This week we learned that there was no real nation of
Germany before the Prussian leader, Otto Bismarck, took over the various areas
that shared a common German language.
The word "reich" translates best to the word
"realm." The first "reich"
was around the time of the Roman empire, and the fact that the German people
fought back against the Romans, was a source of historical pride that Hitler
used to reinvigorate the German people after World War I. The second “reich” was prior to the first
world war when the German people united
under Bismarck. The period right after
World War I is generally referred to as the Weimar Republic. This chaotic period was dismal for the German
people, and the crushing economic depression they experienced, paved the way
for the charismatic Hitler to rise to power with the Nazi party, and form the
well-known “Third Reich.”
Hitler was born in
Austria, but never fit in to Austrian society.
He was an unremarkable student, and never even obtained his diploma, which
was called a “leaving certificate.” He
fancied himself an artist, but didn’t really have any talent. For one period of his adult life, he was
living in a kind of homeless shelter, near Vienna, and painted little postcards
in order to make a living. Later, he
used his self-inflicted poverty to endear himself to the poor, working class
people in Germany. Even during World War
I, he served mostly as a messenger, not a real solider. This did not prevent him from maximizing his
appeal as a “military man.” The most
useful things Hitler learned was the art of public speaking, and how to
manipulate people’s fears, envy, and lust for power. These were the skills that enabled him to
rise to power with the Nazi party.
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ReplyDeleteHistory is a very interesting subject, indeed. Hitler mastered the use the media outlets available to him at the time to influence people's opinions, to instill hatred, and to persuade an entire country to go into war. That's how dangerously powerful the manipulation of media can be. That could only be accomplished in a world where the press was controlled by the ruling party, which made it easier to manipulate people's opinions. There was very little dissent amongst German people mainly because there was no access to the real news going on at the time. In addition, the economic depression and high inflation experienced by Germany after World War I provided a fertile ground for the appearance of a populist leader. A leader who was very good at inciting the German population into war, and at manipulating people's fears.
ReplyDeleteI can see the Internet being used for the same evil purposes. It is interesting to note that even though we now live in a world where information is readily available to most people through the Internet, there are still a few places, such as China, where the central government tries to control the online content viewed by its people. We also see the Internet being used to spread lies and inaccuracies, particularly during political campaigns. Therefore, even though the Internet gives us freedom to control what we want to read and believe in, it is up to us to decide what is credible news, and what is not. It is actually our duty as citizens to prevent the continuous lies told by a few from becoming the accepted truth.