Stop, Look, Think...

Stop, Look, Think!

By Farouk Gulsara

Here I am, waiting in my car, clutching my steering wheel. It has been a good five minutes, and I am at a standstill. There are no vehicles in front of me. It is a T-junction with traffic lights. There is no traffic on either road, but I have no choice. I have to wait.

https://borderlessjournal.com/2024/07/15/stop-look-think/

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Fractured world we live in

© Manuel Strehl

What is in a font, you may think. The choice of a font could be a matter of personal picking. Some may be pertinent in a formal setting (e.g. Times Roman); other in a jovial environment (e.g. Comic Sans in a birthday party). 

Ever since printing became a reality in Europe in the 15th century, blackletter typeface like Fraktur and Antiqua were the mainstay chirography. Most publications were in Latin. Over time as people become more educated, local languages developed and the seed of nationalism was planted. Reformation works of Martin Luther and collection of fairy tales of Brothers Grimm created a need for the schism between Latin and German works. Antiqua was the default script for Latin and Fraktur for German.  

All through till 20th Century, Fractur typesetting continued in Germany and many Scandinavian countries. Most of the Europeans had theirs set in Antiqua. The Fraktur-Antiqua difference persisted till 1941 when the Nazi Party declared Fraktur was Jewish writing. The real reason behind this was commerce. Their clients found it hard to read fraktur script. By putting an 'acceptable' rationale behind the decree, the herd just followed blindly.

In modern times, neo-nazi or anti-migration movements use this font to subtly remind its readers of nationalism and to reminisce the time when there was a call to keep the land 'pure'. 
Newspapers with old traditions like 'New York Times', Washington Times' and 'Daily Telegraph' have their mastheads emboldened in fraktur font. Beers, pubs' signboards, tattoos and surprisingly heavy metal bands come in this similar typeset to add to their exoticness and mystique.

Closer to home, one wonders why radicals are hellbent on introducing the Jawi in the learning of the Malay Language when in reality the script does not improve the richness, the spread or the usability of the language in any way.

A political statement in Dresden, Germany 'This bus is driven by a German driver' it says.

The Fraktur font emphasises the 'Germanness' to drive home the message. © 99% Invisible.

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We are bound to repeat the sins of our fathers!

Greatest Events in WW2 (Netflix, 2019)

We all know almost everything about WW2 and how humanity showed its ugly face in annihilating each other. What makes this offering unique is that, beyond the colourisation of old films, it gives a somewhat good account of why both sides acted the way both the feuding parties did what they did. 

It narrates the sequence of events of the Second World War in Europe, on the Western and Eastern Fronts as well as the Pacific Wars. It tries to shed light, or at least give a viewpoint to the many controversies of the day and the many questionable decisions made by the world powers of the day.

In wars, they say, nobody wins. There is no doubt, however, that the act of war promotes technological advances and stimulates the economy while it lasts. The aftermath of war also is an advantage to the victors as they dictate terms of conquest and take the lion's share of re-development of the losers territories.

In essence, WW2 is the continuation of the Great War. German felt that the Versailles Treaty had unfairly blamed it for starting the war. Reparation payments had literally bankrupted the nation. In the midst of all these emerges a leader, elected all through the legitimate ways, a democratically chosen head who proclaimed himself as the Fuhrer. People were happy as the economy was improving, industrialisation was going full steam and Germans were getting employment. 

Hitler managed to build a nationalistic spirit and managed to unite his people under the German flag. On the outside, Hitler seems like a nice chap who has cordial relationships with Russia and the British. But at the local level, he with Goebbels, his Propaganda Minister are hellbent in convincing the Germans that Jews are their enemies. The Jews had a steady hand in the Bolshevik Revolution and the creation of a fascist State. Hitler decries that the West is decadent. 

The World, still reeling from a debilitating World War and the Depression of the late 1920s and early 30s did not think anyone would go into war. British PM Chamberlain had embarrassingly vouched for Germany that it had no expansionary intentions over its neighbours after it had annexed Sudetenland. 

Sure enough, Hitler did not keep to his words. His Pervistin (an amphetamine) spiked Wehrmacht (army), and the spanking new and efficient Luftwaffe (airforce) literally steamrolled (blitzkrieg) through Austria, Czechoslavakia, Poland in the East and France as well as Belgium in the West. The Germans expanded North to conquer Norway and Sweden. In almost two weeks, the more significant part of Europe was under German control. The British were humiliated at Dunkirk when they had to scuttle away with civilian help when they were surrounded by the German Army. The Germans were controlling the whole of the Atlantic coast of Europe.

