© Copyright Peter Crawford 2013
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The Nürnberg Reichsparteitag, meaning Reich Party Day was the annual rally of the Nazi Party in Germany, held from 1923 to 1938.
They were large Nazi propaganda events, especially after Hitler's rise to power in 1933.
These events were held at the Nazi party rally grounds in Nürnberg from 1933 to 1938 and are usually referred to in English as the Nürnberg Rallies.
Many films were made to commemorate them, the most famous of which is 'Triumph of the Will'.
History and Purpose
The first Nazi Party rallies took place in 1923 in Munich and in 1926 in Weimar. From 1927 on, they were held exclusively in Nürnberg.
Nürnberg was selected for pragmatic reasons: It was situated in the center of the German Reich and the local Luitpoldhain was well suited as a venue.
In addition, the Nazis were able to rely on the well organized local branch of the party in Franconia, then led by Gauleiter Julius Streicher.
The Nürnberg police were sympathetic to the event.
Later, the location was justified by putting it into the tradition of the Imperial Diet (German Reichstag) of the Holy Roman Empire, considered to be the First Reich.
After 1933, the rallies were held near the time of the Autumn equinox, under the title of "National Congress of the Party of the German People" (Reichsparteitage des deutschen Volkes), which was intended to symbolize the solidarity between the German people and the Nazi Party.
This point was further emphasized by the yearly growing number of participants, which finally reached over half a million from all sections of the party, the army and the state.
Each rally was given a programmatic title, which related to recent national events:
1923 – The First Party Congress was held in Munich on January 27, 1923.
1923 – The "German day rally" was held in Nuremberg on September 1, 1923.
1926 – The 2nd Party Congress ("Refounding Congress") was held in Weimar on July 4, 1926.
1927 – The 3rd Party Congress ("Day of Awakening") was held on August 20, 1927. The propaganda film Eine Symphonie des Kampfwillens was made at this rally.
1929 – The 4th Party Congress, known as the "Day of Composure", was held on August 2, 1929. The propaganda film Der Nürnberger Parteitag der NSDAP was made at this rally.
1933 – The 5th Party Congress was held in Nuremberg, August 30 – September 3, 1933. It was called the "Rally of Victory" (Reichsparteitag des Sieges). The term "victory" relates to the Nazi seizure of power and the victory over the Weimar Republic. The Leni Riefenstahl film Der Sieg des Glaubens was made at this rally.
1934 – The 6th Party Congress was held in Nuremberg, September 5-10, 1934. Initially it did not have a theme. Later it was labeled the "Rally of Unity and Strength" (Reichsparteitag der Einheit und Stärke), "Rally of Power" (Reichsparteitag der Macht), or "Rally of Will" (Reichsparteitag des Willens). The Leni Riefenstahl film Triumph des Willens was made at this rally.
1935 – The 7th Party Congress was held in Nuremberg, September 10-16, 1935. It was called the "Rally of Freedom" (Reichsparteitag der Freiheit). "Freedom" referred to the reintroduced compulsory military service and thus the German "liberation" from the Treaty of Versailles. The Leni Riefenstahl film Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht was made at this rally, and the Nuremberg Laws were introduced.
1936 – The 8th Party Congress was known as the "Rally of Honour" (Reichsparteitag der Ehre). The remilitarization of the demilitarized Rhinelandin March 1936 constituted the restoration of German honour in the eyes of many Germans. The film Festliches Nürnberg incorporated footage shot at this rally, as well as the rally of 1937.
1937 – The 9th Party Congress was called the "Rally of Labour" (Reichsparteitag der Arbeit). It celebrated the reduction of unemployment in Germany since the Nazi rise to power. This rally was particularly notable due to Albert Speer's Cathedral of light: 152 searchlights that cast vertical beams into the sky around the Zeppelin Field to symbolise the walls of a building and the attendance of Prince Chichibu, a brother of theEmperor of Japan, who had a personal meeting with Adolf Hitler to boost relations between Japan and Germany. Festliches Nürnberg incorporated footage made at this rally.
1938 – The 10th Party Congress was named the "Rally of Greater Germany" (Reichsparteitag Großdeutschland). This was due to the annexationof Austria to Germany that had taken place earlier in the year.
1939 – The 11th Party Congress was given the name "Rally of Peace" (Reichsparteitag des Friedens). It was meant to reiterate the German desire for peace, both to the German population and to other countries. It was cancelled on short notice, as one day before the planned date on September 1, Germany began its offensive against Poland (which ignited World War II).
Procedure
The gathered masses listened to the Führer's speeches, swore loyalty and marched before him.
Representing the Volksgemeinschaft as a whole, the rallies served to demonstrate the might of the German people.
