Nazism

1………………………….Introduction

2………………………….Hitler

3………………………….The take-over try

4…………………………Economic crises and the Take-over

1.

 After the First World War, Germany got into a politic chaos. The left-handed politics tried to take the power over Berlin but they were stopped by the Army.

 The national elections of 1919 were a mark on the history, with the lost of almost all social-democrats, that, they were considered the main causers of the hungry that was going all through Germany, to keep their selves on the power, they made connections with the Catholics and the Liberal-Citizens.

  On 1919 there was a new Constitution over Germany. The President would be electing for 7 years, and he should command the Army, indicate the ministers, dissolve the Reichstag if necessary and convoke new elections. The ministers were responsible over him.

  From 1919 to 1929, the Weimar’s Republic had to deal with difficulties.

 On 1925, Hindenburg was elected President, on substitution over Ebert, who had died. The World Economic Crises of 1929 demonstrated that Germany was pretty fragile, allowing the rising on the power of the Nazi Leader, Adolf Hitler.

2.

 Hitler was born in Austria, near the Germany frontier. His parents wanted him to be an employer, but he preferred painting career, being reject twice on the Vienna’s Academy. On 1908, his parents had already died, sleeping on hostelry and living over his postal-paintings. He used to go over bars and reading every news and books that he could. On 1913 he left Vienna, going to Monique, where he had the same kind of lifestyle.

 During the First World War, he was a soldier, being injured twice and decorated with the Iron Cross.

 His book Mein Kampf (“My Fight”), published on 1925, it have the doutrine and the philosophy of the future Nazi Estate.

 Defending his extreme-nationalism, Hitler was against the Jews. Jesus and Marx, 2 Jews, with ideas about the equality on men, ideas that Hitler considered dangerous over the Germany citizens.

3.

 The organization on the National-Socialist (Nazi) was the base for Hitler to take power over Germany.

 The crises of 1923 looked a perfect opportunity for a military try to take over the power on Bevier; Hitler commanded a military manifestation to take the power (putsch). Hitler was arrested and condemned to 5 years on prison; he just spent over a year there. During this time he wrote the “Mein Kampf”.

  4.

 The misery allowed the Nazis to rise, politically speaking, just like the communists. On the elections of 1930, it was clearly shown. The Nazi elected 107 people and the communists elected 77.

 On 1932, Hindenburg’s Presidential period was over; Hindenburg tried to be elected once again, having Hitler as opponent. It was necessary 2 elections to decide it, Hitler lost.

 Von Papen got in charge to be a Chancellor. His great difficulty was the Nazi progress, who had increased their number of people on the parliament. Hindenburg called Hitler to be the vice-Chancellor, Hitler declined.

 Hindenburg decided to substitute Von Papen. But Von Papen himself convinced the president to call Hitler for the Chancellor position. On January 30 of 1933, Hitler was a Chancellor, having Von Papen as vice-Chancellor.

 The new Reischstag gave Hitler a lot of power.

 Hindenburg died on 1934, there wasn’t an election for another president. Hitler joined his functions as a Chancellor with the Estate-Leader functions. An election confirmed that, with about 90% of votes.

Was Hitler Just lucky? In 1929 the Wall Street Crash happened, and the people who loaned the money to German demanded it to be paid back right away. This caused the German economy to collapse into ruins again, so people started to get desperate and started to turn to extremes so they started to turn to the far left and also the far right. Even though the Dawes plan had been replaced by the Young plan, this made it worse for Germany, as even though the payments were less, they couldn’t pay in raw materials like coal which they had plenty off. Unemployment was rapidly rising, from 2 million in 1929, to 4 million in 1930; year by year the number of millions would rise and rise by 1933 the number was around 6 million.