The first taste of German defeat came about when they sent their Luftwaffe to the thinly guarded Battle of Britain. The RAF managed to ward off the German's night raids in a heroic defence which gained points for Churchill as an excellent wartime Premier. The English were offered the olive branch but was blunted refused by Churchill.

Over at the Pacific end, the Japanese military was being hijacked by the extreme right-wing faction of the society. They had spread a Samurai-like unwavering loyalty to the nation and portrayed a God-like status to the Emperor in the eye of his subjects. 

Industrialisation and the demand for coal and iron got the Japanese rampaging through Manchuria and Nanking. Germany made a pact with Japan and Tojo, an army commander became the PM of Japan. This further fuels its military agenda.

Pearl Harbour marked the entry of America into the war. The USA retaliated by flying deep into Japanese territory. The Battle of Midway showcased drama in real life as the US Army and the Japanese intercepted each others' messages and created elements of surprises to outwit each other. Even though many of the Japanese bombers failed to detonate at the most crucial moment, they were winning the Pacific War. By a twist of fate and element of luck, the US dive bombers caught up with the Japanese fleet and got the upper hand in the War.


In the earlier part of WW2, Russia and Germany had a non-aggression pact with each other and carved off Poland. The Nazis viewed the Slavs as inferior and the Jews as the conspirators of the Communists. Even though the Balkans and Central Asia (including Azerbaijan) were more exceptional spoils with their old-fields, Hitler decided to attack Stalingrad in Operation Barbarossa. History repeats itself. Attacking Russia in the height of winter was a big mistake as the Germans realised just like how Napoleon and his men discovered the hard way when the Russian natives abandoned their towns after torching them. This began the end of German dominance and the most significant turning point in the war. They were surrounded, trapped and starved to death. Like the Russian Matryoshka doll, the onion metaphor, the Russians came back with a vengeance.


Rommel was given the task of guarding the Atlantic Wall. There were four likely sites that the Germans expected to be attacked. Pas-de-Calais was thought to be the locality of landing. Through multiple military deceptions, false misinformation and the use of encryption devices (Enigma being one of them), the Allied Forces managed to plan in the French beach of Normandy. 

The Battle of Bulge or the Ardeness Counteroffensive was the last German offensive campaign on the Western Front. After their disastrous stints in Russia, the Allied Forces ( the British, Americans and the Canadians) must have thought that moving in must have been easy. The Germans counterattacked with much vigour in the lousy weather, rendering the Allied airstrikes impossible to execute.  Just when everything seems gone wrong, the weather cleared, and the Germans were defeated as the Russians advanced on the Eastern Front.

As the heat of the war escalated, it came to light that it was not the Axis Forces the evil ones. The RAF, through the leadership of Arthur 'Bomber' Harris, practised area bombing. His 'Operation Thunderclap' which involved night bombing and utter devastation of the cultural town of Dresden. Dresden was of no military interest. The carpet bombing of this town literally created a firestorm and cooked its citizens. Gobbles strategically leaked out pictures of Dresden carnage to neutral press in Switzerland and Sweden to garner world sympathy as well as to tarnish the squeaky clean image of the Allied Forces. The voice of dissidence grew louder.

It became clear through World War 2 that even civilised people fell into depravity when the situation is ripe. The liberation of inmates of concentration camps in places like Buchenwald showed how Man is coerced so easily into evil. Again and again, history has shown how we fall prey to the sweet talk and rhetorics of the leaders to sanction something, which in retrospect, is so inhumane.

The necessity of the need to drop nuclear bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains unanswered. The Japanese forces were already wearing thin. Their resources had already been depleted. The Empire was already a spent force. The Russians, after successfully completing their Eastern European front, were moving in from the North. Perhaps, the need to quash the Communist dominance over this area was urgent. Knowing the mortifying effects of the atomic bombs, the white men still proceeded with the mission. Perhaps the Asians were lesser human. Would they have done the same to their European brothers? 

