Guest blogger @JennyTwist1 writes: A Warning from History

I saw a documentary last night on Hitler’s rise to power. British viewers can access it on catch up BBC4 3 Feb 00.00 hours. Or you can watch the You Tube video:  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xq1ym0_the-nazis-a-warning-from-history-1-helped-into-power_lifestyle

If you haven’t time to watch it, I’ll give you the gist. The thrust of the argument is that Hitler was not ‘destined’ to be the leader of Germany, as his supporters believed, but was helped to power by the existing (democratic) government, who believed that he would pull the people together and that, once in office, they would be able to tame him. It was a time of deprivation in Germany, not only was the country in the grip of the Great Depression, but it had to pay reparations for the First World War. 

Hitler was a great orator, with great appeal to the masses and he promised change. He promised to destroy the existing ‘corrupt’ government. 

Although he made it quite clear that what he was actually offering the German people was tyranny they lapped it up. They had had enough of democracy. It wasn’t working for them.

Is this ringing any bells?

What I found particularly chilling was one of the Nazi Party’s slogans that I had been unaware of before - “Germany first, Germany first, Germany first!” I'm sure you must remember Trump’s constant repetition of “America first” during his inauguration speech, extending his arm as he did so, his hand clenched in a fist. It was not the traditional Nazi salute but somehow it reminded me inescapably of the Nazis.

This is the first of a series of episodes. I hope the world survives long enough for me to see the rest.

About Jenny Twist

Jenny Twist was born in York and brought up in the West Yorkshire mill town of Heckmondwike, the eldest grandchild of a huge extended family.

She left school at fifteen and went to work in an asbestos factory. After working in various jobs, including bacon-packer and escapologist’s assistant (she was The Lovely Tanya), she returned to full-time education and did a BA in history, at Manchester and post-graduate studies at Oxford.

She stayed in Oxford working as a recruitment consultant for many years and it was there that she met and married her husband, Vic.

In 2001 they retired and moved to Southern Spain where they live with their rather eccentric dog and cat. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, knitting and attempting to do fiendishly difficult logic puzzles.

She has written three novels - Domingo’s Angel – a love story set in Franco’s Spain and harking back to the Spanish Civil War and beyond - and All in the Mind – a contemporary novel about an old woman who mysteriously begins to get younger and The Owl Goddess.

She has contributed short stories to many other anthologies, of which two –Doppelganger and Uncle Vernon have been released as short ebooks.

Other works include the Mantequero series: novellas about a Spanish mythological figure, and An Open Letter to Stephen King & Other Essays, a compilation of non-fiction essays and articles.  Her latest novella, The Minstrel Boy, was published in the anthology Letters from Europe in 2016.