“The Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany”, March of Time Forum Edition, b&w, 18 minutes, 1947.

Summary: 0:00The film opens by depicting a broken and prostrate Germany, still suffering from the war it initiated, with its once “master race” humbled and struggling for basic existence (fuel, food).1:04 Thousands of Germans, found guilty of abetting the Nazi cause, have been punished for their crimes against humanity, as victorious nations are resolved to crush the destructive Nazi doctrines forever.1:24 These evil doctrines were first laid out by Adolf Hitler in his 1925 book Mein Kampf, which became the Nazi bible, proclaiming Germans as a “race of superman,” advocating for expansion (“new land for Germany,” especially Russia), the destruction of democracies, and Germany’s dominance or nothing.2:24 From his early campaigning years until becoming Chancellor and Führer, Hitler consistently promised the impoverished German people that his National Socialist party would erase the humiliation of World War I defeat and regain lost territories without bloodshed, repeatedly asserting “Germany wants peace.”3:13 In 1935, after the Saar basin was restored, Hitler proudly announced Germany’s secret rearmament, claiming his army and air force were for home defense.3:41 Less than a year later, German soldiers broke the treaty and marched into the demilitarized Rhineland. Hitler then declared no further territorial demands in Europe.4:05 As Hitler’s rule became absolute, in early 1938, a Nazi army 150,000 strong rolled into Vienna, ending Austria’s 800 years of independence, despite earlier promises to respect it.4:36 Months later, in Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland, Hitler’s agents orchestrated demands for self-government and then annexation, leading to the infamous Munich Pact, where Hitler again promised no more territorial claims.5:20 Within six months, Hitler’s war machine swept into Prague, enslaving the free people of Czechoslovakia.5:33 Hitler had made solemn treaties of friendship with Poland, even sharing seized Czechoslovakian territories, and pledged “lasting and continuous peace.”6:02 By late September 1939, Poland was in ruins, its people marched off for slave labor. Germany shared its spoils with Soviet Russia, with Hitler extolling communists he once reviled, declaring German-Russian relations “finally settled for all eternity.”6:43 With Soviet Russia aligning, Hitler felt free to wage total war against France and England. He vowed to respect the sanctity of neutral frontiers.7:09 Again, within weeks, his armies marched across neutral Denmark, Norway, Holland, and Belgium to strike France. This led to Dunkirk, and the world awaited the promised invasion of unprepared England.7:44 But Hitler turned east, smashing through more neutral frontiers, bringing 15 nations into his “greater Germany” by 1941, all of whom had listened to his solemn pledges of territorial integrity.8:20 Finally, in summer 1941, Hitler launched his most spectacular betrayal, striking with full force against his former partner, Joseph Stalin, and the Red Army of Russia.8:41 In 1941, Pearl Harbor brought America into the war. Germany, confident from its vast victories, believed no power could defeat it.8:58 Within a year, the Russians turned the tide at Stalingrad.9:13 In North Africa, Allied forces launched a victorious campaign, putting Germans on two fronts.9:25 By 1944, the Red Army was driving the enemy in full flight back toward its own borders.9:39 D-Day followed, with the combined might of the US and Britain striking Germany’s continental forces. Outnumbered and surrounded, the German armies were conquered one by one.9:58 The Nazi dream of world domination ended, and the nation that had been merciless in victory was now defeated.10:11 In May 1945, the “New Order” that was to last a thousand years ceased to exist.10:32 To govern post-war Germany, an Allied Control Commission of Russia, Britain, France, and the US was created, with each nation assigned an occupation zone to prepare Germany for self-government.10:53 Each zone was administered by its occupying nation’s policies. The Russian zone (east) included most of Germany’s food and industry, ruled harshly to extract reparations, cutting inhabitants off from Western democracies and aiming to reorient Germany toward Soviet cooperation.11:43 The British zone (west) included the Ruhr coal and steel regions (industrial heartland) and major seaports. Britain aimed to restore productivity, as its output was crucial for Germany and Europe’s economic stability.12:13 The French zone included the industrialized Saar region but little else. French policy was strict, holding all Germans accountable for war guilt and aiming to keep Germany incapable of future aggression.12:42 The American zone, lacking independent industrial or agricultural resources, aimed to prepare Germans for national existence without enabling future war.13:08 Remaking Germany required massive rehabilitation by all four powers, especially restoring production in the Ruhr, where 75% of plants survived despite the destruction of munitions works.13:33 Industries operate under British supervision, but output is low due to coal shortages and a labor problem (miners are young/unskilled, old/tired, or lost in war). Undernourishment causes inefficiency and absenteeism among miners.14:20 Rebuilding Germany’s transportation system, vital for Europe, is urgent, with progress made on destroyed trackage but a great need for locomotives and cars, limited by steel and coal shortages.15:05 Light industries, relying on craftsmanship, are less affected by shortages, producing consumer goods for export to revive trade and reintegrate Germany into the European economy.16:15 Allied governments sought to revive food production, but with much farming land in Russian hands, Western Germany relies on imports (mostly from the US) for half its meager diet. Even large US shipments were barely enough to prevent slow starvation.16:58 The US is resolved to continue its occupation until Germans are reformed. However, little is expected from adults infected by Nazism.17:14 Hope for Germany as a peace-loving nation rests with the very young, uncorrupted by Hitler’s doctrines, who may still be taught that Germany can find greatness through freedom, democracy, and peaceful cooperation.