Heinrich Himmler: A Bisk, Autumn Night In Munich, Germany

German society is a topic of discussion for all historians who study the period of World War II. Many Germans at the time said that they were not associated with the Nazi party nor supporters of their ideologies. But throughout this analysis, Peter Fritzsche provides claims that the German people were greatly involved in the Nazi regime goals, which is a controversial subject for today.

(United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) For a short period of time, he served for the Eleventh Bavarian Regiment as an officer cadet, although he did not experience any combat due to the signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty, which ended World War I. (Jewish Virtual Library) After the signing of the treaty, Himmler’s hope of becoming a soldier was shattered, so he decided to return to school. In July of 1919, Himmler graduated from a high school in Landshut, Germany, and decided to continue his education and attend college. He enrolled at the Technical University in Munich, Germany as an agriculture major. While taking classes at Technical University, Himmler joined a German-nationalist student fraternity. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) Upon joining this fraternity, Himmler found himself questioning his Catholic ways and began to reject many of the beliefs that had been bestowed upon him by his parents and religion. (New World Encyclopedia)

This historical investigation analyzes the similarities and differences between three important Nazi leaders; Heinrich Himmler, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Goebbels. After scanning a variety of sources, my analysis of the research indicates that there were many similarities between the three men such as childhood difficulties, education, and motivational developments. However there were differences as well including purpose/motives, and the establishment of leadership.

The main sources for this book consist of archival documents and court records of the Holocaust. The specific testimony, court records, investigation records, and prosecution documents of members of the Reserve Police Battalion 101 members are used as sources. In this book, Christopher Browning shows in minute detail the sequence of events and individual reactions that turn ordinary men into killers. His arguments make sense. He makes no unwarranted assumptions. The cause and effect statements made and arguments presented are logical and well developed. Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning accounts for the actions of the German Order Police (more specifically the actions of Reserve Police Battalion 101 in Poland) and the role they played in the Second World War during the Jewish Holocaust. Police Battalion 101 was composed of veterans from World War One and men too old to be

At the time the Nazi party was beginning to acquire popularity in Germany, Adolf Hitler created the Schutzstaffel, which occupied a major role in the Holocaust, and had a structure that included several branches, however the military wing eventually met its end at the conclusion of World War II. When the SS was first founded, it served as a guard to important leaders of the Nazi party, and then grew to be involved in the planning of the Holocaust. The SS was divided into two main groups. As the threat of the Allied powers became more imminent to the Germans, the SS began to disband and officials managed to avoid punishment. Hitler had ordered the Schutzstaffel to create a “Final Solution” against the Jews, and once it was large enough, was divided into the Allgemeine-SS and the Waffen-SS, but once the SS had separated, most of the

Christopher R. Browning’s “Ordinary Men” chronicles the rise and fall of the Reserve Police Battalion 101. The battalion was one of several units that took part in the Final Solution to the Jewish Question while in Poland. The men of Reserve Police Battalion 101, and other units were comprised of ordinary men, from ordinary backgrounds living under the Third Reich. Browning’s premise for the book is very unique, instead of focusing on number of victims, it examines the mindset of how ordinary men, became cold-hearted killers under Nazi Germany during World War II. Christopher Browning’s “Ordinary Men” presents a very strong case that the men who made up the Reserve Police Battalion 101 were indeed ordinary men from ordinary background, and

Oh how great our leader is! These words are similar to the words that many Germans would use throughout the power of Hitler. In Life and Death In the Third Reich, Peter Fritzsche introduces how society changed under Hitler. The society under Hitler would lead to the deaths of thousands of people. Hitler also will establish the idea what a “true German” was.

German soldiers fought the Führer’s ideological war. Hitler wanted the German race to take over the world. Heinrich Bölls book, And Where Were You, Adam?, describes several soldiers and their lives at the end of World War II. In the chaos of war, they found various reasons to capitulate with the Holocaust and other atrocities, but at the same time, tried to find some normalcy and sanity in an insane situation. Just as other warriors in other wars, they were humans who found themselves in an inhuman situation. They were concerned with the defense of their homeland, family, and future. They were not monsters, but men serving under monstrous leaders and nefarious conditions.

