WITNESS TO HISTORY
A book by Michael Walsh
CHAPTER 5
LIFE IN HITLER'S GERMANY
Hitler was never happier and more relaxed than when in the company of young
people. "I have never met a happier people than the Germans and Hitler is one of the greatest men. The old trust him, the young idolise him. It is the worship of a national hero who has served his country." -- David Lloyd George, Prime Minister and Statesmen, Great Britain.
Economic and social conditions began to improve. Hitler's Government by September 1936 had reduced unemployment from 6,014,000 (January, 1933) to less than 338,000 by 1936. National income had increased from 41 billion marks to 56 billions. German trade was prospering. Deficits of the cities and provinces had almost disappeared. Expenditure for armaments were minor.
Unemployment was eliminated mainly by:
1) Increased government spending on public works; infrastructure, railways, roads, public-building projects.
2) Indirect support to private works projects.
3) A sharp reduction in taxation to create incentive.
4) Reduction in taxation and increased state contributions to make employment more attractive.
5) Public good workfare schemes, (non-competitive) with private and government schemes.
The effect was an injection of increased wages into the national economy, increased consumer spending which in itself led to job increases. By 1936 there was a shortage of labour, especially in the building and metallurgical trades.
TAXATION:
"The taxation of families, especially of those with numerous children, has been noticeably decreased."
CIVIL LIBERTIES:
All workers (and their employers) were protected by a 'Tribunal of Social Honour’, which laid down conditions of employment that were superior to any comparable legislation in the world. Except for reasons force majeure it was illegal to dismiss an employee, all of which -- including employers -- had recourse to independent mediation by tribunal.
THE STATE:
"We have laid firm foundations for the new State: we have sown seeds that have sunk deep. We have won millions upon millions of men for the ideas on which this State is based; we have introduced them to the life of this State, always in the conviction that it is not laws which protect a State; it is the living will, the faith, the confidence, and the courage of a people which are its true protection." (Adolf Hitler)
"The national State divides its inhabitants into three classes: State citizens, State subjects, and foreigners. It must be held in greater honour to be a citizen of this Reich even if only a crossing-sweeper, than to be a king in a foreign State." (Adolf Hitler)
CLASS:
"We have not broken down classes in order to set new ones in their place; we have broken down classes to make way for the German people as a whole. Our education also trains men to respect intellectual achievement: we bring one to respect the spade, another to respect the compass or the pen. All now are but German fellow-countrymen, and it is their achievement which determines their value." (Adolf Hitler)
"What is necessary is to teach each class and profession the importance of the others. All together form one mighty body; labourer, peasant, and professional man." (Adolf Hitler)
LABOUR:
"All work which is necessary ennobles him who performs it. Only one thing is shameful -- to contribute nothing to the community." (Adolf Hitler)
"Nothing falls into a man's lap from heaven. It is from labor that life grows." (Adolf Hitler)
"Social honour recognises no distinction between the employer and the unemployed. All of them work for a common purpose and are entitled to equal honour and respect." (Adolf Hitler)
SOCIAL WELFARE:
Was based on the concept of 'one for all and all for one.' All German workers received a pension and insurance in the event of sickness or disability. Whilst some of these rights are taken for granted today, it should be remembered that at the time, such social protection was unheard of outside of Germany.
YOUNG PEOPLE:
Child labour was prohibited, hours of work regulated (especially for expectant and new mothers), safe working conditions provided for, persons between 14 and 18 years of age prohibited from working in excess of 8-hours daily; night work for young persons similarly prohibited, paid holidays of persons below 16 years (15 working days), above 16-years (12 working days); usually increased to 18 days without regard to age.
"I have heard of no instance where workers had lost important rights or amenities." . . . "Good work is undoubtedly being done towards eliminating corruption in public and business life, and administration is being reorganised on more efficient and economical lines." (H. Powys-Greenwood. Hitler's First Year)
"The whole of education should be designed so as to occupy a boy's free time in cultivation of his body. He has no right to loaf about idly; but after his day's work is done he ought to harden his young body, so that life may not find him soft when he enters it. No one should be allowed to sin at the expense of posterity, that is, of the race." (Adolf Hitler)
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AND SPEECH:
"Last July, feeling that the Press of this country was willfully lying and conducting a political campaign against Germany, I resolved to go to Berlin and make free and independent investigation. I was determined to do pretty much as I pleased when I got there, and no one interfered with my movements.
I found Germany, comparatively speaking, a free country, much freer than some of its neighbours. My own views were not always acceptable to my many friends, among whom I can count Jews and Gentiles, Nazis and Communists, Democrats and Socialists. Soon I found that being a Nazi does not preclude one holding views that few Labour men in my own country would dare to express to their 'comrades' of the national Labour Party." (G.E.O. Knight. In Defence of Germany).
BANNED:
1) The ritual slaughter of animals.
