Regarding the BBC documentary,
The Rise of the Nazis - A Warning from History. Please share your thoughts about the film thus far. Does anything stand out for you about the segment on the Gestapo that you saw today? What did you think of the interview with Resi Kraus?
26 comments:
I was absent today, so I did not see the segment on the Gestapo or the interview with Resi Kraus that were shown today. But, from the first two days of viewing this film, I found the interviews very interesting. The German people interviewed spoke as if they did nothing wrong and as if millions of people were not murdered. Also, the way they all praised Hitler was very surprising to me. I know that the interviewees and I are from completely different generations but I cannot wrap my head around how people believed in Hitler and his methods.
I think one of the things that stands out the most for me about the Gestapo is the way in which they were able to be an effective murderous force while having so few members. The way in which this worked was that civilians would write reports accusing their own neighbors of doing something that was against the Nazi party and then the Gestapo would deal with them. The fact that about 90% of the Gestapo's victims were first recognized by other citizens sickens me. Pretty much what happened was that everyone was scared so they threw other people under the bus before they could get thrown under themselves. This idea is a very sad one to think about for me.
I thought the interview with Resi Kraus was a very disturbing one. This women accused her neighbor of nothing more than being a little different and was eventually killed as a result of it. When Resi is showed the document where she files her complaint about her neighbor she claims to not remember it. Then she goes on to mention how its ridiculous to bring it up any ways because it happened 50 something years ago. She does not see the fact that she killed this women. She fails to accept the fact that her actions 50 years ago killed an innocent women who could still be alive today. She even goes as far to say she wasn't the one to hurt or kill this woman, when in reality she couldn't be more wrong.
This film was very intriguing to me. I never knew that the rise of the Nazis was so behind the scenes and run by the actual people of Germany. I had always had an image of the Nazis just storming in and taking the country by force, holding it and its citizens in custody under close surveillance. When I watched this film I saw that it was really just a last resort by the German people to regain whatever self-respect they could.
The interview with Resi Kraus sickened me. I mean I can somewhat see how out of fear for her own life she incriminated this person whom had already been used as a scapegoat, but to look at someone straight in the eyes and say you have no idea what they are talking about after they tell you about your putting someone to their death, that is just a travesty in my eyes. If I had sent an innocent person to their death and then survived, it would eat me up on the inside. I would visit their grave and help out their family and do whatever I could to possibly make myself feel better about the repulsive acts that I committed. I wouldn't just move on and pretend that it never happened, avoiding the subject and lying blatantly even after my signature is shown on an incriminating document.
The thing that stuck out most to me in this video was that a lot of the German people had no remorse for what they did to survive. As I just said, if I had committed such evil acts in the pursuit of preservation, I wouldn't feel bad while I did them, but as the years ticked by and the momentum of the events sat in on my psyche, I would be devastated. One of the people was even talking about how beautiful Hitler was. What?! I've had people read me sections of Mein Kampf and I have no idea what side of Hitler was beautiful. If anything he was a spoiled, selfish brat that should have been sent to reform school or something to suck that asshole narcissistic attitude out of him.
it was really shocking. it really opened my view on the Gestapo and the civilians. at first i really believed that this completely disraged neighbor just decided to sent this lone women to her death strictly based on her difference.it truely showed the corruption that im sure alot of people living in that time didnt think of. when the interviewer asked did you write this? she say that is my signiture and that is my address and i did have that neightbor but that she did NOT write that showed the true hatred of these people to make up letters from random people to rid the world of these "unfitted" people. it was truly an eye opener seeing how cruel and mean these horrible people where, espesially when viewing the disabled children section. it made me literally sick to my stomach thinking that nurses and docters would kill innocent children because they were BORN a certain way. it made me feel like humans had no moral direction and at that time, germany was in state of chaos to have done and think that way. granted throughout this class we have learned that it was the general opinion that these people disabled or jewish were certainly lower than the high almighty pure blood german race but the thought and action of killing and murdering CHILDREN is so radical. i can partly understand if they had treated the children poorly and just did not like them but to carry out a direct purpose of murdering a small child because the only two words he can say is mama and papa is royally fucked up. i believe that if i was there during that time period, that i would proboblly think these people were less than myself(as shown in the interview it was a common opinion) but to carry out such a vial act to ANYBODY for no reason other than the way you were born or your religion is completely unbelievable.
After viewing this film, I was very surprised about the way the Germans acted and about the interview with Resi Kraus. Resi Kraus acted as if she had done nothing wrong during the interview. It is unbelievable to me how the people in Germany still act like they have done nothing wrong. They have seen what Hitler has caused and how many people died during his time of leadership. The most shocking thing to me was when the film talked about how the kids were chosen to be murdered because of their mental dissabilities. I don`t understand how someone could just pick a kid out of a crowd to be killed. No one should be punished because of something they are born with.
