The Royals and the Third Reich

[Lady Marmalade]

So Jennifer, when do you expect to receive the book you found on Amazon in regards to the Princess von Hesses, and their ties to the Third Reich?

[HRH Kerry]

I ordered from Amazon. I don't know when I'll receive the book since my order totaled over $25.00 and I took advantage of the free shipping.

Anyhoo...Hitler brainwashed Germany since he is legend as being a suave and charismatic speaker. Germany was a different Germany since its economic situation had improved under his motivating chatter and regime. He appealed to people and told them what they wanted to hear and therefore brainwashed them. He knew how to sell himself to the masses. Its not surprising that some royals got caught up in the mess. He rallied Germany against the Jews with more or less we have to blame someone for our rotten luck in life. Hitler used propaganda like no one has ever before.
It was a little too late when most realized what they had on their hands and there was no going back since they would be considered enemies of the state and face extermination.

[ChevalieurduCiel]

Originally Posted by kerry

I ordered from Amazon. I don't know when I'll receive the book since my order totaled over $25.00 and I took advantage of the free shipping.

Anyhoo...Hitler brainwashed Germany since he is legend as being a suave and charismatic speaker. Germany was a different Germany since its economic situation had improved under his motivating chatter and regime. He appealed to people and told them what they wanted to hear and therefore brainwashed them. He knew how to sell himself to the masses. Its not surprising that some royals got caught up in the mess. He rallied Germany against the Jews with more or less we have to blame someone for our rotten luck in life. Hitler used propaganda like no one has ever before.
It was a little too late when most realized what they had on their hands and there was no going back since they would be considered enemies of the state and face extermination.

Hem,When your country is calling you,whoeverer you are.... a King a Prince or a Peasant you go!!Unquestionably!You do your best in peace or war!If you don't you are a trator!

[HRH Kerry]

Originally Posted by ChevalieurduCiel

Hem,When your country is calling you,whoeverer you are.... a King a Prince or a Peasant you go!!Unquestionably!You do your best in peace or war!If you don't you are a trator!

True. A traitor that will face the same fate as those who where being exterminated.

[Princejohnny25]

This sounds like a very intresting thread.

[redfox6]

I have never posted before, but realize that there is a great lack in the present education of young people as to the real evil of the Third Reich. Many royals jumped on the bandwagon fully aware of the evil nature of the Third Reich. The "we knew nothing" group is nonsense. When the Nuremberg Laws were posted, denying Jews everything including citizenship, what did they think. They didn't care. Being anti-semitic in royal circles was the business of the day. It was also the business of the day for the general German citizen. Main Kampf outlined everything. Kristallnact certainly was a prelude for things to come and very violent. German troops wrote letters that have been printed to their families describing the massacres of Jews in Poland and Russia. Putting Jewish children and women in "labor camps" was okay? DACHAU, RAVENBRUCK, BUCHENWALD, were on German soil. What did they think was happening there. Many German aristocrats found Hitler repugnant from the beginning and worked against him for many years. But there are too many who found this acceptable, until after when it made them pariahs.

[melissajames]

Originally Posted by redfox6

I have never posted before, but realize that there is a great lack in the present education of young people as to the real evil of the Third Reich. Many royals jumped on the bandwagon fully aware of the evil nature of the Third Reich. The "we knew nothing" group is nonsense. When the Nuremberg Laws were posted, denying Jews everything including citizenship, what did they think. They didn't care. Being anti-semitic in royal circles was the business of the day. It was also the business of the day for the general German citizen. Main Kampf outlined everything. Kristallnact certainly was a prelude for things to come and very violent. German troops wrote letters that have been printed to their families describing the massacres of Jews in Poland and Russia. Putting Jewish children and women in "labor camps" was okay? DACHAU, RAVENBRUCK, BUCHENWALD, were on German soil. What did they think was happening there. Many German aristocrats found Hitler repugnant from the beginning and worked against him for many years. But there are too many who found this acceptable, until after when it made them pariahs.

Welcome Redfox :)

That is what I have been told by my history teacher at school a few years ago. I think it will always be a matter of debate to what extent were the royals responsible and how big a part they played. I think some royals were much more involved than others. Many thanks for your input. :p

[Elspeth]

The thread is going off topic again. It's supposed to be a discussion of the book. If the participants can't keep off the topic of politics, we'll close the thread.

Elspeth

Royal Forums administrator

[Elspeth]

Welcome to the forum, redfox6! Have you read the book?

[redfox6]

No, have read hundreds of Third Reich books and would love to read this, too.

[Lillia]

Originally Posted by redfox6

No, have read hundreds of Third Reich books and would love to read this, too.

I'm very glad to have your opinion, I did wonder how much 'selective amnesia' would be used on the issue of actually holding certain royals accountable for their involvement. Like the picture of one such royal, shown with a member of the party, said to be giving them money, said to have interacted with them and moved in those circles, said to have had relatives and friends who were supporters, but at the same time it is said '' don't believe your lying eyes, we can't prove he actually sympathized with that party". I also think some people, royal and otherwise, sympathized until they figured out things were not going to play out as they bet (while at the same time they let others did the actual 'dirty work' and ignored it). I have no doubt that some people probably even switched sides after it became apparent that the party was going to lose.