Hindenburg tried to sort out the mess by getting a long string of new chancellors; the first up in this line was Bruning from the Catholic Centre Party. He thought the depression would right itself off with a little help from the government. So he cut public spending, by reducing the unemployment benefit that people were getting, this was bad as German’s unemployment was very high around this time and this just made matters worse. As his party didn’t have an overall majority, (over 66% of the vote needed) he couldn’t pass his laws through the Reichstag, so he had to get Hindenburg to pass them through the emergency decrees. Bruning kept calling elections, but his support remained the same while the extreme parties (such as the Nazis and also the Communists shot up.)In May 1932 Hindenburg said to him he would no longer approve of his emergency decrees so he resigned. Hindenburg didn’t want to make Hitler chancellor so the next chancellor was a friend of Hindenburg called Von Papen, but he was useless like his predecessor as people wouldn’t listen to him and his party didn’t have a majority in the Reichstag. Although Hitler was offered to be Von Papen’s deputy he refused the offer and said he wanted all or nothing. Then the next failure of a chancellor was someone called Von Schleicher but like the two before him he was useless, as no one would listen and he didn’t have a majority.

Although now things where starting to look bad for Hitler, from July to November in 1932 he lost 34 seats because people started to turn to other parties as he wasn’t getting into power and many started to believe he would never get into power. But at this time where it all looked lost for Hitler, but at this point Hindenburg went and made Hitler Chancellor, now all Hitler had to do was to take complete control…

Or did Hitler take power because of his tactics? Hitler would hold huge rallies, where thousands of people would turn up to hear Hitler speak out against other parties and races. Hitler’s rallies were full of propaganda, such as flags, slogans and parades that all pumped out the same message. People where brainwashed by Hitler’s rallies and the propaganda that his party turned out, posters where everywhere in the cities, and many had a simple slogan such as “Work, Liberty and Bread.” Thanks to Hitler’s Propaganda minsters, Goebbels many people thought Hitler was some sought of super hero that would solve all of German’s problems. The last tactic Hitler and the Nazi party used was violence. Hitler’s street thugs (the SA) would attack members of the communists and the socialist parties. They would disrupt their meetings and tear down their posters and propaganda that was in the street. Fights between the different parties were very common between 1930 – 1933 and may would get killed. This fear of getting killed or injured by these street thugs for not supporting the Nazi party would of drove some away from voting for the other parties to the Nazi party.

Many people would of also liked Hitler’s polices, such as the retired, as they would get a bigger pension then they had before. Also workers and factory owners where interested in the Nazi party as Hitler would get the industry going again by preparing for war, as this would increase the output of industry and therefore increase the number of jobs around. May of Hitler’s polices would help people, but there were a few which wouldn’t, such as removing German citizenship from all the Jews.

In conclusion I think the string of bad chancellors was the reason for Hitler’s success. Because if Hindenburg didn’t try Hitler, who would he try? No party had an overall majority in the Reichstag, so a new chancellor won’t get far at all because no one would listen, so no one will vote through his laws. The problem with the Reichstag was the proportional repensation, so all the parties would get a seat, so that meant no majority and the people who wanted to pass laws through couldn’t. But also the RPV helped Hitler a lot, the propaganda made people believe he was some sort of super person who could fix all the problems Germany had been in since World War 1. The violence put fear into people, so they would vote for the Nazi’s not the Communists or the Socialists, also breaking up their meetings so the followers couldn’t listen to their leaders. Hitler’s policies would of helped a bit as well as his new policies he set out (the 25 points) would benefit most people and there were only a few who wouldn’t, such as the Jews. I think all

The flight was routine between Germany and the United States and 10 round-trip travel safety demonstrated success. The German authorities had been receiving anonymous threats that they said will destroy the Hindenburg. A reporter for United Press, Webb Miller, also received these warnings anonymous. And it seems that none among the passengers, was aware of this, and if they had, they did not believe.

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The airship had to arrive at the Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey, at 6:00 am on Thursday 6 May. Obviously, the Hindenburg would have a delay, and warned on the morning of Tuesday as it flew over the North Sea. At the beginning he was involved in a storm, and then with strong headwinds. But despite this, the German giant sailing smoothly, and high aluminum skeleton, of 248 meters and pleasantly soft bay. No one has memories of having thought for a moment, in the huge mass of 200,000 cubic meters of extremely flammable hydrogen which their lives depended.

