Pro-Nazi Summer Camps in 1930s USA

[Kirk Freeman]

NPR had an interesting story about the Bund Pro-Nazi camps that were in the United States during the 1930s.

Since some on INGO may not know of their existence, or of the Silver Shirt movement, I post this article:

Nazi Summer Camps In 1930s America? : NPR History Dept. : NPR

Silver Shirts and the Silver Legion:

Silver Legion of America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Pelley, Silver Legion Founder:

William Dudley Pelley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

American Bund:

German American Bund - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[actaeon277]

Before the war, the Nazis were touted as a solution to the problems of capitalism. It being the depression.
After the war, the solution didn't look so inviting.

 

[jbombelli]

The Nazis were popular around the world before they started a world war and murdered millions of people.

 

[actaeon277]

The Nazis were popular around the world before they started a world war and murdered millions of people.

People give up liberty so a government can "save" them.
Then are surprised when that government turns on them.
Each time people say, "We're better than that now", and " history doesn't apply"
Then get surprised that people are mostly the same as they used to be.

 

[Woobie]

National Socialists worked on the economic system of fascism. While that word is synonymous with totalitarianism and government abuses today, fascism is really just an economy in which the government more or less owns/has a controlling interest in the major corporations. The government sets up quotas, etc. for these companies based upon national needs, e.g., it is a centrally planned economy, more or less. What is interesting is that the U.S. Was doing quite a bit of central planning during the war itself, through quotas and rationing. There was a major upswell in patriotism at the time that certainly helped, but lucrative government contracts didn't hurt, either. One could say today's America is not much removed from fascist Germany, but is different in one key point: Germany's corporations were owned by the "Fatherland," while the U.S. Government is owned by her corporations in effect, if not on paper. The result is working out to be the same: a very large and extremely intrusive government run by radicals at the expense of the workaday man and woman.

 

[jbombelli]

People give up liberty so a government can "save" them.
Then are surprised when that government turns on them.
Each time people say, "We're better than that now", and " history doesn't apply"
Then get surprised that people are mostly the same as they used to be.

Same as it ever was ...

 

[hopper68]

Is that not about the same time the Klan was big?

[video=youtube;ZTT1qUswYL0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTT1qUswYL0[/video]

 

[ChalupaCabras]

Well, One thing that was semi-unique about the Nazis is that they preserved private property. Yes, they did TELL companies what they were going to make, how many they needed, ect... but they never actually took the companies away from their owners. Individual German citizens still owned, and had basic rights to their possessions.

 

[K_W]

Well, One thing that was semi-unique about the Nazis is that they preserved private property. Yes, they did TELL companies what they were going to make, how many they needed, ect... but they never actually took the companies away from their owners. Individual German citizens still owned, and had basic rights to their possessions.

Unless they were Jewish. Are you defending them? I hope not.

 

[Dean C.]

Heck Henry Ford even gave money to Nazi Germany at one point. The 30's were a strange time in the world Elwood was the klan capitol of the world too.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The Indiana Klan was over in 1925 when Stephenson was convicted of rape and started talking to the Indianapolis Times.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

Cool history lesson Kirk, thanks!

 

[Super Bee]

Well, One thing that was semi-unique about the Nazis is that they preserved private property. Yes, they did TELL companies what they were going to make, how many they needed, ect... but they never actually took the companies away from their owners. Individual German citizens still owned, and had basic rights to their possessions.

I am really hoping this was supposed to be purple.

 

[Woobie]

I am really hoping this was supposed to be purple.

Doesnt make them any less evil. But the statement is factual. Of course that only applies to Germans of the "Aryan" (a term that didn't originally mean what the Nazis made it mean) variety. If you were one of any number of discriminated races or groups, your property, was, well, Germany's, as well as your life. Nazi Germany was an evil place, but there is a lesson in this. Even the worst regimes are not bad in every way. If they were, the populace would crack under the pressure. (The best modern exception to this I can recall is Cuba under the Castros.) As we watch countries, maybe even our own, in our time commit evil acts abroad and against their own citizenry, watch what they do to keep everyone patriotic. An effective totalitarian can leverage national pride and is skilled with sticks and carrots. The Nazis were masters of this, and almost pulled it off. Thank God they didn't, but a lack of vigilance almost cost us.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Doesnt make them any less evil. But the statement is factual. Of course that only applies to Germans of the "Aryan" (a term that didn't originally mean what the Nazis made it mean) variety. If you were one of any number of discriminated races or groups, your property, was, well, Germany's, as well as your life. Nazi Germany was an evil place, but there is a lesson in this. Even the worst regimes are not bad in every way. If they were, the populace would crack under the pressure. (The best modern exception to this I can recall is Cuba under the Castros.) As we watch countries, maybe even our own, in our time commit evil acts abroad and against their own citizenry, watch what they do to keep everyone patriotic. An effective totalitarian can leverage national pride and is skilled with sticks and carrots. The Nazis were masters of this, and almost pulled it off. Thank God they didn't, but a lack of vigilance almost cost us.

