filepile/hitler · Datasets at Hugging Face

text string
And so it is difficult to see why they keep them
Moreover, Germany has never demanded colonies for military purposes, but exclusively for economic purposes
It is obvious that in times of general prosperity the value of certain territories may decrease, but it is just as evident that in times of distress such value increases
Today Germany lives in a time of difficult struggle for foodstuffs and raw materials
Sufficient imports are conceivable only if there be a continued and lasting increase in our exports
Therefore, as a matter of course, our demand for colonies for our densely populated country will be put forward again and again
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE: FOREIGN POLICY PLANS In concluding my remarks on this subject I should like to note a few points concerning the possible ways which may lead to a general pacification of Europe, which might also be extended outside Europe
(1) It is in the interests of all nations that the individual countries shall possess internally stable and orderly political and economic conditions
They are the most important conditions for lasting and solid economic and political relations between the peoples
(2) The vital interests of the different peoples must be frankly recognized
Mutual respect for these vital interests alone can lead to the appeasement of the essential needs of the nations
(3) The League of Nations, to be effective, must be reformed, and must become an organ of the evolutionary concept, and must not remain an organ of inactivity
(4) The relations of the people towards one another can only be regulated and solved on a basis of mutual respect and absolute equality
(5) It is impossible to make one nation or another responsible for armaments or for limitation of armaments, but it is necessary to see this problem as it really is
(6) It is impossible to maintain peace among the nations so long as an international irresponsible clique can continue their agitation unchecked
A few weeks ago we saw how an organized band of international war mongers spread a mass of lies which almost succeeded in raising mistrust between two nations and might easily have led to worse consequences than actually followed
I greatly regret that the British Foreign Secretary did not categorically state that there was not one word of truth in those calumnies about Morocco which had been spread by these international war mongers
Thanks to the loyalty of a foreign diplomat and his Government, it was possible to clear up this extraordinary situation immediately
Supposing another case arose in which it turned out impossible to establish the truth so readily, what then would happen? (7) It has been proved that European problems can be solved properly only within certain limits
Germany is hoping to have close and friendly relations with Italy
May we succeed in paving the way for such relations with other European countries
The German Reich will watch over its security and honor with its strong army
On the other hand, convinced that there can be no greater treasure for Europe than peace, it will always be a reasonable supporter of those European ideals of peace and will be always conscious of its responsibilities
(8) It will be profitable to European peace as a whole if mutual consideration be always shown for the justified feeling of national honor among those nationalities who are forced to live as a minority within other nations
This would lead to a decisive lessening of tension between the nations who are forced to live side by side, and whose State frontiers are not identical with the ethnical frontiers
In concluding these remarks I should like to deal with the document which the British Government addressed to the German Government on the occasion of the occupation of the Rhineland
I should like first to state that we believe and are convinced that the British Government at that time did everything to avoid an increase of tension in the European crisis, and that the document in question owes its origin entirely to the desire to make a contribution towards disentangling the situation of those days
Nevertheless, it was not possible for the German Government, for reasons which the Government of Great Britain will appreciate, to reply to those questions
We preferred to settle some of those questions in the most natural way by the practical building up of our relations with our neighbors; and I should like to state that, complete German sovereignty and equality having now been restored, Germany will never sign a treaty which is in any way incompatible with her honor; with the honor of the nation and of the Government which represents it; or which otherwise is incompatible with Germany's vital interests and therefore in the long run cannot be kept
I believe that this statement will be understood by all
Moreover, with all my heart I hope that the intelligence and goodwill of responsible European Governments will succeed, despite all opposition, in preserving peace for Europe
Peace is our dearest treasure
Whatever contributions Germany can make toward preserving it, these she will make
CONCLUSION: WHAT LIES AHEAD? Before concluding my address today I should like to give a short sketch of the tasks that lie ahead of us
FOUR-YEAR PLAN In the carrying out of the Four Years Plan lies our first task
It will call for gigantic efforts but eventually it will turn out a great blessing for our people
Its purpose is to strengthen our national economic system in all its branches
The execution of it is guaranteed
All those great works which have been started apart from this plan will be continued
Their purpose is to promote the health of the nation and make life more pleasant
Building extensions will be systematically carried out in some of our large cities, as an externalization of the spirit that actuates this great epoch of our national revival
In the forefront of these plans stands that of remodeling and enlarging Berlin and thus making it the real and true metropolis of the German Reich
Therefore I have today appointed, just as I did for the great scheme of national road construction, a general architectural supervisor for Berlin, who is responsible for the reconstruction and extension of the metropolis
Out of the chaos which resulted from the former building schemes in Berlin he will bring order
And that order will be based on such spacious plans as will be worthy of the National Socialist Movement and also of the German metropolis
We have allotted a period of twenty years for the carrying out of this plan
ART AND CITY PLANNING May the Almighty God grant us a time of peace in which to bring this gigantic work to completion
Parallel therewith, the Capital of the Movement (Munich), the Party Metropolis (Nuremberg), and the Free City of Hamburg will be remodeled and extended on large lines
But this work will only be the counterpart of a general cultural development which we wish to see taking place in Germany, as the crowning achievement to the restoration of our internal and external freedom
NEW CONSTITUTION And, finally, it will be one of our future tasks to give the German people a Constitution which will be in harmony with the real life of our people, as that life has developed politically
This Constitution will place its seal on this life for all time to come and will be an imperishable and fundamental law for all Germans
As I look back on the great work that has been done during the past four years you will understand quite well that my first feeling is simply one of thankfulness to our Almighty God for having allowed me to bring this work to success
He has blessed our labors and has enabled our people to come through all the obstacles which encompassed them on their way
I have had three extraordinary friends in my life
In my youth it was Poverty, which was my companion for many years