"The Jews enjoy absolute religious freedom, and the resolution passed by the Zionist Congress in Prague in which the German Government was accused of pursuing a policy of religious persecution towards the Jews was entirely unfounded. The resolution was probably motivated by the fact that the 'Law for the Protection of Animals' prohibited the slaughter of animals according to Jewish rites." (Cesare Santoro. Hitler Germany, Vivisection)
2) The use of truncheons or other methods of violent restraint generally used by policemen.
3) Abortion
4) Child Labour
BENEFITS:
During the first years of National Socialist government, the improvement in the German peoples standard of living, social security and their holiday and leisure facilities, placed Germany well ahead of all other nations including the United States. Such prosperity and social benefits have never reached the same scale anywhere in the world unless perhaps in a few privileged conclaves of society.
VIOLENCE:
"More people died as a result of the tiny abortive Easter Uprising against British rule in Ireland (1916) than died as a result of political violence in Germany during the entire National Socialist revolution." -- Adolf Hitler
THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST
FORM OF DEMOCRACY
The National Socialist form of democracy was based on the principle of 'community of the people', which had its origins at the time of Pericles.
This conception of democracy as an expression of the popular will was confirmed in the National Socialist regime by conferring on the nation the right of organising plebiscites (referendum) in order to give utterance to the peoples desires.
Thus, the National Socialist form of democracy was more pure and more representative than that of a parliamentary regime which takes no account of majority opinion (capital punishment, immigration, Europe, to name a few); political ability or experience, genuine motivation, interest, nationality; and is often based on social background and influenced by interests; commercial for instance, in which the national good comes secondary.
"The result of the revolution in Germany has been to establish a democracy in the best sense of the word. We are steering towards an order of things guaranteeing a process of a natural and reasonable selection in the domain of political leadership, thanks to which that leadership will be entrusted to the most competent, irrespective of their descent, name or fortune. The memorable words of the great Corsican that every soldier carries a Field Marshal's baton in his knapsack, will find its political complement in Germany." -- Adolf Hitler
"In England, under democracy, you do not put experts in charge of your affairs, but distribute favours among men of a small class without especial qualification for the posts they receive. This is the misuse of democracy in the interest of class, the betrayal of democracy, and it is the cause of our woes, past, present and to come." (Douglas Reed, Disgrace Abounding).
"What the German nation has ardently desired for centuries is henceforth a reality; one single, fraternally united people, liberated from the mutual prejudices and hindrances of past times." (Adolf Hitler)
"The will of the people is the will of the government, and vice versa. The new political structure raised in Germany is a kind of ennobled democracy; i.e., the government derives its authority from the people, but the possibility of misinterpreting the peoples will or of sterilising it by the intervention of parliamentary methods has been eliminated altogether." (Dr. Joseph Goebbels)
"The movement was consolidated together in one Reich a people who were hitherto kept in disunion but various lines of division. . . religious divisions, class divisions, professional divisions, political divisions and the territorial divisions into the various autonomous federal states. This unification is now an historical fact. Nationalism has founded a genuine folk community.
"Formerly the votes of the people were distributed among several political parties. Eventually the number of these parties came to thirty-six. They had no great common platform to offer to a people who were struggling to live. They carried on their political campaigns against one another in a quarrel over paltry and selfish issues.
"Today the people of Germany vote for one leader and one party in a consolidated unity that has never before been dreamed of. Following the disappearance of the political parties, which fought only for their own ends and kept the nation divided, great and common vital problems were presented to the people so that they might understand which ideals were worth striving for and for which sacrifices would have to be made. The whole of Germany was aroused to struggle for these great questions which are of vital importance to a nation's existence." (Rudolf Hess. Stockholm)
"The parliamentary principle of decision by majorities only appears during quite short periods of history, and those are always periods of decadence in nations and States." (Adolf Hitler)
THE THIRD REICH LTD:
The NSDAP became (April 8th, 1933) in effect a public corporation, the constitution of which removed all suspicion of a personal dictatorship by Adolf Hitler.