And their egos. Massive egos who wouldn't listen to fundamentally more militarily sound commanders. And thankfully so.

To derail: Much is made of the atrocities of the German Nazi party, and rightfully so. However not so much is made, in this country, about Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, the Empire of Japan vs the Chinese/Vietnamese/everyone else, etc etc. Stalin's actions against his "own people" make Hitler look like a mere Boy Scout. And some of what the Imperial Japanese did to people made what Mengele did seem relatively tame by comparison.

People are brutal to each other.

I long for the day when this is all over.

 

[indiucky]

Heck Henry Ford even gave money to Nazi Germany at one point. The 30's were a strange time in the world Elwood was the klan capitol of the world too.

And Senator Joseph Kennedy was as well....

 

[steveh_131]

Unless they were Jewish. Are you defending them? I hope not.

What part of that sounded like defense?

He was passing along interesting information, explaining the popularity of the group at the time.

 

[rambone]

Well, One thing that was semi-unique about the Nazis is that they preserved private property. Yes, they did TELL companies what they were going to make, how many they needed, ect... but they never actually took the companies away from their owners. Individual German citizens still owned, and had basic rights to their possessions.

Doesnt make them any less evil. But the statement is factual. Of course that only applies to Germans of the "Aryan" (a term that didn't originally mean what the Nazis made it mean) variety. If you were one of any number of discriminated races or groups, your property, was, well, Germany's, as well as your life. Nazi Germany was an evil place, but there is a lesson in this. Even the worst regimes are not bad in every way. If they were, the populace would crack under the pressure. (The best modern exception to this I can recall is Cuba under the Castros.) As we watch countries, maybe even our own, in our time commit evil acts abroad and against their own citizenry, watch what they do to keep everyone patriotic. An effective totalitarian can leverage national pride and is skilled with sticks and carrots. The Nazis were masters of this, and almost pulled it off. Thank God they didn't, but a lack of vigilance almost cost us.

There is nothing unique about a government catering to the majority demographic. This is almost universally true. Rather, it is how the government treats unpopular minorities and people accused of crimes that reveals how a government views individual rights and liberty.

In Nazi Germany, the Aryan Germans were the seat of Hitler's power; viewed as genetically superior. Giving them extra privileges was of no credit to the Nazis. They stomped the hell out of the rights of everyone else.

And don't forget that the Nazi government viewed the German people themselves as property of the state. They were physically denied the right of self-ownership (the most fundamental property right). They were forced into compulsory state education programs, compulsory physical fitness programs, and compulsory service to the Nazi government.

 

[printcraft]

..........
And don't forget that the Nazi government viewed the German people themselves as property of the state. They were physically denied the right of self-ownership (the most fundamental property right). They were forced into compulsory state education programs, compulsory physical fitness programs, and compulsory service to the Nazi government.

Sounds familiar.

 

[indiucky]

What part of that sounded like defense?

He was passing along interesting information, explaining the popularity of the group at the time.

Be careful Steve....One of the few female baseball team owners in the USA lost her baseball team for making such a factual (history wise) statement regarding the Nazi's....They ran her out on a rail.........

xit from ownership[edit]

On May 5, 1996, Schott aroused ire when she made statements favorable of Adolf Hitler, saying he "was good in the beginning, but went too far."[SUP][3][/SUP] MLB again banned Schott from day-to-day operations through 1998. Later in the month, Schott was quoted in Sports Illustrated as speaking in a "cartoonish Japanese accent" while describing her meeting with the prime minister of Japan.[SUP][3][/SUP] Further, she said that she did not like Asian American kids "outdoing our kids" in high school.[SUP][3][/SUP]
On April 20, 1999, Schott agreed to sell her controlling interest in the Reds for $67 million to a group led by Cincinnati businessman Carl Lindner. At the time she was facing a third suspension, failing health and an expiring ownership agreement with her limited partners, who planned to oust her. Schott remained as a minority partner.


What is funny is that my Grandfather...A WW2 veteran of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy said the same thing to me when I was a kid...

"Papaw...Why did the German people back Hitler if he was such an evil man????"

"Well son....When he first came into power he wasn't that bad...."

He was just being honest and trying to explain to me that evil gets in by hiding behind good....