Travellers in the Third Reich: The Rise of Fascism Through the Eyes of Everyday People: The Rise of Fascism Seen Through the Eyes of Everyday People

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Gaza & The Occupied West Bank have been variously described as “concentration camps” or “ the world’s largest open air prison”. While millions of Europeans will be cheering campy songs this year for The Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Palestinian men, women & children will be killed, maimed or have their houses demolished. Anii au trecut, Germania a reușit să se stabilizeze și la putere venise partidul naționalist-socialist, cu Hitler în frunte. Străinii nu mai veneau doar ca să vadă o țară bucolică, ci și pentru studii și mediul cultural. Însă totul era înșelător, iluzia s-a spart destul de repede odată cu Anchluss, anexarea Austriei. Cu toate astea, oamenii si-ai văzut mai departe de viețile și concediile lor. Liniște a fost și la anexarea Cehoslovaciei. Abia în Noaptea de Cristal, când sunetul vitrinelor sparte, a strigătelor de spaimă și durere, când persecuția evreilor a devenit evidentă, când nu se mai puteau închide ochii la uciderea acestora, la existența lagărelor în care erau închiși, abia atunci situația reală a început să devină zgomotoasă. Pre-existing racism and fear. Anti-semitism was rampant in Germany and throughout the world. Just like anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant feelings are plaguing our world now. The events that took place in Germany between 1919 and 1945 were dramatic and terrible but there were also moments of confusion, of doubt – of hope. How easy was it to know what was actually going on, to grasp the essence of National Socialism, to remain untouched by the propaganda or predict the Holocaust?

Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd | Goodreads Travellers in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd | Goodreads

Author Julia Boyd’s thoroughly researched history shows us what non-Germans from all walks of life and across the political spectrum thought of Germany during the Nazi era. It’s a fascinating demonstration of how difficult it is to fully comprehend history while it’s in the making. It’s human nature to see what we want to see, to relate to what feels most familiar and comfortable. Many visitors were charmed by the beauty of the country, the friendliness of its people, and what seemed to be a country getting on the path to prosperity. Up until Kristallnacht in 1938, visitors could downplay or even ignore anti-Jewish measures and the treatment of political foes of the Nazis, because they weren’t so easy to see for an outsider. And btw, in more than one instance the 'inmates' of the camps who spoke to foreign visitors were not inmates, but actors and German soldiers pretending to be inmates.) Absorbing book...difficult to put down. Fast moving and fascinating glimpse into the 1930s in Germany - original accounts. Reflects day to day life and feelings from foreigners in Germany. Conflicting views of the third reich - the beauty of the german countryside and cities, the vibrancy and friendliness of the people, the discipline and purposefulness of life particular for the young people , the prospering of the economy and the richness of the music, art and culture seemed to dominate peoples thoughts and "excuse" the nasty things going on. The German propaganda machine and understanding of media was a big help. Also one big theme at the time was even if Hitler is "bad" he is protecting Europe from communism. Accounts of meeting Hitler are very favourable - a charming, interested and motivated individual who was not the ranting person of his speeches. Visits to the annual Nuremberg rallies and Bayreuth festivals were big highlights. Most of the positives are still positives today.....you get the feeling that the plunge into war was all very avoidable. Anti semitism was easy to see and yet many foreigners ignored it (partly because many were also anti semitic). Lloyd George for all is charm and leadership has alot to answer for....not only was he a key decison maker for Versaille (disasterous agreement and a key reason for WW2) but he also met Hitler in the 1930s and thought him a fantastic fellow and one the world should be happy to have.....Leaders do not have monopoly on the truth no matter how impressive they are Galėčiau dar rašyti ir rašyti, bet tiesiog labai rekomenduoju. Stilius tikrai nesudėtingas, knyga įtraukia labiau nei koks trileris ir labai įdomiai nuspalvina tokią didingą ir paslaptingą trečiojo reicho Vokietiją. Utterly fascinating and terrifying. No, I don’t think Trump will try to exterminate people like Hitler. But, yes, I do believe he is attempting to lead us to fascism. And that he aspires to be a dictator.Art Appreciation I expected that among the many visitors to the Third Reich in Boyd's book there would be some who were in agreement with Nazi political and racial ideas. But finding those sympathetic to Nazi aesthetics came as something of a surprise, perhaps because such expressions of artistic agreement are not commonly remarked upon. Fascinating, readable, thoroughly researched and horrifying. Books about WWII are trending, partly because of the anniversaries but perhaps too in response to the rise of extreme right-wing parties across Europe and elsewhere. It is very concerning and this book will not bring much comfort. Imaginează-ți că mergi în Germania în anii '30 ai secolului trecut. În scop turistic doar, o călătorie pentru propria relaxare, pentru peisaje, pentru cultură, oameni și așa mai departe, adică toate motivele pentru care mergi în vacanță. Și acolo, în timp ce îți savurezi binemeritatul concediu, începi să vezi - sau să auzi - diferite lucruri nelalocul lor: o ură irațională împotriva evreilor, cărți arse în public, un stat militarizat cu un conducător oarecum carismatic pentru publicul larg, care vedea în el un salvator al națiunii. Sigur, ai putea să vezi toate astea, o parte din ele sau pur și simplu să nu sesizezi nimic. Ce ai face, ce ai zice? Ce aș face eu, mă întreb, în asemenea cazuri? Mi-aș vedea mai departe de vacanță dacă aș fi observat lucrurile cu claritatea pe care o avem acum? Greu de răspuns pentru o situație ipotetică. Și sigur că nu putem compara ce era atunci cu prezentul și informațiile pe care le avem acum. Dar dacă? Cât de mult ne pasă de nivelul economic și traiul oamenilor din țările pe care le vizităm? Totuși cred că ajung prea departe cu speculațiile... It is impossible to see, read, or hear anything about Nazi Germany without the benefit of hindsight. So it is a sobering & humbling experience to see how people, many celebrities & intellectuals as well as ordinary tourists, were able to visit Nazi Germany & see only “the good”.

