01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

Berlin - 1st of March, 1933.

Adolf Hitler has been Reich Chancellor
for one month.

He leads a cabinet of national
socialists, monarchists,

nationalist dreamers and militarists.

Their shared goal is the end of the
Weimar Republic,

the elimination of democracy.

They purge the ministries and civil
service,

occupy the police and government
offices.

Ban newspapers and bring the press and
radio under their control.

Thousands of Social Democrats and
communists vanish into jails

and ad hoc t*rture chambers.

The Catholic Centre Party and liberals
are harassed.

Demonstrations are banned,

meetings broken up.

Violence and propaganda rule the
streets.

But there is still an opposition and
an election is coming up.

On the 5th of March, Hitler hopes that
the people

will confirm his position.

This is the Republic's last chance.

- The first warm springlike day.

The weather is wonderful.

I had to queue for about a quarter of
an hour at the polling station.

No Social Democrats or communists at
the door.

The porter had hung out Swastika
flags.

- After we voted, we went to see the
Reichstag building.

Its dome has lost almost all its
windows.

On weekdays, there are tours of the
fire damaged building.

- Voter turnout was remarkable.

The radio reports 90%.

Erich, his wife and their visitors are
sitting in front of it

listening to the results.

- We were sitting in a pub to listen

to the election results.

Some SA men held their revolvers to
our chests.

They forced us to go into their Sturm
pub.

Once inside, they called us communist
pigs

and we were brutally beaten.

Then we were taken to the SA
headquarters on Hedemannstrasse.

Shouting, "Heil, Hitler,"

they forced us to kneel down and
recite the Lord's Prayer

and then to sing the n*zi Party
anthem.

Anyone who didn't immediately obey was
beaten unconscious.

We had to take off all our clothes.

During the interrogation, they kept
whipping us.

- I'm on duty today.

We had two admissions - both of them
communists who were delivered

to the hospital by National Socialists
after being given

a good beating.

There's no sympathy for them here.

- A crippling fear and faint
heartedness

is infiltrating the labour movement.

Friends of mine have openly admitted
that they fear for their lives

and that of their wives and children.

- The National Socialists election
victory is massive.

I've included the final result here.

- In coalition with the People's
Party,

the Nazis apparently have a majority
of around 51%.

- There was an interesting map with
the results

in the Berliner Tageblatt.

The Nazis have the fewest supporters
in the far south of the country.

They also didn't do well in
Westphalia, Cologne,

Koblenz and Dusseldorf.

Their greatest victory, the east of
the country -

East Prussia, Pomerania and Silesia,

but also in Schleswig and Hanover.

- The Reichstag election campaign has
already been paid off.

Not only did we not lose any money,

we ended up with a tremendous surplus.

The shell of my future ministry is
just being finished.

It will have five large departments

covering film, theatre, press and
radio.

- On Tauentzienstrasse, the same
hustle and bustle as ever,

except for the people collecting money
in tins

with swastikas on them.

I go there often to meet up with my
g*ng of gossips

around Wittenbergplatz, and we sit on
the Silver Terrace in KaDeWe

and bemoan the state of the world.

I'm aware that we're still doing just
fine, so long as we're able

to sit there undisturbed drinking
coffee.

- The street vendor is doing a roaring
trade in swastika insignia.

Little boys in particular are buying
them

and attaching them to their clothes.

In the afternoon, I left for Paris via
Zweibrucken.

- Dr Joseph Goebbels has been named

Minister of Public Enlightenment and
Propaganda.

Hitler has thus bestowed tremendous
power upon him.

- The National Socialists have decided
that us Jews are to be excluded

from the judiciary.

I have no doubt they will carry
through with their plans,

but in these times it's hard to do
anything new.

I shall put off going abroad until the
last moment.

It's no small thing to leave this
country behind

which one loves in spite of it all.

The culture, the language, the
mentality -

these are all things you won't find
anywhere else.

- I had still been hoping that I would
be able to return to Berlin soon.