The visitors of the rallies by their own free will were subordinate to the discipline and order in which they should be reborn as a new people.
Reichsparteitagsgelände
Since 1906 a parkway named "Luitpoldhain" (literally translated: "Luitpold Grove", named after Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria) existed here.
The "Ehrenhalle" was built by the city of Nürnberg according to a plan of German architect Fritz Mayer.
The Blutfahne (Blood flag) was a Swastika flag used in the failed Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, Germany on 9 November 1923.
The flag was actually that of the 5th SA Sturm that was covered in blood from members of the Party who had been shot by the Munich Police (primarily from party member Andreas Bauriedl who fell on top of the flag when he was shot and killed).
After Adolf Hitler was released from Landsberg prison (after serving nine months of a five-year prison sentence for his part in the putsch), Eggers gave the flag to him.
In addition, the flag was no longer attached to the staff by its original sewn-in sleeve, but by a red-white-black intertwined cord which ran through the sleeve instead.
When not in use, the Blutfahne was kept at the headquarters of the Nazi Party, 'das Braune Haus' (the Brown House), in Munich, with an SS guard of honor.
The Blutfahne was last seen in public at the Induction Ceremony of the Volkssturm on 18 October 1944 (not at Gauleiter Adolf Wagner's funeral six months earlier, as has frequently been reported).
The Buildings - continued
Reichsparteitagsgelände
The rally grounds of the National Socialist Workers Party (NSDAP) covered about 11 square kilometres in the southeast of Nürnberg, Germany.
Six Party Rallies were held there between 1933 and 1938.
Overview
The grounds included:
The Luitpoldarena, a deployment area
the Luitpold Hall or "Old Congress Hall" (damaged during World War II, later demolished)
the Kongresshalle (Congress Hall) or Neue Kongresshalle (New Congress Hall) (unfinished)
the Zeppelin Feld (Zeppelin Field), another deployment area
the Märzfeld (March Field) (unfinished, later demolished), a deployment area for the Wehrmacht (army)
the Deutsche Stadion (German stadium) (never exceeded the state of foundation), which was to be the largest sports stadium in the world
the former Stadion der Hitlerjugend ("stadium of the Hitler Youth", today Frankenstadion)
the Große Straße ("Great Road"), a (never used) parade road.
A "Haus der Kultur" (House of Culture) and a representative entrance portal towards the "Great Road" were planned at the northwestern end of the "Great Road", near the (new) Congress Hall.
The grounds were planned by Hitler's architect Albert Speer, apart from the Congress hall, which was planned by Ludwig and Franz Ruff.
On 30 August 1933 Hitler declared Nürnberg the "Stadt der Reichsparteitage (Reich Party Congresses)". The Reichsparteitage were a self-portrayal of the National Socialist, state and had no programmatic task. The unity of the nation was to be demonstrated.
In a propagandistic way a relation was to be drawn between the Party and the glory of the medieval emperors and the Meetings of the Imperial States which were held in Nürnberg.
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| Reichsparteitagsgelände - Nürnberg |
The Buildings
Luitpoldarena
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| Luitpoldarena - Nürnberg |
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| Luitpoldarena - Nürnberg |
During the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) the monumental "Ehrenhalle" (Hall of Honour) was built in the parkway.
In 1933 Hitler replaced the parkway by a strictly-structured deployment area, the so-called "Luitpoldarena" with an area of 84,000 m².
Opposite the "Ehrenhalle" the crescent-shaped "Ehrentribüne" (tribune of honour) or main grandstand which measured 150 m (500 ft) long with 6 m (20 ft) gold eagles on each end was built.
This structure, built by architect Albert Speer, could seat 500 dignitaries and represented the first permanent structure built by the Third Reich in Nürnberg.
The "Ehrenhalle" and the "Ehrentribüne" were connected by a wide granite path.
Ehrenhalle
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| Ehrenhalle - Nürnberg |
It was inaugurated in 1930, during the Weimar Republic.
It is an arcaded hall with an adjacent cobbled stone terrace with two rows of pedestals for fire bowls.
Originally the hall was to be a memorial site for the 9,855 soldiers from Nürnberg who were fallen in World War I.
During the Party Congress of 1929 the then unfinished "Hall of Honour" was used for the enactment of a cult of the dead by the National Socialists the first time.
During the Third Reich the site was used primarily as a commemoration for the fallen soldiers of World War I, and commemoration of the 16 dead of the "Hitlerputsch" (the so-called "Martyrs of the Movement") (Beer Hall Putsch) which took place on 9 November 1923 in Munich.
Hitler, accompanied by SS-leader Heinrich Himmler and SA-leader Viktor Lutze, strode through the arena over the 240 meters long granite path, from the main grandstand to the terrace of the Ehrenhalle.