I agree with Laura about how the Germans still are saying that they saw "Hitler`s beautiful side". This movie was filmed in 2000 which means that the Germans have seen the effects of the Holocaust and what happened to innocent people. The one man suggested that Hitler may have had a dark side, but that he had never seen it. Hitler must have been a very powerful leader in order for Germans to still be able to see the good in him.
It was such a shocking interview. During the interview the reaction of Resi Kraus was actually surprised me. Resi Kraus' position was about this letter and what she did it doesn't matter now. This interview showed that how the Gestapo was the scary, cruel group.
At first I didn't really understand the Gestapo film. I think I was unable to understand it at first because I could not believe that people would rat out their own neighbors for doing something that was against the Nazi party. I couldn't believe that someone would do that to their neighbor knowing how hard it was at this time already. It really makes me see that nobody was trustworthy during this time. The goal was for yourself not to get caught and by doing that you would rat out your own neighbors. I still cannot believe people agreed with Hitler and that people would throw their own neighbors under to the bus in order to please him and keep themselves safe.
When we were watching the video on the gestapo, I found it quite interesting at how with so few members and organizers it was able to be so efficient at ruling the land. People were openly handing the gestapo information to just keep on their good side, making it so that you couldn't even trust your own neighbor. It seems as if the people feared the Gestapo and fed into the whole system because of that fear.
It was interesting to see how the Gestapo was able to work with such little numbers. They relied on the cooperation of the citizens of Germany to be affective. This just proves how the Nazi party gained power and how the Gestapo gained power because they were able to have an ideology that the general population agreed on.
This interview was sickening, Resi Kraus was clearly lying about her knowledge of the letter written about her neighbor. I could tell that the questions she was being asked made her uncomfortable because of her body language and the way she laughed seemed out of discomfort. Mrs Kraus changed her story a few times from not knowing a thing about it, to later saying that she didn't remember. It is disturbing that she could write such terrible things about her neighbor because of what she did, Mrs. Kraus didn't no a thing about the lady she "murdered."
I found the interview with Miss Kraus the most intriguing aspect of the video. I do not detest her claims not to remember the complaint letter. It's our human condition to defend and justify our actions and guilt can only amplify that condition. To know so honestly that you may be responsible for an innocent death is a weight that few can inwardly bear, and she did what anyone would: she justified herself behind the detachment of time and the irrelevance of such a letter now, as well as a simple failure to recall the composition of the letter. Such an attempt to hide one's outward ugliness, albeit unsuccessful, does nothing but magnify one's inward ugliness, a much deeper perversity. Thus, I must not only understand Miss Kraus's lies, but sympathize with her, for she was just as much a victim of her society as the woman she was responsible for killing.
I thought that they became so popular of a group because they killed lots of people with such a little group so other people thought of joining the group. I still don't think it is right for them to kill people. I thought the interview with Resi Kraus because should would deny of signing the paper. Even though she said it is her signature and she was not answering the question straight forward. She also didn't answer her question with an answer she kept on saying I don't know which wasn't helpful to the guy interviewing her. I also thought she was hiding something that she didn't want to tell the viewers.
I agree with Evan that with such little numbers they were somehow able to gain so much land.
So far, I enjoy the documentary, the interviews are fascinating. I particularly liked the interview with Resi Kraus. Just the way she was so casual and nonchalant, in talking about her basically singing a death warrant for her neighbor. I found it difficult to believe that she even laughed at one point in the interview. As far as the gestapo, nothing truly astonishing has come to me, but I'm positive something is going to happen.
The interview with Resi Kraus was by far the largest display of ignorance I have seen thus far, through all of the films we've watch. I actually wanted to scream at this old woman and tell her how I felt about what she was saying. When she tried denying the claim against her, I felt sick inside. The woman is insulted that she is being called out for her actions from 50 years ago, while she doesn't even notice that there is another woman DEAD because of those very actions. She goes on to say that she "didn't kill anyone, didn't murder anyone" when in fact, SHE DID. She gave the Gestapo enough reason to come into the other woman's home, send her to a concentration camp, and eventually kill her. The fact that Kraus still seems to live today without any regret is truly sickening. While it may sound rude or wrong to put such blame on the old woman, I feel no remorse in doing so. She clearly bought in to what the Gestapo and Nazi Party stood for, and therefore, I see her as just as guilty as any other Nazi. Nobody made Kraus send the letter of complaint to the Gestapo, she did it out of her own power with the intention of getting rid of her "weird/shady" neighbor. That is a guilt I feel she should have to live with, no matter her situation today.
