Germany and the Germans - Essay Example

Germany and the Germans Historical revisionism is alive and well. Both of these texts show that people will rewrite history to suit their own political purposes. Many of these purposes are related to those espoused by conspiracy theorists. Both Judea Declares War on Germany and Freedman's speech seek to present alternate explanations for World War II that absolve the Nazis of blame. Both are foolish and inaccurate documents and are no value whatsoever from a historical or moral perspective. They are examples of anti-Semitic propaganda and they illustrate an unpleasant turn of mind.

They are fuel for powerless and gullible people who are easily manipulated. Judea Declares War on Germany is a film which suggests that World War II was started by Jews who launched an economic boycott of Germany soon after Hitler's rise to power. The argument puts forward the premise that Germany was only defending itself following this attack, and that the war truly began with the Jewish declaration in 1933. Germany's position in the war was therefore not offensive, but defensive. This suggestion is completely ridiculous.

No serious historian believes this, and the creators of this so-called documentary would not pass a fifth-grade history test. Germany's position throughout the 1930s was offensive. Hitler's views of Jews were well known from his book Mein Kampf. This documentary distorts history and is only useful as an example of anti-Semitic propaganda. Benjamin Freedman's speech in the 1960s, called Germany and the Jews: The Role of the Jews in WWI and WWII, is a similar example of historical revisionism and distortion.

He talks about how many Jews were Communists and how Jews tried to control Germany after its loss in the First World War. All of this is the same kind of anti-Semitic propaganda as discussed above. It is not historically factual and it is offensive to those who understand what really happened during this years. Again claims are made that Jews control all of the media and all of finance, again these so-called facts are not backed up with any evidence. The speech is all innuendo and make believe.

It is only effective in so far as it scares its audience and convinces them that they are in danger. The author claims to have credibility because he has been prominent in political circles, but he has no credentials of scholarship. His whole speech is a tirade that is based entirely on opinion. This is a giant conspiracy theory that is not based in reality. It is unfortunate that people waste their time with these ridiculous ideas. Both of these documents are anti-Semitic in nature and rely on stereotypes and outright fabrications.

They appeal to those are attracted to conspiracies. Most such people feel powerless about their own lives and believe that mysterious, unseen forces are controlling their lives and all of history. They come up with elaborate alternate histories which they will claim the mainstream media wants to suppress. None of this is true. These people are often sad and lonely, and find pleasure only in rewriting history for their own purposes. Work Consulted Johnson, M. Raphael. “Judea Declares War on Germany.

” The Barnes Review, Jan./Feb. 2001. Freedman, Benjamin H. “Germany & the Jews: the role of the Jews in WWI and WWII.” Speech at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D. C. In 1961.