Lukas Cramer and Family http://learnhistory.org.uk/y12/index.php?blog=16 en-GB http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 helo ! http://learnhistory.org.uk/y12/index.php?blog=16&title=title-4&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:27:27 +0000 lauren Uncategorized 48@http://learnhistory.org.uk/y12/ <p>My name is Lukas Cramer, I am a soldier from Stuttgart, a Southern region in Germany. I am 23 years of age &amp; I am married to Eiren&#233; Boos, daughter of a local craftsman, Jean- whom died only a few months ago. My wife, whom was rather indifferent about her father's death, places blame on stress. His trade was not doing too well since furniture and other ornaments begun to be mass produced; soon he could no longer keep his house nor his sanity. It's a sad way to go.<br /> <br /> Only three weeks after Jean's death, my wife gave birth to our daughter- Eiren&#233; wanted to name her Jeanne after her late father, but I told her we would save her father's name for a son. She winced- obviously taking what I said as an insult; which was not my intention at all. Undoubtably a son would be ideal; I would wish for him to serve in the German army; like I have done and my father did during the First World War. Strong men make a strong country, I say.<br /> We decided on the name Kiara; I hesitated at first; Kiara is one of the patron saints of Poland- and I would have noone think me or my family Polish. But Eiren&#233; insisted; pious and stubborn, never a desirable mixture. Like most families in Southern Germany, our family is of the 'true Catholic faith'. Well, I have little time for God and such notions- if God truly loved us, why were children allowed to die of hunger in the streets during the Depression years? I, myself, watched as two young boys fought eachother for meat from that of a dead horse, lying in the middle of the road- covered in a blanket of flies. Since these dark years, I have had little faith in God. Germany does not need religious values; we need a strong government. There is little use in me sharing my views with my wife, she merely tuts and twirls the beads on her rosary a little firmer- as if to pray harder for her blasphemous husband.<br /> I am merely a soldier, I have had no education in my childhood- I worked on my father's farm until I was 17, by which time I had signed up to the Army- not that we could do much; with limited weapons and a small number of men. Therefore, I must admit that I am easily influenced by the gossip and chat of others. At my local pub hall I learn of the latest news from the cities, most recently a drunkard told me of the growing popularity of the NSDAP party, nicknamed the Nazis. They uphold Nationalist ideals; similar to those of the party I support- the DNVP. They too oppose the Versailles treaty of 1919- something in which did not offend me so strongly until I joined the army; the frustration of the men only filled me with bitterness and hatred towards the laws that kept our regiments so small and kept the men feeling so useless. Such restrictions do much damage to a soldier's ego, and a country's pride. I have seen the failure of democracy cause heartache, hunger and poverty. Surely we should bring back the Kaiser- a true leader with only Germany's interests at heart. These politicians are squashed under the thumb of foreign influence, there once was a time when Germany was strong- no need for American loans which, when they are withdrawn by the traitorous bastards, our people are left starving, homeless and barefoot. </p> <p>But I sense a change...</p> <p>The year is 1933; my wife informed me of the news of our new Chancellor. Herr Hitler was appointed by old man Hindenburg and there has been much focus on how Germany is set to change under this new chancellorship. My uncle is a shopkeeper from Berlin, he often writes to us of the latest riot within the city costing him business- "Communists" my wife would mutter. I scold her for such comments as they only fuel my uncle's anger; politics are a dangerous business; everyone must be on their guard now that we have a new chancellor; who can predict what he will do?<br /> Turns out, the DNVP has joined the Nazi party- like I said, both party's ideas are very similar, a smart move for both groups. The DNVP leader, Alfred Hugenberg has also been appointed as Minister of Agriculture and Economics- "he won't last" my wife mutters again.</p> <p>Adolf Hitler's first speech as Chancellor was very impressive- he promised change by action rather than democratic policies. Something which I think should have been done a long time ago, before Germany sunk so low into depression and a state of instability. Hitler made constant reference to the November criminals of 1919; a friend of mine who served alongside me in the army witnessed his speech. He said the crowds roared with approval and excitement; at long last perhaps Herr Hitler is the strong leader we have been seeking all these years.<br /> My wife fears the growing anti-semitic attitude of the German people which have not been discouraged by our new Chancellor- her sister is married to a Jewish doctor, Havin. A respectable man, but obviously he is in his right mind to fear his position. A Jew is a Jew before he is a German; but I find it hard to shout this loud in the beer halls and pubs when Havin has been a good man to us, delivered our baby and tended to her ailments ever since, no matter what time at night my wife disturbs him. </p> <p>February 1933.<br /> One thing Hitler promised was change, and already he is making changes. He has replaced the state police with his own trusted SS forces- loyal to the Nazis and Hitler himself. <br /> "Police officers who use weapons in carrying out their duties will be covered by me. Whoever misguidedly fails in this duty can expect disciplinary action." This is the order of Hermann G&#246;ring. I spit at this!. Now every pety policeman can claim to have killed for his country. My wife worries that such men will abuse their authority and hurt the innocent- no doubt she is right.<br /> The news from the cities is that many men have been taken from their homes and families in the middle of the night. Communists, 'enemies to the state' Hitler calls them. My wife insists that the men were nothing but ordinary husbands and fathers; with pety political aspirations-rather than the masterminds behind a revolution. </p> <p>Yesterday, on the 27th of February- the Reichstag building caught fire. A symbol of our German history,our heritage! All gone, Communists;without a doubt. Beforehand I was not particulary concerned about these city ideas of Communism and anarchy; but the burning down of the Reichstag is a warning of what is to come. Communists are sure to push Germany onto it's knees, so we are all looked down upon by the likes of the French. Truly, enemies of this country- want nothing but chaos when our children need stability. A nation to be proud of- now we run the risk of being on the same level as the Russians; destroyed by a Marxist revolution. This just demonstrates how untrusted these rebels are. My wife cries for the actual building; "so pretty" she sighs. </p> <p>Only this morning has the Emergency Decree been passed- Hitler is taking no chances; only wishing to protect the fatherland from the threat of terroism and radicals. Well, obviously there are negative impacts- but all necessary for the greater good. A few years back I would have resented the man whom restricted my personal liberty and freedom; but clearly the Communist threat is too large to ignore now- we need leadership and action, not freedom. </p> My name is Lukas Cramer, I am a soldier from Stuttgart, a Southern region in Germany. I am 23 years of age & I am married to Eirené Boos, daughter of a local craftsman, Jean- whom died only a few months ago. My wife, whom was rather indifferent about her father's death, places blame on stress. His trade was not doing too well since furniture and other ornaments begun to be mass produced; soon he could no longer keep his house nor his sanity. It's a sad way to go.

