Germany
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Propaganda played a powerful role in shaping public opinion during the turbulent years of 1933 to 1945. In an era marked by intense political conflict and war, governments, especially the Nazi regime, used propaganda as a weapon to manipulate citizens, instill loyalty, and control narratives. This period saw the rise of sophisticated mass communication tactics,…
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Every meal could have been her last. After finishing the bland vegetarian dishes placed before her, 25-year-old Margot Wölk and her young female colleagues would burst into tears, “crying like dogs,” grateful simply to still be alive. Hitler was a vegetarian. While the exact timing of his conversion to vegetarianism is unclear, it is known…
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On October 30, 1944, Margot Frank and her younger sister Anne were put on a transport from Auschwitz to Bergen Belsen. By November 1944, Bergen Belsen received approximately 9,000 women and young girls. Margot and Anne were murdered there in February 1945. I deliberately say murdered because they were ill and received no treatment—to me,…
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The Edelweiss Pirates, or Edelweißpiraten, were a group of loosely organized German youth who stood in open defiance of the Nazi regime during the Third Reich. They played a unique if often overlooked, role in resisting Nazi authority, fighting against conformity, and supporting anti-fascist efforts. Although they were not as coordinated or ideologically unified as…
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Franz Josef Engel (1898–1944) was an Austrian actor and comedian whose career and life became emblematic of the vibrant Jewish artistic culture that flourished in Europe in the early 20th century and was later decimated by the Holocaust. His story is one of creativity, survival, and profound loss—a narrative shared by many Jewish artists who…
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Dr. Douglas McGlashan Kelley was a U.S. Army psychiatrist who became renowned for his psychological evaluations of high-ranking Nazi officials during the Nuremberg Trials. His work not only contributed to the fields of psychiatry and forensic psychology but also provided a rare glimpse into the minds of those responsible for the atrocities of the Holocaust…
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The Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands, beginning in 1940, marked a dark chapter in British history, as these small territories—Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark—became the only British lands occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II. Though the Channel Islands’ geographical proximity to mainland Europe made their defense difficult, the way local British authorities…
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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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Auguste van Pels, born September 29, 1900, in Buer, Germany, lived through one of the most tragic periods in history, ultimately losing her life during the Holocaust. Though she might have remained unknown to the world, she is now remembered as one of the residents of the Secret Annex, a small group of Jewish individuals…
History of Sorts 