"We have deliberately built up an organisation counting many thousands of adherents, in which there is no dictator. And when our adversaries say; 'It is easy for you to say this, since you are yourself the dictator,' we reply: no gentlemen, you are mistaken. There is no question of a single dictator, but of ten thousand dictators, each of them in his place." (Adolf Hitler)
In a speech to the Reichstag, he stressed that whilst people outside Germany are perpetually talking of democracy and dictatorship:
"They have not understood that the result of the revolution in Germany has been to establish a democracy in the best sense of the word. We are steering towards an order of things guaranteeing a process of natural and reasonable selection in the domain of political leadership, thanks to which that leadership will be entrusted to the most competent, irrespective of their descent, name or fortune." (Adolf Hitler)
HITLER, THE PEOPLES VOICE:
". . . Hitler has repeatedly taken the opportunity of consulting the nation and has each time obtained its wholehearted approval of his policy and methods of government." (Cesare Santoro, Hitler Germany, Vivisection)
"I myself was and still am a child of the people. It was not for the capitalists that I undertook this struggle; it was for the German working man that I took my stand." (Adolf Hitler)
WOMANHOOD:
"I give women the same rights as men; but I do not think they are the same to the one as to the other. The woman is the life-partner of the man. She ought not to be burdened with the tasks for which man alone is made. But in every case where women do not marry -- and there are many in Germany owing to the shortage of men -- they have the right to earn their living just in the same way as any man." -- Adolf Hitler, Paris Soir, January, 26th, 1936
"The National Socialist state refuses to admit female labour in factories merely because such labour is cheap. There is, of course, a certain amount of industrial work which can only be performed by women, but an essential condition is that this sort of work should not be injurious to health." -- Adolf Hitler
"The phrase, 'Emancipation of Women' is only an invention of the Jewish intellect and its content is stamped with the same spirit. In the really good periods of German life the German woman never needed to emancipate herself." -- Adolf Hitler
SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY:
"The readiness to sacrifice one's personal work and, if necessary, even one's life for others shows its most highly developed form in the Aryan race. The greatness of the Aryan is not based on his intellectual powers; but rather on his willingness to devote all his faculties to the service of his community." - Adolf Hitler
INTEREST FREE LOANS:
Interest free loans of up to 1,000 Deutschmark were paid to newly-married couples provided that the wife having hitherto been a wage earner, relieves the labour market by her marriage. The loan is redeemable at the rate of 1% per month, and for each child born is reduced by 25%.
925,000 newly married couples took advantage of this scheme, and they produced 825,000 children.
CAPITALISM -- COMMUNISM:
"Capitalism and Bolshevism are the two sides of the same international Jewish coin." - Adolf Hitler
MOTHER AND CHILD:
An organisation known as 'Mother and Child' was formed. Its purpose was to provide for the welfare; health, safety, financial security, and recreation of expectant mothers, mothers and their children.
This provided for 26,000 local centres staffed by 227,000 (100,000 voluntary) communal sisters, matrons, governesses, and nurses. Also provided 160 centres, which by 1937 had provided 1,800,000 children with holidays. A further 308 centres were established for mothers of which there were by 1937, 71,000 who had taken advantage of a break. There were 4,319 day nurseries and kindergartens and 2,700,000 mothers had taken advantage of NSV assistance.
CHILD CARE:
"In Germany today there are nearly two-thirds more kindergartens than before National Socialism assumed power. Thousands and thousands of children have been sent to special holiday and sunshine homes in the country and at the seaside. Their numbers would suffice to flank both sides of the BerlinNuremberg road." -- Herr Hilgenfeldt. Head of the Welfare Organisation
"We have now been successful in decreasing the percentage of infant mortality from 7.09% in 1932 to 6.6% in 1936. In this way, and notwithstanding the increase in the birth-rate we have presented the nation with 140,000 baby boys and girls -- a figure that is the equivalent to the population of Lubeck. . . tears must be turned into smiles and no effort must be spared in order to create a healthy and strong nationhood." -- Herr Hilgenfeldt. Head of Welfare Organisation
MORALITY:
"The fight against the poisoning of the soul must be waged alongside cultivation of the body. The life of the people must be freed from the asphyxiating perfume of modern eroticism. The aim and method must be governed by the thought of preserving our nation's health in body and soul. The right of personal freedom comes second in importance to the duty of maintaining the race"! -- Adolf Hitler
HOUSING:
A subsidised housing program was based on providing all German families with a maximum of two-storey accommodation each with its own garden "thereby developing attachment to the soil." The building of maisonettes and flats was discouraged.
SOCIAL WORK:
"The purpose of social work should not be to distribute favours, but to restore rights." -- Adolf Hitler
FOREIGN VISITORS:
"I wish very much that your tourists would visit us not merely when sporting evens are on but also that they could visit the country, I mean the whole country. There will be no organised propaganda tours to conceal the truth from them. We shall not tell them that Germany is a paradise, for there is no such thing on earth. But your tourists can travel here unhampered, with complete freedom and see for themselves that Germany lives in peace and order and at work. They will observe our revival, the efforts we are making and our good will for peace. That is all I hope." -- Adolf Hitler, Paris Soir, January 26th 1936
"Thousands of Americans, Englishmen and Frenchmen have visited Germany during the months after the national revolution and were able to testify as eyewitnesses that there is no country in the world where law and order are better maintained than in present-day Germany. That there is no country in the world where person and property are held in better respect than in our own, but that there is perhaps also no country in the word where a more rigorous fight is put up against those who believe that they are free to let loose their lower instincts to the detriment of their fellow-beings." -- Adolf Hitler
RACE:
"We do not say that one race is superior to another, but we do say that there is a difference between the various Races of the world." -- W. Gross, M.D., Racio-Political Department. Berlin
"The German intends henceforth to be the master of his own house to the exclusion of alien elements. Hence, in Hitler's view, the German Government must see to it that only persons of authentic descent are admitted to exert an influence on the destiny of the German people." - Cesaro Santoro. Hitler Germany
"Differentiation of treatment is not motivated by the difference of value of the two races, but of the fundamental difference of their respective natures." -- Adolf Hitler
"Every public function, of whatever nature it may be -- whether in the Reich, in the States, or in the municipalities -- should be confided exclusively to German citizens." -- Article V1 NSDAP Program
The National Socialist view on nationality was the claim the honest legislation of immigration policy already practised by other countries. The United States classified immigrants as desirables or undesirables according to their country of origin, as does Australia and many other countries.
