Sunday, November 30, 2008
The Gestapo - Period 1
In the film, A Warning from History, you saw a segment on the Gestapo and an interview that was conducted with a woman who had turned in her neighbor while living in Nazi Germany. Post a reflective comment on what you learned from this particular segment as well as what you thought was the most important point(s)made during this segment on the Gestapo. Post your reflective comment by the end of the day - Tuesday, December 2nd. Again, if you do not see your post - after a couple of hours - let me know.
Mr. Gallagher
17 comments:
If a citizen was caught hiding information from the Germans about someone they knew, and that person was supposed to be in the hands of Germany, they would most likly be killed. Back then everyone was under a lot of pressure. For example: If your best friend was Jewish, you would have to decide on what to do. Do you turn them? or Do you hide them with the risk of Germany finding them?
- Matt Grossman
If a German citizen was caught hiding information from the Nazis about someone they knew, and that person was supposed to be in the hands of the Nazis, they would most likly be killed. Back then everyone was under a lot of pressure. For example: If your best friend was Jewish, you would have to decide on what to do. Do you turn them in? or Do you hide them with the risk of the Nazis finding them?
A major thing that i learned from this segment is that there is still denial going on to this day. The women who clearly had turned in her neighbor denied it even though all the evidence pointed against her. Another thing that i think is important to realize is the role that ordinary citizens played in the holocaust. Without them, the Gestapo would not have stood a chance completing their goals.
The main thing I learned from this segment is that the German people went to extremes to satisfy their Fuhrer. Such as the German lady who was arrested because her neighbors told on her. There was no evidence for the stuff that the others said about the lady, but the police arrested her anyways because everyone was following Hitler's idea of having a perfect Aryan world.
Marufa
Before watching this film I did not know many things. For instance I did not know exactly what a Gestapo was, and what his role and job was in society. I also did not know what a denunciation was. From watching this segment I learned that the Gestapo was in charge of making sure that the society remained pure and everyone followed the lead of Hitler. Anyone who acted in suspicious ways would be denounced and eventually in some cases killed. Other things I learned were that certain nights many Jews were dragged out of their homes and beaten in the streets. Also, many Nazi’s threw rocks through store windows were the Jews were working. I think that the most important point made during this segment of the film was showing the Gestapo and how his system was structured and worked. It went into much detail about how the Gestapo did not go out and find the people who received denunciations; rather he had people come to him to tell him what was going on in the society around him. Neighbors began to turn against one another in order to report to the Gestapo about what a certain individual was doing.
Wile watching this film I learned things that I have never hurt of like the Gestapo and how they worked with the cooperation of the people, that time were going to do anything for their Fuhrer. Its a shame how the lady refused it was her that had written the letter telling on her neightbor and it is also a shame how she laugh and made jokes wile talking about a serious thing. How can she be so natural about it? I think the main thing about this segment was the interview because from that we see how far people went to gain the respect of their fuhrer to the point of telling on some one that never done no harm to them.
What I learned from this segment is that there were not as many Gestapo officials as there appeared to be, so in Germany at the time, people who were arrested by the Gestapo were normally denounced by other people. Also, I learned that many people were arrested by the Gestapo based on denunciations that were mainly gossip, so many arrests were unjust. I believe that the most important point made during this segment is that the people ended up doing a lot of the Gestapo’s work by denouncing people, many people lived in fear of the Gestapo, and some people even denounced their friends and neighbors.
Andy H.
The woman who was persecuted probably would never have even been a suspicious subject to the Gestapo had her neighbor not suggested they take action. In some similar cases, maybe this one also, maybe people turned others in out of fear for themselves (wanted to be on the powerful side). The most important point made was that average citizens aided the Reich and the Gestapo, which was why the regime was so powerful and effective.
