Thread: General knowledge

OK,children sit down and listen to Uncle Ausfree tell you about the NAZI's. The name is short for National Socialist Party whch came to power in 1930's under the leadership of Adolf Hitler and his inner circle of henchmen (thugs) ,names such as Himmler and Eichmann come to mind as perpetrators of terror among ethnic groups in Germany such as the Jews and Slavs.

The Nazi's came to power at time when the world was going through the Great Depression and Germany also had to repay the Allies reparations for damages caused by Kaiser Wilhem's armies in the First World War. Germany was going broke and inflation was out of control and Hitler came along at this time.

He convinced the population that he was the man for the job but he was no more than a thug (read up on The Night of The Long Knives) and when he and his National Socialist Party came to power he convinced the majority of the population that the German Race (Arayan) was superior to all the other races including the Jews who he blamed for Germany's woes.

He came up with the "Ultimate Solution" (the gas chambers) to rid Germany of the "lesser" races and keep Germany for the "pure" Arayan race.

As this Forum has limited space I would suggest look up Wikapaedia on the internet for those who want more information

Here endith the lesson from an older Forum member.

Originally Posted by clean32

ok off the top of my head

context . in an environment of high and hyper inflation Germany. ( created by the repatriations germany had to make, backed up by a global depression created by the US war loans debacle.a power vacuum of a new democracy. a Communist takeover and a violent struggle back to a democracy and then disappointment of the inactions of that democratic government. the Nationalist socialist party was formed a apart of the fledgling democracy.

Adof Hitler who had had a rather depraved and a bit strange life up until then Joined the NAZI party and as a great orator soon rose to a place of prominence. the Nazis soon gained the confidence of those who over thought the Communists and in there dissatisfaction of the current government attempted there own take over by popular force. this failed and Hitler ended up in jail. his light sentence is an indicator of the Nazis popularity at that time. The nazi party carried on unsuccessfully until adoff joined them again. wining seats in parliament and then taking control of the coalition government.
Nazi initial policy was for government intervention in business and setting of standards like minim wagers etc. very similar to australian expectations today.
once Adof became chancellor it becomes rather difficult to refer to the Nazi party any more as many of the ideals of that organization had fallen by the wayside as adoffs and others personal motivations came to play.

That's a good start clean32 - although you have only spoken about Adolf - were there others?

• What were there role?
• What did the average member National Socailist Parties believe?
• What was the importance of symbolism in the Nazi party. Is there a link to Roman symbolism?
• Do I watch too much History channel?
• Did you know this when you were 22?
• Am I sounding like a high school teacher?

Originally Posted by Sleepy

That's a good start clean32 - although you have only spoken about Adolf - were there others?

• What were there role?
• What did the average member National Socialist Parties believe?
• What was the importance of symbolism in the Nazi party. Is there a link to Roman symbolism?
• Do I watch too much History channel?
• Did you know this when you were 22?
• Am I sounding like a high school teacher?

The National Socialist Party started as a small group of political radicals, but flourished in the economic problems of post war Germany in the 1920s. While Hitler was the most important, being a major demagogue, others were equally important, perhaps outstandingly so was Goebbels, who devised the modern propaganda machine, for almost the first time using mass media, mainly radio and films, as well as the mass rally. The key tenets of the party philosophy were government control (not nationalisation however) of industry, and acceptance of what had previously been semi-respectable racial theories.

It is difficult to tell what the average party member actually believed, but I suspect they mostly swallowed what they were told. Certainly most believed that much of Germany's problems were the result of an international Jewish conspiracy, and that the best hope for the country was the Nazis, certainly given that the alternative seemed to be communism.

As part of this propaganda, the Nazis made maximum use of symbols, most notably in probably permanently degrading the swastika, which had been a good luck symbol ubiquitous throughout Indo-European civilization. But as well they made extensive use of the German eagle, itself a copy of the Roman eagles, and were big on mass flags.

I suspect you do watch too much of the History Channel, hopefully without believing implicitly everything on there!

I knew most of this when I was 22, in fact most when I started High School, as it was pretty much current affairs.

No, I don't think you sound like a High School Teacher - unless you mean a History teacher!

John

Originally Posted by Sleepy

That's a good start clean32 - although you have only spoken about Adolf - were there others?

• What were there role?

well to be honest they didn't bring much to the party before they had complete control ( exception the skinny one SS ) apart from there PR value. Himmler was a war hero as was the blue max but his suaside precludes him from the common history

Originally Posted by Sleepy

[*]What did the average member National Socailist Parties believe?[/LIST]

pretty much the same as every australian at election time, thay were voting for who they believed would make there life better, being that income welth pride etc.

Originally Posted by Sleepy

[*]What was the importance of symbolism in the Nazi party. Is there a link to Roman symbolism?[/LIST]

to Roman not really but to Greek yes. but then the roman took so much from the greek that at times it is hard to really claim the Roman is a completely different society or just and evolvement of one. Some Nazis had symbolism that had its roots in the deep past but with most things Nazi its meaning would have been distorted out of all original meaning. Like the arian race, blond blue eyes where arians were actually dark. but the topic of what some Nazis believed is way to big and subjective for here.

Remember there were good nazis who believed in the socialism polices and who were devout christians. once the war was over and germany occupied there were very little examples of resistance which seems to confirm that most Nazis were not aware of the real nature of the beast.