"The world is undoubtedly going through great changes. The only question is whether the outcome will be the good of Aryan humanity or profits for the Jew. The task of the national state will, therefore, be to preserve the race and fit it to meet the final and great decisions on this globe by suitable education of its youth." Adolf Hitler
"Great nations do not succumb through lost wars, but rather through racial decay and the destruction of their internal order." -- Adolf Hitler
"The whole world may begin to burn, but the National Socialist State and Idea will emerge from the conflagration like platinum." -- Adolf Hitler
RELIGION:
Germany is a Christian nation of which more than 46 million belong to the German Evangelical (Protestant) Church, and 30 million to the Roman Catholic faith.
ADOLF HITLER:
"First I believe in Almighty God." . . . "And, I solemnly declare that Almighty God has chosen me for this task." . . . "And so I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator. In standing guard against the Jew I am defending the handiwork of the Lord." Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf.
"We wish to fill our culture once more with the spirit of Christianity -- but not only in theory." -- Adolf Hitler
"To a political leader the religious teachings and practices of his people should be sacred and inviolable. Otherwise he should not be a statesman but a reformer, if he has the necessary qualifications for such a mission. Any other line of conduct will lead to disaster, especially in Germany." -- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf. p.75
"In this hour I pray that the Almighty will give His blessing in the years to come to our labours, to our judgement and to our strength of resolution, that he may guard us from all false pride as from all cowardly submission, that He will let us find the right path, which He in his providence has allotted to the German people, and that He gives us always the courage to do right and never to waver or weaken before any force or danger." -- Adolf Hitler. 5th Anniversary of the National Socialist Government
"It is a tragedy of the Germanic world that Jesus was Judaised, distorted, falsified; and an alien Asiatic spirit was forced upon us. That is a crime we must repair."-- Adolf Hitler
"In this hour I would ask of the Lord God only this: that, as in the past, so in the years to come He would give His blessing to our work and our action, to our judgment and our resolution, that He will safeguard us from all false pride and from all cowardly servility, that he may grant to us to find the straight path which His Providence has ordained for the German people, and that he may ever give us the courage to do the right, never to falter, never to yield before any violence, before any danger." -- Adolf Hitler
"When folk have set before them a true purpose and then pursue it unmoved with bravery and courage, when they withstand with a strong heart every trial which Heaven sends upon them, then one day at the last Almighty Providence will yet grant them the fruits of their struggle and of their sacrifices. For God has never abandoned any man upon this earth unless he has first abandoned himself." -- Adolf Hitler
"If Providence had not guided us I would often never have found these dizzy paths. Thus it is that, what National Socialists have in the depths of our hearts, our faith. No man can fashion world history or the history of peoples unless upon his purpose and his powers there rests the blessing of this Providence." -- Adolf Hitler
"I believe that this was God's Will -- to send a boy into the Reich, to let him become its Leader, in order to bring his home country into the Reich. Otherwise one must doubt Providence." -- Adolf Hitler
"Our task is to harness the God-given energy of this German nation to stand firm for the Truth." -- Adolf Hitler
"Help thyself, then thou wilt also have the help of the Almighty." -- Adolf Hitler
"The Aryan stands firm, One with God in his attitude to the world and its people." -- Adolf Hitler
"The German Government, which regards Christianity as the unshakeable foundation of the ethical life of the German nation, attaches the greatest importance to the maintenance and development of friendly relations with the Holy See." -- The Government's Program
"The national government regards the two Christian confessions as the most important factors of the maintenance of our ethical personality." -- The Government's Program
"The Party as such advocates a positive Christianity without binding itself to any particular church." -- 24th Point
"The Government will adopt a just and objective attitude towards all other religions." -- The Government's Program
"No National Socialist shall be allowed to suffer because he does not subscribe to a certain religion or because he ascribes to no religion at all. Belief is a matter for each one to resolve in the light of his own conscience. Compulsion must not be exercised." -- Rudolf Hess
"The tolerance shown towards the agnostic and anti-Christian confessions is also extended to Jewish religious activities in Germany. I have already attempted to make it quite clear that the special treatment meted out to Jews in Germany is inspired solely by racial and not by religious motives. The Jews enjoy full liberty in the exercise of the ritual." -- Cesare Santoro. Hitler Germany Seen by a Foreigner
"The Protestant world is still under German leadership. There is no foundation for the fear, voiced abroad, that Germany will forsake the Protestant world." -- Hanns Kerrl. German Minister for Church Affairs
"The Protestant may remain Protestant and the Catholic Catholic, and he who is neither and nevertheless owns Christ, may also remain what he is." -- Hans Kerrl. German Minister for Church Affairs
"Dr. Muller is undoubtedly more representative. He is a sincere and pious, though somewhat hearty, Army chaplain, honestly convinced that Hitler is a miracle. At last the German Christians feel that the Almighty has done something. If only the immense spiritual forces in the new Germany can be harnessed in the service of Christianity the new mission of which the Germans are profoundly conscious will be a Christian one." -- H. Powys-Greenwood. Hitler's First Year
"National Socialism would have every German decide for himself on spiritual questions, just as in the days of Frederick the Great. The National Socialist state gives to the church what belongs to the church, and to the state what belongs to the state." -- Rudolf Hess
"I believe in the Holy German people inside and outside the German frontiers. I believe in Adolf Hitler, who by the grace of God, was sent to give the German people faith in themselves once more." -- German Faith Movement
"Adolf Hitler gave us back our faith. He showed us the true meaning of religion. He has come to renew for us the faith of our fathers and to make us new and better beings. . . just as Jesus Christ made his twelve apostles into a faithful band to the martyr's death whose faith shook the Roman Empire, so now we witness the same spectacle again. Adolf Hitler is the true Holy Ghost." -- Hanns Kerrl. German Minister for German Affairs [uh No,that would be an error in judgment DC]
HOLIDAYS AND LEISURE:
Before National Socialism, millions of people had never seen the inside of a theatre. A survey found 87.6% (men) and 81.3% (women) had never seen an operatic performance; whilst 63.8% (men) 72.2% (women) had never visited a theatre.
