If we do not learn from history, and real soon, we are all toast:
From the what? Hang in there – all will be explained in a moment. First, some background to this piece. The other night I was flicking television channels and came upon a documentary. It was part of a series from the US that I had never seen before. It was a few years old, but may have been aired for the first time here in Australia.
The series is called “Mysteries of the Abandoned.” A blurb on the show says this: “Some of the world’s most incredible engineering projects now lie in ruins. These deserted places are home to extraordinary mysteries and untold secrets, and we revisit them to understand how they were built, and why they were abandoned.” https://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/mysteries-of-the-abandoned/
The particular episode I watched had four different segments. It was the third one, and what was said at the end of it, that really got my attention. It was called “Nazi Ghost Town” and had to do with a massive structure built by Hitler. I found a video of this online, watched it again and took some notes. I also did some further online research on this.
Here is what the Prora Complex was all about: it was a Nazi propaganda and indoctrination centre in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea. It was built during 1936-1939 and was a top-secret project. The 2.8-mile-long building complex was 6 stories tall. It had over 10,000 rooms that could hold 20,000 people in eight giant accommodation blocks.
The site never went into full operation: with the onset of World War II in 1939 construction workers were transferred elsewhere. But what the Nazis had in mind for it was sinister indeed. It was to be a mind control centre to create a master race that thought like the Nazis thought. It was sold to German workers as a wonderful holiday location. It promised Germans a terrific retreat by the seaside, but it was really a massive indoctrination centre.
It was to feature a monumental auditorium that could hold all 20,000 German workers staying there. It would really have a hypnotic effect – it was just so grand, just like the image of the Aryan race. It was a very impressive structure that would function like the Nuremberg rally arena. It was all about the manipulation of the masses.
The Complex was to have all-day programs to keep the Germans busy. The doco mentioned “Kraft Durch Freude” (“Strength through joy” – known as the KdF for short), a program led by top Nazi Robert Ley. One history site says this about it:
Strength Through Joy (Kraft durch Freude) was set up in Nazi Germany so that all aspects of a worker’s non-working time were looked after. Strength Through Joy supervised after-work activities, holidays and leisure time. Strength Through Joy served two main purposes. The first was to ensure that no one had too much time on their hands to get involved in untoward activities against the state. There was a belief that idle hands might get involved in anti-state misdemeanours. The second main purpose of Strength Through Joy was to produce an environment within Nazi Germany whereby the average worker would be grateful to the state for providing activities and holidays that in ‘normal’ circumstances they could not afford as individuals. https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/nazi-germany/strength-through-joy/
The doco I watched said similar things. It was a mass political propaganda endeavour: it seemed to be a subsidised holiday break for millions of low-paid industrial workers. But it was really designed to unite them fully behind Hitler and to brainwash them for war and sacrifice.
The truth is, the Nazis needed propaganda for the Third Reich to succeed. It was all about uniting the people to Hitler – they had to have everyone to be on board in order to be successful. As the doco narrator said, they needed “an ideological way of making people feel really happy about giving 100 per cent of their free time being indoctrinated with:
-‘Aren’t we the greatest’
-‘Isn’t it worth the suffering?’
-‘Shouldn’t we all be in this together?’”
Lessons for today
It was those last lines that really got me thinking about things today. Most of 2020 I have been trying to sound the alarm about how power-drunk rulers and states have used corona alarmism to massively increase the size and scope of government, and to take away individual freedoms.
Some of my many pieces on this explicitly looked at some parallels with what happened in Germany in the 30s. See these two articles for example: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2020/10/15/statism-and-crises-learning-from-20th-century-germany/
But the idea of brainwashing the masses, convincing them of a grand cause set over against some great evil, and the need to convince us all to make whatever sacrifices are necessary does sound so very 2020-ish. The corona alarmists and the political- and media-led hysteria about it has resulted in a massive increase in the powers of the State, and a corresponding decrease in individual freedoms of all kinds.
Even the same phrases and concepts have been heard repeatedly this year: ‘We are all in this together’ and ‘We must be willing to make these sacrifices for the greater good’ etc. The ability of our leaders and the media to get the masses to so willingly and easily lay down their rights and freedoms to beat the Rona has been frightening to behold.
