A common question among people wanting to learn more about history is why is communism not as detested today as Nazism? There are many historical reasons, but this well made documentary sums it up pretty well: communism is based on pleasant sounding theories while nazism is based on hatred. It sounds unbelievable, but there existed loads of people in America during the leadup to World War II who wanted to adhere to the ideals of the nazis, as they thought the only way for the government to fix itself was to have it ruled by a strong dictator. A few years before World War 2, america (and the whole world) were dealing with the Depression and upwards of 80% of US citizens were out of work. Many in the country didn't trust President Roosevelt's leadership abilities and instead wanted to take on a more extreme form of government, whether it be extreme left or right. While some advocated for Leninist or Marxism ideas to take the place of democracy so everyone's paycheck would be the same, others wanted an actual National Socialist state, complete with eugenics programs to eliminate those deemed inferior and a threat to the Germanic race. The German American Bund was one such organization that wanted to implement Hitler's policies in the US, seeing as how Germany was devastated by the First World War, suffered terrible social and economic consequences after it, but managed to get back on track because of Hitler. He made the economy recover so fast that americans looked at germany with envy, and wanted to copy these policies. The bund was led by someone named Fritz Kuhn, a german ww1 veteran who moved to america post war. A previous organization, called the Friends of New Germany, attempted to introduce nazism to american citizens, but was met with adversity from people wanting to boycott german goods in response to Hitler's treatment of minorities. Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess was at an impass now, since he had to somehow make nazism appeal to americans while at the same time being careful not to upset them with how the Reich was dealing with certain groups. In the end, Friends of New Germany was dissolved and Kuhn took over it, transforming it into the german american bund. Meant to promote the ideals of nazi germany, the organization had many camps and sites set up all over the US, from California to New York City. J Edgar Hoover and the FBI kept a close eye on what they were doing, but Hoover himself went easy on them since he was anti-communist. The FBI didn't like nazis, but they were willing to tolerate their presence due to their view of communism as Hitler's ultimate enemy. Many americans subscribed to the ideas of nazism at the time because they had no idea where it was going or what atrocities it would lead to. In 1938, the world was shown for the first time what kind of a madman Hitler was when he enacted Kristallnacht: a 2 day long attack on german jewish businesses in which people were beaten, had their shop windows smashed, and were shipped to concentration camps. Even the Kaiser in exile was appalled at what was happening. The most well known event pertaining to the bund took place at Madison Square Garden in NYC, and mayor LaGuardia did not stand in the way of Kuhn's desire to hold a rally, as being hateful is protected by the First Amendment. Thousands of american nazis attended the rally, and as Kuhn took the podium and ranted about how FDR's policies are communist and un-american, someone in the audience tries to rush the stage. He's beaten severely by Kuhn's bodyguards before the cops intervene. After the rally, LaGuardia is enraged and thinks he never should have given Kuhn the go-ahead. He talks with his district attorney on what to do next, and knows he can't arrest Kuhn for wanting to spread nazi ideas. He could however arrest him for embezzling thousands of dollars from bund members in order to fund the lifestyles of his various mistresses, as was discovered during an investigation. Kuhn was arrested shortly after germany invaded Poland. Upon being released, he was arrested again almost immediately since he was considered a foreign spy. Kuhn was deported in 1945 back to germany. Other leaders replaced him in the bund, but the organization lost influence shortly after and those who had been members of it slowly blended back into the american public. Many people living in the 50s probably had neighbors who used to be part of it. Ever since I saw Ken Burns' films on PBS, I knew the channel had a tendency to make interesting and well researched historical programs. This is no different. I already knew about this strange and turbulent moment in american history, but it's important we reexamine it with the hindsight of ww2 we have now. Fascism can appear in any country and people like Kuhn see and forcefully take opportunities whenever they arise.
3 Reviews
Never forget 'Star Spangled Fascism'
planktonrules28 February 2024
Although many today would find this hard to believe, but Fascism wasn't just a think in Germany. Many countries had their own Fascist movements...such as in France and the United States. This episode of "The American Experience" is specifically of the German American Bund...the Fascist organization that gained a lot of traction and was quite mainstream in the 1930s.
Before the show specifically addressed the German American Bund, it laid the groundwork for the organization--putting it in context. Various hate groups, such as the KKK, and famous Americans, such as Henry Ford and Father Coughlin, were advocating the same ideals as the Bund. In other words, antisemitism and racism were already open and institutional before the Bund came about and this explains the organization's rapid growth and acceptance. Add to this the Depression and its economic uncertainty, and you can understand how the public accepted these hateful people.
This documentary is pretty much what you'd expect from "The American Experience"...a few bits of film, lots of photos and interviews with various experts who talk about this organization. And, considering how successful this formula is and how interesting this episode is, I think it's very much worth seeing.
.
Before the show specifically addressed the German American Bund, it laid the groundwork for the organization--putting it in context. Various hate groups, such as the KKK, and famous Americans, such as Henry Ford and Father Coughlin, were advocating the same ideals as the Bund. In other words, antisemitism and racism were already open and institutional before the Bund came about and this explains the organization's rapid growth and acceptance. Add to this the Depression and its economic uncertainty, and you can understand how the public accepted these hateful people.
This documentary is pretty much what you'd expect from "The American Experience"...a few bits of film, lots of photos and interviews with various experts who talk about this organization. And, considering how successful this formula is and how interesting this episode is, I think it's very much worth seeing.
.
American history has been sanitized!
babybirda25 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I watched a Night at the Garden, so I knew about the Nazi rally in 1939 but I had no idea that the Nazi were as organized in the 1930s as they were and even had a German Town with swastikas carved on the doorpost of their shacks and painted on their roofs. This story remained swept under the rug for too long.
While they were less violent than the KKK, the Bunds' speech was outrageous! They used the word "extermination."
This country at times feels hopeless because the Nazis used Jim Crow as their model, and even after the war ended and the Nazi's were defeated, this country never acknowledged a parallel between how they treated people with different skin colors and people with the same skin color but from an "undesirable" country. It seems that this country refuses, even now to learn from the past.
While they were less violent than the KKK, the Bunds' speech was outrageous! They used the word "extermination."
This country at times feels hopeless because the Nazis used Jim Crow as their model, and even after the war ended and the Nazi's were defeated, this country never acknowledged a parallel between how they treated people with different skin colors and people with the same skin color but from an "undesirable" country. It seems that this country refuses, even now to learn from the past.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