By 1936, 22,100,000 had visited theatres, 18,600,000 visited film performances, 5,600,000 attended concerts, 3,300,000 factory exhibitions, and 50,000,000 to cultural extravaganzas. 230 colleges for popular/hobby education had been established, 62,000 educational conferences had been attended by 10 million.
It was arranged so that all workers traveled during their holidays on the premise that it was no holiday unless there was a change of air. In two years there were 384 sea voyages taking 490,000 workers on foreign cruises, more than 60,000 national holiday excursions (19 million participants), 113,000 hiking tours with 3 million participants. A holiday camp with full holiday facilities was built to accommodate 20,000 people.
Every big commercial or public concern was provided with its own sports and recreation grounds, swimming baths. A fleet of yachts was put at the disposal of water sports enthusiasts, likewise winter and summer sports equipment and facilities.
Likewise, all factories, offices, stores and shops were fitted out for recreation yards, swimming pools, clean and modern canteens, comradeship houses, sports grounds.
"It is hoped for every worker to have an adequate annual holiday. I saw one of the first holiday special trains leave Berlin with 1,000 workers for Bavarian mountains." -- H. Powys-Greenwood
ADOLF HITLER ON ACHIEVEMENTS:
"Recently the German Labour Front launched its own ships, the Wilhelm Gustloff and the Robert Ley, which were especially built and fitted for such sea trips. It is planned to build about twenty steamers for this purpose. The comfort and living conditions in that ship are but little different from those in the great liners.
"Just as on the great luxurious liners, so on the Wilhelm Gustloff and the Robert Ley, you can have your daily bath in fresh water, enjoy hot and cold water in your cabin; drink ice water, swim in a large pool, play in the sports room, enjoy all the deck games and dance in the evening or attend some entertainment."
The cost of such trips was 158.37DM and was limited to workers who earned less than 300 DM a month, with preference going to those who earned less than 200 DM a month.
The ordinary German worker and his family enjoyed a standard of living which was at the time exclusive to the very rich in America and in Britain, where ordinary workers at the time rarely went to the theatre or concerts, and the holiday of a lifetime might be a few days in Blackpool or Margate.
Foreign holidays and cruises on ocean going liners could only be dreamed about; and social deprivation, unemployment and harsh working conditions were the lot of most people. One can imagine the impression that German standard of living might make on other Europeans who might look beyond the curtain of distortion and consider National Socialism as an alternative form of government.
"Five years of National Socialist constructive work have brought about; the right for every worker to claim a holiday on full pay. Minimum and not maximum holidays are fixed." -- Adolf Hitler, Fifth Anniversary Speech
"Today our achievements are so vast that the whole world has become interested in them." -- Adolf Hitler
"We have done rightly in organising trips to foreign countries. We shall continue along these lines and in the spring of next year we shall have six large steamers carrying workers to Lisbon and Madeira. . .
"During the National Socialist Party Congress in Nuremberg, I announced a reduction of 30% would be made on future 'Kraft durche Freude' trips. Many experts at that time shook their heads and believed this to be impossible to practice.
"Today, after only a few weeks of preparation, I am able to announce that this reduction will be applicable to 350,000 holiday makers in 1936 -- without in any way reducing the actual takings on the inn keeping, hotel, restaurant traders, etc.
"In other words this means that the German worker will be able to spend a week's holiday for the sum of between 12 and 16 Marks, inclusive of fare and lodging and admission to special entertainments. . .
