As documentaries about Nazi Germany go, this one has its definite virtues. It gives more details than most about some aspects of how Hitler and his party came to power. In most such docs, Hitler's speeches are treated by excerpting them toward the end when Hitler is screaming, and translation is left out so often that we don't really know what he is saying, let alone how or why an audience might be taken in. In contrast, this documentary comes in at the beginnings or at least the middle parts of his speeches so that we have an idea how seductive he could be.
More importantly, key messages are quoted so that Hitler's program of ending democracy from within is laid bare. (In one speech to workers, Hitler acknowledges that many in his audience might begrudge his having outlawed the Marxist Party, but he maintains that this was compensated for by the fact that he had outlawed all the other parties, too.) The point that Hitler was twice banned from public speaking for lengthy periods of silence is stressed; a fact more often overlooked by similar docs (and by those who think that banning free speech is an effective weapon against extremism).
The Nazi's welfare programs, including soup kitchens and giveaways, are brought up, and a nod is made to the fact that planning for some of the public works projects, such as the Autobahn, although realized under him, preceded Hitler's rule. (No mention is made, however, of how frequently the Hitler government ran roughshod over people's land rights to build this superhighway.)
Many steps taken by the Nazis and many obstacles placed in Hitler's path get more of a mention here than they do in other docs of this type, but these steps are not always emphasized enough, nor kept in chronological order. Indeed, these obstacles are very apt to be mentioned out of chronological order, thereby under-emphasizing their potential significance. Alfred Hugenberg's objection to Hitler's appointment as chancellor is mentioned only after Hitler becomes chancellor, noting that it was "too late" to stop him. This doc makes a habit of mentioning many things when it is too late to register that these were, indeed, obstacles. Franz von Papen's well-received 1934 speech is not in this doc at all, even though it represented virtually the last time anyone in a position of authority criticized the changes brought about by Hitler; it was also too late but deserves to be mentioned. (Within a few months, the Nazis had put Papen under house arrest and murdered his speechwriter.)
The exploitation of young people and their unformed enthusiasm is mentioned only after the Nazis had gained power. This ignores the fact that all political parties-including the Communists as well as the Nazis-had been courting youth since the 1920s. Communist youth groups and Nazi ones had long vied to recruit young people. In connection with recruitment, the doc does not mention the Nazi program to recruit members from the Marxist groups. It says that when Joseph Goebbels became party leader of Berlin in 1926, he targeted Communists, but not only to fight against them in the streets. He also seduced many of them into switching sides, a program that Hitler himself heartily approved. This is not mentioned by this doc.
Other documentaries I have seen do a better job of covering all of the factions within the Nazi Party. This one only focuses on the biggest challenge from Ernst Rohm, the unruly leader of the Storm Troopers (SA), who along with other SA leaders was murdered early in the summer of 1934. (See "Hitler's Circle of Evil" for a better account of some of Hitler's other rivals within the Nazi Party.) Again, developments are not in order here; after Hindenburg died in August 1934 (You will notice how many major developments occurred in 1934!), yes, Hitler got the full support of the German military, but this was only the outward result of secret deal-making that had been ongoing since early that year when the Army agreed to support Hitler if he prevented Rohm from expanding the SA. It was the twin demises of Rohm and Hindenburg within weeks of each other that sealed a deal that had already been made.
Unfortunately, this doc, like several others I have seen, muddles its discussion of the crucial presidential campaign of 1932. It obscures the fact that the office that Hitler ran for was president of Germany and that he finally became a German citizen only this late in his career so that he could qualify to run for office. (How often this remarkable fact is not covered by documentaries about Hitler and the Nazis!) More importantly, while it does make the point that the Nazis made their best showing yet in the parliamentary elections even if they did not win a majority, it does not tell us that Hitler lost the presidential election to the incumbent chief executive, General Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg. Hitler subsequently became chancellor at the end of January 1933, yes, through appointment by Hindenburg, a fact that is revealed in this doc. The viewer should be excused if confused because this doc does not mention the fact that Hitler lost the April 1932 election (or that it happened in 1932 and not in 1933-the doc mentions the 1932 election results only after discussing events of early 1933). It is rarely mentioned by any of these docs that Hitler never won a national election where there were other candidates on the ballot.
You can learn a lot from this doc, but you will be misled if you rely on it exclusively for the facts.
