Propaganda
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Nowadays, it is easy to blame social media for the widespread distribution of fake news through memes and other formats. However, this phenomenon is far from new. About 100 years ago, propaganda postcards and cartoons served the same purpose (after all, a meme is essentially a digital version of a propaganda or satirical postcard or
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Magda and Joseph Goebbels were two of the most influential figures in Adolf Hitler’s inner circle, embodying the personal and political complexities of the Nazi regime. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, played a pivotal role in shaping the narrative of the Third Reich. At the same time, Magda Goebbels, his wife, personified the ideal
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Blood libel—the false accusation that Jews kidnapped and murdered Christian children to use their blood for ritual purposes—was a centuries-old anti-Semitic myth. Though it originated in medieval Europe, this pernicious belief persisted into modern times. It was revived during the Third Reich by the Nazi regime. Medieval Origins of Blood Libel The blood libel first
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The “Westerbork Film” refers to a film shot by Rudolf Breslauer at the Westerbork transit camp during World War II. This film is a significant historical document because it provides a rare visual record of life in a Nazi transit camp. The film was commissioned by Albert Gemmeker, the Westerbork Camp Commandant in 1944. He
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Since the initial awards banquet on May 16, 1929, in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Blossom Room, over 3,000 statuettes have been presented. Yes, it is about the Oscars, on May 16 1929 the first Academy Awards were held, and the very first Best Actor award went to Emil Jannings. Emil Jannings was a theater actor
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The Feast of Sinterklaas celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December. The feast is celebrated annually with the giving of gifts on St. Nicholas’ Eve, 5 December in the Netherlands, and on the morning of 6 December, Saint Nicholas Day in Belgium, Luxembourg, Western Germany, Northern France (French Flanders, Lorraine, Alsace and
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I believe that the most powerful weapon the Nazis had during World War II was its propaganda machine. Other countries used propaganda, but not as effectively as the Nazis. Perhaps critical thinking had not been eradicated or banned elsewhere. The Nazis often used art to spread their message. Some of their posters remind me of
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On 5 September 1944, exiled representatives of the three countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg signed the London Customs Convention, the treaty that established the Benelux. A politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of the three neighbouring nations. However, that is not why 5 September 1944 would become known as Dolle Dinsdag or Mad Tuesday. Many
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The Dutch railways were essential to the Nazis, not only as the transport of Jews and others eastwards to the camps but also as a propaganda tool. During the pre-war crisis years, the Netherlands welcomed many malnourished Austrian children. Reichskommissar Seyss-Inquart, himself an Austrian, thought he should show gratitude for this. The Nazis, therefore, organized
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Ever since I was 13 or 14, I have played the guitar. Over the years, I have bought hundreds of songbooks. In one of those books, they put words to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony or more precisely, the bit commonly known as Ode to Joy. In the book, they renamed it, Hate is Mankind’s Worst Disease. The first
History of Sorts 