Heinrich Himmler was born on October 7, 1900, in Munich, Germany where he grew up to become the second most powerful man in the third Reich. His cause of fame was due to his control over the SS and Gestapo, as well as his jurisdiction concerning the holocaust. Himmler was given control of the SS, also known as the Nazi Party in 1929. Since he had authority, he began to expand his influence across Europe. In the late summer of 1941, Himmler got the approval to organize a mass murder among the Jewish people. With inspiration of exterminating the Jews, Himmler delivered a speech to SS officers in Poznan, October 4, 1943. This speech elaborated about his beliefs and order of conquered people. This speech motivated the Schutzstaffel to kill approximately eleven million people. (Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, Heinrich Himmler) Himmler announced his speech in German. Inconveniently, I can’t understand German, however, this article accurately translates Himmler’s speech from German to English. My source is are from original documents on the holocaust, found in Trial of War Criminals Before the Nurnberg Military Tribunals – Washington, U.S Govt. Print. Off., 1949-1953, Vol. XII, p.232, and Himmler, Reichsfuehrer SS-P. The purpose of this source was to manipulate people into thinking that Jews were an inferior race and a threat to German policies.

Before World War II began in 1939, in 1933 there were over nine million Jews living in Europe (Holocaust Encyclopedia). Adolf Hitler decided that there needed to be fewer Jews in Europe. There were also SS guards which were members who followed Hitler’s footsteps and obeyed whatever Hitler told them to do. Millions of Jews were killed during the Holocaust and that was what Hitler and the SS guards wanted; to execute as many Jews as possible. Heinrich Himmler and the Jewish youth group in Vilna had two very different views of the Holocaust. Himmler was on Hitler’s side and believed that destroying all Jews would allow the rest of Europe to have a better life. The Jewish youth group wanted to fight for their lives in Vilna. They had lost the majority of their family members and they wanted to resist the Nazi’s, SS guards, and Hitler.

Reichswehr was the name of Germany’s military from 1919 to 1935. In July 1919 I was appointed by an agent of a reconnaissance commando of Reichswehr to spy on the German Workers’ Party (DAP). The DAP became the Nazi Party in the same year I was assigned to spy on them. I was told to monitor the DAP’s movements and activities and to influence other soldiers. As I spied on the DAP, I started to get more and more attracted to the things they were doing and their ideology. I really liked the ideas of the founder of DAP (Anton Drexler) ideas. His views were anti-semitic, anti-capitalist, nationalist, anti-Marxist, so this made me want to join the Nazi party. I was the 55th member of the Nazi Party. First I became a member and soon I became a leader in the

One year later World War 1 broke out and I volunteered for the Bavarian army. On the 1918 the same year on October. I was blinded by a British Gas attack and when I was conscious again I learned that Germany did not win. I wrote my first political document on September 19, 1919. The main point on that document is that my final goal of anti semitism must be the total removal of the Jews. The president or leader of Germany died on August 2, 1934. After his death on I became head of state and also commander in chief of the Wehrmacht, and so I assumed the title of Führer and Reichskanzler. I remember the day of April 2, 1945 I exaggerated that i had exterminated the Jews of Germany and central Europe.

Germany’s fate was changed on April 20, 1889, the day I, Adolf Hitler was born to German official, Alois and my dear, Klara Hitler. Little did they know of what a miracle that had blessed them that day. My destiny was decided for me every time my father lectured me about the abhor Jews, taking up our German property, and beat me for the childish mistakes I made. I realized my destiny was to punish the faults in our once perfect nation. My father’s strict upper hand was not the only contribution to my great plan. At the age of sixteen, I left my home to pursue my dream of becoming an artist. I enrolled myself into the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts. The vile Jews in charge of the school denied me acceptance into the school. I spent

On April 20, 1889, a demon was brought into this world. His name was Adolf Hitler. He was born in the family quarters of the Pommer Inn in Braunau, a small city on the Austrian border. The child was unhealthy and his mother, Klara, worried that young Adolf would not survive. Klara provided much love and attention to her baby, which Adolf would later take advantage of to get what he wanted (Smith 50). Despite his self-centeredness, Adolf held a deep bond with his mother which united them throughout his childhood. On the other hand, Alois, Adolf’s father, failed to play an important role in Adolf’s development. Alois spent the majority of his time away from the customs station with his friends

Even though Germany was left in a period of struggle and economic weakness after WW1, Adolf Hitler would take a stand by creating a party that would help refine the structure of the economy. This party, when abbreviated, was called Nazi, would also create harsh laws and unrelentless punishment. Due to the Nazi party’s quick growth, there was an immediate impact on lifestyle and politics for the people of Germany. The long term impact brought forth by the consequences or legacy of the Nazi party included a population decrease and an increase in deaths. To make both of these impacts, Hitler had to overcome many hard challenges.