Travel Journal 3 | Reflections on Nazism and Politicalism (and other ism’s)

“The past is never dead. It isn’t even in the past.” William Faulkner

Looking back on World War II, the Nazis, and the genocide doesn’t feel incredibly politicized to me. I know they’re out there, but I have never personally met a Holocaust denier. I don’t know anyone who flies a Nazi flag or tries to justify the party’s actions. Seventy years later we regard the whole era as an international, inhumane tragedy. Millions visit Holocaust museums, concentration and death camps, and other memorials and walk away mystified and disgusted by the evils of humanity. We said and still say, “Never again.”

And I believe we mean it. I believe we want to be pure-souled and good-natured. I just don’t know if we are currently executing our seemingly honest and authentic intentions.

Travel Journal 2 | Journey to Munich

Two weeks ago I arrived in Munich for my History of Nazism course through The Village. After thousands of pages of readings, papers, and evening discussions, what I learned was suddenly, so tangibly, within reach. We explored greater Munich area where the Nazi party grew in size and power, eventually executing its plans for mass genocide.

Here in Pontlevoy, France – our home base for The Village program – we have a “museum in the streets”; plaques and photographs line alleyways and monumental areas, depicting the historical and political importance of our little town. Now, if we were to create a similar exhibition in the streets of Munich, we may be able to show people the rise and regime of the Nazi party, emphasizing the significance of certain sites.

Nuremberg houses the original Nazi party rally grounds and Congress, taking over 11 square kilometers. During its regime, the Nazi party held six rallies there between 1933-1938, intended to be a sort of mecca for the government to organize and centralize nationalism. The architecture of the Congress building itself embodies the Nazi emphasis on efficiency, order, and authoritative rule with granite arches reminiscent of Roman monuments, although absent of any decoration or ornament.