Download The Nazi Era: A glossary of terms/Background on Triumph of the Will

Mr. Walter
US History 2
The Nazi Era: A glossary of terms/Background on Triumph of the Will
The following is a list of important vocabulary words and Nazi organizations you should familiarize yourself with so
as to better understand what we will be reading about and discussing throughout our unit on WWII.
A. Nazi Vocabulary
Weimar Republic: the democratic form of government in Germany from 1919-1933, overthrown by the Nazis.
Chancellor: In Germany, the title of the “head of government”
President: In Germany, the title of the “head of state”
Fuhrer: “Supreme Leader,” the title Hitler gives himself when he takes total power in 1934.
National Socialist German Worker’s Party: NSDAP, or in English, the Nazi Party, which existed between 19191945.
Third Reich: Germany under the reign of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, 1933-1945.
Reichstag: German Parliament
Swatiska: “hooked cross,” an ancient symbol adopted by Hitler as the symbol of the Nazi Party.
Anti-semitism: prejudice and hatred toward Jews; the official policy of the Nazi Party.
Aryan: a Caucasian (and non-Jewish) person of Northern European descent, typically with blue eyes and blond
hair. The Nazi racial ideal.
Eugenics: the study of improving genetic qualities by selective breeding.
Paramilitary Organizations
Nazism made use of paramilitary organizations to maintain control within the party, and to squelch opposition to the
party. Violence and terror fostered compliance. Among these organizations were the:
S.A. (Sturmabteilung): Stormtroopers (also known as "brown-shirts") were the Nazi paramilitary arm under Ernst
Rohm. It was active in the battle for the streets against other German political parties.
S.D. (Sicherheitsdiest): the Security Service under Reinhard Heydrich.
S.S. (Schutzstaffel): Defense Corps, was an elite guard unit formed out of the S.A. It was under the command of
Heinrich Himmler.
Gestapo (Geheime Staatpolizeil): the Secret State Police, which was formed in 1933.
Hitler-Jugend (Hitler Youth): Mandatory paramilitary organization with separate groups for both boys and girls.
The goal of the Hitler Youth was to indoctrinate youngsters into Nazism and prepare them to be future soldiers.
B. Leni Riefenstahl and Triumph of the Will
THE FILM
Triumph of the Will (Triumph des Willens) is a filmed record of the 1934 Nazi Party Convention, in Nuremberg.
Actually, it is more than just a record: it is an exultation of Adolf Hitler, who from the moment his plane descends
from the clouds is visually characterized as a God on Earth. Filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl concentrates on cheering
crowds, precision marching, military bands, and Hitler's climactic speech, all orchestrated, choreographed and
illuminated on an incredible scale. It has been alleged that the climactic rally, "spontaneous" Sieg-Heils and all,
was pre-planned according to Riefenstahl's specifications, the better to take full advantage of its cinematic
potential. Possibly the most powerful propaganda film ever made, Triumph of the Will is also, in retrospect, one of
the most horrifying. Read this article to learn more before we watch the film:
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-will.htm
THE DIRECTOR
Leni Riefenstahl was a German motion-picture actress and director, best known for her documentary films of the
1930s on the National Socialist movement in Germany. Born Helena Bertha Amalie in Berlin, she trained as a
painter and dancer. During the 1930s Riefenstahl also directed a series of documentary films supported by
German dictator Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi) party. Triumph des Willens is a strikingly filmed
glorification of the Nazi party using its specially staged 1934 Nüremberg Rally. In Olympiad, a two-part
documentary of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Riefenstahl used novel camera positions, slow motion, long
lenses, and creative editing. During World War II (1939-1945) she worked on her film Tiefland, based on the opera
of that name by Scottish-born German composer Eugen D'Albert. The film, completed after Riefenstahl had been
released from her postwar imprisonment as a Nazi collaborator, was first shown in 1954. Riefenstahl then worked
as a still photographer, mostly in Africa. Her autobiography, Leni Riefenstahl, A Memoir, was published in 1993.
She recently passed away, in 2003.