Last Germany seminar
NON-RELATED BUT INTERESTING:
THE VIENNA AGREEMENTS AFTER WW2
There’s suen v srs happening in Nuremburg and in the city, nb Vienna
is a big party city.
One of the british procecutors’ letters to his wife were found in a law
firm in 1999. Talking about parties and all the booze. People in very
stressful situations that are in public facing situations are notorious
alcoholics eg doctors, lawyers.
OLYMPIC TAT
As an important historical artefact- an argument/ improv historical
justification. Eg, public sources. You can’t really know what people
think, but you can see what they were exposed to. Published sources
are harder to ignore, bc it’s quite likely that people looked at the items
you can see, particularly if it still exists. Eg, looking at ebay searches
can be useful. Searching for nazi Olympic tat on ebay. Lots of them,
going for a lot of money. There’s the land army cafeteria flag, a
coaster, a broch for a tie, an original book, an ashtray, newspaper, ‘I
summon the youth of the world’- youth theme, model of the stadium
where they had the games- whole thing designed to show the
grandeur of the regime- a mini model, an entry card to events. The
fact that we have the entry cards and they were clipped, shows us that
a) lots of ppl went, b) they kept their tickets eg in attics, ie there were
loads of them bc theyre ephemeral and still exists- theyre the sort of
things that would be thrown away- large events become part of
people’s life narrative, b) part of your personal history bc u have it and
it’s an ok thing to have bc before the war, important to tthink how
memory plays into it. How you can construct a meaningful and helpful
, life narrative, as opposed to the things you are likely to forget bc you
don’t want to remember it.
THE FILM
Very fascinated with the human form or body. Swedish swimming
team- close ups. Big fans of using the film, features in books.
the film wasn’t released publicly till 1938. The rushes (parts they
produced each day) were part of news reels.
The beginning of live tv- the public tv offices. Some of the first live
sport. There’s a delay- they cant transmit it terribly far bc of scientific
limitations. Lots of stuff about Olympic prep, about how much people
knew. Germany petitioned for the Olympics in 1931, they got it, when
the Nazis came to power, bc the Olympics is pacifist and international
and about brotherly love, the official authorities were a bit perplexed,
worried would go badly. They sought reassurances from the old men-
diem who was 73 in 1936, and involved in the 1916 games’ prep which
didn’t happen because of the war, diem was now a figure of authority.
Talking about generations, how they have less natural authority, or it’s
being challenged by new political forces, eg Hindenburg thinks he can
control hitler, hitler becomes fuhrer. Olympics, same sort of stuff.
Young people mainly doing sport, old people think they can control it.
3 days before the election where hitler comes to power, in jan 1933
Kardiem figure sets up an independent omitted to organize and sees it
through the reich, bc he thinks german law will protect the apolitical
nature of the Olympics- even when Germany had the revolution in
1918, ppl respected german law. So he sets up legal things to protect
it. Obvs, Nazis dc about the law, so doesn’t work out. The man who
helped him draft it and do it 3 days before the election, was also the
man who helped the Nazis undermine the situation 2 or 3 years later.
Lots of fluid and ambivalent attitudes to law and loyalty.
What were the jews/ jewish organisations doing? In the run up to the
Olympics, in theory until 37, there are separate jewish organisations.
2
, Preparations, v political. There’s a pretense of trying to keep it
separate. Doesn’t really work, in the end gets swept underneath the
rug. They take down anti jewish stuff so it doesn’t go in the press.
Legally, a jewish man was hung, was reported in the smallest article in
the plainest language. Newspapers have to report it but they don’t
want to make a big deal out of it. There’s a few slip ups, with rascists
comments, which they aren’t meant to do until after the foreigners
have left. Eg, there was a jewish gymnast who had been training with
the german team, was going to happen, they waited until after the
Americans had set sail (the boat takes a while to cross, little
communication while sailing), they sent the women a letter saying she
cant compete.
Winter games in Bavaria, seen as a dry run. Much smaller, than
summer games. Gives opportunity for a more controlled experiment.
Even though it’s smaller, more people attended the opening ceremony
than attended the whole games in the 1932 games. So this is being
ramped up. Being ramped up for a number of reasons; a) further away
from the world international crisis, so people have more money, b)the
Nazis think, if it’s going to happen, may as well make a big thing out of
it, was the same time as hitler was coming up with the 4 year plan,
wanting autarchy, and prepare for war. If you can do this pr exercise
on the front, then you can take in money and buy some time. Anti
semitic signs, placards etc were taken down. Exhibits from the ss
newspaper were taken down, to be done by 1st jan. games weren’t
until February, so strong preparations.
Leina mayha, is according the germans, jewish. According to jews, not
jewish. Her dad was jewish. As in Judaism, the religion goes down by
the mother, who was not jewish. Shes the only jewish member of the
german team in the 1936 summer Olympics. There was a jew in the ice
hockey team in the winter Olympics. So, to reassure- they issued a
statement saying in principle no jew would be excluded from the
german team, but ‘of course’ was crossed out in pencil- when saying in
principle, youre creating a situation where they may not be. The non
3
NON-RELATED BUT INTERESTING:
THE VIENNA AGREEMENTS AFTER WW2
There’s suen v srs happening in Nuremburg and in the city, nb Vienna
is a big party city.
