launch!

I am currently working on completing my masters in history. This blog is mainly a fun way of documenting my progress - writing ideas in an environment with less pressure. It's also a fun way for friends and family who are interested to follow what I'm thinking, reading, and writing, if anyone is so inclined. So, here goes.

My thesis is going to revolve around the Nuremberg Party Rallies of the early to mid 1930s. I know for sure I will be using the 1934 Rally heavily - this Rally was where the ground breaking and controversial film Triumph of the Will was made by Leni Riefenstahl. I would like to examine the use of religious symbolism at the Rallies (comparing its use at the 1934 Rally to later ones) to answer the question of just how "Christian" Hitler and the Nazis were.

From a personal standpoint as a devoted Christian, I believe Hitler was the furthest thing possible from a Christian. And yet, there is no mistaking the "Christian" elements (at least institutionally and historically speaking) of the Rally and of Hitler's ideology. Many argue that he was simply exploiting the religion of the masses in order to win them. Perhaps this is the case, but I need to explore this more fully. For the first few years of the regime at least, Hitler was hopeful of uniting all of German Christianity under the banner of the German Christians (the official evangelical church in Germany under the Nazis). Although this may not have lasted into the mid and late 1930s, it was certainly the case early on. In addition, many German Christians (and others, for that matter) considered themselves supporters of National Socialism. So where did everything fall exactly? Is it possible to get past the propaganda and lies to expose the way that Hitler and other leading Nazis saw themselves in relation to the Church?

If you are interested in the Nuremberg Rallies, Leni Riefenstahl's movies are available on Youtube. It turns out she also made a film of the 1935 rally (something I just discovered tonight). The films are gripping, and at times the religious symbolism is unavoidably prominent. For example, in Triumph of the Will, Hitler's arrival in Nuremberg shares many similarities to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. What was Hitler's motivations (and perhaps Riefenstahl's) for portraying himself in that light?

Here are the links:
1934 rally: Triumph des Willens
http://www.youtube.com/movie?v=BBfYncHshJc&feature=mv_sr

1935 rally: Tag der Freiheit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrQrrQ977qE&feature=related

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As far as sources go, besides the above videos, I will be relying heavily on memoirs and diaries of Nazis and ordinary Germans. Examples include Shirer (he was an American war correspondent and journalist who wrote The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich as well as keeping a detailed diary of his experiences in Germany during the Third Reich), Victor Klemperer (a Jewish war veteran from Dresden who survived the war and wrote "The Language of the Third Reich" as well as leaving detailed diaries of his experiences as a Jew in Nazi Germany), and Albert Speer (a leading architect for Hitler who played a large role in planning the Nuremberg Rallies and who wrote a memoir). There are other diaries and such that I plan to look into, some of which are in German (which absolutely terrifies me, by the way).

I'm so excited to embark on this adventure. I've been waiting for so long to have the opportunity to write something of this breadth and length and I'm so ready. I have my thesis committee put together - I just have to figure out a proposal/outline and get it approved within the next few weeks and I'll be set to officially start in September! It should take me three quarters (I'll hopefully be graduating this coming June).