History of Sorts

It is easy to blame the German civilians for being complacent during World War II and especially the Holocaust, and to an extent, this blame is understandable.

However, I doubt this complacency would be different in any other country. After World War I, Germany was engulfed in internal conflicts and even an internal revolution, which was a civil war.

After this political upheaval and social uncertainty followed by economic woes, partially caused by the repayments as laid out by the Treaty of Versailles and partially caused by the great depression, the country was facing an uphill struggle. There was poverty, famine, and hyperinflation. Money was worth nothing, and people sometimes used paper money to fire up the stove.

It is not hard to understand that in those times—it didn’t take much for people to follow a party that not only promised things but also delivered on those promises, at least temporarily. We now know, of course, that these promises eventually only served one reason, which was for the NSDAP to get to power.

The promises made, coupled with the well-functioning propaganda machine, proved a powerful weapon.

In the early 1930s, the Nazis started setting up programs like “Kraft durch Freude” Strength through Joy, which was a large state-operated leisure organization that worked in conjunction with the German Labour Front. The KdF provided affordable leisure activities such as concerts, plays, libraries, day trips, and holidays. Large cruise ships—like the Wilhelm Gustloff—were specially designed for KdF cruises.

Beach resorts, like Prora, were built to facilitate beach holidays on a massive scale. An enormous building complex on the island of Rügen, located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea, was a popular resort. It was built between 1936 and 1939 by the KdF as a beach resort to accommodate affordable beach holidays.

The Nazis promised that every family should have a family car. Designed by Ferdinand Porsche, the KdF cars were known as the People’s Car or Volkswagen. Porsche in 1931, developed Type 12—the concept car for the “Auto für Jedermann” (Everyman’s Automobile) for Zündapp. On 26 May 1938, Hitler laid the cornerstone for the Volkswagen factory in Fallersleben.

The Nazis made sure that everyone in the country would get a radio, the so-called “Volksempfänger” or People’s Receiver. Of course, people were delighted with this. This technology would connect them with a wider portion of the world. They did not realize then that this was also a tool for mass propaganda, a brainwashing device in the living room.

The Nazi regime even attempted to provide families with their airplanes, the so-called Volksflugzeug (people’s airplane), but never fully implemented.

The keywords used in many of these technologies were “Volk” or “People.” It created the illusion that the Nazis only had the best intentions for the People. There were People’s Fridges and even People’s Gas Masks. This was combined with the creation of employment, giving Germany a newfound prosperity. This prosperity after years of hardship and poverty worked nearly as a drug, and people believed what Hitler and his cronies told them because for a while—they did what they promised.

It was relatively easy to find a scapegoat to blame for the poverty. The Germans had endured, and the government ensured this would never happen again. The people fell for it.

Of course, their eyes should have opened when they saw what was happening to Jews, disabled and other groups—that the Nazis had deemed as subhuman. At that stage, unfortunately, so many were brainwashed and believed the propaganda because life was good.

Of course, their eyes should have opened when they saw what was happening to Jews, disabled and other groups—that the Nazis had deemed as subhuman. At that stage, unfortunately, so many were brainwashed and believed the propaganda because life was good.

Donation

Your readership is what makes my site a success, and I am truly passionate about providing you with valuable content. I have been doing this at no cost and will continue to do so. Your voluntary donation of $2 or more, if you are able, would be a significant contribution to the continuation of my work. However, I fully understand if you’re not in a position to do so. Your support, in any form, is greatly appreciated. Thank you. To donate, click on the credit/debit card icon of the card you will use. If you want to donate more than $2, just add a higher number in the box left from the PayPal link. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

$2.00

,