In the early hours of Thursday, the blimp was flying low over Nova Scotia, and the passengers felt the great thrill to see the signs of land. About noon the people of Boston contemplate the passage of the ship, and in the afternoon, the Hindenburg, passed over the bay of Long Island. They began to raise great clouds of rain and the forecast winds and thunderstorms announced. Between 4 and 7 pm, the Hindenburg had to wait for better conditions in the time to descend. The storm reduced visibility and wind gusts were getting stronger. The spacecraft flew to Atlantic City, and then returned. Fatigue in people was evident, but finally I tell the captain of the great airship that the wind had abated and that the visibility was good. The decline started slowly.

The announcer of a radio station, Herbert Morrison, recounted the arrival of the ship, and compared the Hindenburg as a giant pen that was near to people. You could see the passengers, from below, wave and smile to friends and relatives. Mooring lines were thrown from the ship at 19:20, and the ground crew took them and began to link them to their original places. In a moment he could see a spark like the electricity coming down the back of the blimp. At that moment the fire began to shine above the fuselage, at exactly 19:23 hours.

All tail burst into a fireball, caught fire helmet and began to fall on pieces of tissue. Meanwhile, Morrison announcer, shouting that the airship was engulfed in flames, crashing, which was lost in a horrible way. Immediately after he was followed by another explosion.

Inside, the blasts took to the passengers to the floor. A lady had opened a window and threw her son, others were returned to their families looking interior. The ship’s captain struggled to maintain control, and ground it looked like the back half disappeared in the flames and smoke. The airship began to fall at an angle of 45 degrees, and the order from the inside was to get passengers. The windows are melted, and that helped others desperate to escape the fire.

32 seconds had passed since the first flame appeared. This was to have seen to take the time in movies that were filmed. The ship was already on land and 200,000 cubic meters of hydrogen were consumed. Something like human figures appeared in the wreckage, fell, got up, stumbled and fell back. Some still had clothes in flames, others tried desperately to remove the red-hot irons to escape. Curiously, a waiter, Werder Franz, soaked and appeared uninjured. The airship in flames had fallen on him, but a pond protected it from heat, others managed to escape when they fell into pits of sand and many crew members managed to escape the fire.

Morrison only cried the announcer at the microphone. Shortly after the fire was completely extinguished. The remains of the Hindenburg were scattered on the ground, twisted. 30 people were killed and three more would die later. At 2 am warning you to Chancellor Hitler’s terrible news. It was the first serious blow to the prestige of Germany. This disaster marked the end of the era of airships.

All this changed, however, on 27 February, 1933, with the Reichstag Fire. A Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested at the scene and later charged with the crime of arson. Hitler immediately announced that he had uncovered a communist conspiracy to overthrow the Government and declared a state of emergency. On 23 March, Hitler forced through the Reichstag an Enabling Act which suspended the Constitution and allowed the Government to govern without reference to the Reichstag for a maximum of 4 years. Papen’s strategy had fallen apart and Hitler now had the power he had sought, now he could re-build Germany as he wished, and return her to the greatness he believed it was his destiny to achieve. He proceeded to suppress the Communists, abolish the Trade Unions, arrest and imprison his political opponents. He was systematically eliminating all threat to his continuation in power, but one threat did remain, and it did not come from his political opponents, but from within his own party.

Hitler, with his Brownshirts

The Sturm Abteilung (SA) or Brownshirts were a paramilitary organisation of storm troopers created to bully and intimidate opponents of the Nazi Party. By 1934, they numbered 4 million and were led by Ernst Rohm, one of Hitler’s oldest comrades. Rohm had been a professional soldier, and a First World War veteran who carried the scars to prove it. He was a brute of a man, a street brawler, an active homosexual (as indeed many of the SA leadership were) and extremely ambitious.

