Dear Uncle Hitler

Documentary, War History

First Run Features

R1 DVD

I am not sure of the correct title of this film. Although the DVD slick shows it as Dear Uncle Adolf, the title in the film itself is Dear Uncle Hitler.

In a huge archive in Moscow hundreds of boxes contain letters to Adolf Hitler from Germans during the period 1930 to 1945. The letters range from the most sycophantic to requests for Hitler to release their family members. Through the words in these letters we can see the adulation of Hitler right through to the end of the War when the gloss had worn off the Nazis’ “Thousand Year Reich”. These letters go a long way to explain how it was that he got away with his rise to power and his subsequent dreadful acts. Although many Germans disagreed with his policies he was able to defuse opposition by providing benefits to the people. The German reoccupation of the Rhineland raised German morale and national pride, although others knew it could lead to war. Nevertheless Hitler rode to power on a wave of jingoistic fervour.

From the huge carefully stage-managed parades and rallies we can see the importance of mob psychology as a way of uniting Germans The progressive looting of the Jews offered more money to the government, confiscated properties to local councils, and increased business opportunities for local businessmen who could buy the ex-Jewish businesses at a bargain price. The new policies were not accepted by everyone but protest became harder. One poignant letter from a lady asks Hitler to intervene in the imprisonment of her husband without trial for the last five months. Hitler apparently ignored her repeated requests for information.

The letters show a successful rabid response to the anti-Semitic propaganda among supposedly normal people. Even the young people finally had their own organisations and had a strong feel of belonging. Some of the letters show just how effective the anti-Jewish propaganda was. One eight year old boy urges Hitler to hurry up and liberate his area (the Sudetenland) as a Jewish festival is coming up soon and they know that the Jews kill German children and eat them on this holiday. Another teenage girl wants to have Hitler’s baby so his line will not die out. It is the effectiveness of the propaganda on the young that is the saddest part of the film.

The pro-Hitler feeling was not always universal. Nazi demographic studies showed regional reactions to some programs varied. In the urbanised and mostly Catholic west there was disapproval of the destruction of Jewish businesses and synagogues. There was, by this time, no remaining German organisation big enough to take on the Nazis. The Churches could have tried but didn’t so we see letters invoking God’s protection of Hitler. The Germans were not alone in this. (Remember “God Save The King” ???) but the churches were noticeably reluctant to comment on the destruction of Jewish culture. The Ecclesiastical Council of the German Protestant Church actually wrote to Hitler and promised loyalty to him.

Even military men were reluctant to take action against him, relying on Hitler’s obvious insanity to eventually make him commit a fatal error. Others justified their non-action by saying that a loss of the war would render Germany liable to tremendous punishment, even worse than after World War I, so they had better win the war. Hitler seemed the leader most likely to achieve this.

After the massive German loss at Stalingrad the number of letters dropped off dramatically. As the war turned and Germany experienced for the first time the horrors of mass bombing the number of letters slows down and they take a grimmer tone. Mothers ask for their sons to be spared from any further war or pray to Hitler for their safe return. The news that the formerly invincible Hitler had committed suicide in his bunker still came to a shock to many, although the end of the war was obviously coming rapidly.

There can be few if any similar archives that allow a researcher to look at the personality cult of a strong leader or to study the effectiveness of propaganda. Germans gave up a lot of their liberties under the Nazis but there were enough carrots in with the sticks to make Hitler’s propaganda more effective.

If there are any conclusions to be drawn from the film they are:

People want to be led. They will believe what they are told if it is repeated strongly enough.

To make the propaganda effective any critical voices should be silenced.

Get them while they are young.

They are hard lessons, and it is difficult to imagine the reaction on an individual German of finding that his leader was really a mass murdering liar – and they had fallen for it. This film shows why. It makes no judgment on the German people but reflects their almost God-like belief in their leader. It shows that belief fading as history moves on.

Generally reviews appear on the Synergy website with a single cover image. In the digital and print edition, reviews appear with multiple images and with expanded content.

This review will appear in Volume 4 No. 5 of the digital and print edition of Synergy.

We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy. The print and digital editions of Synergy also include a large selection of articles and features not found on the website. If you have a limited download quota you can view the digital edition via the Issuu viewer on the digital edition page.

If you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here to go to the front page of Synergy Website or use the following link: http://www.synergy-magazine.com