I don’t know enough about those three to follow you Pete. Apart from Mosley. I am going to guess the other two were also sympathetic to Hitler?
I think that’s where I am going with this. It’s a matter of personal opinion which will vary from person to person. Someone may find Putin Acceptable and Trump not and another the other way around.
100%. But...if you are a member of the royal family, or the govt, you have a wider responsibility than just your own feelings. We are lucky we don’t.
After King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, he went to live in France, and among other things went to meet Hitler in Berlin. He was known to be sympathetic to the Nazis. Neville Chamberlain was the Prime Minister of the UK in 1938, when he flew to Munich for a meeting with Hitler. Hitler had occupied Austria and was threatening to occupy parts of Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain caved in. He agreed not to oppose Hitler's aggression in return for a written promise not to make any further demands. Inevitably Hitler soon broke all his promises. Chamberlain was left looking weak and foolish, although he was no Nazi. Sir Oswald Moseley went to Berlin to get married to Diana Mitford, with Hitler as his best man. The were both keen Nazis, and he was the leader of the British Union of Fascists. These are all examples of people willing to shake Hitler's hand.
Back on subject, me and the better half went to Krakow for a mid week break, beautiful city and a great place to go to if you plan to visit Auschwitz (About an hours coach trip away if I recall) If you are in Krakow visit the Kazimierz (Jewish quarter) area, there is the Heroes Square memorial where cast iron chairs in the square represent the chairs brought out for the elderly as they queued to be taken off to their life in the new town they were promised. Also is Oscar Schindler’s factory which is now a museum to the history of the Jewish in Poland and their persecution in Krakow. as for Auschwitz being a tourist attraction, I suppose technically it is but it’s no Disneyland and the guides who take you round (you can’t just wander round unguided) will make sure your reminded of that. For me though Auschwitz is nothing compared to when you go across the road to Birkenau, that place makes Auschwitz look like a CentreParcs! It’s a harrowing awful place but one which everyone should visit.
I did wander round unguided. I took my time, and visited every one of the numerous buildings with museum sections. As well as Birkenau, of course.
I have been to the Anne Frank house twice. Once before and once after the Schindler’s List money went into it. I preferred it the first time where you were taken round by guide, as opposed to the multi media experience. Either way, still harrowing/shocking/emotional experience. my other recollection was of the leaflets at the front. Printed in about 15 languages, but not in German
And yet we still see the edge of the same today. The recent trend of eradication of history to replace with what people want it to be is taking affect. Whether is the dreamt up stuff with black history month, the dreamt up Palestinian state or the conveniently forgotten ills of communism and real facists - not Farage or Tories - real facism: the stiff that killed millions not hurt someone’s feelings “Get over it, grandad, it’s a new world” just before they walk into a dystopian horror show in the next 50 years that will eradicate freedoms that we have taken advantage of, and many have died for. All kids should be taught the horrors of the last 100 years, that’s where lessons are learnt and where change can be made. And making them all take a term studying WW2 and the way in which power worked and real facism was deployed should be taught every two years to make sure they know it!
Sure. The suppression of black history, the suppression of Palestinian history, the suppression of colonial history. Too many people today are not taught, or can't be bothered to learn, the truth about any of these, let alone the Nazis' holocaust.
Fortunately you are incorrect with regard to the Holocaust, both my Daughter and my Son have been educated on it. It is still part of the school curriculum. Daughter has been on a school visit to Auschwitz a few ago as part of a visit to Poland
Not a fan of these places however I found myself visiting Sachsenhausen concentration camp a few years later and the expression of schadenfreude couldn’t be more fitting. Absolutely horrific.
If it interests anyone, the anniversary service is on BBC1 this afternoon from 2.30pm. Mrs GG & I went to Dachau when we visited Munich last year. If anyone is going we found the guided tour worth doing in terms of some of the details they brought out which you might not be aware of even if you do know your history. As has been said it is a sobering experience.
I did the holocaust museum in Berlin few years back, you could hear a pin drop walking round the place.
I would say that is a must visit if you are in Berlin, some parts of that were even more sobering than Dachau; there is one image from that which I will never forget.