When the Great War came to a close it was the profound anguish that I felt over the downfall of our people
This anguish seized me and determined the path I had to follow
Since January 30th four years ago I have made the acquaintance of the third friend--anxiety for the people and the Reich, which have been entrusted to my guidance
From that time this anxiety has never left my side and will probably remain a faithful companion until the end of my days
But how could a man bear the burden of this anxiety were it not for the faith he has in his mission and which enables him to trust that He who is above us all sanctions my work
Destiny has often decreed that men who have a special mission to fulfill must be lonely and deserted
But here I wish to return thanks to Providence for having given me a group of faithful comrades who linked their lives with mine and have ever since fought at my side for the resurrection of our people
It is a great happiness for me that I did not have to walk among the German people as a man alone, but that at my side there was always a group of men whose names will endure in the history of Germany
At this point I wish to thank my old fighting comrades who have stood by my side throughout all these years and who give me their help today either as Cabinet Ministers, Reichsstatthalter, Gauleiter, or in other positions under the Party or the State
During these days a tragedy is being enacted in Moscow which shows how highly we ought to value that loyalty which binds the leaders of a nation to one another
I further wish to express my sincere gratitude to all those who did not belong to the ranks of the Party but who in these recent years have been loyal assistants and comrades in governmental work and in other work for the nation
All of them belong to us, even though they may not wear the external insignia of our party community
I thank all those men and women who have assisted in building up our party organizations and working in them with success
But above all I have to thank the chiefs of our armed forces
They have enabled us to provide the National Socialist State with a National Socialist defense force, without placing any difficulties whatsoever in the way
Thus the Party and the defense forces are now the guarantors sworn to devote themselves to the preservation of our national existence
But we know that all our efforts would have been in vain if we did not have the loyal cooperation of hundreds of thousands of political leaders, innumerable officials and countless soldiers and officers, who did their work under the inspiration of the ideal of our national resurgence
And above all we must acknowledge that our success could not have been attained if we were not backed up by the united front of the whole people
On this historic occasion I must once again thank all those millions of unknown Germans, from every class and caste, profession and trade and from all the farmsteads, who have given their hearts, their lives and their sacrifices, for the new Reich
And all of us, gentlemen and members of the Reichstag, hereby join together in tendering our thanks to the women of Germany, to the millions of those German mothers who have given their children to the Third Reich
During these four years every mother who has presented a child to the nation has contributed by her pain and her joy to the happiness of the whole people
When I think of that healthy youth which belongs to our nation, then my faith in the future becomes a joyful certainty
And it is with a profound [sic] feeling that I realize the significance of the simple word which Ulrich von Huten wrote when he picked up his pen for the last time--Deutschland
On January 30, 1933, I entered Wilhelmstrasse, filled with deep concern for the future of my people
Today - six years later - I can speak to the first Reichstag in Greater Germany! Truly, perhaps more than another generation, we may be able to gauge the pious meaning of the saying: 'What a turn of God's providence! Six years were enough to fulfill the dreams of centuries
A year to bring our people into the enjoyment of that unity that was the futile aspiration of many generations
As I see you today gathered around me as representatives of our German people from all parts of the empire and know among you the newly elected men of the Ostmark and the Sudetenland, I again relishes the tremendous impressions of the events of a year in which centuries were realized
How much blood flowed around this destination in vain! How many millions of German men, consciously or unconsciously in the service of this purpose, have gone the bitter road of rapid or painful death for more than a thousand years! How many others were condemned to end life behind fortress and dungeon walls, that they wanted to give to Greater Germany! How many hundreds of thousands have flowed into the wide world as an endless stream of German emigration, driven by distress and anxiety! For decades thinking of the unfortunate homeland, after generations forgetting it
And now, in one year, the realization of this dream has succeeded
Not without a fight, as thoughtless citizens may believe it
Before this year of German unification, there are almost two decades of the fanatical struggle of a political idea
Hundreds of thousands and millions use their entire being, their physical and economic existence for them; took mockery and mockery as willingly as years of shameful treatment, pathetic slander and barely bearable terror
Countless blood-covered dead and injured in all German districts are the witnesses of the fight
And moreover: this success was fought for by an immense volitional effort and by the power of brave and fanatical decisions
I express this because there is the danger that those who have the least practical share in the success of German unification are only too likely to claim the deed of creating this empire as the most lucrative declamators, or the whole event of the year 1938 as a long overdue, but unfortunately accepted by National Socialism late accepted as matter of course
To these elements, I would like to say that the enforcement of this year included a nervous force of which such weights do not have a trace! These are the old, incorrigible pessimists, skeptics, or indifferent people, whom we have always been able to miss as a positive element during our twenty-year struggle, but who now believe they must make their critical marginal notes after winning the nomination of the national experts
REVIEW OF 1938 In a few sentences I give a factual account of the historical events of the memorable year 1938
On Friday evening (March 11, 1938) the request was made to me, in order to prevent obvious inner confusion in this country, to give the order to invade the German troops
Already at 10 o'clock at night the border crossings took place in numerous places
From 6 o'clock in the morning began the general invasion, which took place under the immense rejoicing of a now finally liberated population
Then came the Sudeten crisis
The responsible man for that development, which gradually made Czechoslovakia the exponent of all hostile intentions directed against the Reich, was the former President of the Republic
Benesch
He has at the suggestion and with the participation of certain foreign circles In May of last year, the Czech mobilization was carried out, based on the intention to provoke firstly the German Reich and secondly to inflict on the German Reich a defeat in its international reputation
The fictitious report of a German mobilization allegedly forcing Czechoslovakia to mobilize its armed forces was maintained and propagated, despite an official declaration twice conveyed at my bidding to the Czech State President Benes, stating that Germany had not mobilized even a single soldier, and in spite of identical assertions to representatives of foreign powers

