As the Second World War began, many restrictions were placed on the citizens of Nazi Germany. Blackout regulations were one of the major necessities that the government imposed during the first day of warfare. The reason for this was to limit the possibility of being bombed by their opposition, such as by Great Britain or…
Category: Field Studies
A Half-Century Celebration Like No Other
Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday was celebrated on April 20th, 1939 in Berlin. A large-scale parade helped kick-start the occasion. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, as would be the case in Nazi Germany when celebrating their Führer’s birthday called “Führerweather”. This whole concept of celebrating a leader’s birthday in such a style seems very foreign to…
Angst. (Fear.)
Simulated diary entry from my character, a 22-year-old German woman living alone in Berlin. Es gibt keine sichere Beförderungsart für eine Frau in Berlin. Mit dieser Verdunkelung werde die ganze Stadt eine freie Arena für die Kriminalität. Nach der Arbeit muss ich eine Taschenlampe mitbringen aber mit einem roten Farbglas. Ich würde die Bahn nehmen, aber es ist…
Berlin and Propaganda
To me, one of the most interesting aspects of studying Nazi Germany (and the Second World War in general) is the abundance of propaganda produced and distributed among the German people. Personally, I find Goebbels’ and Reifenstahl’s films to be the most fascinating form of propaganda under the Third Reich, but Moorhouse mentions several other…
WWI Narrative with a Twist
It was interesting to learn about World War II from a non-Hollywood perspective. As amusing and heartbreaking movies as Schindler List and The Pianist are, they portray the standpoint of a specific group. The German civilians under the Nazi regime are seldom given a voice in these post-war narratives as in Berlin at War. This…
Blacked Out Berlin
There was a certain level of reality that Berliners had to adjust to due to the war. Windows had to be shut, headlights of cars were covered, and paint covered street corners for pedestrians. It all seemed a bit much to me initially. Air raid wardens roamed the streets reminding citizens of turn out lights…
Hitler’s Birthday
The celebration in the city centre for Hitler’s birthday was the largest ceremony staged by the Nazis with 50,000 troops and two million spectators. I can only imagine the spectacle, how enormous this event was. Tensions rose at the parade, some even fainted. The crowds consisted of people throughout Nazi Germany, including Rhinelanders, Saxons, Bavarians,…
Outbreak of War – 1939
The prologue and first chapter of Roger Moorhouse’s Berlin at War focused primarily on the celebration of Hitler’s 50th birthday, and the start of the Second World War in 1939. The disparity between Berlin citizen’s behavior during Hitler’s birthday celebrations, and the announcement of war was stark; enthusiastic festivities contrasted against the solemn apathy at…
Let’s Have a Parade
I’m simply finding it amazing how Hitler could have taken all this power to himself as a dictator without anyone freaking out over it. My best guess is that anyone who realised what was going on and was vocal about it would have been swiftly killed. Otherwise, the show and the spectacle which hid the…
Reactions in Berlin of War Declaration
Berlin at War by Roger Moorhouse has given me a new insight into the overall initial reactions of Berliners in Germany during the early days of WWII. The initial reactions of the common Berliner to the declaration of war was one of eerie calmness and dread. As war is not usually something to be celebrated,…