Lecture on Historical Films and Nazi Germany

Adolf Hitler's Rise to Power

• Hitler came to power on January 30, 1933.
• Nazis offered community and national pride to certain German citizens.

Discovery of Historical Films

• Arthur Kannenberg's Films: Found by John Christopher Bechtler, a US Army member.
• Johannes Vosskamp's Films: Featured early Nazi party members, family life, and social connections.
  • Vosskamp went missing during WWII.

Nazi Control and Cultural Domination

• Nazis replaced civic organizations with regime-affiliated groups.
• Dominated political, economic, and cultural life in Germany.
• Aggressive militarism toward Europe.

Impact on Jewish and Minority Populations

• Laszlo Antos: Jewish engineer in Berlin, forced into labor in Hungary, survived WWII.
• Berlin Olympics 1936: Nazis temporarily masked racist policies.
  • Anti-Jewish signs were removed, antisemitic rhetoric toned down.

Documentation of Nazi Regime

• Julien Bryan's Films: Documented life under Nazis, including banned modernist art in Munich.
  • Captured the Reich Party Day 1937 showing militarism.
  • Filmed destruction in Warsaw during German invasion of Poland.

Eva Braun's Footage

• Filmed high-ranking Nazis, including scenes at Berghof in Berchtesgaden.

Nazi Expansion

• Austria Annexation 1938: Documented by Ross Baker, who filmed Nazi propaganda and persecution.
• Nazi's initial invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, marked the start of WWII.

Individual Narratives and Resistance

• Sugihara's Visas: Japanese diplomat issued 2,000 transit visas to refugees.
• Regenstreif Family: Jewish family forced out of their home in Vienna, fled to the USA.

Preservation of Historical Films

• Significance of Home Movies: Provide insight into the effects of historical events on ordinary people.
• Holocaust Museum's Archive: Collects and preserves amateur films to document the Holocaust and WWII.