Here Is Germany
Encyclopedia
Here is Germany was a 1945 propaganda
documentary film
directed by Frank Capra
. Like its companion film, Know Your Enemy: Japan
, the film is a full-length exploration of why one of the two major Axis countries started World War II
and what had to be done to keep them from "doing it again".
The film opens with scenes of everyday life in Germany
, described by narrator Walter Huston
. It shows people such as housewives
, mailmen
, farmer
s and policemen at work, and notes that these people were not so different from us, and seem like people Americans can understand. Anthony Veiller
then interrupts with "Or can we?", as the film then switches to a montage of Nazi concentration camps and piles of dead bodies. The narrator notes that this is not the only time that Germany has unleashed war on the world, stating that while its generation fought the "Nazis", its fathers fought the "Huns" (pejorative term for Germany during World War I
), and its grand father remembers the "Prussians
". The narrator claims that it was all part of the same German lust for conquest.
Going even further back, 150 years, the film informs us that while America
, Britain
, and France
were forming their democratic traditions, Germany was a group of 300 medieval feudal states
, not one of them with a constitution
or parliament
. The film traces the rise of Prussia from Frederick the Great
through Bismarck
, telling the audience that the Prussian state was dominated first by aristocratic landowners, militarists
and state officials
, later joined by the big industrialists
. This development of a military-industrial dominated state climaxes in World War I. When the above mentioned elements knew that they were beaten, according to the film, they put the democratic parties in charge in order to discredit the new republic. Once that was accomplished they found a stooge in Hitler, who would finally destroy the Weimar Republic
with the addition of a 5th pillar - criminals.
The film depicts the Third Reich entirely from this perspective, seeing Nazism
as simply a continuation of the aggressive German tradition, and then merely a façade for the military-industrial complex
. The film says that Poles, Italians, Belgians, and Americans were murdered by the Germans. The Nazi persecution of Jews is not explicitly mentioned, but in the initial sequence of Nazi atrocities it shows the bones of "men, women and children: sent to be exterminated in a German death factory". The film also shows what are alleged to be "objects of art, made from human skin."
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
. Like its companion film, Know Your Enemy: Japan
Know Your Enemy: Japan
Know Your Enemy: Japan is an American propaganda film directed by Frank Capra, commissioned by the U.S. War Department. Completion was delayed by disputes between the Hollywood producers and Washington. The original intention of the film was to prepare U.S...
, the film is a full-length exploration of why one of the two major Axis countries started World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and what had to be done to keep them from "doing it again".
The film opens with scenes of everyday life in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, described by narrator Walter Huston
Walter Huston
Walter Thomas Huston was a Canadian-born American actor. He was the father of actor and director John Huston and the grandfather of actress Anjelica Huston and actor Danny Huston.-Life and career:...
. It shows people such as housewives
Housewife
Housewife is a term used to describe a married woman with household responsibilities who is not employed outside the home. Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household...
, mailmen
Mail carrier
A mail carrier, mailman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman , postman/postwoman , letter carrier or postie is an employee of the post office or postal service, who delivers mail and parcel post to residences and businesses...
, farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s and policemen at work, and notes that these people were not so different from us, and seem like people Americans can understand. Anthony Veiller
Anthony Veiller
Anthony Veiller was an American screenwriter and film producer. The son of the screenwriter Bayard Veiller and the English actress Margaret Wycherly, Anthony Veiller wrote for 41 films between 1934 and 1964.-Career and Awards:Veiller was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay...
then interrupts with "Or can we?", as the film then switches to a montage of Nazi concentration camps and piles of dead bodies. The narrator notes that this is not the only time that Germany has unleashed war on the world, stating that while its generation fought the "Nazis", its fathers fought the "Huns" (pejorative term for Germany during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
), and its grand father remembers the "Prussians
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
". The narrator claims that it was all part of the same German lust for conquest.
Going even further back, 150 years, the film informs us that while America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
were forming their democratic traditions, Germany was a group of 300 medieval feudal states
Kleinstaaterei
is a German word, mainly used for the political situation in Germany and neighbouring regions during the Holy Roman Empire and during the German Confederation...
, not one of them with a constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
or parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
. The film traces the rise of Prussia from Frederick the Great
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
through Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
, telling the audience that the Prussian state was dominated first by aristocratic landowners, militarists
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
and state officials
Bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can comprise the administration of any organization of any size, though the term usually connotes someone within an institution of a government or corporation...
, later joined by the big industrialists
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
. This development of a military-industrial dominated state climaxes in World War I. When the above mentioned elements knew that they were beaten, according to the film, they put the democratic parties in charge in order to discredit the new republic. Once that was accomplished they found a stooge in Hitler, who would finally destroy the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
with the addition of a 5th pillar - criminals.
The film depicts the Third Reich entirely from this perspective, seeing Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
as simply a continuation of the aggressive German tradition, and then merely a façade for the military-industrial complex
Military-industrial complex
Military–industrial complex , or Military–industrial-congressional complex is a concept commonly used to refer to policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them...
. The film says that Poles, Italians, Belgians, and Americans were murdered by the Germans. The Nazi persecution of Jews is not explicitly mentioned, but in the initial sequence of Nazi atrocities it shows the bones of "men, women and children: sent to be exterminated in a German death factory". The film also shows what are alleged to be "objects of art, made from human skin."
See also
- Your Job In GermanyYour Job In GermanyYour Job In Germany is a short film made for the United States War Department in 1945 just before Victory in Europe day. It was shown to U.S. soldiers about to go on occupation duty in Germany. The film was made by the military films unit commanded by Frank Capra, and was written by Theodor...
- List of Allied propaganda films of World War II
- SonderwegSonderwegSonderweg is a controversial theory in German historiography that considers the German-speaking lands, or the country Germany, to have followed a unique course from aristocracy into democracy, distinct from other European countries...
External links
- Google Video version: Part I (37 mins), Part II (13 mins)
- Three Youtube versions in 8 parts each: omgim50's copy, HistoryVideos101 copy, ClassicDocumentaries2's copy
- Summary in notes from a 2006 college lecture by Prof. Harold Marcuse at UC Santa Barbara