THE NAZIS: A WARNING FROM HISTORY (2007-Lawrence Rees)

[Johann]

Our narrator Samuel West lays it on us that the Nazis were obsessed with images of "order".
Their mentality was that one person is a part of the National Community. But in Germany the Nazis only created the illusion of order.
In the beginning of 1933 there was a feeling in the air for a wonderful period, era- the True Movement- the German Heart was welling with National Pride.

Manfred von Schroder (Nazi German diplomat 1933-45): The concentration camps- so what? What, the Communists wouldn't have done the same thing? This is a revolution.

Concentration camps were hastily built for Communists and Socialists. They were all rounded up and put in camps. Not death camps- those weren't in the cards just yet, and most prisoners were out within one year. Herman Goering announced that "Scores were being settled".
This was an atmosphere of chaotic terror, we're told.
People were arrested left and right, being threatened with time in Dachau. Each street cleaner felt he was responsible for matters that he never understood!

One of the Jewish Communists who was imprisoned, Josef Felder, speaks: I was put in chains.And the guard brought a plate with white sausages and pretzels. He held them out to me. "This would make a nice last meal before your execution", he said. "But you're not even worth this, you Scoundrel". Then he brought me a rope, showing me the best way to hang myself. I told him I won't do it. I have a family.
Beatings and psychological torture were commonplace. There is lots of historic footage in this series- it is seriously chock full of vintage film of these desperate times. In 1933 the camps were an oppressive tool, but not yet for systematic murder. In fact, to many Germans these camps were an acceptable part of the Nazi Revolution.The Nazis had made the Jews scapegoats for World War I and boycotted them. They boycotted their shops, they held public burnings of Jewish books.

Ernst Rohm wanted his stormtroopers to integrate into the German Army, and the Army was horrified. German Army Officer Johann A.G. Kielmansegg tells us: The stormtroopers were almost hated by the soldiers. Because of their appearance, their behavior. It became incresingly clear to the Army that Rohm, the highest commander of the stormtroopers, was attempting somehow to take over the Armed Forces. He was trying to become Minister for the Armed Forces. He wanted to create his own army.

Rohm made an enemy out of Heinrich Himmler. Hitler had to curb the "zeal" of the stormtroopers' effects on the party. Himmler plotted Rohm's downfall. We're told he concocted a story that Rohm was plotting a coup. Hitler believed him. 1934- Rohm is arrested at home and taken to a prison. Two days later he was shot. The Army is glad that the stormtroopers' power is now moderated. To show their gratitude, they publicly pledge allegiance to the Fuhrer en masse, who, after Hindenburg's death wasn't just Chancellor, but Germany's Head of State.
A German soldier is asked how seriously he and his comrades took that Oath to Hitler:
A soldier takes it very serious. Oath is Oath. I can't break my Oath. I might commit suicide if I planned something else! This is very serious, the Oath, for a Soldier.

Next we learn of Hitler's daily routine, and he was a fairly lazy fuck, by my estimation.
He normally appeared just before lunch, read some newspapers, read press briefs, and then went in for lunch. At his mansion on top of the mountain it was even worse. He often wouldn't leave his room until after 2 PM, and then go for lunch. He spent most afternoons taking a walk, feeding deer. In the evening, straight after dinner, there were films.
We're told that in 12 short years Hitler created more confusion in government than has ever existed. He took the view that on certain files, most things would work themselves out. IF one did not interfere...

For all his laziness in his castles, when he was out in public, especially at the stadium in Nuremburg, he was Mr. Fiery Speech. He was a man of ACTION. Here's Hitler giving a speech, which we see him deliver with fire and brimstone:
We want to be one people. And you, my young people, are to become this people.
You cannot help but be joined with us. Today, the extended ranks of our movement are marching victoriously through Germany, and I know that you will join those ranks. And we know, before us lies Germany. Within us resides Germany. And behind us comes Germany.

We're told that he was meant to be seen as the all-knowing, all-powerful Leader.
The system he prevailed over represented order, but the reality was anything but.
Far from being a very structured order of Command, in fact it was very disorganized and chaotic.
There was no collective Head of State, and the Leader is doing nothing but DICTATING. It was remarkable.
He was surrounded by acolytes, people who went out of their way to find favor with the Fuhrer. They strove to be near him, accompanying him on trips that suited his fancy. Even though he was a lazy sod, Hitler DID have a vision for Germany. From the start, he said he didn't have detailed policies. Here's him giving another speech:
And when they say "What is your detailed program?" I can only answer: After a government with your kind of economy, with your kind of administration, your decay, the German people have to be rebuilt from top to bottom. We do not want to lie. We do not want to cheat. Therefore, I have refused ever to appear in front of this people and make cheap promises.

Hitler wanted Germans to give him weapons to rebuild the German Army. Re-Armament became his economic priority.
The Nazis increased the Army's budget so much in it's first year of power that the Army couldn't even spend it all.
They promised to rid Germany of unemployment. And they did. Mainly through huge work creation schemes, like the Autobahn-building program.
Johannes Zahn: the building of the autobahn's didn't result in a single pack of coffee or in a single bread roll being put up for sale in a shop window. Both were financed on an inflationary basis. At first, the population didn't see this, because the understanding of these monetary connections is too complex for the man on the street.

It would take time for the inflation pressure to be felt, but for the moment, shit was ROSY!

Especially in 1936, when Hitler ordered German troops to enter the de-militarized zone of Germany- the Rhineland.
There was little national protest. Germans were gaining their self-respect. The Olympic Games were held in Berlin that year.
Erna Krantz (resident of Munich): It definitely was a positive thing. Why, otherwise, did the masses follow this man? Why? There must have been a reason. That's the way it was. A lot of things got better. Things were improving.

The Nazis organized pageants, like THE NIGHT OF THE AMAZONS, which had naked babes, garish costumes, horses, flames, spectacles, all to entertain.