Only three weeks after Jean's death, my wife gave birth to our daughter- Eirené wanted to name her Jeanne after her late father, but I told her we would save her father's name for a son. She winced- obviously taking what I said as an insult; which was not my intention at all. Undoubtably a son would be ideal; I would wish for him to serve in the German army; like I have done and my father did during the First World War. Strong men make a strong country, I say.
We decided on the name Kiara; I hesitated at first; Kiara is one of the patron saints of Poland- and I would have noone think me or my family Polish. But Eirené insisted; pious and stubborn, never a desirable mixture. Like most families in Southern Germany, our family is of the 'true Catholic faith'. Well, I have little time for God and such notions- if God truly loved us, why were children allowed to die of hunger in the streets during the Depression years? I, myself, watched as two young boys fought eachother for meat from that of a dead horse, lying in the middle of the road- covered in a blanket of flies. Since these dark years, I have had little faith in God. Germany does not need religious values; we need a strong government. There is little use in me sharing my views with my wife, she merely tuts and twirls the beads on her rosary a little firmer- as if to pray harder for her blasphemous husband.
I am merely a soldier, I have had no education in my childhood- I worked on my father's farm until I was 17, by which time I had signed up to the Army- not that we could do much; with limited weapons and a small number of men. Therefore, I must admit that I am easily influenced by the gossip and chat of others. At my local pub hall I learn of the latest news from the cities, most recently a drunkard told me of the growing popularity of the NSDAP party, nicknamed the Nazis. They uphold Nationalist ideals; similar to those of the party I support- the DNVP. They too oppose the Versailles treaty of 1919- something in which did not offend me so strongly until I joined the army; the frustration of the men only filled me with bitterness and hatred towards the laws that kept our regiments so small and kept the men feeling so useless. Such restrictions do much damage to a soldier's ego, and a country's pride. I have seen the failure of democracy cause heartache, hunger and poverty. Surely we should bring back the Kaiser- a true leader with only Germany's interests at heart. These politicians are squashed under the thumb of foreign influence, there once was a time when Germany was strong- no need for American loans which, when they are withdrawn by the traitorous bastards, our people are left starving, homeless and barefoot.

