This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Friday, October 15, 2010
PERIOD 3 - WARNING FROM HISTORY
You've been watching the BBC documentary, The Rise of the Nazis - A Warning from History. Please share your thoughts about the film thus far.
20 comments:
Zachary Michaels
said...
Some of the German soldiers' interviews were kind of creepy. It seemed like while they were trying to shift responsibility away from them by making excuses. They didn't quite deny the horror of what happened, but I felt like they would have if they could have gotten away with it. Not sure if that's just my perception, or if they really didn't feel guilt.
I’m glad we watched this film, before this I had never actually heard someone talk about the horrors of the Holocaust in the way the soldiers were. They weren’t taking the blame for what had happened but seemed like they knew it was true, it came off as if they were just trying to avoid the big questions.
I agree with Zach, I had the same feelings toward the German soldiers.
I thought that the movie was very interesting based on how I was able to watch the interviews of the German soldiers. I thought that is was shocking that one of the German soldiers said that he saw the good side of Hitler. This was shocking because Hitler did nothing good based on how he took so many lives.
I agree with Zach based on how he stated that the German soldiers tried to get around what happened during the Holocaust.
I think this film has shown how truely influencial the Nazis were over the German people. The former Nazis that were interviewed, without directly saying it, still at least somewhat believed in Hitler and what he had made them believe about the Jews. To be honest I would have thought that most Nazis would have been more or less seen how they had been influenced by Hitler, and realized that what he was feeding them was propaganda and lies. Clearly this is not the case and for all we know they could still 100% believe what they did back in WWII.
Mike's comment about how one of the soldiers said he show the good side of Hitler I think truely shows how they influencial he was. His words could be so powerful that years later, when a majority of the world views Hitler as the most evil person that ever lived, this man can still passionatley associate the word good with Hitler.
That was pretty crazy. Whenever the Holocaust is spoken of or seen in videos it is usually the survivors speaking about it or historians. It was interesting to see the complete other side of the Holocaust and see why the German soldiers actually did it. With the interviews it was evident that they were brain-washed by Hitler. Something like that is so hard to believe until you could actually see it. It's crazy to see that they wanted to harass the Jews rather than they were forced to.
I completely agree with Sam Nichols. I thought thought the German soldiers and citizens would be able to see right through the propaganda, but it is obvious that they didn't. Those soldiers were the definition of brainwash.
I thought this film was extremely interesting. i had never learned about WWII as it was seen in the eyes of the German soldiers. i though it was very interesting about how they viewed Hitler and that they had seen his "good side". Previously to this film, i had always seen how American survivors portrayed the war. i thought it was very interesting to see it through the eyes of a German Soldier
I was surprised at how many WW2 survivor interviews there were!! There aren't that many survivors today, and those that are alive often don't wish to talk about their experiences. I couldn't believe that some people denied that the Holocaust happened or were glad that they got to participate in it. It was scary to see that a few people out there today still believe in Hitler's ways. One part I found really interesting was how multiple people described how they too were caught up in the hate that Hitler tried to make everyone feel.
I agree with Connor, for it's not often that we get to see films with accounts of actual German soldiers. And it WAS interesting to see the contrast between this film and plenty of others that just had the Americans' views on the subject.
I thought this film was very interesting. I liked seeing the soldiers interviews and hearing their side to what happened in Germany. It was hard hearing how easily persuaded the Nazi's were, but it showed me how influential Hitler was and became.
I agree with Michael's point about how shocked he was at the soldier that was glad he saw the good side of Hitler. I didn't expect that someone would say that after what actually happened during this era.
I thought this film was very interesting. I liked seeing the soldiers interviews and hearing their side to what happened in Germany. It was hard hearing how easily persuaded the Nazi's were, but it showed me how influential Hitler was and became.
I agree with Michael's point about how shocked he was at the soldier that was glad he saw the good side of Hitler. I didn't expect that someone would say that after what actually happened during this era.
I have never seen a film like "Warning From History" in which the documentors actually get the interviews with the people involved with the Nazi Party. These types of films are often shot from the other perspective. They hardly ever get the view of the actual party memebers, they are often focused on the concentration camp victims.
I was amazed about the lack of responsibility these soldiers had taken for the horrors of the war. I had heard of people who denied the holocaust had happened but had always assumed these people to be a very small group of extremist radicals. After watching the film, it was clear that many of the German soldiers either felt their actions were justified, or felt that the holocaust was exaggerated. Regardless of which side they leaned towards, this is almost as terrible as the event itself. Without acknowledging an atrocity occurred they are likely to repeat it. I hope that even if the soldiers do not admit it, that in the hearts they understand how wrong the Holocaust was.
I agree with Mike that the fact that one German soldier based his undying affection towards Hitler based on a look Hitler had given him during a speech, demonstrates just how influential the Fuhrer was.
Before watching this film I had believed at all people involved in the holocaust eventually came to terms with the fact the Hitler's action were morally wrong. This film showed me how even still today their are German war veterans that would fight for Hitler's values to the death. It just goes to show how extremely influential and motivation Hitler was the people of German at the time.