"Here I should like to announce a new and still greater scheme:-- We intend to bring from overseas those fellow countrymen and their families who otherwise could never have a chance to visit their homeland. Our 'Kraft Durch Freude' fleet will be used for this purpose during the winter months and between the seasons. The cost of such trips will be maintained at a very low rate. These trips will in no way interfere or compete with the existing steamship trade. Those with sufficient means can continue to travel in the ordinary passenger boats to Germany, as formerly." -- Adolf Hitler
"Our final aim is, we want to achieve a position wherein we can give each of the 14 million German workers an annual holiday of from 12 to 14 days.". . .
"We shall proceed with the construction of new ships and new holiday quarters. . . a new health resort with 20,000 beds will be built on the island of Rugen in the Baltic. Two new 15,000 ton steamers with accommodation for 1,500 will also be built." -- Dr. Robert Ley. German Labour Front
CESARE SANTORO:
"Does the National Socialist doctrine constitute the foundation of a new era in history? My only aim is to make known the success actually achieved by Hitler.
"If, however, this success be compared with the failures of other governments; and if the present political, economic, social and cultural situation of Germany be compared with that of other countries, the question inevitably arises as to whether the National Socialist doctrine is not a great step forward in social evolution; and if, on the other hand, antagonistic systems and methods do not incorporate conceptions doomed in the process of time to ultimate disappearance. But it must be left to history to answer these questions."
CHAPTER 6
Faith and fulfilment:
Our Führer is coming!
FORMER PRIME MINISTER, LLOYD GEORGE:
"I have now seen the famous German leader and also something of the great change he has effected. Whatever one may think of his methods -- and they are certainly not those of a parliamentary country, there can be no doubt that he has achieved a marvelous transformation in the spirit of the people, in their attitude towards each other, and in their social and economic outlook.
"He rightly claimed at Nuremberg that in four years his movement had made a new Germany.
"It is not the Germany of the first decade that followed the war -- broken, dejected and bowed down with a sense of apprehension and impotence. It is now full of hope and confidence, and of a renewed sense of determination to lead its own life without interference from any influence outside its own frontiers.
"There is for the first time since the war a general sense of security. The people are more cheerful. There is a greater sense of general gaiety of spirit throughout the land. It is a happier Germany. I saw it everywhere, and Englishmen I met during my trip and who knew Germany well were very impressed with the change.
"One man has accomplished this miracle. He is a born leader of men. A magnetic and dynamic personality with a single-minded purpose, a resolute will and a dauntless heart.
"He is not merely in name but in fact the national Leader. He has made them safe against potential enemies by whom they were surrounded. He is also securing them against the constant dread of starvation which is one of the most poignant memories of the last years of the War and the first years of the Peace. Over 700,000 died of sheer hunger in those dark years. You can still see the effect in the physique of those who were born into that bleak world.
"The fact that Hitler has rescued his country from the fear of repetition of that period of despair, penury and humiliation has given him an unchallenged authority in modern Germany.
"As to his popularity, especially among the youth of Germany, there can be no manner of doubt. The old trust him; the young idolise him. It is not the admiration accorded to a popular leader. It is the worship of a national hero who has saved his country from utter despondence and degradation.
"To those who have actually seen and sensed the way Hitler reigns over the heart and mind of Germany, this description may appear extravagant. All the same it is the bare truth. This great people will work better, sacrifice more, and, if necessary, fight with greater resolution because Hitler asks them to do so. Those who do not comprehend this central fact cannot judge the present possibilities of modern Germany.
"That impression more than anything I witnessed during my short visit to the new Germany. There was a revivalist atmosphere. It had an extraordinary effect in unifying the nation.
"Catholic and Protestant, Prussian and Bavarian, employer and workman, rich and poor, have been consolidated into one people. Religious, provincial and class origins no longer divide the nation. There is a passion for unity born of dire necessity.
"The divisions, which followed the collapse of 1918, made Germany impotent to face the problems, internal and external. That is why the clash of rival passions is not only deprecated but temporarily suppressed.
"I found everywhere a fierce and uncompromising hostility to Russian Bolshevism, coupled with a genuine admiration for the British people with a profound desire for a better and friendlier understanding of them. The Germans have definitely made up their minds never to quarrel with us again, nor have they any vindictive feelings towards the French. They have altogether put out of their minds any desire for the restoration of Alsace-Lorraine.
"But there is a real hatred and fear of Russian Bolshevism, and unfortunately it is growing in intensity. It constitutes the driving force of their international and military policy. Their private and public talk is full of it. Wherever you go you need not wait long before you hear the word 'Bolshevism', and it recurs again and again with a wearying reiteration.
"Their eyes are concentrated on the East as if they are watching intently for the breaking of the day of wrath. Against it they are preparing with German thoroughness. This fear is not put on. High and low they are convinced there is every reason for apprehension. They have a dread of the great army, that has been built up in Russia in recent years.