The lesson learnt at the end of the series is that Man's greatest enemy is Man himself. He is spineless, is easily manipulated and is hellbent on destruction. He will let past history pass him by and is cursed to repeat the sins of his fathers.

"I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

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The last bastion - race and religion!

Perception of Iran
Ch 8. Iran and Aryan Myth
David Motadel

Enemies of my enemies are friends!
Credit: historyisfascinating.com

Just before the world went to war for the second time, there was a concerted effort by the ruling power to unite people along the lines of race and history. Hitler and his henchmen were going all out to describe a pure superior Aryan race. They were quick to vilify Jews as the vermin of society with the help of propaganda films. Pretty soon, the nation was hoodwinked to pursue what became a national agenda, anti-Semitism and eventually Holocaust.

I was a little annoyed at the sight of a down-and-out politician who, without batting an eyelid ferociously claimed to the world that he is an unapologetic racist and is proud of it, to the thunderous applause of his supporters. What are they thinking or are they thinking at all? Do they not know history?

It is intriguing how the Aryan race and its origin had been manipulated by leaders to carry out their personal agendas.

The first known mention of the Aryan race is from the stone inscription by King Darius of Persia (522-486 BCE). He proclaimed to the great king of kings of Persia and of the Aryan race. In the Zoroastrian and Vedic context, an Aryan is a noble person. It is generally believed that the Aryans are the forefathers of modern Europeans, based on the Indo-European linguistic connections. There were similarities in grammatical constructions between Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Gothic, Celtic and old Persian languages.

Around the 1830s, at a time when people became interested in race studies and nationalism was a new construct, historians start talking about a perfect race of Nordic origin (the true Aryans) who started their conquest and brought ancient civilisation to the East.

Adolf Hitler talking to Grand Mufti of Jerusalem,
Haj Amin el Husseini Keystone / Getty Images

To build a national spirit of an ailing economy in post-WW1 German, Hitler brought people together with the concept of a Germanic master race. He toyed the idea of Aryan versus Non-Aryan, Aryan vs Semitic and Jewish vs No Jewish demarcation of society. The Nuremberg Law of 1935 outlawed marriage and extra-marital unions between Germans and Jews.

The Qajar Dynasty which ruled Persia also joined the bandwagon to promote the Aryan agenda. It changed the country's name to Iran which meant 'Land of Aryans'. They and the Ottoman Empire were not classified as Semitic but Aryans as they were to be the allies to the Axis.

Amongst the German circles, the Iranians, the Egyptians and the Turks were never considered to be equal to them. This Aryan discourse died a natural death after the fall of the Third Reich and remains a myth.

http://www.davidmotadel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/MotadelAryans.pdf

Motadel, David (2014) Iran and the Aryan myth. In: Ansari, Ali, (ed.) Perceptions of Iran: history, myths and nationalism from medieval Persia to the Islamic Republic. International Library of Iranian studies (37). I.B.Tauris, London, UK, pp. 119-145. ISBN 9781848858305

Fate is fluid, destiny is in the hand of Man!

The Man in the High Castle (Seasons 1 and 2)

They say that there is no entity as time. It is just a construct made by Man. Life works just fine when the purpose of your living is laid bare for you to follow, and Nature does not put obstacles in your path. It may work just fine if you live in a utopia, a paradise, a land of make-believe! In reality, Nature had to be tamed. The element of predictability needs to be made clear to avert eventualities. This is where time comes in handy, to put a perspective on the cyclical nature of things. Everything in Nature has a mathematic equation to put them in place and time is a denominator.

We have heard of Manzanar, the concentration camp built to place American-Japanese after Pearl Harbour. And the American-German Bund movement which existed before WW2 to promote Nazi in a favourable light. That was it! After World War 2 ended, they were passé.

Imagine an alternative universe where the Germans and the Japanese won World War 2! Well, that is the premise of this miniseries set at around 1962. There is no JFK and no Cuban Missile crisis. Washington, DC had been bombed with a nuclear bomb. The Nazi Army had taken control of the Eastern part of North America and renamed it as Greater Nazi Reich with New York as their administrative capital. The Japanese have carved the Eastern part of US to name it the Japanese Pacific States, to rule it with an iron fist in a delicate balance of power realm between the Empire, Kempeitai and Yakuza. Bordering these two areas is a lawless state in the spine of the continent referred to the Neutral Zone.