The SA had served a useful purpose in the early days of the Nazi Party and had played a pivotal role in their rise to power. They had confronted communists and socialists on the streets of German towns the length and breadth of the country, broken up opposition rallies and meetings, and intimidated local populations; but with Hitler’s assumption of power their usefulness became moot. They had become too large and too powerful, and moreover they appeared to have an agenda of their own. Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor had become known in Nazi circles as the First Revolution, Rohm and the SA leadership now began to call for the Second Revolution, the implementation of those socialist policies outlined in the Nazi Party’s 25 Point Programme. Specifically, the nationalisation of all corporations, profit sharing in large industrial enterprises, the expropriation and redistribution of land, and most incendiary of all the abolition of the army and the officer corps and the creation of a people’s army. Rohm, was demanding that his Brownshirts be incorporated into the regular army. As the army was restricted to only 100,000 men by the terms of the Versailles Treaty this would mean that it would be swamped and effectively taken over. This would have suited Rohm fine, for he saw his Brownshirts as the Revolutionary Army of a new Germany. But Hitler didn’t need 4 million ill-disciplined, thuggish, street-brawlers, he needed the professionalism and expertise of the regular army, the Brownshirts had become an encumbrance. In the meantime, Rohm had been addressing mass-rallies of his supporters demanding the Second Revolution. He seemed to be setting himself up as an alternative leader, though there is little evidence that there was ever a plot against Hitler.

The SA were despised by the officer corps of the regular army, feared by big business, and hated by the people. Hitler needed all three if he was to achieve his ambitions. They also seemed to be an organisation out of control, they had always had a strong criminal element within their ranks and were involved in extortion rackets and prostitution, and were responsible for widespread intimidation. The Nazi takeover of power had given licence to their thuggery. Hitler, a man to whom loyalty was paramount, was loathe to act against old allies and especially against Rohm, who was perhaps as close as anyone could come to being called a friend.

In 1925, an organisation had been formed from within the SA, the Shutzstaffel (SS), to act as Hitler’s personal bodyguard. In 1934, it was led by Heinrich Himmler and his deputy Reinhard Heydrich. They too were extremely ambitious and saw Rohm as a direct threat to their own power, they now began to work on Hitler. They had uncovered a plot to depose him, they said, Rohm was intending to use the SA to take power by force. If Hitler didn’t act first then he would have no one to oppose Rohm with, he would be powerless.

In February, 1934, Hitler told Rohm personally that the SA would never replace the regular army in Germany. Much to everyone’s surprise, Rohm seemed to agree. But it made no difference, by April, Rohm was announcing at SA rallies that the, ” SA is the Nationalist Socialist Revolution.” He was talking as if he was a leader-in-waiting. It was all the ammunition Himmler and Heydrich needed. 

On 4 June, Hitler held a meeting with Rohm, his old friend, to discuss the problem of the SA. The meeting was cordial and Rohm left having agreed to a further meeting with Hitler and the other SA leaders where all outstanding issues would be settled once and for all. Soon after, Rohm announced that he would be taking a vacation and that the SA was to stand down and go on leave for the month of July. He then ordered the SA leadership to gather at the spa resort of Bad Wiennssee near Munich.

In the meantime, Himmler and Heydrich had been conspiring with the army and the Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen. On 17 June, von Papen ratcheted up the pressure when he gave a speech denouncing the SA, ” Have we experienced an anti-Marxist revolution in order to put through a Marxist programme.” On 21 June, Hitler was summoned to a meeting with the German President Paul von Hindenburg. Hindenburg, who was by this time in a wheelchair and close to death, curtly informed Hitler that the SA problem must be solved or he would dissolve the Government, declare martial law, and ask the army to run the country. Hitler, at last, decided to act. He informed the Nazi inner-circle that he had uncovered a plot by the SA to overthrow the Government. It had been secretly agreed that the army would supply the arms for the SS to carry out the deed, and would remain confined to their barracks for the duration unless called upon. Hermann Goering would be put in charge of rounding up the conservative opposition in Berlin. On the 29 June, Hitler flew to Munich where he intended to confront the SA leadership personally.