But I sense a change...

The year is 1933; my wife informed me of the news of our new Chancellor. Herr Hitler was appointed by old man Hindenburg and there has been much focus on how Germany is set to change under this new chancellorship. My uncle is a shopkeeper from Berlin, he often writes to us of the latest riot within the city costing him business- "Communists" my wife would mutter. I scold her for such comments as they only fuel my uncle's anger; politics are a dangerous business; everyone must be on their guard now that we have a new chancellor; who can predict what he will do?
Turns out, the DNVP has joined the Nazi party- like I said, both party's ideas are very similar, a smart move for both groups. The DNVP leader, Alfred Hugenberg has also been appointed as Minister of Agriculture and Economics- "he won't last" my wife mutters again.

Adolf Hitler's first speech as Chancellor was very impressive- he promised change by action rather than democratic policies. Something which I think should have been done a long time ago, before Germany sunk so low into depression and a state of instability. Hitler made constant reference to the November criminals of 1919; a friend of mine who served alongside me in the army witnessed his speech. He said the crowds roared with approval and excitement; at long last perhaps Herr Hitler is the strong leader we have been seeking all these years.
My wife fears the growing anti-semitic attitude of the German people which have not been discouraged by our new Chancellor- her sister is married to a Jewish doctor, Havin. A respectable man, but obviously he is in his right mind to fear his position. A Jew is a Jew before he is a German; but I find it hard to shout this loud in the beer halls and pubs when Havin has been a good man to us, delivered our baby and tended to her ailments ever since, no matter what time at night my wife disturbs him.

February 1933.
One thing Hitler promised was change, and already he is making changes. He has replaced the state police with his own trusted SS forces- loyal to the Nazis and Hitler himself.
"Police officers who use weapons in carrying out their duties will be covered by me. Whoever misguidedly fails in this duty can expect disciplinary action." This is the order of Hermann Göring. I spit at this!. Now every pety policeman can claim to have killed for his country. My wife worries that such men will abuse their authority and hurt the innocent- no doubt she is right.
The news from the cities is that many men have been taken from their homes and families in the middle of the night. Communists, 'enemies to the state' Hitler calls them. My wife insists that the men were nothing but ordinary husbands and fathers; with pety political aspirations-rather than the masterminds behind a revolution.

Yesterday, on the 27th of February- the Reichstag building caught fire. A symbol of our German history,our heritage! All gone, Communists;without a doubt. Beforehand I was not particulary concerned about these city ideas of Communism and anarchy; but the burning down of the Reichstag is a warning of what is to come. Communists are sure to push Germany onto it's knees, so we are all looked down upon by the likes of the French. Truly, enemies of this country- want nothing but chaos when our children need stability. A nation to be proud of- now we run the risk of being on the same level as the Russians; destroyed by a Marxist revolution. This just demonstrates how untrusted these rebels are. My wife cries for the actual building; "so pretty" she sighs.

Only this morning has the Emergency Decree been passed- Hitler is taking no chances; only wishing to protect the fatherland from the threat of terroism and radicals. Well, obviously there are negative impacts- but all necessary for the greater good. A few years back I would have resented the man whom restricted my personal liberty and freedom; but clearly the Communist threat is too large to ignore now- we need leadership and action, not freedom.

]]> http://learnhistory.org.uk/y12/index.php?blog=16&title=title-4&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#comments