Editorial Commentary
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The Silent Majority By Karl Hausner Prologue By Johannes Rammund De Balliel-Lawrora When the website of the German-American World Historical Society was founded in 2003 (it was a Newspaper in 1972)it was dedicated to telling the truth about the Germans and the German-Americans after World War II. During the war and after hostilities had ceased, Americans of German descent were referred to as "Nazis"; and now, sixty plus years after the war, the horrific word "Nazi" is referred by the American media to mean all Germans, whether they were born in America or Germany. I understand that this word is now forbidden in Germany, but is done with impunity in the United States; and apparently the usage of the word by the American News Media sells more papers and gets more paid advertisements. To refer to any German American as a Nazi is both demeaning to us, and a gross insult, because the usage of the Nazi classification on all of us is not true. Also, during World War II, the usage of the word on the average German soldier, sailor or marine; as well as the German Officers of each service was also a misnomer. Yet the media doesn't get it - because it has monetary value in the sales and advertisements they receive for their Falsification of the Truth. This brief commentary is brought to the attention of German-American organizations in these United States, to bring some semblance of truth to them. This is the reason that the website was established and published. We hope that the German Americans will take this information in the way that it was intended; to establish that the German-americans, the native Germans, and the ethnic Germans will raise their heads high and be proud of their ancestral heritage. By looking into our website, you will see that our reasons are not politically motivated, for it is not published for monetary gain or to address any political ideology; but to tell the full truth, and to establish an educational organ that will be a mentor, an educator, and a historian. We look forward to your review of this website, and suggestions, reviews, compliments, and/or negative responses will be welcome, so that the website will be a compliment to our and your Germanic heritage. The Silent Majority By Karl Hausner The 1990 and the 2000 census reported that about sixty million Americans consider themselves of German ancestry. Based on the fact that many German Americans have felt the pressure and bigotry so much, they changed their names and, of course, many have not reported that they were of German ancestry. Estimates go as high as seventy million or one out of four Americans who is of German Descent. If you look at the occupations of these German Americans, they are in farming, in technical occupations, mechanics and engineering. You will find them in medicine and the sciences, but you do not find them in the media. You rarely find them in politics. Wisconsin, for example, with over fifty-two percent of its citizenry of German descent, does not have, at this time, one senator or one mayor of major cities, very few representatives in Washington or in the State houses, and even the governors are not of German descent. This is true throughout the United States. Historic Review At the time Britain, France, Spain and even smaller nations like Belgium, Holland and Portugal were busy carving up the world -- Africa, America, Asia and Australia, the German people were arguing about the correct interpretation of the Bible. This dispute finally led to a bloody war between the reformers, known as the Protestants and the Catholic Church. The Protestants were supported buy Swedish and Danish troops who moved southward burning churches and destroying idols. The Catholics, on the other hand, were supported by Italian and Spanish troops. In my homeland, for example, during the Thirty Year's War between 1618 and 1648, troops occupied the Sudetenland three times. (And this was also the case with the ancestors of Mr. De Balliel-Lawrora, who originated from the Kingdom of Prussia). When the war was over, there was no victory except enormous bloodshed, and what the fighting didn't kill, the plague and various diseases did. In the peace treaty, the Protestants established themselves as the Lutherans and the Catholic Church remained. However, those Protestants who did not conform to the Lutheran theology found themselves again between the two newly established State supported and controlled churches. Thus, about forty years later, the first group of Quakers from Germany moved to the United States and established Germantown near Philadelphia. In the succeeding years, the Protestant groups, such as the Mennonites, the Amish, the Hutterites, and the Moravians came from Germany. There were other Germans in the United States region, that is the territory which was under British or French domination. They were either adventurous missionaries or mercenaries. At the time of the Declaration of Independence, the text was first published in the German language papers. Also, the first Bible, which was printed in this continent was in the German language. During the Revolutionary War, a Prussian General, Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, was engaged by George Washington to establish a military academy to train and organize the revolutionary army. Von Steuben founded West Point and the code of the American military was, until very recently, identical to the Prussian military code. In the earlier years between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, over one thousand German language newspapers were founded. The Germans were in favor of the abolishment of Slavery and