And so it is difficult to see why they keep them

Moreover, Germany has never demanded colonies for military purposes, but exclusively for economic purposes

It is obvious that in times of general prosperity the value of certain territories may decrease, but it is just as evident that in times of distress such value increases

Today Germany lives in a time of difficult struggle for foodstuffs and raw materials

Sufficient imports are conceivable only if there be a continued and lasting increase in our exports

Therefore, as a matter of course, our demand for colonies for our densely populated country will be put forward again and again

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE: FOREIGN POLICY PLANS In concluding my remarks on this subject I should like to note a few points concerning the possible ways which may lead to a general pacification of Europe, which might also be extended outside Europe

(1) It is in the interests of all nations that the individual countries shall possess internally stable and orderly political and economic conditions

They are the most important conditions for lasting and solid economic and political relations between the peoples

(2) The vital interests of the different peoples must be frankly recognized

Mutual respect for these vital interests alone can lead to the appeasement of the essential needs of the nations

(3) The League of Nations, to be effective, must be reformed, and must become an organ of the evolutionary concept, and must not remain an organ of inactivity

(4) The relations of the people towards one another can only be regulated and solved on a basis of mutual respect and absolute equality

(5) It is impossible to make one nation or another responsible for armaments or for limitation of armaments, but it is necessary to see this problem as it really is

(6) It is impossible to maintain peace among the nations so long as an international irresponsible clique can continue their agitation unchecked

A few weeks ago we saw how an organized band of international war mongers spread a mass of lies which almost succeeded in raising mistrust between two nations and might easily have led to worse consequences than actually followed

I greatly regret that the British Foreign Secretary did not categorically state that there was not one word of truth in those calumnies about Morocco which had been spread by these international war mongers

Thanks to the loyalty of a foreign diplomat and his Government, it was possible to clear up this extraordinary situation immediately

Supposing another case arose in which it turned out impossible to establish the truth so readily, what then would happen? (7) It has been proved that European problems can be solved properly only within certain limits

Germany is hoping to have close and friendly relations with Italy

May we succeed in paving the way for such relations with other European countries

The German Reich will watch over its security and honor with its strong army

On the other hand, convinced that there can be no greater treasure for Europe than peace, it will always be a reasonable supporter of those European ideals of peace and will be always conscious of its responsibilities