Upon his arrival in Munich, Hitler arrested the leading SA man in the city and in a public ceremony stripped him of his insignia whilst raging about disloyalty and treachery. Despite all this, Rohm still appeared oblivious of the manoeuvrings against him. In the early morning of the 30 June, Hitler sped off to the resort where the SA leadership were staying, accompanied by his SS guards and with Rudolf Hess at his side. The hotel was surrounded and then armed with a pistol he burst into Rohm’s room. The SA leader was dragged from his bed and the arms of his young male lover, and had to endure a torrent of abuse as Hitler raged against him. He tried to deny the charges he was accused of but was frog-marched off to Stadelheim Prison just outside Munich. Hitler hadn’t been so generous to another SA leader who had been found in bed with his male lover, he had ordered both executed on the spot.

Despite everything, Hitler could not bring himself to order the execution of his old friend. He hoped that as a professional soldier, an officer, and a man of honour, Rohm would take his own life. He told his captors to provide him with a pistol with a single bullet. Presented with this alternative, Rohm replied, ” If Adolf wants me dead, let him do it himself.” After 15 minutes had passed and no gunshot had been heard, two SS officers, one of whom was Theodore Eicke, the future commander of the SS Death’s Head Division and Commandant of Dachau, entered his cell and shot him dead. His last words were, “Mein Fuhrer! Mein Fuhrer! 

The SA were now condemned as traitors, there leaders had been arrested and the organisation effectively proscribed. Members left their ranks in droves and they were no longer the heros of the Nazi revolution but were tainted with the stigma of disloyalty. They were now the objects of abuse and were jeered and hooted at in the streets. There power had been broken.

In Berlin, Hermann Goering had been busy. He, and others elsewhere in Germany, now took this opportunity to dispose of those they considered enemies of the Nazi’s or had merely offended them in the past. Among those murdered were Gustave von Kahr, who had opposed Hitler during the Munich Putsch; General von Schleicher and his wife; Gregor Strasser, who was seen as Hitler’s only possible replacement as leader of the Nazi Party; Father Bernhard Stempfle, who it was felt knew too much about Hitler’s personal life. Assassins were also sent to murder Franz von Papen but he was absent so they shot his secretary instead. One young man, a cellist, was dragged from his family and later executed because he was unfortunate enough to have the same name as a noted opponent of the Nazi’s. His body was later returned to his family who were told that he had died in an accident, and with strict orders not to open the coffin. It had been apparent throughout that Hitler did not enjoy this, but his henchmen did and they had gone about their business gleefully.

Hitler, had tried to cover up the full implications of the Night of the Long Knives, but it was impossible. On 13 July, in a speech to the Reichstag that was broadcast to the nation, he tried to justify these extra-judicial murders, ” If anyone reproaches me and asks me why I did not resort to the regular courts of justice, then all I can say is this, in this hour  I was responsible for the fate of the German people, and I thereby became the supreme judge of the German people.” He went on, ” Everyone must know for all future time that if he raises his hand to strike the State, then certain death is his lot.” No matter what he said, no one could be in any doubt, that the legitimate Government of Germany had become a regime of murder. ***

*** See related articles; 1/ Himmler, Hitler’s Henchman 2/ Einsatzgruppen, Nazi Death Squads 3/ Irma Grese and IIse Koch, Sisters of Satan 4/ Mengele, Nazi Doctor 5/ Operation Valkyrie, the 20 July Bomb Plot 6/ Magda Goebbels,The First Lady of the Third Reich 7/ The Adolescent Hitler and Beyond.   

Hitler had many opportunities and a lot of luck getting into office. Society could’ve prevented this by doing many things. First off, the first thing to cut off Hitler’s chances of being a dictator in 1923 was to never let him out of jail from his failed coup. Another way to stop Hitler was to not make him popular by not publishing his book Mein Kampf . Hitler’s book explained his plan to rule Germany. Those were the first chances society had to prevent the Holocaust , the other chances were just as severe.