I found it very interesting how all the Gestapo's power came from the people. Without people giving up other people to save themselves, the Gestapo would not have been as affective as it was. I don't understand how these people did what they did, gave up others so that they could save themselves. How this logic went through there head I get to a certain point, but what if one of their friends kept writing letters about them to save themselves, wouldn't that make it a cycle. I find it terrible that the reason so many went to concentration camps wasn't because of the Gestapo themselves but the people, their own neighbors giving them up. I though the interview with Resi Kraus was interesting. I think she was telling a pretty stupid lie when she kept denying that she was the one who wrote the letter, the absolute least she could do is say she was sorry and admit she was wrong. This wouldn't make everything okay but it would be a start, she should be able to see that all these years later.
For me, what stood out the most was how involved the people of Germany were in the carrying out of Hitler's laws. I was appalled to hear that there were so few Gestapo per city, and that the citizens were the ones enforcing Hitler's edicts. Despite all we've learned about how the German people were "brainwashed" into believing in Hitlers ideals, I still can't believe that they could do those things to other human beings. For example, I couldn't believe the Gestapo documents from citizens denouncing their neighbors for behaving out of the ordinary, or the requests to kill their own handicapped children. Watching Resi Kraus deny her actions, despite the incriminating evidence, was sickening. This film really opened my eyes to the reality of Nazi Germany.
I agree with what James said about not being able to understand how people were still able to see Hitler's "beautiful" side. I would think looking back on the tragedy of the Holocaust would cause the German people to feel devastated at the downfall of their country but instead some of them showed absolutely no remorse.
I think the interview with Resi Kraus was outrageous. I think she was lyign when she said that she does not remember outing her neighbor and having her be sent to a concentration camp. No one wants to be accused of being involved with something like the holocaust and I strongly believe she lied about it so she wouldn't look bad. Her neighbor was different. that was her only crime and it's horrible that she got sent away because of that.
What most stands out to me in this film is how the Nazis had total control to use citizens as the police force. People would turn others into the gestapo for suspicious behavior- they needed no more evidence then that. When citizens then becomes the "police force," fear is spread as know one knows if they could be turned in next. They then turn other people in to make themselves look good, when really they are protecting themselves. It is astonishing that Resi Kraus would turn her neighbor in to the gestapo just because of suspicions. In the later interview, I think Resi realized the awfulness of her actions so she denied having done so. Seeing that she now denies her actions shows how brainwahshed people were during Hitler's reign. Hitler and his gestapo had little to do to capture those inferior to them because they had control over the rest of the nation to do that for them. It is really sad that no one had the common sense to challenge the Nazi party and make everyone realize the inhumane tatics of the Nazis.
I agree with Caroline in that it is sickening to actually harm people for their different religoins or opinions, and the fact that thousands of people carried out these acts as if it were no big deal is disturbing.
What stands out to me most about the Gestapo is how they were able to gain their control. They used manipulation so weel that they were able to have civilians write reports about their own neighbors doign suspicious activity, knowing that their neighbors would automatically be killed. It is very disturbing to see how many people were bistanders and how everyone felt that if it wasn't them being directly affected, then it wasn't there problem.
The interview with Resi Kraus also proves how these civilians felt they were doing nothing wrong. She accused her neighbor of nothing, knowing that she would be killed by the Nazis. She acts as if it never happened and she had nothign to do with her neighbor dying. Seh also says how since it was 50 years ago, it doesn't make sense to bring up the past. The fact is that Resi along with all teh other bistanders did not stadn up for their neighbors and innocent people; therefore, they did help kill these people by giving the Nazis what they wanted; control and power.
I thought the interview about the Gestapo was very interesting, it was unbelievable and cruel how they could pretty much control everyone, and have them think as they did. When Resi Kraus was being interviewed it was very horrible how she said she couldn't even remember what she had done to her neighbor when it was clearly written down in a document and signed by herself that was very appalling to me.
I agree with Max about how it was very sickening how Resi Kraus can just live on as if she didn't do anything wrongful in her life. I too wanted to give Resi Kraus a piece of my mind about what she had done regardless of how long ago it was.
Before watching this film, I had thought that the Gestapo and the Nazis had power but did not have a strong backing by the people of Germany. But watching this segment showed that the Nazis had an overwhelming backing by the people. It is astonishing how cruel the people actually were to each other. The example of Resi Kraus shows that many of the German people would do anything for power. Resi Kraus would end up killing her neighbor for absolutely nothing. What I cannot believe is that she will try to rewrite her own history in her mind so that this never happened. In the interview, she sees factual evidence but still does not believe or want to admit what she had done.
I thought it was interesting and at the same time appalling how the Gestapo were able to hunt down so many people because the citizens helped them. The Gestapo would not have been able to operate if the citizens did not help them by writing letters of those they did not like. I did not like the interview with Resi Kraus. Not only did she write to the Gestapo about the woman, but she did not seem to mind or care when the interviewer told her what happened. Instead of realizing what she did and feel bad or any remorse, she says she didn’t kill anyone.
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