One of the british procecutors’ letters to his wife were found in a law
firm in 1999. Talking about parties and all the booze. People in very
stressful situations that are in public facing situations are notorious
alcoholics eg doctors, lawyers.
OLYMPIC TAT
As an important historical artefact- an argument/ improv historical
justification. Eg, public sources. You can’t really know what people
think, but you can see what they were exposed to. Published sources
are harder to ignore, bc it’s quite likely that people looked at the items
you can see, particularly if it still exists. Eg, looking at ebay searches
can be useful. Searching for nazi Olympic tat on ebay. Lots of them,
going for a lot of money. There’s the land army cafeteria flag, a
coaster, a broch for a tie, an original book, an ashtray, newspaper, ‘I
summon the youth of the world’- youth theme, model of the stadium
where they had the games- whole thing designed to show the
grandeur of the regime- a mini model, an entry card to events. The
fact that we have the entry cards and they were clipped, shows us that
a) lots of ppl went, b) they kept their tickets eg in attics, ie there were
loads of them bc theyre ephemeral and still exists- theyre the sort of
things that would be thrown away- large events become part of
people’s life narrative, b) part of your personal history bc u have it and
it’s an ok thing to have bc before the war, important to tthink how
memory plays into it. How you can construct a meaningful and helpful
, life narrative, as opposed to the things you are likely to forget bc you
don’t want to remember it.
THE FILM
Very fascinated with the human form or body. Swedish swimming
team- close ups. Big fans of using the film, features in books.
the film wasn’t released publicly till 1938. The rushes (parts they
produced each day) were part of news reels.
The beginning of live tv- the public tv offices. Some of the first live
sport. There’s a delay- they cant transmit it terribly far bc of scientific
limitations. Lots of stuff about Olympic prep, about how much people
knew. Germany petitioned for the Olympics in 1931, they got it, when
the Nazis came to power, bc the Olympics is pacifist and international
and about brotherly love, the official authorities were a bit perplexed,
worried would go badly. They sought reassurances from the old men-
diem who was 73 in 1936, and involved in the 1916 games’ prep which
didn’t happen because of the war, diem was now a figure of authority.
Talking about generations, how they have less natural authority, or it’s
being challenged by new political forces, eg Hindenburg thinks he can
control hitler, hitler becomes fuhrer. Olympics, same sort of stuff.
Young people mainly doing sport, old people think they can control it.
3 days before the election where hitler comes to power, in jan 1933
Kardiem figure sets up an independent omitted to organize and sees it
through the reich, bc he thinks german law will protect the apolitical
nature of the Olympics- even when Germany had the revolution in
1918, ppl respected german law. So he sets up legal things to protect
it. Obvs, Nazis dc about the law, so doesn’t work out. The man who
helped him draft it and do it 3 days before the election, was also the
man who helped the Nazis undermine the situation 2 or 3 years later.
Lots of fluid and ambivalent attitudes to law and loyalty.
What were the jews/ jewish organisations doing? In the run up to the
Olympics, in theory until 37, there are separate jewish organisations.
2
, Preparations, v political. There’s a pretense of trying to keep it
separate. Doesn’t really work, in the end gets swept underneath the
rug. They take down anti jewish stuff so it doesn’t go in the press.
Legally, a jewish man was hung, was reported in the smallest article in
the plainest language. Newspapers have to report it but they don’t
want to make a big deal out of it. There’s a few slip ups, with rascists
comments, which they aren’t meant to do until after the foreigners
have left. Eg, there was a jewish gymnast who had been training with
the german team, was going to happen, they waited until after the
Americans had set sail (the boat takes a while to cross, little
communication while sailing), they sent the women a letter saying she
cant compete.
Winter games in Bavaria, seen as a dry run. Much smaller, than
summer games. Gives opportunity for a more controlled experiment.
Even though it’s smaller, more people attended the opening ceremony
than attended the whole games in the 1932 games. So this is being
ramped up. Being ramped up for a number of reasons; a) further away
from the world international crisis, so people have more money, b)the
Nazis think, if it’s going to happen, may as well make a big thing out of
it, was the same time as hitler was coming up with the 4 year plan,
wanting autarchy, and prepare for war. If you can do this pr exercise
on the front, then you can take in money and buy some time. Anti
semitic signs, placards etc were taken down. Exhibits from the ss
newspaper were taken down, to be done by 1st jan. games weren’t
until February, so strong preparations.
Leina mayha, is according the germans, jewish. According to jews, not
jewish. Her dad was jewish. As in Judaism, the religion goes down by
the mother, who was not jewish. Shes the only jewish member of the
german team in the 1936 summer Olympics. There was a jew in the ice
hockey team in the winter Olympics. So, to reassure- they issued a
statement saying in principle no jew would be excluded from the
german team, but ‘of course’ was crossed out in pencil- when saying in
principle, youre creating a situation where they may not be. The non
3
