For historical reasons Berlin – the capital of Germany – is a city with quite a history especially because of its Third Reich association. The Third Reich or sometimes referred to as the Nazi Germany was a time of significant political and social transformation under the rule of Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945. This blog post will concern the effects of the Third Reich in Berlin and its effects in determining the course of the city.
1. Rise of the Third Reich
The Third Reich was realized after Hitler assumed the position of Chancellor in January 1933. Late the experiment became the capital of Nazi and the city experienced significant changes during this period. The Nazis aimed at reconstructing the city as a capital of the new powerful German empire. Major architectural activities as well as propaganda were carried out to improve the image of the regime.
1.1 Architectural and City Planning
Nazi saw themselves as the architects of the Great Order where Berlin would be rebuilt to what Nazis called “Germania” a great city that would host the empire. To do so, they got in touch with famous architects, such as Albert Speer, to draw huge structures and modify the city’s map. Anticipated constructions happened to comprise the massive volume of Volkshalle or literally an enclosed domed structure proposed for the purpose of the of capital city. However, many of these projects remained on paper only owing to the outbreak of what was popularly known as the World War II.
1.2 Propaganda and Public Events
The performance of power was made effective by the Nazis in which Berlin was used as a platform for propaganda. Other events as the Nuremberg annual rallies depicted the power of the regime and they locked down Nazi beliefs in Berlin. In these occasions, Hitler used rhetoric speeches that heightened nationalism and developed what can be described as a persona worship of Hitler. Temples of democracies such as the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag house today: However, during the extermination of Jews, these temples wereturned into Nazi symbols where people often posed for Photos and movies.
2. Berlin in the Third Reich
Although Berlin went through radical changes when it became the capital of the Third Reich the same change affected the lives of regular individuals. The government put into practice a policy of repression and oppression of critics was rife. People with Jewish background and those who had betrayed the Germans, political opponents, intellectuals as well as disabled persons were eliminated through the holocaust.
2.1 Jewish Persecution and the holocaust
Berlin boasted one of Europe’s largest Jewish populations at the outbreak of the war, but by 1939 nearly all were facing increasingly hostile persecution from the Nazis. The Nuremberg Laws that were put into practice in 1935 was gradually putting Jewish people to different limitations and in the long run ejecting them from several facets of society including school, work and from public places. That systematic genocide of Jews in the Holocaust led to deportation and annihilation of millions, Berlin being no exception.
2.2 Control and Surveillance
The secret police of the Nazi regime known as the Gestapo had a well rooted force in Berlin. a large-scale spying and internal intelligence-reporting were employed, so control was maintained and nonconformity punished. People were thus reporting anything which they felt that was suspicious or unloyal, creating an environment of paranoia. Someone tried to oppose this regime, for example, the members of theWhite Rose group but it led to heavy punishment.
3. The second area of study, titled Berlin’s Legacy and Commemoration looks at how the city has become significant to European memory.
After the defeat of the Third Reich in 1945 the city was left with the challenge of the reconstruction. During the division of Germany, This city was divided into two districts; East and West Berlin where each part developed its own stories and depiction of past. In more recent years, Berlin has sought to come to terms with its past with monuments and museums and educational projects.
3.1 Memorials and Museums
School’s of memory comprise the Holocaust Memorial also known as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews in europe which is in Berlin and is a reminder of the holocaust that occurred during the Third Reich. The Topography of Terror at the Gestapa’s former site has top-notch displays on Nazis terror organization and functions.
3.2 Education and Remembrance
Berlin considers it is crucial to educate young people in the victories and screw-ups of the Third Reich. Holocaust education is included in Berlin’s curriculum in order to make children aware of the past mistakes and indeed make them equal to none in the future having option to reject such thoughts and act accordingly. Historic walking tours which feature the guidance of the professional tour guides help the visitors to walk through the city and see the historical places of interest .
Conclusion
The period of the Third Reich in Berlin is the rather nightmarish epoch essential to describe. Even if the regime tries to build Berlin as they wanted, Berlin became the symbol of power and remembrance. We owe ourselves an understanding of these past actions in a hope that maybe through learning and awareness we will be able to say no to any future incidences such as these. Thus, Berlin remains a symbol of instability of democratic achievements and the need to be always cautious with references to the extremism threat.