The other chances were to never let Hitler in political power in the first place. Hitler started off as an active member in the Nazi party. He soon got highly recognized and became leader of that party. Hindenburg, the chancellor of Germany before Hitler, became chancellor before Hitler. Hitler was a candidate in that election. In 1933 Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor of Germany. This was the largest mistake of how society and the country of Germany failed and let the devious man become ruler. Hitler should’ve been impeached from office after he violently addressed his nation as the capital building, the Reichstag, burned down.

It is true that the Holocaust could’ve been prevented several times. Although many of Hitler’s officers tried 14 different assassination attempts it would have done no good because the Holocaust was still in affect. Most of our present day leaders understand the responsibility to watch other countries so we know that something is going on. Countries were late in seizing Germany because it already captured Austria and Czechoslovakia. The Holocaust could’ve been prevented and we would have never had to live the fact that Nazi Germany committed a mass murder of 11 million.

Looking ahead at the upcoming intersection the light was changing from green to yellow. In the split second that it took his minds eye to react he called out to the driver, “. Lets get going Harold”.

It was late and he was running behind on his schedule. The driver of the limousine stepped on the gas and entering the intersection of the busy street John already realized that the decision to “speed it up” might have been a mistake.

Thru the corner of his eye he could feel, if not yet see, the blurred movement of an object hurtling toward him. Thus on November 23, 1967, Harold Green the driver of the limousine carrying President Kennedy came to the street named Dealey Plaza.

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Part Two

Sitting at the flight controls of the giant ship I thought back over the many training flights I had made. I had begun 12 years ago as a second officer and working my way thru the ranks I had become a first officer and ultimately Payload specialist. Now years later this first voyage seemed a long anticipated event. Snapping out of my day dream I heard the first officer call out…”Captain, ready to fire booster engines”.

Gently he moved the controls back and the giant craft arched its way into the clouds as it had done before.

Full power I heard him call out and the first officer responded.

Then without even a glimmer of understanding captain Christa McAuliffe, felt before seeing, the strange sound of the explosion…

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Part Three

The majestic ship began her maiden voyage thru the channel and out into the sea. She was truly a magnificent vessel full of every modern convenience know to man in this year of our lord 1912. Captain Edward Smith immediately called out to the bridge….”. Lets take her to sea and see what she’s got”.  Aye Aye Captain came the response from the helmsman.

The giant ship’s engines came to life and the magnificent engines strained at every command to race into the sunset. This the most powerful and largest ship of it’s time and had a race with destiny.

The giant propellers soon had this glorious sailing vessel leaving the port of Portsmouth and heading out towards the Irish coast.

Then….. on to America to begin its glorious run as head of the Transatlantic fleet of ships.

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Part Four

“Ease her in slowly” called the Helmsman. The air was thick with the moisture of a lazy summer afternoon and the Commander was hoping to land well before the promised rainstorm made its away into the landing area of the airfield in Lakehurst New Jersey.

“Mid ships” called the helm as he struggled to hold the ship on its course. Like a graceful swan the giant air ship, the pride of Germany continued on its descent to the airfield below.

The ship was the finest of the Reich and would show the world that the New Germany would no longer suffer the indignity of being thought of as a third rate nation. The Commander began to remove ballast as the ship slowly began its descent on to the field. He could already see the band moving into place to welcome the giant air ship.

The passengers all lined the giant windows to view the festivities and their arrival in America.

The last thing helmsman Helmet Lau thought was……..how strange that the light has gotten so bright.

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Redux

To begin anew…

The bright light filled the heavens.

One by one, each of the members of the entourage, made their way down the path guided only by instinct.

The light got closer and closer beckoning them all towards it.

Yet there was no fear nor trepidation…only the calming sense that all would be well.

Each of the voyagers felt the urge to move forward into the welcome light and the destiny that had befallen them all. Perhaps, they thought…THIS TIME WOULD BE DIFFERENT

Together John Kennedy’s limousine driver Harold Green ;  Christa McAulliffe, Challenger space craft ; Titanic Captain Edward Smith and, along with Hidenburg Helmsman Harold Lau each fulfilled their journey together.