Pre WWII
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The 1965 film The Sound of Music immortalized the story of the von Trapp family as they fled Nazi-occupied Austria. With its sweeping landscapes, memorable songs, and emotional core, it remains one of the most beloved films of all time. But while the movie is inspired by real events, the true story behind the von…
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This blog is not meant to accuse current students , but is aimed at them as a history lesson. The history they could easily repeat if they are not careful. Much of the text below is repetitive because I researched several sources. However, in this case, repeating the text is important, During the Nazi era…
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On April 29, 1945, U.S. troops liberated the Dachau concentration camp. I could share thousands of images of the atrocities committed there, but most people would likely only glance at one or two before turning away. The horror is simply too overwhelming to endure. The human mind struggles to comprehend such profound evil. Instead, I…
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The Stresa Front was a short-lived diplomatic alignment in 1935 between the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, formed in response to the growing threat posed by Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler. Named after the Italian town of Stresa, where representatives met in April 1935, the agreement aimed to preserve the post-World War I European order…
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A while ago, I discovered a Jewish Cemetery in Limerick. It was across from a landmark pub in the city called the The Hurlers Pub. There was a small laneway across from Hurlers leading to the small cemetery. One of the graves was of Simon Gewurz. He was originally from Bratislava in Slovakia and moved…
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On April 1, 1933, Nazi Germany carried out a nationwide economic boycott targeting Jewish businesses, professionals, and institutions. This event was one of the first major public steps in Adolf Hitler’s campaign of anti-Semitic persecution and laid the groundwork for subsequent discriminatory legislation and, ultimately, the Holocaust. The boycott emerged in the immediate aftermath of…
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The connection between Adolf Hitler and Karl May is an unusual but revealing example of how literature can shape ideology, identity, and even political imagination. Although the two men never met—May died in 1912, years before Hitler rose to prominence—May’s adventure novels played a significant role in influencing Hitler’s worldview, particularly in his youth and…
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They say that money of the root of all evil. It isn’t. Hate is the root of all evil and indifference is the root of all hate. Indifference can turn ordinary but ill informed people into hateful individuals and mobs. Ill informed because they believe what their leaders tell them,without questioning them. I could do…
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The Holodomor comes from the term moryty holodom which translates as “death inflicted by starvation.” A man-made famine that convulsed the Soviet Republic of Ukraine from 1932 to 1933, peaking in the late spring of 1933. Millions of Ukrainians were killed in the Holodomor, engineered by the Soviet government of Joseph Stalin. The primary victims…
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I took this photograph about two and a half years ago during a visit to Munich. The venue, Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, was packed with visitors that day. The atmosphere was lively, the food was satisfying, and the beer lived up to its reputation. So why am I telling I went there specifically because I knew…
History of Sorts 