But today I received a letter from
Roland and Marjorie

which put an end to those hopes.

He said Gortz visited him and asked
him to tell me

that an SA Sturmfuhrer informed him
that something

was being planned for me.

They were considering requesting
protective custody for me

if I went back to Germany.

- Dearest Maud, I have not written
much

as I don't have anything in particular
to report.

One day is very much like the other.

- At around one o'clock in the
morning,

there was a loud ringing and knocking
at the door.

My husband opened up.

Six to eight men in SA uniform
entered.

They were all young people who'd been
to school with my children.

One of them ordered me to get dressed.

They drove me to the SA barracks.

The Demuth... is in the front part of
the building.

We drove into the courtyard and I was
told to get out.

When my name was called, the
Sturmfuhrer who was present said,

"Ah, Jankowski, that fat old cow."

I had to take off my coat and lie on
the table.

They pushed up my skirt and tugged
down my drawers.

I was struck across the bottom 20
times.

We each received four rounds of 20
strokes.

- The patient claims to have been
apprehended by SA Sturmgruppe 27

on the 17th of March. He was beaten
with rubber truncheons

and shoulder straps.

He has not defecated or urinated since
his imprisonment.

Since he was complaining of a severe
headache, chest pains, as well as

a strong but painful urge to relieve
his bladder,

he was brought here tonight.

- BELLS TOLL

Potsdam Day - a big military display.

Ceremony for the reopening of the
Reichstag.

- We stopped outside the Peter and
Paul Church in Potsdam.

There was panic on the streets. The
police cordon broke.

People shouted a*usive remarks - "Down
with the Centre Party."

- I'm sitting close to Hindenburg

and note his tears welling up in his
eyes.

Everyone gets up from their seats

to give the venerable old Field
Marshal a standing ovation

as he shakes hands with the young
Chancellor.

- It was very smart of Hitler to bow
to tradition, and it was very clever

to haul the old president out to
Potsdam

and to mobilise the jubilant masses.

- The Government plans an enabling act
and wants us to present it

to the Reichstag as soon as possible.

It will practically override the
Constitution, the fundamental

rights, and requires a two-thirds
majority in the Parliament.

This is only possible with the help of
the Centre Party.

- Not much to report today.

Wonderful weather at the moment, with
sunshine every day.

I'd really like to get the car back on
the road.

- Before the Reichstag assembly, the
square in front of

the Kroll Opera House was one dark
mass of people.

We were greeted with jubilant chants
of, "We want the Enabling Act."

We ran the gauntlet past young fellows
with swastikas

on their breast who shouted insults
like, "Centrist pigs,"

"Marxist swine."

- In the debating chamber, we were
immediately surrounded

by armed SS men.

We didn't know how or whether we would
be able to leave the room.

Many of us had already been arrested.

Sollmann was lying half-dead in
hospital.

- Hitler holds a long inaugural
address.

His speech is carefully calculated to
win over the Catholics.

- During the speech, Goering joins in
the applause. Every now and then,

he uses opera glasses and scrutinises
the ranks.

The Centre Party and the Social
Democrats gave

a defeated impression. The latter were
visibly terrorised.

- Dr Wirth of the Centre Party comes
to speak to us, declaring bitterly

that, for his faction, it's just a
matter of whether or not they will

personally hand Hitler the rope that
will be used to hang them.

- When the meeting resumes,
parliamentarian Wels demands

to be heard in the name of the Social
Democrats.

His tone almost suggests he wants

to be excused for speaking against the
act, rather like

a child who's been beaten and fears
there's more to come.

But under the circumstances, his
speech is truly honourable,

full of dignity and courage.

APPLAUSE

- When Wels has finished,

the Fuhrer steps up to the podium and
gives him his answer.

- CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

- After that, Prelate Kaas speaks

meekly and deferentially in the name
of the Centre Party.

- The Centre and even the State Party
vote for the Enabling Act.

Only the Social Democrats vote against
it.