(8) It will be profitable to European peace as a whole if mutual consideration be always shown for the justified feeling of national honor among those nationalities who are forced to live as a minority within other nations

This would lead to a decisive lessening of tension between the nations who are forced to live side by side, and whose State frontiers are not identical with the ethnical frontiers

In concluding these remarks I should like to deal with the document which the British Government addressed to the German Government on the occasion of the occupation of the Rhineland

I should like first to state that we believe and are convinced that the British Government at that time did everything to avoid an increase of tension in the European crisis, and that the document in question owes its origin entirely to the desire to make a contribution towards disentangling the situation of those days

Nevertheless, it was not possible for the German Government, for reasons which the Government of Great Britain will appreciate, to reply to those questions

We preferred to settle some of those questions in the most natural way by the practical building up of our relations with our neighbors; and I should like to state that, complete German sovereignty and equality having now been restored, Germany will never sign a treaty which is in any way incompatible with her honor; with the honor of the nation and of the Government which represents it; or which otherwise is incompatible with Germany's vital interests and therefore in the long run cannot be kept

I believe that this statement will be understood by all

Moreover, with all my heart I hope that the intelligence and goodwill of responsible European Governments will succeed, despite all opposition, in preserving peace for Europe

Peace is our dearest treasure

Whatever contributions Germany can make toward preserving it, these she will make

CONCLUSION: WHAT LIES AHEAD? Before concluding my address today I should like to give a short sketch of the tasks that lie ahead of us

FOUR-YEAR PLAN In the carrying out of the Four Years Plan lies our first task

It will call for gigantic efforts but eventually it will turn out a great blessing for our people

Its purpose is to strengthen our national economic system in all its branches

The execution of it is guaranteed

All those great works which have been started apart from this plan will be continued

Their purpose is to promote the health of the nation and make life more pleasant

Building extensions will be systematically carried out in some of our large cities, as an externalization of the spirit that actuates this great epoch of our national revival

In the forefront of these plans stands that of remodeling and enlarging Berlin and thus making it the real and true metropolis of the German Reich

Therefore I have today appointed, just as I did for the great scheme of national road construction, a general architectural supervisor for Berlin, who is responsible for the reconstruction and extension of the metropolis

Out of the chaos which resulted from the former building schemes in Berlin he will bring order

And that order will be based on such spacious plans as will be worthy of the National Socialist Movement and also of the German metropolis

We have allotted a period of twenty years for the carrying out of this plan

ART AND CITY PLANNING May the Almighty God grant us a time of peace in which to bring this gigantic work to completion

Parallel therewith, the Capital of the Movement (Munich), the Party Metropolis (Nuremberg), and the Free City of Hamburg will be remodeled and extended on large lines

But this work will only be the counterpart of a general cultural development which we wish to see taking place in Germany, as the crowning achievement to the restoration of our internal and external freedom

NEW CONSTITUTION And, finally, it will be one of our future tasks to give the German people a Constitution which will be in harmony with the real life of our people, as that life has developed politically

This Constitution will place its seal on this life for all time to come and will be an imperishable and fundamental law for all Germans

As I look back on the great work that has been done during the past four years you will understand quite well that my first feeling is simply one of thankfulness to our Almighty God for having allowed me to bring this work to success

He has blessed our labors and has enabled our people to come through all the obstacles which encompassed them on their way

I have had three extraordinary friends in my life

In my youth it was Poverty, which was my companion for many years

When the Great War came to a close it was the profound anguish that I felt over the downfall of our people

This anguish seized me and determined the path I had to follow

Since January 30th four years ago I have made the acquaintance of the third friend--anxiety for the people and the Reich, which have been entrusted to my guidance

From that time this anxiety has never left my side and will probably remain a faithful companion until the end of my days

But how could a man bear the burden of this anxiety were it not for the faith he has in his mission and which enables him to trust that He who is above us all sanctions my work

Destiny has often decreed that men who have a special mission to fulfill must be lonely and deserted

But here I wish to return thanks to Providence for having given me a group of faithful comrades who linked their lives with mine and have ever since fought at my side for the resurrection of our people

It is a great happiness for me that I did not have to walk among the German people as a man alone, but that at my side there was always a group of men whose names will endure in the history of Germany

At this point I wish to thank my old fighting comrades who have stood by my side throughout all these years and who give me their help today either as Cabinet Ministers, Reichsstatthalter, Gauleiter, or in other positions under the Party or the State

During these days a tragedy is being enacted in Moscow which shows how highly we ought to value that loyalty which binds the leaders of a nation to one another