One section of the film A Warning from History shows an interview of a women who had denounced her neighbor when she was a young women living in Nazi Germany. The interviewer reads the women a letter that is signed under her name that implicates her neighbor suspicious behavior and she rejects that she wrote the letter even though she agrees that is indeed her signature and address. This shows that this women, and many, were manipulated and terrorized by the Gestapo to the point that they became paranoid and did things they normally would not have like denouncing a perfectly normal neighbor. The women denies her involvement with the letter because she seems ashamed and distraught as the interview asks her about it. The Gestapo had the power to influence people like this and control millions with there very few numbers because of there tactics. The Gestapo's free reign over the German population struck so much fear into the people that they eventually made the Gestapo's job even easier because they didn't even have to look for crimes anymore they were reported right to them by citizens.
-Austin E.
This segment talked alot about the gestapo and what it was. But I think the most important thing this part of the film showed was how the Nazi government was run. That suggestions came from the bottom and worked their way up instead of people taking orders from higher athority. This led to lots of confussion in the government system and people being charged for things because their neighboors turned them in with out any evidence that they have even done anything.
Taylor E.
Obviously I don't think anyone would want to admit to something as bad as what that woman did to her neighbor, especially in today's society, but I still think it's ridiculous that she kept on denying that she wrote that letter. Most of the work done by the Gestapo was assisted by the German people. They would turn in their friends and neighbors out of fear and just to be a good German. The German people had just as much of an impact on the holocaust as the Gestapo and the Nazi party. I think the most important point about the segment was that there is still so much denial today about what happened over 60 years ago, even though all the evidence points against it.
The most important point made during the film was when the lady who they believed wrote the Nazis turning in her neighbor, who ended up being killed. The lady that was interviewed admitted herself, her address, and signature to all be correct, however, she could not understand the document. This to me shows that the Nazis could have made up the letter and went after and killed the woman for no reason but because they did not think she fit in. This also shows that the Nazis could get away with whatever they wanted. Another important point made during this movie was how everyone had to be aware of the Gestapo, and Germans could be denounced. Even if you were not friends with Jewish people, you had to throw someone else under the bus to save yourself. I found this to be very appalling.
This segment on the gestapo was very powerful, and I think it said a lot about the feelings that the average German citizen had during this time period. With the Nazi party exerting so much control through propaganda and strong leadership, I felt there was some fear with the public that they must do everything in their power to help create a stronger Germany, or else face consequences and shame. The Gestapo was created as a secret police force, and the film made the strong point that the only reason it was so effective was beacuse of the help of the German people. People like this woman in the film would turn in their peers to the Gestapo, and it was evident that at the time they felt that it was a necessary thing to do. Looking back on it I think that people, like this woman, finally saw the true evil behind creating this single, pure German state, but were afraid to admit their wrongs. It was evident that Germany under Hitler had the complete control and attention of a nation, so much so that it allowed unjust policing systems like the Gestapo to exist
-Jake Jablon
I agree with Austin's comments about the paranoia and fear the Gestapo struck in the German people. They denounced their neighbors even when they may have been good people, which seems completely irrational now, but at the time I feel like they felt as if they didnt have a choice. The Gestapo and Nazis had influencial tactics, that like Austin said, made their job even easier because many citizens did the work for them. This woman denounced her neighbor for suspicious behavior, what it seemed like to me as an effort to ultimately please Hitler and contribute to the pride of this new German state. I dont think anybody at the time could really see the implications of their decisions because they were blinded by fear and power.
-Jake Jablon
I was taken back by the interview about the woman who turned in her neighbor. People were so sucked into this way of life and this belief that everyone had to act the same as everyone else and instead of minding their own business, they spied on their neighbors and gossiped and reported them to the secret police. I think it is so wrong to do that, and the accusations made no sense. Reporting people because you think they're lesbian? That's just uncalled for. I think the most important point made about the Gestapo was the effect they had on the people in Germany. Yes, they needed many people to work for them. But they had so many unofficial "employees" that looked out for them and helped them.
I think the most important aspect of this segment was that Nazi influence was built from the "ground up" where the people were the ones reporting on each other to the Gestapo, and conforming to their views so that they could become a part of the new and improved Germany. The fact that neighbors turned against each other made the Nazi teachings more powerful where they had more power over each other in terms of manipulation and conformation in comparison to the high ranking officials. I agree with Zack about the influence of the German people. THey are just as guilty as Hitler and the Nazis in inflicting pain upon the Jews and other minorities who "contaminated" the Germany society.
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