Now we really are the rulers of the
nation.

- The term "idiotic" is not enough to
describe the decision

to vote in favour of the act. I
already knew that I would never

be able to erase that "Yes" from my
biography.

- I take a stroll through the streets.
It's quite warm.

The sun is still shining on the rows
of windows.

On Tauentzien Street, the pedestrians
walk

tightly packed together. The women
wear springtime dresses.

Among the cafe-goers are many SS
officers.

Behind the shop windows are signs.

"German business." "German wares."
"True German craftsmanship."

- In the Cabinet meeting, Hugenberg
thanks the Fuhrer for the acumen

and stringency of his policies. The
hostile propaganda abroad rankles.

The many Jews that have emigrated

from Germany are inciting hatred

against us around the world.

- Goering harshly insulted the foreign
press representatives in a vehement

tone, which they will have to get used
to.

Selected journalists were later led to
the communist leaders,

Thaelmann and Torgler, as well as to
the publishers of the communist

Red Flag and World Stage.

- Thaelmann didn't allow his
photograph to be taken

and remained silent.

When he was asked if he had complaints
about the food

or his treatment, he shook his head.

Carl von Ossietzky politely bowed

and introduced himself to every
visitor.

He said there were no charges pressed
against him and he also

had no significant complaints.

He seemed to view his situation in a
relaxed way.

- The thirteenth anniversary of
Daddy's death.

We visited his grave and decorated it
with daffodils.

It looked pretty. The snow had nicely
preserved

Daddy's wreath and twigs from Memorial
Sunday.

Opposite him, where there were still
graves back in the autumn,

is now a tree nursery.

- In the evening, I went out with
Trude. First, I had

some dinner at Aschinger, then we went
to a little pub

on Schonhauser Allee. From there to
Alexanderplatz,

where I had a few pints.

Afterwards, we came back to my place.

It was a night of passion followed by
a beautiful spring day.

Trude stayed with me till 5pm, then we
went out to dinner.

It was such gorgeous weather that we
decided to take a walk.

After that, we listened to La Traviata
on the radio.

It's my favourite Verdi opera. The
music is so soft and soothing.

- Taking into account the national
upheavals in Germany, the board

has decided in principle that the
contracts of Jewish

colleagues and staff should be
revoked, where possible.

There is general agreement that the
contract with Charell

as director and screenwriter

must immediately be revoked.

Further, it was decided

to end the contract with Erich Pommer.

The board has decided

to end its relationship with Robert
Liebmann.

The question of the dismissal of
Jewish office workers

will be deferred for the time being.

- We will only be able to fight
against this incitement from abroad

if we can assert pressure on its
initiators,

that is, the Jews who live in Germany.

We must ensure the large-scale boycott
of all Jewish businesses.

- The Jews are horrified, but they're
not the only ones.

The boycott is set to start on
Saturday, the 1st of April.

- Things are calm here in Berlin,
there's no denying it.

No shops have been plundered as yet.

None of us has seen anyone harassing
or verbally abusing Jews

on the streets or on public transport.

So we'll just wait and see for now.

The placards are stuck to shop
windows. Big letters - "Jew."

People walk the streets, keen to see

which shops are German and which are
Jewish.

The Nazis are out agitating.

- CHANTING:
- Deutsche, wehrt euch! Kauft nicht
bei Juden! Juden raus!

- A patient called and said she
couldn't come today.

I said that it would be best if she
never came again.

People are a cowardly lot. But I've
always known that.

- Dear children, the boycott day
yesterday was entirely calm

and without incident. Lots of shops
didn't even open up.

The rest of them quickly closed.
Otherwise, we're all well.

Yesterday evening, we did something to
cheer ourselves up.

It was Auntie Rosa's birthday, and we
celebrated with family gossip,

bread rolls, meringue pie and lots of
amusing anecdotes.

- I can now say to you that the
American people today realise

that these stories are untrue and
without foundation.

- APPLAUSE

Dearest Maudy, please make a request
to the police for permission

to speak to me. Things are still
tolerable for me here.