I agree, it is totally reasonable to expect that a re-visionist history would have taken place given the circumstances.

just my opinion.

[ysbel]

People believe what they want to believe but that's not just confirmed to Germans under the Nazis.

Over the years its been written just how utterly banal and commonplace some of the Nazis were. Recently a German researched his grandfather who was a Nazi and said he was struck by how nondescript and how normal he appeared. He was accused of trying to whitewash his grandfather which was not the case, he didn't deny the atrocities.

You could say he was revising the story of his grandfather to reconcile himself with the fact that his grandfather was a murderer but you could also say his detractors were also grappling with an uncomfortable truth.

If there was nothing special about the Nazis, the rest of the world could not say with assurance that the atrocities of the Third Reich couldn't happen here, couldn't happen with us. And that is a far more uncomfortable truth.

So who's doing the revising? I don't know, I think everybody is to some extent because the truth and the horror of it is so shocking.

[Lillia]

Originally Posted by ysbel

People believe what they want to believe but that's not just confirmed to Germans under the Nazis.

Over the years its been written just how utterly banal and commonplace some of the Nazis were. Recently a German researched his grandfather who was a Nazi and said he was struck by how nondescript and how normal he appeared. He was accused of trying to whitewash his grandfather which was not the case, he didn't deny the atrocities.

You could say he was revising the story of his grandfather to reconcile himself with the fact that his grandfather was a murderer but you could also say his detractors were also grappling with an uncomfortable truth.

If there was nothing special about the Nazis, the rest of the world could not say with assurance that the atrocities of the Third Reich couldn't happen here, couldn't happen with us. And that is a far more uncomfortable truth.

So who's doing the revising? I don't know, I think everybody is to some extent because the truth and the horror of it is so shocking.

This is a very good point too!

Sometimes it is very difficult to come to grip with certain truths, especially when they are hideous, and may apply to loved ones, or 'beloved' public figures. That does not excuse it, but it is true that people do sit in denial about certain things because the reality is very ugly. That's why it is probably so easy, in hindsight, to demonize some of the main people in the Nazi party, because everybody else, wants to think that the bad guy is actually someone else and someone that would look evil, rather than think that it would ever be the sweet caring grandparents, or loving neighbors, or nice schoolteacher, or grocer down the road.

Again, that does not mean to excuse anything. But I do understand your point!

[norwegianne]

I've deleted a lot of posts from this thread, for being off-topic, and moved several to a separate thread regarding stories about Christian X of Denmark.

This thread is about discussion of the BOOK "The Royals and the Third Reich." As mentioned earlier, there is a thread in the Royal Chit Chat part of TRF, that is about what monarchs did during WWII, if one wishes to discuss that.

If anyone has complaints, or comments on the decisions of the moderators, please do so via the PM system.

If the thread cannot stay on topic or the posters can't abide by TRF's rules here, which would be a shame, then the thread will be closed.

Norwegianne
TRF Moderator

[Lady Bluffton]

Does anyone know if this book covers the activities and sympathies of the Duke of Windsor?

Any truth to speculation that his abdication was also due to his Nazi sympathies?

[King Kong]

Originally Posted by Lady Bluffton

Does anyone know if this book covers the activities and sympathies of the Duke of Windsor?

Any truth to speculation that his abdication was also due to his Nazi sympathies?

Hi milady! :)
As far as I recall the book does not mention the Duke of Windsor.
As to speculations about his abdication, well, there are many (though not in this book) but which would be the correct thread to talk about that?
Cheers! :)
Martin
PS. Well Lady Bluffton, if you want to discuss the reasons for the Duke's abdication, I'll meet you there, at the thread Warren pointed out.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by King Kong

As far as I recall the book does not mention the Duke of Windsor.
As to speculations about his abdication, well, there are many...but which would be the correct thread to talk about that?

How about this one: Duke and Duchess of Windsor thread.

[King Kong]

Originally Posted by Warren

How about this one: Duke and Duchess of Windsor thread.

Thank you so much!
Where did you find it? It must have been quiet for some time because I never saw it!
Cheers!:)
Martin

[Warren]

Originally Posted by King Kong

Thank you so much!
Where did you find it? It must have been quiet for some time because I never saw it! Cheers!:) Martin

On the first page of every Forum is a Threads in Forum listing. This is the table of contents where many topics lie dormant, waiting to be brought to life every so often.
As an example, here is page 1 (of 15) from the British Forums Threads in Forum list.

[Fashionista100]

Okay, found it. The family it the Mitford family. The book was called "The Sisters: The saga of the Mitford family" by Lovell. I will warn you the first 100 pages are a bit of a bore as they give the background on the family. But once the girls come of age it starts to pick up. The climatic parts are about them and the third reich, then the book picks up to follow their lives since. It's the kind of book you read and think after your done these young women were so stupid they wasted their promising lives. But I guess that is the message of the book too. These women had everything and just threw it all away. Interesting book b/c it details an intimate relationship w/ the third reich and Hitler himself. The authors talked with many people, including family and looked at correspondence etc. Worth a read if you are trying to understand the people of the time. It may help explain why some "royals" and others were so supportive of what we know was evil. It won't justify but it will explain.