"An exceptionally violent anti-German campaign of abuse printed in the Russian official Press and propelled by the official Moscow radio has revived the suspicion in Germany that the Soviet Government are contemplating mischief." -- David Lloyd George, Daily Express, 17.9.1936
WINSTON CHURCHILL:
"In fifteen years that have followed this resolve, he has succeeded in restoring Germany to the most powerful position in Europe, and not only has he restored the position of his country, but he has even, to a very great extent, reversed the results of the Great War. . . the vanquished are in the process of becoming the victors and the victors the vanquished. . . whatever else might be thought about these exploits they are certainly among the most remarkable in the whole history of the world." -- Winston Churchill, 1935
". . . and the achievement by which the tables have been turned upon the complacent, feckless and purblind victors deserves to be reckoned a prodigy in the history of the world and a prodigy which is inseparable from the personal exertions of life thrust on a single man. . .
"Those who have met Hitler face to face in public, business, or on social terms, have found a highly competent, cool, well-informed functionary with an agreeable manner, a discerning smile and few have been unaffected by a subtle personal magnetism.
"Nor is this impression merely the dazzle of power. He exerted it on his companions at every stage in his struggle, even when his fortunes were in the lowest depths. . .
"One may dislike Hitler's system and yet admire his patriotic achievement. If our country were defeated I should hope we should find a champion as indomitable to restore our courage and lead us back to our place among the nations." -- Winston Churchill, 'Step by Step', p.143
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW:
"It was evident that Germany needed only a resolute and clear-headed leader to denounce the Treaty; declare her determination to assert her full equality with the Powers, and refuse to be disarmed, plundered and chastised under the pretext of reparations and 'war guilt', to rally to him every living soul whose native language was German, and at the same time take a great step towards peace in Europe by proving that neither France nor England nor the United States dare outrage humanity by attempting military occupation of her territory on the model of the old partitions of Poland; in short, that instead of Europe being plunged into war she would be dragged back from the brink of it by Germany.
"Herr Hitler seized the hour and said the word, and France and England immediately climbed down, preserving their dignity by lecturing the Chancellor solemnly on his naughty behaviour as they descended.
"Mr. Vernon Bartlett was soundly berated by the Foreign Office for imploring all lovers of peace to believe in the perfect sincerity of Herr Hitler's assurance that a free Germany would be a peaceful Germany, but 95% of the listeners who wrote to him wanted to have him appointed Foreign Secretary. When I said that Herr Hitler's action was right and inevitable, the storm of abuse that was about to bust on me was suddenly checked by Mr. Lloyd George saying exactly the same thing.
"Europe breathed again. The beginnings of a British popularity set in for Herr Hitler as they had set in years before for Signor Mussolini, in spite of all the liberal protests, and it only remains to watch the results of the forthcoming general election in Germany, in which it is inconceivable that a single vote should be cast against him, even by the angriest German Jew or German Communist." -- George Bernard Shaw. Playwright. 'The Observer' November, 5th, 1933
SIR ARNOLD WILSON, M.P.:
"Health statistics in Germany are satisfactory. Infant mortality has been greatly reduced and is considerably inferior to that in Great Britain. Tuberculosis and other diseases have noticeably diminished. The criminal courts have never had so little to do and the prisons have never had so few occupants. It is a pleasure to observe the physical aptitude of the German youth. Even the poorest persons are better clothed than was formerly the case, and their cheerful faces testify to their psychological improvement that has been wrought within them. Economic conditions in Germany, abstraction made of the influence exerted by rearmament, are steadily progressing. Unemployment has greatly decreased."
G.E.O. KNIGHT:
"Altogether, Herr Hitler has worked miracles for the new Germany. I anticipate that in a very short time, the Chancellor will have shown the world more than it ever bargained for in its wildest efforts to crush the new regime." -- G.E.O. Knight, In Defence of Germany
JACQUES BAINVILLE, l'Action Francais:
"Is Hitler policy the result of his own unaided efforts? Or is it influenced by his counsellors? At bottom, this is more or less indifferent; then he who is capable of following sound advice is just as clever as he who gives such advice.
"Hitler is undoubtedly lucky. Hitherto he has succeeded in everything, since even in his most impulsive moments he is a prudent calculator, and he shapes his foreign policy with the same bold imagination as he shaped the policy which was foreordained to make him the master of Germany's destinies.
"Thus he is always ahead of other governments, who are invariably a day or an idea -- let us hope not an army -- behindhand. When our ministers were asked if they were prepared to negotiate with the Head of the German Government they replied evasively that they were certainly ready to do so, but only in full agreement with our allies. At that very time Hitler had already concluded his non-aggression pact with Poland.
"Poland's leading newspaper writes; 'Hitler is the first German statesman who has found the right language at the right time. Hitler has always stressed that any treaty signed by him is worth far more than the Treaty of Locarno. For Stresemann represented political parties which no longer existed, whereas Hitler enjoys the confidence of the whole of Germany expressed by the votes of over forty million electors.' "
AMERICAN MANIFEST DESTINY:
"These financial and industrial wonders had been performed without foreign loans. Of these miracles, Churchill gave this tribute: "Whatever else may be thought about these exploits they are certainly among the most remarkable in the whole history of the world." -- American Manifest Destiny, Conrad Grieb. Examiner Books. N.Y.