Of course, I am very worried. There is
no point

writing about it at length. I embrace
you fondly. Your Carl.

- Transported by train from
Schlesischer Bahnhof to Sonnenburg.

Arrival, and so on. Night with
Ossietzky and Ditten.

- I arrived in Sonnenburg at around
eleven o'clock in the morning.

The political prisoners were being
kept in the old jail that

had been abandoned due to disrepair.
The warders were all SA men.

I had to wait for around an hour.

Muhsam was in a terrible state.

I could hardly conceal my horror from
him.

He was sitting on a chair without his
spectacles.

They had been smashed. His teeth had
been knocked out.

The visit lasted only 16 minutes, and
we were under constant

supervision from an SA Sturmfuhrer.

When we parted, Erich said to me,
"Remember one thing, Zenzl -

"I will certainly never behave like a
coward."

- I met the Fuhrer on the Obersalzberg

to discuss the open questions.

We will make the 1st of May a Day of
National Labour, a sublime

demonstration of the will of the
German people.

On the 2nd of May, we will occupy all
trade union offices, bringing

them into line, too.

- These days, what people are really
interested in

are your political convictions. In the
evening, we played cards.

In the next few days, I'll probably
register as an SA physician.

I would very much like to become one.

- Today is the 44th birthday of Reich
Chancellor Adolf Hitler.

He doesn't have glorious Kaiser
weather, like Wilhelm I and II had.

It's been raining since Easter, and
it's cold, three degrees today,

so we had to heat the place.

Hitler's favourite flower is the
edelweiss.

His NSDAP comrades are selling them in
his honour.

- The birthday celebrations for Hitler
on the radio got rather annoying.

The new director is clearly getting to
work.

- The measures to exclude Jews from
the civil service,

the courts, notary offices and the
medical profession

are proceeding apace. Persecution
against them continues.

- The situation in the hospitals is
appalling.

They have hauled eminent surgeons out
of theatre

in the middle of operations and have
simply forbidden them

from re-entering the hospital.

People I know have left the country in
a mad rush

because they are "politically
suspect".

- I received a small suitcase with
documents and letters,

a letter from Gortz. He says, "My
manservant Friedrich

"has stolen from me and betrayed me to
the Nazis."

Sometimes I think it's all a bad dream
and I'll suddenly wake up.

The past few days have been awful.

And yet somehow life goes on. I work,
speak with people, read,

but I'm always aware of a dull pain,
throbbing like a sombre bassline.

- Werner has been arrested, as has his
wife, Emi,

to our unspeakable horror.

Why? What for? No idea.

They were taken away by police
officers early in the morning

at half past five. Emi arranged with
their eldest daughter

that she should go away immediately.
Little Renate is with us.

So that's how it is. I simply can't
make sense of it.

On Sunday evening, my siblings came
over, and we just sat here

as if we were in a house of mourning.

- I received a letter from the
Charlottenburg administration.

"We request you relinquish your
position

"as senior physician of the women's
department and clinic."

It's over. I've been sacked. It's
over.

My poor women. Who will be there for
them now?

For five years I've headed this
department, helped it grow,

made it well known.

And now? Over. Over.

I have to keep repeating it. I can
barely believe it.

It's over.

- In the afternoon, I took a drive
with SA Sturmfuhrer Schmidt,

SA Officer Schutz and Trude. We set up
camp in the park with a bottle.

The two men practised with their g*ns.

After I'd got pretty drunk on the
cognac, we went to the Sturm pub.

The SA men then simply took my car to
go and raid communist hideouts.

We picked up a few people, including a
Jew

and a very nice-looking Jewess, 18 to
20 years old.

The poor girl sat next to me in the
back of the car.

First they gave her a good thrashing

and then Schutz and Schmidt committed
indecencies against her.

- I dedicate my first entries to God
and to my dear little Eleanor,

who begins her three-week holiday on
the 1st of May,

the Day of National Labour.

