Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Period 1: Warning from History
The film, A Warning from History, asks the question, “How could a cultured nation in the center of Europe ever allow Hitler and the Nazis to come to power in Germany?” Given the information from the film and from facts you’ve learned thus far in the course, answer the question with specific details. The post will close at 9:00pm today. If you don’t see your comment, please send me an email with the comment in the email.
Mr. Gallagher
29 comments:
Hitler was able to come to power in Germany because of the failed economy at the time. WWI had put Germany into large amounts of debt paying reparations. After the war they barowed money from the US to help stabalize their economy but when our stock market crashed, there was no money for Germany to barow. Therefore their ecomony fell apart and in hard times Hitler gave them someone to blame and take out their hatred and anger on.
-Taylor E.
The cultured nation of Germany, that is indeed in the heart of Europe, was ideally structured for Hilter's rise to power following the First World War. One reason it was so easy for the Nazi's and their leader to take over was unrest and bad feelings that were brought on by the Treaty of Versailles in which the Germans were forced to give up parts of there homeland as well as paying massive reparations to France. This plunged Germany into bad economic standing and the German people were calling for a strong leader to show them the way and Hitler not only promised the bettering of the nation but also provided the struggling German residents a scapegoat for the downfall and loss of WWI, the Jews. Hitler was handed power and quickly moved up the ranks till he became dictator of Germany much to the open arms of the population. He was a powerful speaker who captured the nation which allowed him and the Nazi's to rise to power and eventually spark World War II.
-Austin Evans
I agree with Taylor's comments above. One of the major factors leading to Hilter's rise in power was the economic failures of Germany. The suffering of the population and the massive inflation on all things sold in Germany made people very open to a man with a clear cut plan to fix the country and make it into an empire that was supposed to outlast all others. Hilter promised just this and with his short term fixes of the economic situation and his use of the Jews as a scapegoat for all German ills he was able to take over and become dictator. Like Taylor said, he then used his power to spread his hatred of Jews and others.
-Austin E.
Before Hitler and the Nazis came to power, Germany was doing horribly and soon enough, failing as an economy, just as Taylor said. Germany needed someone who'd bring their nation back on track. They were so desperate to getting out of debt that they never gave it a second thought as to who that person should be or about the consequences that their actions could bring. This is the reason as to why is was so easy for Hitler and the Nazis to come to power. Hitler knew Germany's situation which made it easier for him to figure out what to say in order to be supported by the Germans, even if it meant killing all Jews.
Ilsi D.
Germany had allowed Hitler and the Nazis to come to power because after the Treaty of Versailles and the War, Germany was in ruins; its people were starving, the nation was under economic crisis, etc. The people of Germany were desperate so they wanted to change that, and that's when Hitler took advantage of that situation and was able to come to power and form the Nazi group.
~Marufa
I also agree with Austin's comment about Hitler's ability to convince people with his speech. He was able to make the people believe him and support him to become their leader.
~Marufa
There are many reasons as to why Hitler was allowed to come to power in Germany. However, the densest reason was due to the declining economy as Taylor and Ilsi have stated. With the economy weakening, the people were in a hard place and did not have anyone to turn to, or anything to blame the economical weakness on. With the disorder of everything, people began to listen and fall under the pressure of Hitler. He had a powerful voice and relayed his ideas in strong ways. With his influential and authoritative ways, Hitler was able to in force himself on the people and take a powerful stance in Germany.
I also agree with Marufa when she said that Hitler was also able to come to power because of the Treaty of Versailles. After this treaty Germany was hurting and as Marufa said Hitler saw this happening and took full advantage to inject him self in the situation and take over.
I believe that the reason why Hitler was able to come to power is because of the combination of the chaos in Germany after World War I and the harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles. After World War I, some German soldiers thought they were betrayed, they were humiliated by the French troops who were in Germany. In addition, the conservatives and socialists involved in German government represented extremes of their ideas. For example, many conservatives in Germany at the time had the same anti-Semitic views that the Nazis had. The German economy was going downhill as well. In the early 1920s, there was huge inflation that led common goods to cost billions of Marks. In addition, as we have learned previously in class, the Treaty of Versailles also damaged German economy because of the huge war debts and as a result, Germany borrowed money from American banks, which would later further damage Germany's economy in the Great Depression. Also, there was a lot of hunger and disease in postwar Germany. This social and economic chaos is likely one of the factors of how Hitler was able to come to power because some Germans may have believed Hitler could end the chaos.
Andy H.
I agree with what Amanda said. After World War I, Germany had a very weak economy, which led to more chaos in Germany. Because of this, it seems that with the hunger and poverty in Germany, it seems that many people thought Hitler could solve these problems.
Andy H.
Germany had no where to turn to other than Hitler after everything they had been through. Their economy was weak, and they were scared. Germany was just searching for a leader, they needed someone to stand out in the crowd and someone willing to make a difference. Although his ideas eventually turned cruel and dehumanizing, at first he just seemed to know what it took to bring success to Germany, and that's what they were looking for.
I agree with Andy, he brought up a lot of factual information of the time. As he stated, the Treaty of Versailles caused a lot of economic problems for Germany, these problems could not be faced alone. They needed a strong leader to support them and they were desperate. Desperation led to Hitler coming to power.
Even though i did not see the movie i agree with most of the above comments. The terrible economic conditions in Germany allowed for Hitler to rise to power. The German people were looking for any way out of poverty and he claimed to be able to provide that. Another thing that is important to recognize is the acceptance of antisemitism. Saw just how deep rooted it was in the history of Europe in the movie the longest hatred. This made Hitlers antisemitism almost normal and insignificant because many other people shared his views. It should also be recognized that Hitler was a great leader. He was extremely good at giving speeches and was extremely outgoing. He used his talents for a horrible cause but they should still be acknowledged. Without his ability to electrify a crowd with his speeches Hitler would not have been able to rise to power.
