Meanwhile In Germany In 1936... (1)

Thursday 13th August 1936

'The Olympics will end next Sunday, the NSDAP* Party Rally is being heralded, an explosion is imminent, and naturally, they first of all take things out on the Jews. So much pressure has built up. The Gustlolff trial is coming up in September; the Danzig business has only been postponed, out Polish 'allies' have made the french general Gameiln a marshal, Mussolini has pocketed Abyssinia scot-free - and the Spanish Civil War has been under way for a couple of weeks. In Barcelona four Germans have been 'murdered' as martyrs of National Socialism by s revolutionary court, and even before that, they were saying the German-Jewish emigres were stirring up hatred against Germany there. God knows what will come of it all, but surely and as always new measures against the Jews. I do not believe that we shall keep our house...

The political aspect changes almost daily , it would be tremendous interesting, if it were not so dismal. The third Napoleon began his war of desperation over Spain but how much of an analogy is there? I hear repeatedly, the last time from Forbig, the teacher: Hitler really wants peace for another one or two years, because  our armaments ar not ready before then. But Mr Leon Blum cannot be ignorant of what every child in Germany knows. Are they so stupid in France that they're just waiting to be lead to the slaughter? But: Why have they taken everything lying down so far? In France from Germany, in England from Italy? Everything is completely opaque and dark. Probably no one, not even government, knows the real strengths, the checks and moods.'.

An excerpt from 'I Shall Bear Witness-The Diaries of Victor Klemperer 1933-1941' first published in German in 1995, translated into English by Martin Chalmers 1998.

For the second selection from Victor Klemperers diary please left click here. 

*in German Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterparte a/k/a The Nazis, or the National Socialist Workers party.