Amidst all these, there is the Resistance Army whose freedom fighters try to purge the invaders from American soil.

Embroiled in all this imbroglio are - an Aikido exponent whose sister is killed by the Japanese Military police, her boyfriend, a Nazi agent, an SS officer and his family, a Japanese inspector and an impressive deeply spiritual Japanese minister who could time-travel. The Minister, sometimes, during some unspecified moments, could venture into an alternative universe of what would have been with their own President and the Cold War. The mainstay of the Resistance's activity seems to procure and send reels of films which carry coded messages. Sneak peek into the films which are actually newsreels shows a different narrative to the life that they were leading.

And a senile Adolf Hitler is still alive, perched up in a castle in the mountains, he stays aloof to his surroundings, watching runs and re-runs of old films! There is a power struggle brewing to oust the dictator.

The second season had just ended and the third should more interesting as the plot thickens...

There will come a day when all men must bear the weight of their responsibility!
Fate is fluid, Destiny is in the hand of man.

N.B. There are ports within our plane of existence where we can teleport ourselves into different timelines. Apparently, this is how sages communicate with their gurus to get advice on the further plan of action or inaction. Clairvoyants are also able to communicate with the departed through this loophole. Hey, this is time travel!
Looking at the title of miniseries, one wonders whether the man in the high castle actually refers to Hitler as he is the one in his own world in villa up in the Alps. Alas, it refers to the man who distributes reels of film which show an alternate universe to what they are trapped in!

Propaganda

Triumph of Will ( Triumph des Willens, German; 1935)

The Godfather of propaganda must have realised early in his career that visual representation of a lie, often repeated will eventually be the accepted truth. This, coming from a person who almost made it to the Academy of Fine Arts of Vienna, must be true.

Thanks to a party member, a certain Elisabeth Nietzsche, he gained access to the mind of one the greatest 20th-century thinker, Frederich Nietzsche, her brother. His unpublished book, 'Will of Power', which Nietzsche thought was too controversial to man, was made available to him. Many of his ideas are starkly portrayed here in this propaganda film.  

Like Zarathustra, in Nietzsche's book,  Hitler appears from the clouds and disembarks the plane to present his good news to the people. If Zarathustra brought in the news from the mountains, that God is dead, this time, it is at the Nuremberg, and it is the Social Democrat party assembly. He is welcomed like a demi-god by floods of youths, farmers, women and looks like everybody in Deutschland! Happy faces are seen everywhere. Everybody goes overboard to express their pleasure to partake in a huge street parade. On exhibition are the various movements, governmental, army, youth movements, farmers' groups and much more.

Also seen in the documentary are the members of the Nazi circles of who and who, all ashamedly showing their allegiance to Hitler and the Party. New speeches are spoken. Hitler's speech sounds like many of the rhetorics that we hear today about making the country great. The emotional theatric display of party members ends with one by Deputy Fuhrer with a phrase, "The Party is Hitler, but Hitler is Germany as Germany is Hitler. Hail Victory.

In this documentary, we are showcased the greatness of German cinematography. It must have been quite a feat to do an outdoor shooting of a street parade involving a mammoth crowd. Aerial shots, both of a flying plane amongst the clouds and of marching bands from atop a building must be avant-garde. The Germans who introduced the genre of noir film with its typical long shadow shots show their prowess at night filming.

To carry out law or justice?

Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)
As our country comes to a crossroad, and many uncertainties have to be thrashed out so that history would not judge us in a bad light, it is always good to look back at history. Even though inevitable, we do not to want history to repeat itself.
Many of the dialogues in this film cut through incisively like a knife. The topics argued here about race and masterly inactivity by the people in authority are relevant today as it were 80 years ago. It is worth a watch, albeit its 3 hour speech filled presentation.
This film narrates the military trial in Nuremberg of 4 civilians who served in Nazi Germany. The accused are Emil Hahn (prosecutor), Frederich Hoffstetter, Warren Lemmpe and Ernst Janning (a reputable authority in law and Minister of Law, acted brilliantly by Burt Lancaster.)
The trial is presided by a tribunal panel of 3 where the head is Judge Harewood (Spencer Tracy). He is actually given the job as nobody else wanted it and was just a small time District Court Judge from Maine.
Basically the trial covered three angles - forced sterilisation, racial pollution as decreed by Nazi Germany  and Holocaust.
The 4 accused, through the powers that they had had either decided to follow the ruling Government's decree or did nothing to mete justice. They carried out the law but not justice!
In the forced sterilisation case,  a mentally deficient individual, Peterson (Montgomery Clift) tells of how because of his family's political affiliations, was sterilised as the family had a hereditary genetic disorder.
In another case, an elderly Jew was executed as he was accused of having an affair with a young German (Aryan) girl, Irene Hoffmann (Judy Garland). Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster) was the presiding judge then.
In between the trial, Judge Harewood also tries to understand the sentiments of the average German through the eyes of his servants and a former wealthy wife of a Nuremberg executed General, Mrs Bertholdt (Marlene Dietrich). The Americans actually admire the German's culture, civilisation, countryside and music. They could not fathom why they allowed such an atrocity to happen in the first place.
In the meantime, outside the courtroom, pressure is mounting for the court to give a favourable verdict to woo the German people's heart as the Cold War was building up. Russian troops were advancing and for the love of democracy, the Americans have to garner support of the Germans to prevent fall of Germany to the Eastern Bloc.
The prosecutor then screens a film in the courthouse of the events of executions in the concentration camps. By the inactions of the accused, they have been privy to Hitler's cruelty.
Most people claim that the general public were not made aware of the killings. The people in higher place knew the killing but not gravity of the problem, that the execution involved 6 million people!
In a touching speech by Janning, he explained that like many things in life, the Nazi would just be a passing phase. He did not expect it to be a way of life. At that juncture, he thought he could change things by staying within the system.
The defence lawyer, Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell who got an Oscar for his role), justified that the accused alone cannot be guilty of their crimes. The whole world should be guilty of it - the Russian for signing a pact to justify Nazi's march to Poland, the Vatican for approving their government, Churchill for praising the leadership in Hitler. Despite his shortcomings, Hitler did give a sense of national pride to its citizen at a time it was devastated from the effects of the world war. Anyway, the Americans have their hands dirty via the human devastation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The 8 months trail ended with all 4 given life imprisonment but were released soon after.
So, the discussion point is that whether we are doing justice to the nation by our inaction. What is the role of a judge? Is it to carry out what the law says or it to carry out justice? Should they be independent true to the profession or should they be subservient to their paymasters or pass judgements to satisfy populist sentiments?

Who needs thinkers?

The Eichmann trial had often been critiqued for being a witch hunt, looking for a scapegoat rather than trying to get to the root of the problem. A problem far more significant than Adolf Eichmann transporting prisoners to Auschwitz, more than just sending the lambs to the slaughter!
Hannah Arendt, writing for the magazine New Yorker, herself a Jewess who suffered imprisonment by Nazi, was expecting to see a gruesome-looking mean dude at the trials. She was quite surprised at the simple-looking civil servant who was more interested in completing his given task at the dock. He was oblivious to the sequelae of his actions. Arendt coined the term 'banality of evil' and proposed that evil done unknowingly by an unthinking person is the worst kind.

That got me thinking...

Again and again, history has shown people choosing a leader and following his directions blindly. The Germans elected a monster through the legal means who rocked the whole world to realise his megalomaniac dream of creating a purebred Aryan race. The ever mild-mannered Japanese are also guilty of turning a blind eye to their regime which raped and massacred half of the world.

Looking back, these nations would like to forever erase that dark tainted part of their nation's history.

But then, to achieve a particular agenda, a leader has to have ways to influence the masses to do things in a specific fashion so that their mission is accomplished. The masses must be seen to be doing their given tasks without questioning all in the name of the glory of the race, nation, flag or religion. They must be spineless working at a spinal level like zombies. Thinking is not allowed.
If everybody starts thinking and questioning, the target would not be met, and you would have is just pandemonium.

On the other hand, these unquestioning loyalty and war did produce some milestones in the human civilisation. Advances in air transportation, engineering and energy are testimony to this. The sizeable big step forward is also marred by the fact that they are savvier of ways to annihilate each other.

Betrayed by his own flesh!