Originally Posted by Sleepy

[*]Do I watch too much History channel?[/LIST]

Not often but i do have a BA in theology ( NB not divinity)

Originally Posted by Sleepy

[*]Did you know this when you were 22?[/LIST]

Yes, infact i would say i did know more, but now i think i understand more.[*]Am I sounding like a high school teacher?[/LIST][/QUOTE][/LIST][/QUOTE]

NO most high school teacher doint know much at all, they are just parrots and that is what they are paid to be.

On the SBS i get frustrated at time on how history is presented. we could say that there are two or 3 histories. the winers, the losers and the common.

like Winston Churchill. history will be nice to me because i shall write it.
History as believed by most is what is shoved in there face ether by TV or a teacher. that unfortunately doesn't make it true or correct it does make it an interpretation ether by the author or the TV presenter writers. so much of what i see or read now days is to shallow and distorted its painful to see.

Well answered guys and please excuse me for stirring the pot.
Not sure the average 22 year old would know this. I'm not sure I would have known any of it when I was 22. (Unless it was on "The Great Escape" , "Hogan's Heroes", or on the side of an Airfix box.)

I don't know much about the nazi party other than what I read and filter from the History channel ( no I don't believe it all John). I have never really chosen to study it in depth. I tried to read Mien Kampf once and ended up throwing it in the bin at about page 27 - what a loony he was.

I'm still not convinced that the initial question was nothing more than an enquiring mind.

As for the syllabus of our schools - that's a whole new subject.

Originally Posted by Sleepy

........... I tried to read Mien Kampf once and ended up throwing it in the bin at about page 27 - what a loony he was.
.....:

I think you got further than I did!

In my first full time job (on a geophysical field party) one of my fellow workers had founded a political party - a couple of years later he merged his party with the Australian Nazi Party as he had discovered their philosophy was indistinguishable. I found this out in a magazine article about the Australian Nazis a couple of years later, at which time he was acting leader, the titular leader being a guest of Her Majesty on a matter regarding illegal possession of explosives.

About ten years later I ran into him, and he told me he had given up politics as "the police wouldn't leave me alone". Last heard of as a budding artist.

(I only worked with him for about six weeks - he then managed the distinction of being personally fired by the company's Australian Manager, for spouting politics during camp dinner in front of the client representative.)

John

Originally Posted by Sleepy

Well answered guys and please excuse me for stirring the pot.

no problems the more you ask the more you learn.

Not sure the average 22 year old would know this. I'm not sure I would have known any of it when I was 22. (Unless it was on "The Great Escape" , "Hogan's Heroes", or on the side of an Airfix box.)
subject.

funny thing is. as time moves on history takes 2 deviating paths. its becomes common distortion, a well known story based on some facts ie U 562?? and 2 men go to war, for examples. or it becomes sanitized Like the Kakoda trail, when was the last time the cannibalism was mentioned or that the aussies were ordered to leave there Vickers or lewis ( i think lewis) guns behind and the execution of prisoners.

I don't know much about the nazi party other than what I read and filter from the History channel ( no I don't believe it all John). I have never really chosen to study it in depth. I tried to read Mien Kampf once and ended up throwing it in the bin at about page 27 - what a loony he was.

again. your tried to read a book written in a different time when the average Joe Blogs believed different things. who you call a loony was hailed by many as being a smart guy. what is seen as being Raciest today way just Oh we are German so we are superior. or we are british so we are superior etc Race and genetics was and is in some countries a very strong topic. even in australia the persons or parties who implemented the taking of aboriginal children didn't do it out of malice they actually believed that they were doing the correct thing. Just Like Winston Churchill didn't recognize the russian 1916 revolution because he believed it to be the start of the jewish global takeover. just as when Hitler blamed the great depression on the jews he was in some ways correct as it was the retention of moneys by the US banking system that firstly started the crash and hindered any posable relief, a banking system that is private and wholly jewish owned.
How do we know the Julius Cezur was thought about by the population of rome, was he liked even though he was effectively a dictator. or what did Pious think about the exaction of Jesus, did he care or was he just another one of the many criminals.

The point i am trying to make is that we look at history in todays values and views, we must also look at it in context as well. Henry Ford would not build airplane motors for Britain because 1 he believed the Britain would lose and he wouldn't get paid. 2 he was building trucks for germany in germany and making a lot of cash out of it. 3 he admired Hitler for his remarkable turn around of the german economy. IE Hitler spent money ( NB critics of rudd and his school halls)

Hitler said the germany losed WW1 because Britain won the homeland war. IE Britain was much better at its homeland propaganda, hence the volume of propaganda in germany. the same methods are still used today even in australia, if you wish to look.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

The National Socialist Party started as a small group of political radicals, but flourished in the economic problems of post war Germany in the 1920s. While Hitler was the most important, being a major demagogue, others were equally important, perhaps outstandingly so was Goebbels, who devised the modern propaganda machine, for almost the first time using mass media, mainly radio and films, as well as the mass rally. The key tenets of the party philosophy were government control (not nationalisation however) of industry, and acceptance of what had previously been semi-respectable racial theories.

"Goebbels, who devised the modern propaganda machine" as still used today

"been semi-respectable racial theories. " much of which is proven correct and in use today.