PDF file: History - Advanced Higher - Germany - Education Scotland

Source M
Lloyd George in 1937 on how Hitler has regenerated Germany.
Whatever one may think of his (Hitler’s) methods - and they are certainly not those of
a parliamentary country - there can be no doubt that he has achieved a marvellous
transformation in the spirit of the people, in their attitude towards each other, and in
their social and economic outlook … As to his popularity, especially among the youth
of Germany, there can be no manner of doubt. The old trust him; the young idolises
him. It is not the admiration accorded to a popular leader. It is the worship of a
national hero who has saved his country from utter despondency and degradation…
(from Germany: The Third Reich, G layton, Hodder and Stoughton, 1992)
Source N
In a speech in 1937 Hitler claims to have created a Volksgemeinschaft.
We in Germany have really broken with a world of prejudices. I leave myself out of
account. I, too, am a child of the people; I do not trace my line from any castle: I
come from the workshop … By my side stand Germans from all walks of life who
once were workers on the land are now governing German states in the name of the
Reich … It is true that men who came from the bourgeoisie and former aristocrats
have their place in this Movement … We have not broken down classes in order to set
new ones in their place: we have broken down classes to make way for the German
people as a whole.
Source O
In May 1939 a local government official comments on the popularity of the regime.
There was hardly a shop window to be seen without a display of the Fuhrer’s portrait
and the victorious symbols of the new Reich. The numerous celebrations were very
well attended in the garrison towns the population was especially captivated by the
military parades. Everywhere was a happy celebration of people, who were not in the
slightest disturbed by the agitation incited in the nations which surround us, because
they know their fate is safe in the Fuhrer’s hands.
(from National Socialist Rule in Germany, Norbert Frei, Blackwall, 1993)
Source P
The Socialists (SOPADE) in exile comment on Kristallnacht in November 1938.
The brutal measures against the Jews have caused great indignation among the
population. People spoke their minds quite openly, and many Aryans were arrested
as a result. When it became known that a Jewish woman had been taken from
childbed, even a police official said that this was too much: ‘Where is Germany
heading, if these methods are being used?’ As a result, he was arrested too … After
the Jews, who are going to be the next victims? That is what people will be asking.
Will it be the Catholics?
(from Inside Nazi Germany, D Peubert, Batsford, 1987)
History: Germany: Versailles to the Outbreak of World War II - 1918-1939 (AH) 83