Adolf Hitler, Jewish, Nazism and Communism- Some thoughts - I

As a part of my research work in Human Rights, I got chance to visit different places in Europe. In a period of long time, I visited various Jewish Synagogues, Jewish Museum and Holocaust Museum in different parts of Europe.

When I was in Nepal and India, I learned that Hitler was a bad guy. Adolf Hitler wanted to take revenge of Germany's defeat in the First World War (WWI) and grabbed power by raising German Nationalist Slogans. We read that Adolf Hitler put blame on Jews for the loss in WWI and killed many of them. We learned these things but actually could never feel how painful the Past might have been to People of Europe and Jews in particular.

Surprisingly, in India, when I was studying, some of my classmates reviewed the book "Mein Kampf" supposedly the biography of Adolf Hitler. I read that Hindu Nationalist's Party Rastriya Swayam Shewak Dal ("RSS") in India considers Adolf Hitler a disciplined nationalist leader which is unbelievable. I never read Mein Kampf and to my knowledge, a German State Government holds Copyright over this book and does not allow it to publish in Germany. That means it is as good as banned in Germany. When I was in India, I could see that "Mein Kampf" was freely published, sold and distributed in every book shelves and it is surprisingly one of the most sold books.

The Problem is that in the eastern part of the World, we do not understand and realize the havoc created by Nazism practiced by Adolf Hitler.

In my student days, I also got a chance to read a book called "A Diary by a Fourteen Years Old Girl". The book was prepared by collecting the diary of Anne Frank who had to hide along with her parents as they were all Jews. In the diary, Frank writes how the whole family had to struggle to survive. Imagine a pain of a young kid which is only 14 years. The book sheds light on what Adolf Hitler was trying to do - by killing Jews and spreading antisemitism - in history, to be termed as "holocaust". Then, there was a movie called "Life is Beautiful" which I watched to understand more about Jewish's sufferings. That was my understanding of Adolf Hitler and his policies of destruction.

Later, when I started travelling to Europe, I could visit Jewish Museum and Synagogue in Budapest (Hungary), Jewish Museum in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), The Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), The Dachau Concentration Camp in Munich (Germany), The Topography of Terror  Museum (Berlin, Germany). These all visits enlightened me. They told the same story in different language, from different viewpoint, through various audio - video, contemporary news papers of those times, through image, arts, photography. In silence, these huge materials speak the same language - the fear, trauma and the annihilation of human civility and modernism. It is undisputed fact that Adolf Hitler murdered Six Million People and mostly Jews. Then, We must ask another question- Why? Why Adolf Hitler Killed so many Jews? 

I will write what I think about it in my next post. Before I conclude, there are laws in many countries punishing the denial of holocaust. Holocaust denial is explicitly or implicitly illegal in 17 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Switzerland. It is also to be noted that Adolf Hitler did not kill only the Jewish people. Hitler targeted Communists, Homosexuals, Jipsy, Roma and Sinti, Russian Prisoners of Wars etc. However, the killing of Jewish has outnumbered the others and has gained many significance and received wide attention.

Some of you my ask a question. Was Hitler a Communist?Actually, No. Hitler was never communist. In fact, he killed many communists in Germany and elsewhere. Later, Hitler breached the pact with Communist Russia and Communist Russia (then USSR) had to fight against Hitler. In my Berlin Trip, in the Museum called "Topography of Terror", I saw a pamphlet of 1930-40 where Hitler blamed Communist for fire in Reichstag. Therefore, we see that Hitler was anti-communist and killed many communist People also.

More on Next Post

My Berlin, Germany Trip - II Part - Final

On the Second and Third day of my Trip, I could cover the following places.

1. Check Point Charlie and the Museum

2. Open Free Berlin Wall related information Site

3. The Museum made by collecting the belongings of People who were killed while crossing Berlin Wall

4. The Berlin Wall

5. The Gallery of Photos on GESTAPO Site

6. The Topography of Terror

7. The "Story of Berlin" Museum and Bunker to withstand Nuclear Explosion.

From the list above, I would like to discuss little about Point No.1, and Point No. 4,5, and 6.

1. Check Point Charlie and the Museum

If you have read my first post here, you understand that Berlin was divided in East Berlin and West Berlin. The Berlin wall was created to check the people fleeing from East Germany to West Germany. The Check Point Charlie is a technically Customs/Entry Point from Communist East Germany to US Controlled West Germany. In Check Point Charlie, the US Soldiers were stationed till unification of East and West Germany. There are still road signs preserved on the street, and old USSR and US Armies memorabilia are sold on the streets. You can read more on this here. See some Photos below:

As seen from the West Germany Side-the border point when you cross to the Soviet Side

Before Berlin Wall was erected, it was a barbed fence to stop East Germans to cross to West. Russia and Eastern Blocks did not want People to flee to West side.

These People were here in Check Point Charlie Museum. If you can recognize  there is a photo of Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Next time, when you visit here, you will see a Photo of "Nepali Poet".

The photos below are from the Topography of Terror Museum which documents how Hitler exterminated Jewish, Communists, Socialists, Trade Unionist, Russian, Roma and Sintis. The Museum is located on the site where there was a Secret German Police called GESTPO's Office during Hitler's days. More on Gestapo and Topography of Horror, you can read here and here. GESTAPO was referred as SS during Nazi Time and some of the exterminations carried out by Nazi were not even known by lower rank SS Soldiers/Police.

The Fate of the Jewish - blot on the Humanity

Sign placed by a Nazi on Jewish Shop and message urging German - not to buy things from Jewish

Sight Seeing - Hop-on and Off  on the street of Berlin

Preserved Section of Berlin Wall - in front of House of Terror

Moment of Victory for US Soldier in WWII - When Adolf Hitler was defeated

Hitler's Propaganda Pamphlet. There was an English Translation of this which blamed Communists for Fire in Bundestag - Parliament and said Vote For Hitler. Hitler is No.1

And my impromptu Youtube Video below.

Hope you liked my blog

The First Part of My German Trip can be read here

My Three Parts of Paris Trip can also be read here in PART - I, PART -II and PART - III