So many folks like sheep to the slaughter simply went along with everything the various ‘experts’ told them, no matter how often and how glaringly they contradicted each other, and even themselves. Various chief medical officers who were nobodies last year now found themselves being given celebrity status as they and various premiers did their daily briefings, often to scare us witless.
They loved the spotlight and all the attention as they so readily made things up as they went along. And so much of it was utter lunacy: It was decided for example that the Rona was deadly in Victoria 23 hours a day, but not 24. It was also decided that the Rona would not get you 5 kilometres from home, but it would at 5.5 kms. They assured us that the Rona would not get you in Bunnings but it sure would in a church service.
No matter how ludicrous and how unscientific and how un-medical their ideas were, the masses went right along with all of it, and lapped everything up. Even today I still see folks walking around in the middle of nowhere with their masks on. Fear and paranoia have utterly immobilised and lobotomised far too many people.
Our leaders have certainly learned one very invaluable lesson this year: the masses are utterly pliable and fully able to be moulded however the elites want them to be moulded. They will basically do anything they are told if they think it will keep them ‘safe’.
Now in drawing parallels here, I am not saying that every political leader and media outfit today are reincarnations of the Nazis. I did not say that. But I have been saying all year that we MUST learn from history. We must see what has happened before, in order to hopefully not repeat the same mistakes.
Political leaders know full well the value of mass propaganda and indoctrination, and the place of fear. That was clear in Germany in the 30s. And we have seen far too many similarities all around the world this year. It really is frightening.
Thankfully the Prora Complex was never finished and used for its nefarious purposes. Indeed, today it is being turned into a resort where people can live in fancy refurbished apartments, with tennis courts, a swimming pool and a shopping centre part of the ongoing redevelopment.
But if one of the most well-educated, culturally-advanced, and civilised nations on earth could use things like this for such evil ends just 90 years ago, there is no guarantee that similar things will not occur today – all for our own good of course.
BTW, the 42-minute documentary which I saw – which was first aired on 20 April 2017 in the US – can be seen here: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5ryvy1
Thanks so much Bill. Very informative and so very troubling to see many of the same ideas/phrases being resurrected for the “good of the people.”
I’ll take a look at the doco.
I share your articles on MeWe.
God bless you brother!
Many thanks Kaye.
Dear Bill,
This article reminds me of operation paper-clip. This ‘was’ well documented on the net, not sure if it still is?
The building you saw above, was the beginning, and the idea saw fruition after the Second World War in the US.
If anyone cares to study the progress please include Hollywood, Disney, the CIA and US media.
The pedigree of what we have today finds its roots from where you commence your article.
Cheers
Mark Bryant
Thanks Mark. It was a mixed bag. The desire of the Allies to keep the Soviet communists from getting access to key German military and technological assets and info may have been valid, but the means of doing it was somewhat ethically dubious. https://www.history.com/news/what-was-operation-paperclip
A great article Bill. It certainly deserves to be read, reflected upon and shared. John
Thanks John.
This virus experiment has shown me that my long held belief in the strength, the independence and the love of liberty among Americans would be too strong for a one world government to overcome, was sadly, misappropriated.
Quite so William.
We didn’t have experts before the 20th century to help us. How did humanity survive all that time without expert nannies holding our hand and guiding us through life???
True op paperclip may have had good intentions but as we all know the road to hell is paved with them. How much evil has been unleashed in history because of good intentions. What terrible things came out of these good intentions?
Morals and ethics are different. Ethics seem more lenient and can be more situational.
I did watch that doco. This ediface remains as a reminder of how the da Fheurer (sic) was directing the proletariat. Now its more subtle, they start putting your children through the factory (otherwise known as Public Education). The truth becomes subjective ie gender swapping. Etc etc.
Very astute article Bill. We must be aware. Many blessings to you and yours for Christmas.
Good find there Bill. What was intended for a nation back then seems to be used on a world wide scale. For our good of course.
well George I am NOT a conspiracy theorist but know some turn out true and I know God often uses mans own desires to fulfill his plans but I have read that Hitler and the Nazis were a dry run on a continental scale for a global dictatorship ie antichrist. they wanted to see could a man rise up and quickly take control over nations and what how to best sell it to the people, what is needed to get him in power, and what would be the root of any resistance such that it could be eliminated. once you find out what you need from your experiment you no longer need it so hitler was not allowed to continue. they found out what worked, what didn’t and what was holding some people back and spend the last 75 years globally transforming the world into what they needed it to be for the one world dictator to arise.
