The Nazis - A Warning From History [DVD]

This is one of the finest television documentaries I have ever seen. It probes behind the usual cliches and half-truths about the Nazis and presents a picture of the party that is altogether more disturbing. The documentary concludes that once in power the operation of some of their darker policies was facilitated by the assistance of lower party officials and ordinary Germans. This expounds the myth that all Germans were manipulated into compliance from the top down. Neither are the sentiments that fuelled Nazi policies restricted to Germany, as in one of the most disturbing parts of the documentary a Lithuanian man who volunteered without coercion to join a shooting squad and execute his Jewish neighbours is interviewed. This series is given weight by the latest scholarship and authenticity and emotive power by a multitude of interviews. The music and narration is also of the finest quality. The documentary will leave you better informed, but also asking some uneasy questions. It is divided into the following six chapters, each approximately 48 minutes in duration:

Helped Into Power - this chapter examines how the political and economic turmoil of the Weimar Republic assisted the Nazis into a position of power. The economic depression of the early 1930s and opposition to communism from senior German politicians are shown to be important contributory factors.

Chaos and Consent – shows that behind the public façade of a rigidly ordered Nazi party, the lackadaisical approach to administration of Adolf Hitler created a cloud of confusion in which ambitious Nazis could exert considerable power in the formulation of specific policies.

The Wrong War – the immediate events preceding the outbreak of WW2 are presented and the question why Hitler ended up at war with the power he most admired – Great Britain - and allied to the country he most hated – Soviet Russia – is answered.

The Wild East – reveals how the occupied territories of Eastern Europe were governed once they were conquered. The chapter focuses on the brutal Nazi administration of Poland, in which forced migration, slave labour and execution were commonplace.

The Road To Treblinka – charts the rise of anti-Jewish sentiment and policies which led to the Holocaust and the creation of mass slaughter camps such as the one at Treblinka. The daily operation of the Treblinka camp is revealed and accounts from living survivors are presented.

Fighting To The End – asks why, despite a growing awareness of the repression and atrocities of the Nazi regime and a realisation of impending military defeat, the German people were not able to rid themselves of Adolf Hitler and were left fighting to the end. Even in the midst of set backs Hitler was able to inspire a fatalistic loyalty in his people and army that prolonged the Second World War. In addition, fear of the advancing Soviet army and the reprisals they would exact on the German people kept the nation fighting until the finale of the Battle of Berlin.

Why are there not more DVDs like this? If I could, I would rate it a 7 out of 5.

The main thrust of this DVD has nothing to do with the conduct, management or execution of the war but rather the conduct, management or execution of the political field. So do not expect to see dive-bombing Stukas, menacing Tigers or obdurate Stormtroopers. None of these even have a walk-in part in this DVD.

Although we all hold a view that this was a barbarous regime, how did it manage to attain power & even more importantly, how did it manage to retain the power to memerise the German volk until the very end. Unlike the Stalinist regime which used terror by killing tens of millions of their own citizens, the Nazi state employed terror primarily against the undermensch and Juden. Undoubtedly terror was used against internal dissidents especially at the war's close but, in the main, the ordinary German folk were captivated or in thrall of Hitler and no doubt felt unbridled pride in the achievements of the German war machine especially with their initial, swift and essentially "bloodless" victories.

[...]Episode one deals with the birth of the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party or Nazi Party for short. Despondency had set in after their ignominious defeat in WW1. Disaffected elements without jobs & a future bandied together. These were revolutionary times in Germany with first the left trying to overthrow the existing order & establishing the short-lived Räterepublik in Bavaria. Then the right in the form of the Nazi Party had a go in the 1923 Putsch. Where Rees is outstanding, is marshalling little know facts such as the fact that the prosecutor in his trial had previously gone beyond the call of duty in assisting Hitler to evade justice. From their irrelevance in 1928 where the Nazi's only polled 2.6% of the national vote they soldiered on to obtain 32% in 1933. What had changed was neither their rhetoric nor their racist polices but rather the effects of the Great Depression which polarized the country into extreme right & extreme left.

Take episode two as an example of how wrong one can be: The prevailing view, and one carefully cultivated by the Nazi Party too, that they brought stability & especially orderliness to German society whereas in fact under the façade of normalcy lay a plethora of competing bodies each with a partial stake in a particular area. Their deliberate blurring of areas of responsibility started at its pinnacle i.e. Hitler who deliberately gave overlapping responsibility to his subordinates so as to set each underling against the other. This was not part of some Machiavellian principle but rather a profound belief in Darwinism or natural selection that drove this behaviour. This view was buttressed by the many films by Goebbels espousing this viewpoint.

The third episode touches on a point that I was blithely unaware of viz the Nazis high regard for the British & especially their way of life. Despite this they went to war first against the British & not their sworn enemies, the Bolsheviks, with whom they actually entered into a peace treaty.

The second disk deals with "The Wild West", "The Road to Treblinka" & "Fighting to the End".

The "Wild West" deals with the first 18 months of the German administration of Poland which had been spilt into 3 with 2 of them becoming part of Germany & the third being the dumping grounds for unwanted Poles from the other 2 areas. This process was not as straightforward as is presumed. The process involved the Germanisation of those of the local population that it could, the deportation of the rest and the resettlement of "ethnic" Germans from other parts of Eastern Europe in the vacated areas. Hardline Nazis such as the Gaulitier of Warthegau, Otter Grieser, adopted the expedient of simply dispossessing the non Germans of their property & possessions en masse & deporting them to the General Government in central Poland whereas his contemporary to the north merely used the expedient of Germanising whole groups of Poles except for the most recalcitrant.

This is a DVD of the top drawer variety. Instead of stock video footage used on countless other DVDs & the simplistic regurgitation of the facts, this DVD gets behind the facts and casts a spotlight on the underlying nooks & crannies. All of this is supported by documents & eye witnesses. Potentially this combination could be deadly boring; instead it has more the feel of a "whodunit" as the facts are revealed to support Rees' line of argument. What is especially intriguing is how Lawrence Rees manages to find eye witnesses to substantiate the various aspects covered.

Buy it now & get a unique, revealing and well presented insight into the modus operandi of the Nazi political machine. In spite of morbid somber quality & equally haunting music, do not be fooled. Just enjoy it.

The Nazi's - A Warning From History is one which i only saw in its entirety this year on UK History. I found it an engrossing and fascinating series. From the outset the brilliant music featured in the credits create in the viewers mind a programme that is going to convey a story that is perhaps unsurpassed in its horror and of historys' main role as being teacher for us in the present and future.

The programme itself keeps the right balance on information, making very effective use of documents and eye witness testimony, explaining very effectively how the Nazi's came to power, and although we now view it as an evil regime, one witness at the time said it was 'paradise'. It weaves a story together that appears seamless and interlinked, tying events that occured in chance meeting between Hitler with a Nazi official or his recieving a letter asking for permission to get rid of a disabled child, and how these in turn led to the various events and policy of Nazi Germany.

Its a rare and powerful documentary that is still as watchable 7 years on. Thoroughly recommended to those with even a passing interest in history and perhaps as a reminder to those who believe that as a species humans are advanced as we really think. This will make you think again.