One of Europe’s largest countries, Germany encompasses a wide variety of landscapes: the tall, sheer mountains of the south; the sandy, rolling plains of the north; the forested hills of the urbanized west; and the plains of the agricultural east. At the spiritual heart of the country is the magnificent east-central city of Berlin, which rose phoenixlike from the ashes of World War II and now, after decades of partition, is the capital of a reunified Germany, and the Rhine River, which flows northward from Switzerland and is celebrated in visual art, literature, folklore, and song. Along its banks and those of its principal tributaries—among them the Neckar, Main, Moselle, and Ruhr—stand hundreds of medieval castles, churches, picturesque villages, market towns, and centers of learning and culture, including Heidelberg, the site of one of Europe’s oldest universities (founded in 1386), and Mainz, historically one of Europe’s most important publishing centers. All are centerpieces of Germany’s thriving tourist economy, which brings millions of visitors to the country each year, drawn by its natural beauty, history, culture, and cuisine (including its renowned wines and beers). (Britannica)
Germany
According to most historians, the Gleiwitz Incident is the “false flag” that touched off World War II in Europe. Put simply, it was the Nazis’ casus belli “heard ‘round the world.” This is what most of us accept as true. The reality is far simpler and less exciting, however... Nothing unusual happened at the Gleiwitz transmitter station in Germany near the Polish border on the night/early morning of ...
GERMAN historians have identified the family whose request to Adolf Hitler that their disabled son be "put to sleep" was the catalyst for the Nazi euthanasia programme. The five-month-old boy, who was given a lethal drug after Hitler sent his own doctor to examine him, has been named as Gerhard Kretschmar, the son of a farm hand. The case was to provide the rationale for a secret ...
3 September 1938, the founding conference of the Fourth International was held near Paris. The main inspiration and organizer behind the declaration of the new international was the Russian revolutionary, Leon Trotsky, who, however, could not attend the inaugural meeting because he was in exile in Mexico. NIALL MULHOLLAND looks at the developments which led up to the conference and the significance of the Fourth International ...
Introduction of identity cards for Jews over age 15 were to go into effect on 1 January 1939. After Hitler came to power in 1933, the situation for German Jews and in areas later annexed by Germany towards the end of the 1930’s became worse by the day with newer legislation being implemented more radically and more frequently. The overall aim was to separate the Jews ...
On May 6, 1937 the German zeppelin Hindenburg burst into flames while docking at Lakehurst, New Jersey. The spectacular disaster brought an end to the airship era. In March 2013, major news outlets reported that the calamity’s “true” cause had been identified. “The explosion that destroyed the Hindenburg was caused by static electricity,” said Reuters, based on a British documentary by TV host Jem Stansfield, who ...
Smedley Butler became widely known for his outspoken lectures against war profiteering, U.S. military adventurism, and what he viewed as nascent fascism in the United States. In December 1933, Butler toured the country with James E. Van Zandt to recruit members for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). He described their effort as "trying to educate the soldiers out of the sucker class." In his speeches ...
On 31st January, 1933, Joseph Goebbels wrote in his diary about the plans to deal with the German Communist Party (KPD): "During discussions with the Führer we drew up the plans of battle against the red terror. For the time being, we decided against any direct counter-measures. The Bolshevik rebellion must first of all flare up; only then shall we hit back." (1) On 24th February, ...
Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany. Germany at this time is in horrible economic circumstances from the Treaty of Versailles following WWI and massive inflation imposed by the international bankers. 100 billion German Marks couldn't buy a loaf of bread. He kicks out the private central bankers, returning control of the currency to the government. This triggered an economic boom in Germany which would later be ...
For Germans 1932 was a year of mass unemployment, economic paralysis, and a broken, unresponsive political system. The world economic downturn, known in the US as the Great Depression, had shattered production and business life. This was also a year of intense campaigning in four fiercely fought nationwide elections – two for the Reichstag or parliament, and a two-part presidential contest. The most pressing issue in these campaigns ...
The formation of the BIS was agreed upon by its constituent central banks in the so-called Hague Agreement on January 20, 1930, and was in operation shortly thereafter. According to the Agreement, The duly authorized representatives of the Governments of Germany, of Belgium, of France, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of Italy and of Japan of the one part. And the ...