Pre WWII
-
In the annals of history, specific names become etched with unique infamy, their legacies stained by actions that go beyond the brutality of war and enter the realm of sheer atrocity. Lieutenant General Hisao Tani of the Imperial Japanese Army is one such figure. While many factors shaped the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), Tani’s leadership…
-
Fascism, a political ideology that rose to prominence in Europe during the early 20th century, left deep imprints on the history of several countries, from Mussolini’s Italy to Hitler’s Germany and Franco’s Spain. In Ireland, however, fascism remained a relatively marginal movement, confined to small groups and figures that never gained mass political support. Yet,…
-
The Aryan Jesus in the Context of the Third Reich: A Study of Religious and Ideological Manipulation
The concept of the “Aryan Jesus” played a significant role in the Third Reich’s effort to align Christianity with its racist, anti-Semitic ideology. The notion that Jesus was not Jewish but rather Aryan, represents one of the most grotesque distortions of religious history during the Nazi era. This manipulation of Christianity was part of a…
-
The 1934 German head-of-state referendum, held on August 19, stands as a crucial moment in the Nazi regime’s consolidation of power. Following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg on August 2, 1934, Adolf Hitler sought to solidify his grip on Germany by merging the offices of President and Chancellor, thus assuming the title of…
-
The Holocaust refers to the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and mass murder of six million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators in the years before and during World War II. I want to focus on one element of state-sponsored persecution in this blog, the Aryanization. The Aryanization of Jewish properties was…
-
I often hear the argument, “Why did the Jews not simply leave Germany when Hitler got to power?” It was just not as simple as that. Many German and Austrian Jews saw themselves as German or Austrian first, and they considered themselves to be part of society. Why would they leave their homes and their…
-
Below are just a few names of athletes and artists who competed in the Olympic Games and were among those murdered during the Holocaust. In 1928, Stella Agsteribbe competed in the first-ever Olympic gymnastics competition for women. Despite placing 13th in the Dutch team selection event, she elected to compete in the group competition. The…
-
Some may consider this blog contentious and controversial, but you can’t write about World War II and the Holocaust without writing about Hitler’s first book. The original title was Viereinhalb Jahre (des Kampfes) gegen Lüge, Dummheit und Feigheit, which translates to Four and a Half Years [of Struggle] Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice. Max Amann,…
-
The Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, enacted in Nazi Germany on July 14, 1933, was a vital component of the regime’s eugenics and racial hygiene policies. The law aimed to prevent the birth of individuals deemed genetically unfit by mandating the sterilization of people with various supposed hereditary conditions. Implications and Impact…
History of Sorts 