servitude. And during the Civil War, German Americans formed their own military divisions to fight on the side of the Union. The German language was considered to be the language of the land, but by one vote from a German, the language was to remain as English. Ironically, the English language is a German dialect. The Anti-German Era In the United States in the twentieth century, the former Pro-german attitudes turned against the Germans, and we had World War I and World War II. The disparity of World War I was the seasoning that developed into World War II. After World War I, it was a known fact that the Germans were ill-treated, both in Germany and the United States, and after the Second World War, the confiscation of their lands was ruthlessly taken from ethnic Germans that had resided in these lands for over seven hundred years. The rape, pillage and murders against non-combatants became a horrific end to these people. The expulsions of over 12 million Germans from the Sudetenland and the murder of over two millions became a crime of genocide to innocent women and children, which was also in violation of the Geneva Convention. Since the media insists upon the persecution and prosecution of these displaced people, and lumps all Germans as the Nazis, which they are not, it was deemed necessary to at least bring out the truth, and let the people of all ethnics be educated or re-educated in knowing what happened. German accomplishments are no longer in the American history books; it is therefore the attention of the German-American World Historical Society to publish facts on the plights of innocent people that had not been involved in the atrocities that were committed during and after both world wars. When World War I started initially between Austria and Serbia, Britain and France declared war on Austria. Germany was forced to declare war on England and France due to a treaty. President Wilson also wanted part of the action. Again, it was the congressional industrial military complex which pushed the United States into mobilization and action. Again, the German American voices were loud and clear, "Don't get involved in European wars, remain neutral". Here again, the attack on the German Americans followed. Well over one thousand propagandists were launched by the Wilson Administration to explain to the Americans why war was necessary. It was supposed to be the war to end all wars. It was the first attempt at a global government. Finally, in 1917, the United States entered World War I. All of the German newspapers had to stop publishing. The German language school books were publicly burned, and the ambassador to Germany publicly statated that if the German Americans rebel against the government, there are plenty of lanterns in the cities on which to hang them. This resulted in a mob action against German Americans. In Cleveland, for example, a person was hung, and many, many more were harshly treated. The German Americans were scared, even priests and pastors were afraid to say Mass or have worship service in the German language, even thous millions of German Americans could not speak English. It was the entrance of the United States into World War I which brought about blunderous Treaties of Saint Germain and Versailles, destroying the German and Austrian Empire, creating states such as Poland, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. These creations, plus all the other stupid nationalistic and socialistic dictates led to Adolf Hitler in Germany, to Mussolini in Italy and finally to World War II. German Americans again had to suffer. Hitler produced sufficient evidence, which amplified and even distorted. Thus, the German American element just about disappeared. By the end of World War II, as a result of the Yalta and Potsdam Agreement between Churchill, Roosevelt, Truman and Stalin, sixteen million Germans from Eastern Europe were expelled. Millions died during that era between 1945 and 1948. Perhaps six million or more served in forced labor camps in France, Britain, in Germany under American rule and, of course, the majority were in Eastern Europe. It is estimated that more people died after World War II than during the war. The Nazi animosities and ill treatment of the Jews, without dispute, was the century's biggest crime, but the expulsions and what happened in Russia are simply an equal match, not just to the German people, but also to the various East European people under the dictates of Bolshevism. All of this could have been prevented if wisdom, instead of hatred, would have prevailed within American and British leaders. Over a thousand Nazis were executed and certainly some deserved it. Many more served years in prison. Of course, the whole nation was subjected to and willing to compensate victims of Nazi regimes and terror. On the other hand, to date, all of the crimes committed by the Allies in Eastern Europe have not been brought to justice. As a matter of fact, some of these very criminals, during the Bolshevik regime, are still in government in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and, of course, in the Balkan region, which was known as Yugoslavia. At the end of the Twentieth Century, over fifty years after World War II, the Holocaust is the number one issue and is still used to intimidate, to even persecute the German element in the United States and in Germany as well. The Contributions of German Americans This article is capsuled. The full article will also appear in the Editorial Commentary on the aftermath of World War I and II. We suggest that you keep abreast of this information by reading the historical facts produced on this website!!! www.gawhs.org / Email: webmaster@gawhs.org. |