DOUGLAS REED:
"Germans in their country are not less well cared for than the English people in theirs, but better. You are faced with a country immensely strong in arms and immensely strong in real wealth -- not in gold bars in a vault of the national bank, but industry, agriculture, the thrift and energy of the work people, and the conditions of life they enjoy.
"In Germany now they have a mighty organisation, equipped with full powers, for improving the lot of the work people in factories and workshops. Their engineers and social workers and artists go into the factories and see what needs to be done. They say that a shower room, recreation room, a restaurant, a medical clinic, a dental clinic is needed and these ere provided. They have a civic sense, a social conscience, a feeling of the community of German mankind -- in spite of the bestial concentration camps -- which you lack."
AND OF THOSE 'CONCENTRATION
CAMPS' ANOTHER ENGLISHMAN
REVEALS ALL:
"In August, 1933 there were seven thousand 'political prisoners' (Britain's prison population is in excess of 50,000) in Germany of which about 700 are Communists. Most were convicted not of political crimes as we define them, but rather of anti-social behaviour and crime.
"The discipline in the camp was of the robust kind. Every man had some kind of work to do, but this was not always enforced. The camp rose at 6.00am and all lights were out at 9.00pm. The meals consisted of breakfast, dinner, supper with meat served daily except on Fridays. There was a dispensary attached to the camp and a German doctor was in charge. Severe cases of illness were sent to the local hospital.
"Various trades were carried on inside the camp such as carpentry, tailoring and shoemaking. Part of the camp was set off for bathing. Shower baths and facilities for sunbathing were shown to me. There was also a splendid sports ground.
"The sleeping compartments consisted of wooden beds and straw mattresses, with three blankets for each prisoner. The working hours were from 7.00am to 11.30am and from 1.00pm to 6.00pm. A library was in the course of being introduced.
"Visitors were allowed once a week, and were received in the dining room which accommodated some 300 people. There were apartments set apart for music and dramatic performances. In addition to receiving free board and lodging, each prisoner was drawing 10DM to 12DM per week, which represented his unemployment allowance pay.
"Instruction in ethics, religion, the new form of government in Germany, history, languages, was given daily to those who desired to attend. There was little or no crime among the men in the camp. Good order prevailed among all classes. The guards ate the same food as the prisoners, and were subject to the same disciplines as the internees, although they were government officials. One of the guards was a prince of the House of Hesse.
"Letters and parcels were subject to censorship. In not one case out of many thousands received had it been found necessary to destroy any parcel or letter forwarded. Newspapers were permitted and smoking allowed. When a prisoner desired to light his pipe or cigarette, he had to go to a guard detailed off to supply lights for the prisoners, as no matches were permitted prisoners.
"Services were held every Sunday and the majority took advantage of the opportunity. No objection was raised by the authorities to my taking photographs of both camps and internees.
"The men looked in splendid physical condition. Having heard so may dreadful stories of brutal treatment being meted out to Communists in this particular camp, I asked some of the men to confide in me and tell me the truth of those allegations.
"Not a few laughed at 'the bloody capitalist liars in your country.' I took fifteen men at random and asked them to strip in my presence. I wanted to see if they bore any marks of violence on their persons. I saw nothing indicative of bad treatment." -- G.E.O. Knight, In Defence of Germany, (who was allowed complete freedom of movement in all camps)
THE MORAL MAJORITY:
"I think that it must be admitted that National Socialism has done a great deal
for Germany. It has undoubtedly cleaned up Germany in the ordinary moral
sense of the word. The defeatism, the corruption so manifest a characteristic in
the days after the war has disappeared, at any rate from public view. "It has given discipline and order and a sense of purpose to the great majority of young people who in earlier days did not know where to go or what they were living for." -- His Lordship, the Marquess of Lothian, British Ambassador to Washington, June 29th, 1937
"The spectacle of Germany today is a tremendous experience. Fifteen years after the war in which the allied powers thought they had destroyed her, Germany is on her feet again. As compared with 1922 and 1931, when I last saw Germany, the change is miraculous. The people are confident, enthusiastic and courageous.
"They have recovered their morale. In 1931 the German people were going to pieces. But now they are themselves again, no doubt about that! The masses of the people are increasingly with Hitler. I have been fooling myself all along that this was not so, but now I know it is so." -- John H. Holmes, Pastor. Community Church. N.Y Times, July 12th, 1935
"Last May, I returned, bringing my family for another sojourn, after two years spent in other European countries. I found a Germany which has advanced miraculously from the point of 1933. I found political solidarity, a wholesome tone in the life of city dweller and country dweller alike.
"I found living costs materially reduced and an unmistakable optimism on every hand. In every quarter I found the same answer to my questioning: Profound belief in the genius of the Leader, love and admiration for him as an individual. My observations have covered a wide range of social classification.
"I have talked with the humblest type of labourers, with merchants, professional men. I have yet to discover a dissenting voice to the question of loyalty to the Fuehrer. My two young daughters are attending German public schools and are receiving an education which in thoroughness could be equalled in few countries." -- John L. Garvin. The Observer
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