I further wish to express my sincere gratitude to all those who did not belong to the ranks of the Party but who in these recent years have been loyal assistants and comrades in governmental work and in other work for the nation

All of them belong to us, even though they may not wear the external insignia of our party community

I thank all those men and women who have assisted in building up our party organizations and working in them with success

But above all I have to thank the chiefs of our armed forces

They have enabled us to provide the National Socialist State with a National Socialist defense force, without placing any difficulties whatsoever in the way

Thus the Party and the defense forces are now the guarantors sworn to devote themselves to the preservation of our national existence

But we know that all our efforts would have been in vain if we did not have the loyal cooperation of hundreds of thousands of political leaders, innumerable officials and countless soldiers and officers, who did their work under the inspiration of the ideal of our national resurgence

And above all we must acknowledge that our success could not have been attained if we were not backed up by the united front of the whole people

On this historic occasion I must once again thank all those millions of unknown Germans, from every class and caste, profession and trade and from all the farmsteads, who have given their hearts, their lives and their sacrifices, for the new Reich

And all of us, gentlemen and members of the Reichstag, hereby join together in tendering our thanks to the women of Germany, to the millions of those German mothers who have given their children to the Third Reich

During these four years every mother who has presented a child to the nation has contributed by her pain and her joy to the happiness of the whole people

When I think of that healthy youth which belongs to our nation, then my faith in the future becomes a joyful certainty

And it is with a profound [sic] feeling that I realize the significance of the simple word which Ulrich von Huten wrote when he picked up his pen for the last time--Deutschland

On January 30, 1933, I entered Wilhelmstrasse, filled with deep concern for the future of my people

Today - six years later - I can speak to the first Reichstag in Greater Germany! Truly, perhaps more than another generation, we may be able to gauge the pious meaning of the saying: 'What a turn of God's providence! Six years were enough to fulfill the dreams of centuries

A year to bring our people into the enjoyment of that unity that was the futile aspiration of many generations

As I see you today gathered around me as representatives of our German people from all parts of the empire and know among you the newly elected men of the Ostmark and the Sudetenland, I again relishes the tremendous impressions of the events of a year in which centuries were realized

How much blood flowed around this destination in vain! How many millions of German men, consciously or unconsciously in the service of this purpose, have gone the bitter road of rapid or painful death for more than a thousand years! How many others were condemned to end life behind fortress and dungeon walls, that they wanted to give to Greater Germany! How many hundreds of thousands have flowed into the wide world as an endless stream of German emigration, driven by distress and anxiety! For decades thinking of the unfortunate homeland, after generations forgetting it

And now, in one year, the realization of this dream has succeeded

Not without a fight, as thoughtless citizens may believe it

Before this year of German unification, there are almost two decades of the fanatical struggle of a political idea

Hundreds of thousands and millions use their entire being, their physical and economic existence for them; took mockery and mockery as willingly as years of shameful treatment, pathetic slander and barely bearable terror

Countless blood-covered dead and injured in all German districts are the witnesses of the fight

And moreover: this success was fought for by an immense volitional effort and by the power of brave and fanatical decisions

I express this because there is the danger that those who have the least practical share in the success of German unification are only too likely to claim the deed of creating this empire as the most lucrative declamators, or the whole event of the year 1938 as a long overdue, but unfortunately accepted by National Socialism late accepted as matter of course

To these elements, I would like to say that the enforcement of this year included a nervous force of which such weights do not have a trace! These are the old, incorrigible pessimists, skeptics, or indifferent people, whom we have always been able to miss as a positive element during our twenty-year struggle, but who now believe they must make their critical marginal notes after winning the nomination of the national experts

REVIEW OF 1938 In a few sentences I give a factual account of the historical events of the memorable year 1938

On Friday evening (March 11, 1938) the request was made to me, in order to prevent obvious inner confusion in this country, to give the order to invade the German troops

Already at 10 o'clock at night the border crossings took place in numerous places

From 6 o'clock in the morning began the general invasion, which took place under the immense rejoicing of a now finally liberated population

Then came the Sudeten crisis

The responsible man for that development, which gradually made Czechoslovakia the exponent of all hostile intentions directed against the Reich, was the former President of the Republic

Benesch

He has at the suggestion and with the participation of certain foreign circles In May of last year, the Czech mobilization was carried out, based on the intention to provoke firstly the German Reich and secondly to inflict on the German Reich a defeat in its international reputation

The fictitious report of a German mobilization allegedly forcing Czechoslovakia to mobilize its armed forces was maintained and propagated, despite an official declaration twice conveyed at my bidding to the Czech State President Benes, stating that Germany had not mobilized even a single soldier, and in spite of identical assertions to representatives of foreign powers