Hitler: The last 10 days (1973)
The random distribution of proteins adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine and uracil makes sure that in any organization, be it animal or human kingdom, 1% of the population will always conquer over the remaining 99% of the remaining subservient. There can only be 1 alpha male in the lion colony and 1% will control the economy of the world no matter how fair an economic system man proposes. This status quo is mandatory to maintain peace and order in any group. If everyone is learned, influential and possess excellent leading qualities, there is bound to be chaos, hence, nature has created this arrangement.
Hence, in keeping with this background, history has shown again and again of leaders would bring a race to glory and then also to its downfall due to their greed. Hitler is such an example. It is amazing how the 99% follow blindly their leader and agree for horrendous terror against fellow kind which in retrospect would like to forget. Forgive their ancestors, maybe, but learn from history? I doubt it.
This 1973 British made film is acted to perfection by the legendary  Sir Alec Guinness in the leading role of the moody Austrian. As Hitler is the reason the movie is made, so Sir Alec is forgiven for taking over the main role and its mainstay. It shows us his soliloquy, his thought process and his glorious past to the rise of the Third Reich.
It tells the events that took place at the Führerbunker, the 60 feet concrete underground in Berlin built for the Führer and his faithful Officers between 20th April 1945 (Hitler's birthday) and 30th April 1945 (Hitler's suicide). All speeches and actions in the authenticated by an Oxford historians and a fellow soldier in the bunker.

The whole of Germany in chaos.The Russian army is drawing closer to Berlin. Hitler, however, is still in his own world, sticking fast to his grandeur idea of a German Empire! Eva Braun (his mistress) and fellow inmates of the bunker celebrate Führer's 56th birthday. Hitler has strict house rules, no smoking and no drinking, but that being an exceptional day, allows champagne to befit the occasion. The unhappy officers listen to Hitler's brag of how, he, a graduate of no military school, single-handedly, built an empire for the peasants of Germany who were ruined to smithereens after the First World War.
The soldiers have their own secluded place in the bunker where they have their dose of cigarettes and wines. Whilst the rest of Germany is being bombed by the Allied forces, the birthday bash with dance goes on with laughter and music, with the occasional interruption by sound of falling bombs.
And the Russians are slowly making their way to Berlin as the days go on. More bad news keep on rolling in as the Hitler breaks down as his Third Reich has failed.
Then good news comes that the Russian and American armies were engaged in an argument. As the days go on, more bad news..a telegram comes of his Deputy taking charge of administration.
Hitler laments on how everybody in his life was betraying him. Again and again Hitler states that he has been betrayed by all the Germans in spite of his contribution to Germany.
In a very puzzling move, Hitler summons an officer from Munich to Berlin, flying through the battle field just to inform him of his promotion as Field Marshal.
As the Russians move closer, Hitler decides to use the Hitler Youth, an army of young teenage boys to be their human shield to protect Berlin.

Alec Guinness

As the future appears bleak, Hitler discusses mass suicide rather than allowing the Allied Forces having the joy of parading Hitler like a caged animal for the world to see. After discussing about cyanide capsules, shooting themselves, burning themselves etcetera, Hitler presents everyone with cyanide capsules as a wedding present after he marries Eva Braun in the bunker. Of course a photograph of Hitler was presented to attendees for compliment.
Post wedding party continues with champagne and songs. Russian bombs are raining Berlin and Hitler writes his final testament. He floods the underground tunnels which housed hospital beds to protect himself.
Russians move in just 300 metres away.
Eva takes a capsule. Hitler shoots himself.
The film ends with the remaining soldiers looking into the Fuhrer's room. Instead of taking their cyanide capsules, for once in front of Hitler in the bunker, they lit their cigars and cigarettes.
In his death, Hitler must have felt betrayed, yet again.
It is a fantastic depiction of the Austrian who conquered Europe and brought the whole world at its knees by Alec Guinness. Somehow we feel pity for Hitler for his egoistic megalomaniac ideas for his unshakeable nationalistic patriotism and ability to unite a country which was poor and hungry. By uniting them and getting the economy going again, he gave the world the seed for the German brand that we all know today.
A good show.

Quotable quote:
(Upon receiving a fine elaborate embroidery of a Nazi flag on his birthday from some General's wives, Hitler says, "What exquisite workmanship! What loving care has gone into this. Love and devotion to a man are the highest virtues in a woman. Intelligence is not very important. My mother was certainly no genius but she gave birth to a great son to the German people. Well done."

(On decision to flood tunnels which hold hospital beds)
Nature is cruel so I have to be cruel.