I agree with Sam and how it is shocking that most of the Germans who were interviewed never realized the wrongs of Hitler and his cause.
I was initially shocked at the supporters of the Nazi party because they still believed in everything Hitler taught and preached. The thing that really scared me as I thought about it more was the power of a what a government can do to its people, and it's essentially brainwashing. These people were taught to believe these ideals that revolved around hate of other races. They were taught this from the first time they joined the party, and it was constantly in their face. With it being in their faces all the time, and in the community all the time, and in the schools all the time, it morphed from opinion to fact for these people. These people were just so brainwashed by the Nazi party that complete lies became the utter truth to these people, and that's all they knew.
One of the things that stuck with me from the video so far were the images of Jewish children lying in the streets of Germany dead or dying. Another thing that stuck with me were the former German soldiers insinuating that they admired Hitler or that the Jews deserved what they got. Other than that, being able to see some images and videos of Hitler and german soldiers was very intriguing and horrifying at the sane time.
I agree with zach's thought that if the soldiers had gotten away with the holocaust they wouldn't completely denied it's existance.
I honestly don't believe those who spoke in part of the Nazi party. They made themselves appear unaware of the bad side of Hitler, only following the "good." I honestly feel they're doing this now so that they are not looked at in a negative way by viewers.
After posting this, I'm reading other people's posts and it seems at though I have made a very similar point....The soldiers were denying the reality of which they, themselves, took part in.
After seeing this film, I thought it was very interesting. When seeing what the German soldiers' interviews, it became very evident just how brutal the time was. It was also interesting how Germany went from being weak and powerless to the most dominant country. When Hitler delivered his speaches, it showed just how much poer he had. What he did with that power was terrible, but because he could do it is unbelievable.
I thought this movie was very interesting. I'm glad they made it in far enough away from the war that people could share their real opinions. It's interesting to see how the German soldiers explain the pride they felt for being Nazis. They try to rationalize what they did by saying that there was tremendous influence. There was influence but those people who did the things they did are still completely responsible for their actions and they have no excuse.
I thought this film was very interesting, it allowed me to help understand how Hitler came to rise not only becasue of the economic conditions of Germany but also because of the political influence Hitler had. I did not like however how some ex storm troopers stood up for Hitler this made me realize how people viewed Hitler in Germany.
I was really surprised at how casual the german soldiers were about this. Eventhough it is known as one of the worst genocides in history, the soldiers still believe they were right. Its shocking to see how hitler was able to brain wash these people into believing that what he wanted was the right thing to do. I thought this film was great because it showed us this side of the war and we get a perspective of the former german soldiers who particpated in the mass killing.
20 comments:
Some of the German soldiers' interviews were kind of creepy. It seemed like while they were trying to shift responsibility away from them by making excuses. They didn't quite deny the horror of what happened, but I felt like they would have if they could have gotten away with it. Not sure if that's just my perception, or if they really didn't feel guilt.
I’m glad we watched this film, before this I had never actually heard someone talk about the horrors of the Holocaust in the way the soldiers were. They weren’t taking the blame for what had happened but seemed like they knew it was true, it came off as if they were just trying to avoid the big questions.
I agree with Zach, I had the same feelings toward the German soldiers.
I thought that the movie was very interesting based on how I was able to watch the interviews of the German soldiers. I thought that is was shocking that one of the German soldiers said that he saw the good side of Hitler. This was shocking because Hitler did nothing good based on how he took so many lives.
I agree with Zach based on how he stated that the German soldiers tried to get around what happened during the Holocaust.
I think this film has shown how truely influencial the Nazis were over the German people. The former Nazis that were interviewed, without directly saying it, still at least somewhat believed in Hitler and what he had made them believe about the Jews. To be honest I would have thought that most Nazis would have been more or less seen how they had been influenced by Hitler, and realized that what he was feeding them was propaganda and lies. Clearly this is not the case and for all we know they could still 100% believe what they did back in WWII.
Mike's comment about how one of the soldiers said he show the good side of Hitler I think truely shows how they influencial he was. His words could be so powerful that years later, when a majority of the world views Hitler as the most evil person that ever lived, this man can still passionatley associate the word good with Hitler.
That was pretty crazy. Whenever the Holocaust is spoken of or seen in videos it is usually the survivors speaking about it or historians. It was interesting to see the complete other side of the Holocaust and see why the German soldiers actually did it. With the interviews it was evident that they were brain-washed by Hitler. Something like that is so hard to believe until you could actually see it. It's crazy to see that they wanted to harass the Jews rather than they were forced to.
I completely agree with Sam Nichols. I thought thought the German soldiers and citizens would be able to see right through the propaganda, but it is obvious that they didn't. Those soldiers were the definition of brainwash.
I thought this film was extremely interesting. i had never learned about WWII as it was seen in the eyes of the German soldiers. i though it was very interesting about how they viewed Hitler and that they had seen his "good side". Previously to this film, i had always seen how American survivors portrayed the war. i thought it was very interesting to see it through the eyes of a German Soldier
I was surprised at how many WW2 survivor interviews there were!! There aren't that many survivors today, and those that are alive often don't wish to talk about their experiences.
