Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Rise of the Nazis-Period 2
In the film A Warning from History you saw how the Nazis, only twelve weeks after Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, began to arrest their political opposition. The communists and socialists were the first to be arrested and the Jewish people became immediate targets of the storm troopers. At the same time, the Nazis began to spend more and more money on the military and the economy in general. If you were living in Germany during the years from 1933 to 1938 what would you have thought of the job that Hitler was doing? What would you have thought of Hitler if you didn't fit the picture of the perfect German? If you didn't like what was happening in Germany at the time, what could you have done about it?
Make one reflective comment and one responsive comment. Post will close the end of the day on Wednesday, November 26th.
Mr. Gallagher
12 comments:
Evan M.
In 1933-1938 you could do a lot more than 1939-1945 because the extermation camps didn't exist. You could of refused to solute Hitler, or attend his rallies and the worst he could do you usually was a prison/work camp. However by 1939 with Hitler's "final solution" it was much more risky. Sadly if you didn't like Hitler or didn't fit the Perfect German trend the best you could do was pretend and how your "acting" was good enough
If i was to be a German during the period of 1933-1938 I wouldnt have agreed with Hitler's ways because the worse he would have done like Evan said is imprison me unlike what he did during the period of 1939-1945; when the extermination and genocide started and when everyone had to fit the picture of the perfect German at the risk of you and your family's life.
-Kevin H.
If I was a German living during 1933-1938, I would have been concerned with Hitler's actions because of how quickly he acted upon them. Only 12 weeks after Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, people were being arrested for their political association of religion. If I didn't fit the picture of a Perfect German, I would definately feel threatened by Hitler's views and how they could affect me negatively. I agree with both Kevin and Evan in that I would have been more likely to speak out against Hitler before 1939 because there would be less chance of getting punished as cruelly as death.
-Kyle D
If i was living in Germany during the years from 1933 to 1938 I would of thought that Hitler was doing a terriable job. Hitler as it showed in the film would not be concerned with the Germans, he would be relaxing at his mansion and watching movies, and eating. He put little thought and when he put thought in something it was done very quickly and for the most part not in the country's best interest.Which is also apparent because the jewish people and communists and socialists were targeted by the storm troopers. Hitler also didn't care what happened to the "un-fit" germans, he would give orders and not put anything thought in killing thousands of people. I would have hated Hitler, because although I did not fit the perfect German, I would be treated unfairly than others. I think I would have tried to convince people that we are suppose to be treated equal and that it was not us that was the problem it so then people wouldn't start believing that their not good enough and that this is suppose to be happening.
I agree with what Kyle said and how if you did not fit the perfect image you could see how Hitler's beliefs to feel threatening.
-Brittany Murphy
If I was living in Germany between 1933-1938, I would be very concerned about the well being of my self along with the country of Germany. The job that Hitler was doing was not fair. He excluded people who he thought to be imperfect; not what a tipical German should be like. Therefore I would have a hard time agreeing with his actions and thoughts. I would live in constant fear if I didn't fit the perfect German image. I would have seen him as a cruel and inhumane. If i didn't like what he was doing, I couldn't do much without the support of many others. One person against Hilter wont make a single thing change. Therefore my only solution would be to flee Germany in hope of a better life.
I agree with Britanny that Hitler would not see his actions as harmful, but as success and life on peacefully.
~Jillisa S
Matt V.
If I lived in Germany from 1933 to 1938 I would have been concerned with what Hitler was doing. In only 12 weeks he had done a whole lot and arrests have already been made. If you were not perfect then you had a problem to deal with, because Hitler only wanted the perfect Germans and they were many of them. No one could really do anything, so if you weren't perfect it might have been smart to leave the country, because thats the best thing for you. Hitler didn't care for anyone but the execptional perfect person, so this affected so many people in Germany. I could have tried to gather people and have a support group against him, but that would not have lasted long, so leaving wouild have been the best option.
Matt V.
I agree with Jillisa that you could not really have done anything, because Hitler was too powerful and leaving the country would have been the best thing possible, becuase you would be safe and not have to deal with what he was trying to do to the imperfect person.
I'm not entirely sure what i would have done if I had been faced with what Hitler was doing in Germany between 1933 and 1938. I would like to say that I wouldn't have agreed with what he was doing and would have done something to work against him. They did such an effective job with Nazi propaganda and glorifying their Fuhrer that I probably would have been swept up in the frenzy. If I didn't fit into what Hitler said the Perfect German was I might have been more likely to second guess what he was saying, stood up for myself, and gotten out of Germany. Fear could also affect you and maybe I would have tried to go out and dye my hair blonde to fit in.
I agree with Matt and Jillisa that there wasn't much you could do about Hitler at this time if you didn't like what was happening. He had complete power and as we saw from the video, was fully capable of getting rid of those who didn't agree with him or stood in his way. Any type of small resistance that could have tried to stand up against him probably would have been crushed easily. One thing you could have done was to secretly help those who were being targeted by Hitler's regime. There were those who helped hide Jews in their homes to keep them safe. This may seem like a small effort but ultimately you could help save someone's life by doing this.
-Clarissa S
If I fit the picture of the Nazi German, then I probably would have had no issue with how Hitler was operating because I would have been swept away by the Nazi propaganda and by Hitler's promise to restore Germany to its former glory.
And if I didn't fit the mold, and was being discriminated against, I feel that there is very little I could do to fight back. In the films we saw, Hitler was shown to be in complete control as demonstrated by the imprisonment of his political enemies and communist leaders. I agree with Clarissa that there is very little that could be done to stand up to Hitler because he had the whole country on his side and those who did not agree with Hitler were quickly eliminated. On a whole, I believe that it was difficult for the German people to see Hitler for what he really was and standing up to a man who had the backing of the entire country is equally difficult.
-Victor Z.
It is very easy to sit here today and say that if i were living in Germany during Hitler's rise to power, I would reject all of what he was trying to do. But the fact is, not all Germans had the ability to do this. They were in the middle of an economic struggle and going against the state would not help them. Still, I agree with kyle in that the speed in which Hitler began arresting people and inflicting his power would hopefully cause me to question his motives. It is hard to go against whats normal in a time of dramatic change. Hitler's timing was perfect and perhaps what kept him from being knocked out of power.
If I were living in Germany during the years 1933 to 1938 I would have thought that Hitler was doing a poor job. I would think this because I wouldn’t have agreed with his blaming the Jews and Communists. I wouldn’t support his bullying techniques to gain power and enforce his ideas. If I didn’t fit the picture of a “perfect German”, I would be scared of Hitler. I could have moved out of Germany to avoid all these things that I wouldn’t have liked. This is about the only thing I could have done.
Zack L.
Victor,
You say that if you fit the picture of a "perfect German" then you would have been fine with Hitler. I find it hard to believe that if you simply werent being the one bullied you would be fine with him. I actually dont think there were enough people that thought this way to have this be the reason Hitlet was able to rise. In fact, his rise to power was strictly due to his extremely agressive tatics with propaganda and his secret police. No one really had a chance to stop him, especially with the current economic conditions. The people who thought they were accepted by him and were helping him gain power would have simply been wiped out by him if they chose to oppose him.
Zack L.
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