America has been the fly in the ointment as it has taking this whole time to get us here where Europe was much more receptive after WWII. as a beaten resentful people they could easily be guided as the evil forces of the world wish to guide them. they come in a saviors and as long as you stay in their “good graces” you get help. perfect ground to change western civilization. Quietly bit by bit over the passage of years. one thing I don’t think all christians, let alone all people, understand is satan and his people are VERY patient they will take 50, 75, 100 years or more to accomplish their goal. until the time in revelation where he is thrown to the earth and it says his time is short he isn’t in a hurry to do things. maybe that is why sometime we get lazy and apathetic sometimes is it seems nothing is happening and we think he isn’t doing anything. but often it is what is going on UNDER the surface that is far more dangerous than what is seen on the surface. the current you can’t see is the killer.
There is a similar show on Foxtel called Abandoned Engineering.
Thanks so much Bill. Very informative and so very troubling to see many of the same ideas/phrases being resurrected for the “good of the people.”
I’ll take a look at the doco.
I share your articles on MeWe.
God bless you brother!
Many thanks Kaye.
Dear Bill,
This article reminds me of operation paper-clip. This ‘was’ well documented on the net, not sure if it still is?
The building you saw above, was the beginning, and the idea saw fruition after the Second World War in the US.
If anyone cares to study the progress please include Hollywood, Disney, the CIA and US media.
The pedigree of what we have today finds its roots from where you commence your article.
Cheers
Mark Bryant
Thanks Mark. It was a mixed bag. The desire of the Allies to keep the Soviet communists from getting access to key German military and technological assets and info may have been valid, but the means of doing it was somewhat ethically dubious. https://www.history.com/news/what-was-operation-paperclip
A great article Bill. It certainly deserves to be read, reflected upon and shared. John
Thanks John.
This virus experiment has shown me that my long held belief in the strength, the independence and the love of liberty among Americans would be too strong for a one world government to overcome, was sadly, misappropriated.
Quite so William.
We didn’t have experts before the 20th century to help us. How did humanity survive all that time without expert nannies holding our hand and guiding us through life???
True op paperclip may have had good intentions but as we all know the road to hell is paved with them. How much evil has been unleashed in history because of good intentions. What terrible things came out of these good intentions?
Morals and ethics are different. Ethics seem more lenient and can be more situational.
I did watch that doco. This ediface remains as a reminder of how the da Fheurer (sic) was directing the proletariat. Now its more subtle, they start putting your children through the factory (otherwise known as Public Education). The truth becomes subjective ie gender swapping. Etc etc.
Very astute article Bill. We must be aware. Many blessings to you and yours for Christmas.
Good find there Bill. What was intended for a nation back then seems to be used on a world wide scale. For our good of course.
well George I am NOT a conspiracy theorist but know some turn out true and I know God often uses mans own desires to fulfill his plans but I have read that Hitler and the Nazis were a dry run on a continental scale for a global dictatorship ie antichrist. they wanted to see could a man rise up and quickly take control over nations and what how to best sell it to the people, what is needed to get him in power, and what would be the root of any resistance such that it could be eliminated. once you find out what you need from your experiment you no longer need it so hitler was not allowed to continue. they found out what worked, what didn’t and what was holding some people back and spend the last 75 years globally transforming the world into what they needed it to be for the one world dictator to arise.
America has been the fly in the ointment as it has taking this whole time to get us here where Europe was much more receptive after WWII. as a beaten resentful people they could easily be guided as the evil forces of the world wish to guide them. they come in a saviors and as long as you stay in their “good graces” you get help. perfect ground to change western civilization. Quietly bit by bit over the passage of years. one thing I don’t think all christians, let alone all people, understand is satan and his people are VERY patient they will take 50, 75, 100 years or more to accomplish their goal. until the time in revelation where he is thrown to the earth and it says his time is short he isn’t in a hurry to do things. maybe that is why sometime we get lazy and apathetic sometimes is it seems nothing is happening and we think he isn’t doing anything. but often it is what is going on UNDER the surface that is far more dangerous than what is seen on the surface. the current you can’t see is the killer.
There is a similar show on Foxtel called Abandoned Engineering.