The newspapers suggest that the May
Day celebrations

will be quite a show,

in particular, the huge fireworks
display.

I hope everything goes well.

- We're holding a dress rehearsal for
the rally in the Lustgarten

and on Tempelhof Field. As far as is
humanly possible,

everything will run smoothly and
precisely.

It will be a mass event,

the likes of which the world has never
seen before.

- Doubtless anyone who does not
participate in these events

will face severe repercussions.

Trade union members are therefore
being advised

to attend the public events.

- It is pleasantly warm.

A light breeze has banished the
mugginess of yesterday.

Since early morning, marching music
has been blaring from a loudspeaker

in the teacher's house.

- In the morning, the children of
Berlin gather in the Lustgarten.

Wherever one looks, on Unter den
Linden, across the whole Lustgarten,

children, children, children.

I speak to them from deep within my
heart.

It is good to talk to children if one
understands their souls.

- Neither of us were in the throng. We
kept to the sides.

We only saw the schoolchildren
marching along Unter den Linden,

coming back from the Lustgarten.

But we did see Dr Goebbels driving
past.

- At the airfield, we welcomed the
delegations of workers

from the entire Reich who had arrived
in Berlin by aeroplane.

They were invited to have lunch with
the Fuhrer.

- All afternoon, workers, office
staff, civil servants

marched to Tempelhof Field in columns.

The trade unions and the Marxists
marched with them.

The factories forced them to go,
checking their names against lists.

Anyone who refused ran the risk of
losing their job.

- n*zi representatives checked whether
everyone was present.

Lots of people absconded along the
way. Some went to buy cigarettes,

others suddenly developed a weak
bladder.

Yet more workers disappeared on the
Tempelhof Field.

Many who stayed grumbled because they
had to

stand around for hours in the dust and
heat.

- The VIPS and officials were standing
on a large platform.

The arrival of the Reich Chancellor
hardly made an impression, at least

as viewed from the platform. I didn't
even notice Mr Hitler's

presence until he was standing ten
metres away from me.

- HE SHOUTS

- The Reich Chancellor spoke for a
little over an hour

without making that much of an
impression.

When the high point of the festival
came, the masses were too tired.

- On the morning of May 2nd, I called
the trade union headquarters

but got no response.

I then tried the metalworkers' union.

The phone rang, but there was no
answer.

I then tried the main union building,
and the same thing there.

15 minutes later, I was standing

outside the trade union headquarters.

It was surrounded on three sides by
n*zi military.

The staff and administrative documents

were being loaded onto police trucks.

- We were forced to board a truck,
which took us to Parochialstrasse.

We were detained there and subjected
to a barrage of defamatory comments.

For hours, members of the public
poured into the building to gawp

at us and make their n*zi comments.

"Have you seen that pig Leipart?

"He's sitting over there, the filthy
pig."

- Among the 50 detainees are such
prominent trade unionists

as Leipart, Grassmann and former
Labour Minister Wissell.

- Erne and I went to the zoo.

Everything has been very nicely
redesigned.

We particularly enjoyed the smaller
animals...

..but also Roland, the elephant seal,
who this time was sunning

himself on the rocks in all his vast
magnificence.

- I went to buy an SA uniform with
Trude.

It costs around 60 Reichsmarks.

This afternoon, I also got my NSDAP
membership card,

at long last. That cost eight
Reichsmarks.

I got a Parabellum p*stol from
Schmidt, 7.65-calibre.

In total, I've spent more than 90
Reichsmarks today.

- The Library Committee has planned an
auto-da-fe for the 10th of May.

Several hundred books from around 20
authors are to be burned

on the square in front of the State
Theatre.

The authors include Heinrich Mann,
Feuchtwanger, Glaser,

Stefan and Arnold Zweig.

Mainly Jews.

- From our publishing house,

Sholem Asche, Doblin,

Baer-Hoffmann, Schnitzler.

Blacklists and whitelists. The book
stores have them, too.

Where will it end?