The Museum’s second hall is dedicated to the Holocaust topic. This term came from the Greek language and means “entirely burning.” The Holocaust is the physical extermination of Jews during World War II, organized by Nazi Germany and its allies. Some scholars also define the mass murder of Roma and people with mental or physical disabilities by the Nazis as the Holocaust.
On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Since then, the Nazi Party (also known as National Socialist German Workers’ Party) started to play the leading and later monopolistic role. Some of the new government’s first steps included creating a system to manage people’s consciousness and mood. What could be more effective in achieving this goal than radio, newspapers, books?
The collage on the left shows magazines published in the 1930s. These covers vividly reflect Europe’s mood in the early twentieth century. Photos of movie stars, famous politicians, fashion, sports, social life, culture are an integral part of the gloss. Among others, “Time” magazine stands out. It recognized Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, dictators of two totalitarian empires, as the most influential people in 1938 and 1939.
In the corner on the right, you can see the “Burning Books” installation. The photo shows the Berlin Opera Square, where in May 1933, the Nazis burnt books. There was a list of publications that did not meet the ideological criteria of the so-called “Aryan” art and literature. Under the “Burning Books” collage, you can see the copies to be destroyed.
To the right of the installation, you can see the exhibition dedicated to the Nazi ideology formation and how its supporters came to power. Nazism or National Socialism is both ideology and political regime that prevailed in Germany in 1933-1945. Nazism included a policy of brutal suppression of human rights, the highest degree of great-power chauvinism, and state anti-Semitism. The pseudo-doctrine of the inequality of the human races was the heart of Nazi ideology.
Dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles was the main reason the Nazis came to power in Germany. According to it, Germany has fully responsible for unleashing World War I. As a result, the country became subject to onerous reparations and various restrictions. What’s more, part of its territories was occupied. The Nazis succeeded mainly because of the global economic crisis that swept the country in 1929.
Nazi ideology spread to all spheres of German society. Particular attention was paid to working with youth. For this purpose, several youth organizations were created. The All-German Association, Hitler-Jugend (Youth of Hitler, from German), was the most well-known. Since 1936, Hitler-Jugend membership was mandatory for every Aryan teenager.
Please take a look at the showcase on the right. Here you can see the uniform of “Deutsche Jungfolk” junior member. “Deutsche Jungfolk” was a part of the Hitler-Jugend. Its brown color was borrowed from the Nazi Assault Squads (SA) members' uniforms. You can see it in the showcase on the left. The Hitler-Jugend flag also had an element imitating the symbols of “adult” Nazi organizations. It is embroidered with the infamous “lightning” (runic symbol “Sowilo”). Its doubled form was used in the Nazi “Protection Squadron,” known worldwide as the SS.
In the lower-left showcase, you can see some elements of propaganda targeted at the adults. Take a look at the album, containing a collection of stickers for cigarette packs with an image of Hitler. Next to it, there are two photo albums of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The chronicle of this event is displayed on the wall on the right. In 1936, on the International Conference for the Defense of Olympic Ideas initiative, the Council for changing the venue of the Olympics from Berlin to Barcelona was established. The International Olympic Committee representatives, who arrived with a check-up, were satisfied with the preparations for the Games. During the preparation and holding of the Olympics, the Nazi authorities limited anti-Semitic and racial propaganda.
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