I am currently taking a Fall of Roman Empire class so Speer’s and Hitler’s megalomaniacal attempts of turning Berlin into Rome are somewhat ironic. This empire collapsed into itself due to corruption and the unquenchable thirst for power of its leaders. Hitler seemed to severely lack historical perspective (if Napoleon did not manage it, neither will you) but the “law of ruins” or “ruin values” did meet its intended purpose and Germany does have some impressive Third Reich ruins, as the Luitpold arena in Nuremberg.
Luitpold Arena was a grandstand with a speaker’s platform and three tall swastika banners, designed by Albert Speer
As the type of person who color-codes notes, the logistics and implications of the project Germania astounded me. How could the Third Reich be so delirious? First, this massive enterprise intensified the housing crisis: Berlin’s market was already severely under-supplied and under RAF raids. Germania was sustained by thousands of POWs and concentration camps inmates worked under extremely insalubrious conditions – the pantheon of Aryan supremacy was supposed to be built with the blood, sweat, and tears of the same people the German government ostracized and systematically tried to wipe out. But then again, Hitler was uninterested in the social implications of this project; it was all about his passion for the buildings and the legacy he was creating for himself and the Third Reich.
Unrelated, but I hope Anna and Dr. Norris will appreciate this
The Onion, 1914
This could be titled “Why EVERYONE should pay more attention to history classes.”
Yuck, yuck, Mari!
I thought this post was super cool!
Oh also, the Onion thing was funny, too.
I’ve seen that Onion headline before!! The “Ottoman Empire almost declares war on itself,” is not inaccurate…