The ritual was the climax of the celebration.
During the party rallies, deployments of the SA and the SS with up to 150,000 people took place in this area.
The central "relic" here was the "Blutfahne" (Blood flag), which was carried by the Beer Hall Putsch rebels and was soaked with the blood of one of them.
At the "Blutfahnenweihe" (Blood flag consecration), new "Standarten" (flags) of SA- and SS-units were "consecrated" by touching their guidons with the "Blutfahne".
Das Blutfahne
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| das Blutfahne |
It subsequently became one of the most revered objects of the Party.
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| Andreas Bauriedl |
Heinrich Trambauer (the flagbearer) took the flag to a friend where he removed the flag from the staff and left with it hidden inside his jacket.
Later, Traumbauer gave the flag to a Karl Eggers, who kept the flag safe.
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| Heinrich Trambauer |
It was then fitted to a new staff and finial, and just below the finial was a silver dedication sleeve which bore the names of the three dead participants of the putsch.
Bauriedl was one of the three honorees.
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| Blutfahne |
The flag was thereafter treated as a sacred object by the Party, and it was carried by SS Sturmbannführer Jakob Grimminger at various Nazi party ceremonies.
One of the most visible uses of the flag was by Adolf Hitler, who at the annual party rallies at Nürnberg touched other Nazi banners with the Blutfahne, thus 'sanctifying' the new flags with the old.
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| das Blutfahne das Braune Haus |
The flag had a small tear in it that went un-repaired for a number of years.
The tear was believed to have occurred during the putsch.
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| Blutfahne |
This ceremony was conducted by Heinrich Himmler and attended by Keitel, Guderian, Lammers, Bormann, Fiehler, Schepmann and Kraus.
After this last public display, the Blutfahne vanished into history.
The Buildings - continued
Luitpoldhalle
The Luitpold Hal (built 1906) had an outline of 180 m x 50 m (540 ft x 150 ft) featured 76 loudspeakers, 42 spotlights, the largest pipe organ in Germany and could seat 16,000 people.
Dating back to the Bavarian Exposition, the former machine hall was renovated and first used by the Party Congress of 1934.
Its monumental neo-classical facade featured a shell limestone facing with three enormous entrance portals.
Kongresshalle
The Congress Hall was planned by the Nürnberg architects Ludwig and Franz Ruff.
It was planned as a congress centre for the NSDAP with a self-supporting roof, and should have provided 50,000 seats.
It was located on the shore of and in the pond Dutzendteich, and marked the entrance of the rally grounds. The building reached a height of 39 m (129 ft) (a height of 70 m was planned) and a diameter of 250 m (843 ft).
The building is mostly built out of clinker with a facade of granite panels.
The design (especially the outer facade, among other features) is inspired by the Colosseum in Rome.
The foundation stone was laid in 1935, but the building remained unfinished and without a roof.
Große Straße
The great road is almost 2 km (1.2 mi) long and 40 m (132 ft) wide.
It was intended to be the central axis of the site and a parade road for the Wehrmacht.
In its northwestern prolongation the road points towards Nürnberger Burg.
This was to create a relation between the role of Nürnberg during the Third Reich, and its role during medieval times.
The road reached from the Congress Hall to the Märzfeld, the construction work started in 1935 and was finished in 1939 (it has never been used as a parade road, as due to the beginning of World War II, the last rally was held in 1938).
The pavement was made of granite pavers in black and gray with edges of exactly 1.2 m (4 ft).
A representative entrance portal and two pylons were planned at the northwestern end of the Great Road. Near the entrance area of the Deutsch Stadion a grandstand with a hall of pillars was planned for the government leaders and generals who were to take the salute on Wehrmacht formations which were to march in direction of the parade ground Märzfeld.
Albert Speer
Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (March 19, 1905 – September 1, 1981) was a German architect. Speer was Adolf Hitler's chief architect.
Speer joined the Nazi Party in 1931.
His architectural skills made him increasingly prominent within the Party and he became a member of Hitler's inner circle.
Hitler instructed him to design and construct a number of structures, including the Reich Chancellery and the Zeppelinfeld stadium in Nuremberg where Party rallies were held.
When Troost, who had previously been Hitler's main architect, died on January 21, 1934, Speer effectively replaced him as the Party's chief architect.
Paul Ludwig Troost (17 August 1878 – 21 January 1934),[1] born in Elberfeld, was a German architect. An extremely tall, spare-looking, reserved Westphalian with a close-shaven head, Troost belonged to a school of architects, Peter Behrens and Walter Gropius who, even before 1914, reacted sharply against the highly ornamental Jugendstil and advocated a restrained, lean architectural approach, almost devoid of ornament. Troost graduated from designing steamship décor before World War I, and the fittings for showy transatlantic liners like the Europa, to a style that combined Spartan traditionalism with elements of modernity.
