Dec 29, 2023 | To understand the persecution of homosexuality in the Third Reich, we have to go back to the 1920s. After World War I, Germany adopted a new form of government called the Weimar Republic. As a consequence of the war, significant cultural changes occurred in society, and the gay community believed it was an ideal time to stop hiding. Homosexuals created a movement to fight for their rights and freedoms, aiming to promote tolerance so that everyone could be themselves. Berlin was one of the most important cities in the community, filled with clubs, associations, and bars for non-heterosexual individuals. The most famous of all was Eldorado, known for its lively parties with an atmosphere of great sexual freedom.
Ach, das waren für Homosexuelle schwierige Zeiten! Damals waren Homosexuelle waren richtig verfolgt. Aber kann man wirklich sagen, daß wir leben in besseren Zeiten? In vielen Ländern sind Homosexuelle immer noch verfolgt. In vielen Ländern in Afrika vor allem, und in den meisten islamischen Ländern auch noch.
Fakt ist: Die meisten Leute sind nicht genügend aufgeklärt, um andere Leute genau wie sie sind zu akzeptieren.
May 5, 2021 | New Zealand-born Nancy Wake (1912-2011) was a wartime agent, commander and famously blunt raconteur who led a life of extreme adventure in the French resistance. She earned the nickname ‘The White Mouse’ when she hit the top of the Gestapo’s ‘most wanted’ list, but famously slipped through their net.
As a hunted resistance courier, Wake was forced to flee from occupied France in 1943, leaving her husband Henri Fiocca behind. She embarked on a life of excitement and danger as an agent in Churchill’s secret army, the Special Operations Executive.
Aug 20, 2023 | The systematic looting of art owned by Jewish families has never been fully investigated. Descendants of families forced to leave Nazi Germany are still searching for their property - often in vain.
The documentary follows the trail of one large-scale Nazi looting operation. Provenance researcher Kathrin Kleibl and her colleagues are investigating the crime, and hope to bring about justice one day. It’s her job to ascertain the whereabouts of looted art and return it to its rightful owners.
Jewish families ordered to leave Germany were assured they could take their property with them. But often, all their worldly goods remained behind. Thousands of crates stored at locations like the port of Hamburg were seized by the Gestapo. Instead of sending the objects on to their owners, they were auctioned. The contents of entire households went under the hammer at the "Hamburg Bailiff’s Office" and in many other auction houses; the lots included valuable artworks.
The auctions were blatantly advertised in newspapers. In Hamburg, they raised 7.2 million Reichsmark for the Nazis. A state-sponsored bargain hunt, says historian Frank Bajohr. The objects disappeared into the hands of private individuals, museums and dealers. In most cases, they have never been seen again.
Who were the owners and who were the buyers? Kathrin Kleibl explains her mission: "The primary goal is to give these objects back to the families." In a research project funded by the German Lost Art Foundation, Keibl is hot on the trail. She has one key advantage, in the search: the Nazis kept meticulous records of their crimes. Kathrin Keibl has access to thousands of pages of auction reports, store ledgers and invoices. It’s an arduous task, but: "Using these puzzle pieces, we can trace the path of a theft from its original location to its eventual sale in Hamburg, " says Kleibl.
The descendants of these Jewish families can now hold out some hope of recovering their property. The Koch family from Wiesbaden, for example, was forced to emigrate to London. But their crates, which contained priceless art collections including works by Nolde, Jawlensky and Klee, never arrived. What happened to their grandparents’ property? There’s a specific lead on one painting, but several changes of ownership and an art market that still remains largely secretive are hampering the search. As one member of the Koch family says: "If our generation stops searching, then this chapter will remain forever lost in darkness.”
The valuable art collection of Johanna Ploschitzki from Berlin was also lost. Her belongings, which totaled 1,500 objects and included pieces by renowned artists such as Pissarro, Beckmann and Liebermann, was auctioned off over the course of three days in Hamburg. To this day, her descendants are hoping to recover at least some of the items.
This chapter of German history is also posing a challenge to Dr. Ute Haug, provenance researcher at the Hamburger Kunsthalle art museum: In the year 1941, her museum bought eight paintings at an auction. But can these artworks be correctly assigned to the families they were stolen from? To find out, Ute Haug is also seeking help from Kathrin Kleibl.
Dec 29, 2014 | Private amateur films capturing life under the Nazi regime from the inside include footage shot by Hitler's secret mistress of Nazi officials at leisure, Hitler greeting jubilant crowds in Vienna upon the German annexation of Austria in March 1938, and the violent backlash against Jews there, and the Nazi invasion of Poland.
Nov 24, 2018 | Homosexuality was a crime in Nazi Germany. Still, artist Martin Dammann found so many Nazi-era photos of Wehrmacht soldiers in drag that he published an entire book of them. What do the photos tell us about sexuality in the Wehrmacht? Why was cross-dressing so prevalent among Nazi-era soldiers?
A documentary from 2000 detailing the stories of gay people who were persecuted in Nazi Germany because of their sexuality.
Because this is age-restricted, it cannot be embedded here. This is a serious and informative documentary. It is not suitable for the squeamish or for the faint of heart. But it comes highly recommended. It gives us a chance to see how life was in Nazi Germany for persecuted homosexuals. Please click here to view this fascinating, insightful but extremely tragic documentary. It really is an excellent documentary. Extremely well done. Warning: It is absolutely NOT suitable for children! – Mark
Jun 3, 2020 • Before the Nazis came to power, Berlin was home to a vibrant gay community. Within weeks of their rise in March 1933, the Nazis drove this population underground and waged a violent campaign against homosexuality. Over the next 12 years, more than 100,000 men were arrested for violating Germany's law against "unnatural indecency among men.” During this time, proof was often not required to convict an individual. Some were sent to concentration camps and subjected to hard labor, cruelty, and even medical experiments aimed at “curing” them. Moderator: Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Speaker: Dr. Jake Newsome, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Homosexuality was a crime in Nazi Germany. Still, artist Martin Dammann found so many Nazi-era photos of Wehrmacht soldiers in drag that he published an entire book of them. What do the photos tell us about sexuality in the Wehrmacht? Why was cross-dressing so prevalent among Nazi-era soldiers?
Brought to you by the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, the Burton C. Einspruch Holocaust Lecture Series speaker Dr. Peter Hayes and his lecture "German Corporate Complicity in the Holocaust" on Monday, October 29, 2018.
Private amateur films capturing life under the Nazi regime from the inside include footage shot by Hitler's secret mistress of Nazi officials at leisure, Hitler greeting jubilant crowds in Vienna upon the German annexation of Austria in March 1938, and the violent backlash against Jews there, and the Nazi invasion of Poland.
Geoffrey Giles, a scholar of groundbreaking research and writings on the Allied occupation of Germany, speaks about the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany and in post-war, occupied Germany.
Are the comparisons being made between the Trump administration and Nazi Germany hyperbolic, Dr. Henry Oster, Sole Survivor of the Holocaust from Cologne Germany, doesn't think so.
This documentary uncovers the unholy alliance between Nazi Germany and some of the biggest corporations in the US — companies which were indispensable for Hitler to wage war. Henry Ford, the automobile manufacturer; James D Mooney, the General Motors manager; and Thomas Watson, the IBM boss were all awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle — the Nazi's highest distinction for foreigners for their services to the Third Reich.