Travelers in the Third Reich, by Julia Boyd review - The Washington Post Travelers in the Third Reich, by Julia Boyd review - The

There are countless books on World War 2, from serious and weighty tomes, stories of daring do and detailed explanations of pivotal moments that changed the course of a continent. Whilst there has been lots of analysis about the failings of the post-World War 1 reparations and oppression by the victors led to the problems that Germany found itself in, there has been very little written about the way it was rapidly changing from the perceptive of holidaymakers and visitors to the country.

Some things that were often noticed by travelers: NAZI’s had improved the economy and were loved by the masses for that. Youth were particularly caught up with the movement. NAZI’s were great at spectacles such as the Olympics, rallies and torchlight parades. Many travelers noted that the NAZI’s emphasized the need for annexing (taking) lands around them that had once been part of Germany or which now were seen as places needed as a buffer to protect the safety of the Fatherland. Sounds like a familiar old excuse today. Boyd’s brief afterword is unnecessary – her point that “there are surely few totalitarian states that welcome foreign visitors with as much friendliness and enthusiasm as did Nazi Germany” would have served better in the introduction. The book should have ended with the close of Chapter 21 But one thing was clear – the war had ended. Never again would anyone travel in the Third Reich. Did anything change in the attitudes of the travelers after their experience? It doesn’t appear so in most cases. People saw what they wanted to see and ignored the things that might have troubled them. It was common early in the 30s for NAZI’s to give tours of work camps such as Dachau. Most travelers were untroubled. Of course they were getting a much sanitized tour in which guards were dressed as prisoners and were not experiencing abuse. When I see travel guides & tourist promotions for Israel/Palestine, it looks very like what Boyd is describing. People talk of the scenery, the lovely people, the night life, the culture; but there is no mention of the apartheid wall or the approximately 5 million Palestinians who have been living under a brutal military occupation for over 52 years, deprived of all civil, political & legal rights. Reicho didybė aprašyta taip stipriai ir taip įtaigiai, visokie festivaliai ir masiniai renginiai, kad net norisi laiko masina nusikelti. Kažkaip susišaukia su dabartine turizmo bangą į Šaiurės Korėją. Tiek daug mums žinomų vardų ir švenčių kurios minimos, pvz oktober fest arba Thomas Cook kuris šlovino ir skatino turizmą į Vokietiją

Travellers in the Third Reich By Julia Boyd | Used - Wob Travellers in the Third Reich By Julia Boyd | Used - Wob

One headline for the book is: Without the benefit of hindsight, how do you interpret what’s right in front of your eyes? What did they make of the mistreatment of the Jews in the 1930s? Their own anti-Semitism contributed to an underwhelming response. Many thought that the Germans were justified in wanting less Jewish influence in their society and bought into mainstreamed lies about Jewish citizens' disproportionate or malevolent role. The regime was not successful in hiding their actions from either the local or tourists, but the tourists were more easily fooled. One group was taken to tour Dachau, where "the criminals paraded before them were in fact camp guards in disguise." (2618) Those who were present on Kristallnacht were horrified by the wantonness of the violence, but after that, the Jews disappeared from view, allowing visitors to think very little about them, with the exception of a delegation of American Quakers, who were given the runaround by Nazi officials. You can read hundreds of histories of the Nazi era, and they will all describe the steps to Hitler’s takeover. The ones I’m most interested in focus on the social history of the era. How did authoritarianism, race hatred, and war-mongering take over a country most known for its beauty and culture? A particularly striking way to gain some insight is to read first-hand accounts.

Knowing that anti-Semitism and animosity towards communism were widespread sentiments in the 1930s, the Nazis happily made use of the idea that there was a common enemy. As part of this effort, from the mid-1930s onwards, guided tours of Dachau became a kind of tourist attraction – and it worked. ‘Adjutant says most prisoners Communist,’ Victor Cazalet MP wrote in his diary. ‘If that is the case, then they can stay there for all I care.’ Two other visitors praised the Nazis for giving these ‘dregs of humanity’ a new chance. When James Grover MacDonald, American High Commissioner for Refugees coming from Germany, questioned the necessity of Dachau, his guide told him “Germany was still in the throes of a revolution, and that whereas in most revolutions political prisoners were shot, at Dachau ‘we try to reform them’.” What none of them could have known was that the prisoners they saw on their guided tours were usually guards in disguise. Personal economic circumstances. In the short term, Hitler took Germany from desperation to prosperity and people were feeling much better. Sounds a lot like the 401(k) Trumpers. One of the reasons I read this was to see grisly parallels in how even in the present day, we allow fascism to creep up through our own wilful ignorance: tai, kad Hitlerio ankstieji įkvėpėjai buvo pagrinde britai. Šiaip Britanija labai pronacištiška buvo tarpukariu Many visitors went with preconceptions and saw what they wanted to see however, as the 1930s rolled on, it became clear that it was only the most rabid Hitler supporters who could not perceive the regime in its true colours.