Adolf Hitler election speech in Eberswalde

Identifier
irn1004183
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2008.243.1
  • RG-60.4706
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Creator(s)

Scope and Content

A crowd assembled to hear Adolf Hitler speak. They salute and cheer. Hitler stands at a flag and garland-draped podium, shot from below. Cameramen can be seen occasionally in the lower right of the screen as they film and/or photograph the speech. Occasional shots of the crowds and SA men. Hitler finishes his speech and descends from the podium. SA men hold back the crowds as Hitler's motorcade passes through them. Music plays, ending with "Deutschland ueber Alles." Shots of an orchestra playing the song while the crowd watches and salutes. Although the film is titled "Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler Spricht," the film was shot in 1932, prior to Hitler's appointment as chancellor. Translation of the speech (this may contain more or less than appears in the footage): Wherever we go in Germany today, it's the same image of an uprising of our people, an uprising that shows that millions of people today are aware that in the coming election there is more at stake than usual, that we are not deciding on some new coalition, not even on a new government, but rather we are deciding on victory or defeat of two directions in Germany. One of the two has existed now for 60-70 years, has governed 13 years, and has proven what it can and cannot do. Of these two, the one is built on the notions of internationalism, regardless whether it concerns the bourgeois or the Marxist parties, while the other consciously focuses on the present strengths in our own people, on nationalist Germany in the best sense of the word, without classes, without ranks, without religious denominations. For thirteen years, the one governed Germany, and when today you look at Germany's election propaganda, you can see by the nature of this propaganda the condemnation of those 13 years. When fate provides a regime with 13 years to prove its abilities, then deeds and achievements must speak in favor for it. Today these opponents could only conduct their propaganda by calling upon the individual German classes to vouch for them, by having the farmers, the blue collar and white collar workers, the middle class, yes the entire economy as living witnesses for their works. Instead, they would like most of all, that all election propaganda to be directed to criticism of the last six weeks. They say: For these six weeks the National Socialists are responsible. I fail to see how. The Papen Cabinet was not appointed by us, but rather it was appointed by the Reich President, who himself was elected by the Social Democrats and the Center Party. How can we be responsible? Even if it were so, I would take responsibility for these six weeks anytime, but those gentlemen should kindly take responsibility for the last 13 years. It's out of the question that they suddenly are acting as if they had tried for13 years to do everything possible only to be hindered by us. For thirteen years they have proven what they are capable of economically, politically. A nation economically destroyed, the farming community in ruin, the middle class sunken into poverty, finances in the Reich, in the states, in the communities wrecked, everything bankrupt and many millions unemployed; they can squirm any way they want; they are responsible. (Applause). (01:04:55) And it had to turn out this way. Does anyone really believe that a nation can achieve anything when its political life is so tattered and torn like Germany's? I read the election proposals just a couple of hours ago, e.g. Hessen-Nassau: 34 parties, the working class its own parties, and not one, that would be too few, it has to be three, four at a time; the bourgeoisie, which is so intelligent, … therefore needs even more parties; the middle class has to have its parties, the economy its parties, the countryman also his own party, and also three, four at a time, and the home owners have to have their special political and economic interests represented by a party, and of course the renters can't stay behind; and the Catholics also their own party, and the Protestants a party, and the Bavarians a party, and the Thuringians their own party and the Würtemberger another special party, etc. 34 in a little state and this at a time when we are facing the greatest challenges that can only be solved when the whole strength of the nation can be pulled together. Our opponents accuse us National Socialists, and me in particular, of being intolerant, contentious people. They say we don't want to work with other parties, and a German National politician [Alfred Hugenberg] aggravates this further by saying the National Socialists aren't German at all because they refuse to work with other parties. So, is it typically German to have 30 parties. I have to explain one thing here, the gentlemen are completely right, we are intolerant, I have set myself a goal, namely to sweep those 30 parties out of Germany. They always mistake me for a bourgeois or Marxist politician, who today SPD, tomorrow USPD (Independent Social Democratic Party), and the day after tomorrow KPD, and then Syndicalist, or today Democrat and tomorrow German Nationalist Party, then […. (sound recording has gaps and is unintelligible)] again Economic Party, they mistake us for themselves. We have chosen a goal for ourselves and will follow it fanatically, ruthlessly to the grave. I got to know this bourgeois mentality's way of assessing our movement very well a few moths ago when a Reich Minister [Wilhelm Groener] said: "I will disband these people here, I will remove their uniforms, and then I will make a neutral, pacifist-democratic gymnastics and sport club, there they will come in, and then I will have them, and the National Socialist movement will be over. A simple formula. That's how they think and haven't realized that our movement is something completely different from a usual political parliamentary party. That it can no longer be disbanded and that every pressure only hardens the people and that this Germany, which has now found itself in this movement, can no longer be torn apart. There is a bourgeois politician [Heinrich Brüning] who says: I want to say something now, when they have collapsed, the National Socialists, then I will have the special position and then all the people there will swarm back to me. That is how they think because they cannot understand that this movement is being held by something that can no longer disappear. Before there were these 30 parties, there was a German people, and these parties will disappear, and after they are gone, our Volk will still remain. And we do not want to represent a profession, a class, a rank, a religious denomination, or a state, but rather we want to educate the Germans so that everyone can comprehend that there is no life without law, and that there is no law without power, and that there is no power without strength, and that all strength must lie in its own people.

Note(s)

  • Translation by Neal Guthrie A clip from this footage was used in the USHMM temporary exhibition "State of Deception."

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