Germany was severely weakened after World War I. The country was left in a state of ruin where hundreds of thousands of dissatisfied troops and millions of starving citizens sought radical change. The left-wing takeover of Munich surfaced greater antisemetic feelings from the right-wing German politicians, and the many different groups from the right preached their views to a German nation looking to blame their troubles on a scapegoat. To some extent, the film showed that people needed to feel a sense of fear and power; they needed to have a figure to look up to who showed power, confiedence, and authority to bring Germany back to greatness. They felt not only hunger and suffered from poverty due to extreme inflation, but they felt humiliated as a people, specifically because of the French rule within Germany. Thus, in Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, the people of Germany found the figure to lead the country to greatness once again.
-Jake Jablon
I agree with Andy's comments on the film about the extremes of the conservative political side of Germany. He's absolutely right that this side of German politics held anti-semetic and anti-bolshevick views. These were a major factor in the rise of the Nazi party. These extremes were preached upon the people of the nation, who for the most part, because of the deteriorating state of the nation, were in a position to accept any agenda which would put blame on others for their troubles. It is evident that the Nazi party became a major influence because of the party's promise for greatness. They came in as a new, radical group, associated with German politics, but they stood out as "the new guy," so to speak. Hitler's promise for a stronger German empire could not be ignored by the German people. Thus, he inspired and essentially brainwashed an entire new generation of Germany people, who looked to better their nation by getting rid of the imperfections. They felt there was a world Jewish conpiracy to take over because of new propaganda, and this also propelled Germany into rule under Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
I believe that the Treat of Versailles was the main reason why Hitler came into power. After it forced Germany to pay many reparations, resentment grew amongst the Germans toward the other nations. Hitler used this state of anger and vulnerability to his advantage. Although he was from Austria, he loved Germany and told the germans that he disagreed with the treaty as well and that he wouldn't follow any of its demands. This caused him to become a popular figure amongst the Germans and ultimately led to his rise to power.
I agree with Marufa. The people of Germany were so desperate after the war and hitler used that to his advantage.
Germany was desperate for help when Hitler was around. They were in an economic crisis because they were in so much debt from the war, and they were seeking help to get out of it. Hitler came along with promising plans of restoring Germany to power and the Germans jumped at the chance of getting help. It wasn’t hard to Hitler to implicate all of his new ideas and plans because the Germans embraced him with open arms.
I agree with Ilsi's comment about how Germany needed someone to get them back on track. Hitler was very good at giving speaches and convinsing people of his cause. In a time of trouble Hitler provided a way out and so the people took it. They did not what to have to suffer any longer and so took any option that they could to make things better for themselves and families, they didn't nessisarily stop to think who else would be effected.
-Taylor E.
I think the ease in which Hitler came to power was mostly facilitated by the treatment of the Germans in the Treaty of Versailles. Specifically, the enormous reparations, army restrictions, and the war guilt clause were designed solely and specficially to destroy Germany. Hitler simply saw this, and recognized the ease by which he could rally the support of the germans.
I also agree with Taylor that the failure of many world economies presented an oppurtunity to assign blame as Hitler saw fit.
After World War I, Germany's economy fell apart with the reparations they had to pay to the victorious countries. Many people did not have jobs and were struggling to survive. Most Germans were probably embarassed for losing the war too. When Hitler came along spreading his nationalism, a lot of people wanted to join the cause for a "better" Germany.
Hitler and the Nazis were able to rise to such power because the German people believed them to be a great opportunity. They offered revive Germany's status, economically, militarily, and morally. These three things led to widespread nationalism. Anti-Semitism was an outlet for blame for poor economic times and other weak areas of the community.
When Hitler came to power, the German people were in trouble. Their economy was collapsing. Their government was ineffective. And their lives were being uprooted. Hitler used this to his advantage by appealling to the masses through promises of a better government, and better economy and a better life.
I agree with Andy but also in many ways I argue with him. I believe that the reasons Hitler came to power was because he Could fix germany's problems, and he proceeds to do so when he is in power.
Hitler came to power because although the nazi party supported the beliefe of the master race and that if anyone was not german they were seen as inferior to them, te party was also in support of working class of germany and at the time germany was in an economic hole and they thought that Hittler would be able to get them out of it.
J.J.
I also agree with Marufa and Austin that Hitler was probably one of the most powerful speakers in history. You can hear the passion and anger in his voice even if you can't understand what he is saying.
In response to Joey's comment: I disagree that the Nazi party's anti-semetic view were insignificant. Belief in Anti-semetism united the party's followers. Therefore, I think it is significant because their solution to reolve the issues that people have posted was to remove the Jews.
Germany had suffered so much from WWI between the reparations and unbelievable debt they had or the blame they suffered from the Treaty of Versailles. Germany's economy and the state of mind of the people sufffered greatly. The German people looked to Hitler in their time of need because they needed anything close to a solution to fix their problems, not only did Hitler raise German nationalism hugely with his speeches, he gave the people a blame for all their problems.
I agree with Marufa's comment. Germany was in such a crisis after WWI and they were suffering so much and they needed someone to turn to, and Hitler was that person to turn to, because he had extremely persuasive and motivational speeches.
The German people allowed Hitler to come to power because of the state of their economy paved by the Treaty of Versailles. People look for a strong leader during a time of crisis regardless of their morales and values as along as their willing to give the people power again. The German people wanted Germany to become one of the world powers again and Hitler had the charisma and power to do so. His speeches were so eloquent that they were able to mesmerize the people that it was acceptable to discriminate against and destroy people were cuase of all German's problems; Jewish people.
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