I couldn't believe that some people denied that the Holocaust happened or were glad that they got to participate in it. It was scary to see that a few people out there today still believe in Hitler's ways.
One part I found really interesting was how multiple people described how they too were caught up in the hate that Hitler tried to make everyone feel.
I agree with Connor, for it's not often that we get to see films with accounts of actual German soldiers. And it WAS interesting to see the contrast between this film and plenty of others that just had the Americans' views on the subject.
I thought this film was very interesting. I liked seeing the soldiers interviews and hearing their side to what happened in Germany. It was hard hearing how easily persuaded the Nazi's were, but it showed me how influential Hitler was and became.
I agree with Michael's point about how shocked he was at the soldier that was glad he saw the good side of Hitler. I didn't expect that someone would say that after what actually happened during this era.
I thought this film was very interesting. I liked seeing the soldiers interviews and hearing their side to what happened in Germany. It was hard hearing how easily persuaded the Nazi's were, but it showed me how influential Hitler was and became.
I agree with Michael's point about how shocked he was at the soldier that was glad he saw the good side of Hitler. I didn't expect that someone would say that after what actually happened during this era.
I have never seen a film like "Warning From History" in which the documentors actually get the interviews with the people involved with the Nazi Party. These types of films are often shot from the other perspective. They hardly ever get the view of the actual party memebers, they are often focused on the concentration camp victims.
I was amazed about the lack of responsibility these soldiers had taken for the horrors of the war. I had heard of people who denied the holocaust had happened but had always assumed these people to be a very small group of extremist radicals. After watching the film, it was clear that many of the German soldiers either felt their actions were justified, or felt that the holocaust was exaggerated. Regardless of which side they leaned towards, this is almost as terrible as the event itself. Without acknowledging an atrocity occurred they are likely to repeat it. I hope that even if the soldiers do not admit it, that in the hearts they understand how wrong the Holocaust was.
I agree with Mike that the fact that one German soldier based his undying affection towards Hitler based on a look Hitler had given him during a speech, demonstrates just how influential the Fuhrer was.
Before watching this film I had believed at all people involved in the holocaust eventually came to terms with the fact the Hitler's action were morally wrong. This film showed me how even still today their are German war veterans that would fight for Hitler's values to the death. It just goes to show how extremely influential and motivation Hitler was the people of German at the time.
I agree with Sam and how it is shocking that most of the Germans who were interviewed never realized the wrongs of Hitler and his cause.
I was initially shocked at the supporters of the Nazi party because they still believed in everything Hitler taught and preached. The thing that really scared me as I thought about it more was the power of a what a government can do to its people, and it's essentially brainwashing. These people were taught to believe these ideals that revolved around hate of other races. They were taught this from the first time they joined the party, and it was constantly in their face. With it being in their faces all the time, and in the community all the time, and in the schools all the time, it morphed from opinion to fact for these people. These people were just so brainwashed by the Nazi party that complete lies became the utter truth to these people, and that's all they knew.
One of the things that stuck with me from the video so far were the images of Jewish children lying in the streets of Germany dead or dying. Another thing that stuck with me were the former German soldiers insinuating that they admired Hitler or that the Jews deserved what they got. Other than that, being able to see some images and videos of Hitler and german soldiers was very intriguing and horrifying at the sane time.
I agree with zach's thought that if the soldiers had gotten away with the holocaust they wouldn't completely denied it's existance.
I honestly don't believe those who spoke in part of the Nazi party. They made themselves appear unaware of the bad side of Hitler, only following the "good." I honestly feel they're doing this now so that they are not looked at in a negative way by viewers.
After posting this, I'm reading other people's posts and it seems at though I have made a very similar point....The soldiers were denying the reality of which they, themselves, took part in.
After seeing this film, I thought it was very interesting. When seeing what the German soldiers' interviews, it became very evident just how brutal the time was. It was also interesting how Germany went from being weak and powerless to the most dominant country. When Hitler delivered his speaches, it showed just how much poer he had. What he did with that power was terrible, but because he could do it is unbelievable.
I thought this movie was very interesting. I'm glad they made it in far enough away from the war that people could share their real opinions. It's interesting to see how the German soldiers explain the pride they felt for being Nazis. They try to rationalize what they did by saying that there was tremendous influence. There was influence but those people who did the things they did are still completely responsible for their actions and they have no excuse.
I thought this film was very interesting, it allowed me to help understand how Hitler came to rise not only becasue of the economic conditions of Germany but also because of the political influence Hitler had. I did not like however how some ex storm troopers stood up for Hitler this made me realize how people viewed Hitler in Germany.
I was really surprised at how casual the german soldiers were about this. Eventhough it is known as one of the worst genocides in history, the soldiers still believe they were right. Its shocking to see how hitler was able to brain wash these people into believing that what he wanted was the right thing to do. I thought this film was great because it showed us this side of the war and we get a perspective of the former german soldiers who particpated in the mass killing.
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