • ‘Tag von Potsdam’
  • 2 decrees were signed: The first offered full pardons to all Nazis currently in prison. The prison doors sprang open and out came an assortment of Nazi thugs and murderers, the second decree allowed for the arrest of anyone suspected of maliciously criticizing the government and the Nazi party

• March 24, 1933
  • Enabling Act passed: This law handed over the constitutional functions of the Reichstag to Hitler, including the power to make laws, control the budget and approve treaties with foreign governments

• April 1, 1933
  • Boycott of Jewish shops and businesses
  • SA men stood at entrances to Jewish shops, offices etc. holding signs … most Germans ignored them tho but usually if someone tried to go into a Jewish shop, the SA men hindered him/ her
  
  • The boycott in April 1933 marked the beginning of a downward spiral for Jews that would eventually end in the gas chambers at Auschwitz
  • The boycott was followed by a series of laws and decrees which robbed the Jews of one right after another. There would be over 400 laws and decrees targeting Jews alone (in only 12 years of the 3.Reich)

• April 7, 1933
  • ‘Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums’ (The Law of the Restoration of the Civil Service)
  • Government passed civil laws that barred Jews from holding positions in the civil service, in legal and medical professions, and in teaching and university positions. The Nazis encouraged boycotts of Jewish-owned shops and businesses and began book burnings of writings by Jews and by others not approved by the Reich

• April 1933
  • The Gestapo was founded by Hermann Göring (Gestapo = Geheime Staatspolizei)
  • Göring promptly began using the Gestapo to silence Hitler's political opponents in Berlin
  • On February 10, 1936 the Nazi Reichstag passed the 'Gestapo Law'
  • This meant the Gestapo was now above the law and there could be no legal appeal regarding anything it did
  • Gestapo interrogation methods included:
  • Repeated near drownings of a prisoner in a bathtub filled with ice-cold water; electric shocks by attaching wires to hands, feet, ears and genitalia; crushing a man's testicles in a special vice; securing a prisoner's wrists behind his back then hanging him by the arms causing shoulder dislocation; beatings with rubber nightsticks and cow-hide whips; and burning flesh with matches or a soldering iron

• May 2, 1933
  • Dissolving of Unions… Union leaders were brought to concentration camps

• May 19, 1933
  • On the night of May 10, 1933 an event unseen in Europe since the Middle Ages occurred as German students from universities once regarded as among the finest in the world, gathered in Berlin to burn books with "unGerman" ideas
  • The students, along with SA men, tossed heaps of books into a bonfire while giving the Hitler arm-salute and singing Nazi anthems

• June 22 – July 14, 1933
  • Ban of SPD and dissolving of all other parties except the NSDAP
  • Decree against new formation

• June 30, 1934
  • ‘Röhm Putsch’ also known as ‘The Night of the Long Knives’
  • Röhm wanted to see a further change in the power structure of Germany by taking over control of big businesses and installing the SA as the main army of Germany
  
  • Hitler however thought differently. He wanted to keep the German economy in good shape, reduce unemployment and quickly re-arm the Wehrmacht. The SA was purely a political force not a military one
  • Hitler wanted to supress the SA and at the same time expand the army
  • Cos of the bad behaviour of the SA, Hindenburg considered declaring a state of martial law
  • This threat and rumours in regards to Röhm's loyalty to the Führer finally made Hitler order Himmler and Goering to take action against the leaders of the SA
  • On June 30 the leaders of the SA were arrested and executed… including Ernst Röhm and von Schleicher

• July 3, 1934
  • ‘Röhm Putsch’ declared as right and just (self-defense of the government)

• August 2, 1934
  • Hindenburg dies… Hitler becomes Führer and Reich chancellor

 

[malloynx]

well i spent a yr at ramstein germany. i really enjoy germany and i hada blast there.

however i came to find alot of germans to be arrogant towards americans.

 

[TopSecret]

well i spent a yr at ramstein germany. i really enjoy germany and i hada blast there.

however i came to find alot of germans to be arrogant towards americans.

arrogant in what way?

if you were at ramstein i suppose you are a soldier... germans are a lil... how to say... well, we have had some very bad experiences with soldiers, especially american soldiers. lol
and sadly lots of people still live in the past.

also lots of people dont have a very high opinion of americans cos of your president and the way he represents your country... sad i know but thats the way it is.

dunno... just know that we still have your a-bombs and you guys dont want them back...

 

[TopSecret]

i'm sorry that there wasn't an update the last little while but i'm a little busy over here wrapping up presents and stuff.

also now we get to a very huge part of german history... 1934-1945... the way to the 2. world war, the holocaust, lots of politics... all of them topics where you can find tons of info and i am trying to find the important and most interesting things.

so please, be a lil patient.
and if there is something you really wanna hear about, just tell me!