Hitler appointed Speer as head of the 'Chief Office for Construction'.
One of Speer's first commissions after Troost's death was the Zeppelinfeld stadium—the Nürnberg parade grounds seen in Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda masterpiece Triumph of the Will. This huge work was able to hold 340,000 people.
The tribune was influenced by the Pergamon Altar in Anatolia, but was magnified to an enormous scale.
Speer insisted that as many events as possible be held at night, both to give greater prominence to his lighting effects and to hide the individual Nazis, many of whom were overweight.
Speer surrounded the site with 130 anti-aircraft searchlights.
This created the effect of a "cathedral of light" or, as it was called by British Ambassador Sir Neville Henderson, a "cathedral of ice".
Speer described this as his most beautiful work.
The cathedral of light [litchdome] was a main aesthetic feature of the Nuremberg Rallies that consisted of 130 anti-aircraft searchlights, at intervals of forty feet, aimed skyward to create a series of vertical bars surrounding the audience. The effect was a brilliant one, both from within the design and on the outside. The cathedral of light was documented in the Nazi Propaganda film 'Festliches Nürnberg', released in 1937.
Nürnberg was to be the site of many more official Nazi buildings, most of which were never built; for example, the German Stadium would have accommodated 400,000 spectators, while an even larger rally ground would have held half a million people.
While planning these structures, Speer invented the concept of "ruin value": that major buildings should be constructed in such a way that they would leave aesthetically pleasing ruins for thousands of years into the future.
Such ruins would be a testament to the greatness of the Third Reich, just as ancient Greek or Roman ruins were symbols of the greatness of those civilizations.
Hitler enthusiastically embraced this concept, and ordered that all the Reich's important buildings be constructed in accord with it.
Zeppelinfeld
The Zeppelin Field is located east of the Great Road.
It consists of a large grandstand (Zeppelinhaupttribüne) with a width of 360 meters (400 yards) and a smaller stand.
It was one of Albert Speer's first works for the Party, and was based upon the Pergamon Altar.
The name "Zeppelinfeld" or "Zeppelinwiese" refers to the fact that in August 1909 Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin landed with one of his airships (LZ6) in this location.
Deutsches Stadion
Along with his plans for the Welthauptstadt Germania ("world capital Germania"), Albert Speer made the plans for the world's largest stadium which was to be located on the rally grounds.
Derived from the Panathenaic Stadium of Athens, it would have offered 400,000 seats.
It was to get the shape of a horseshoe; planned dimensions: length: 800 m, width: 450 m, height: 100 m, building area 350,000 m².
The laying of the foundation stone was on 9 July 1937.
It was to be finished for the party congress in 1945.
In 1938, the construction began with the excavation.
It was stopped in 1939.
Märzfeld
The Märzfeld (March Field) was to be a representation and parade ground for the Wehrmacht.
It was located at the southern end of the "Große Straße" (Great road).
Its dimensions were 955 x 610 meters (1,061 x 677 yards) or bigger than 80 football fields.
The name of the huge deployment area was supposed to recall the recovery of military sovereignty of the German Reich in March 1935.
As in English, the German name of the month "März" derives from the Roman Warrior God Mars.
The name Märzfeld thus also alludes to the Campus Martius, in Rome.)
The construction, never completed, began in 1938 with plans calling for 24 granite towers each at 125 feet in height.
Only eleven were ever completed.
Tribunes for about 160,000 people were planned around the field.
On the central grandstand a group of colossal statures was planned: a goddess of victory and warriors.
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| Luitpoldhalle - Nürnberg |
Dating back to the Bavarian Exposition, the former machine hall was renovated and first used by the Party Congress of 1934.
Its monumental neo-classical facade featured a shell limestone facing with three enormous entrance portals.
Kongresshalle
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| Kongresshalle - Nürnberg |
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| Kongresshalle - Nürnberg |
It was planned as a congress centre for the NSDAP with a self-supporting roof, and should have provided 50,000 seats.
It was located on the shore of and in the pond Dutzendteich, and marked the entrance of the rally grounds. The building reached a height of 39 m (129 ft) (a height of 70 m was planned) and a diameter of 250 m (843 ft).
The building is mostly built out of clinker with a facade of granite panels.
The design (especially the outer facade, among other features) is inspired by the Colosseum in Rome.
The foundation stone was laid in 1935, but the building remained unfinished and without a roof.
Große Straße
The great road is almost 2 km (1.2 mi) long and 40 m (132 ft) wide.
It was intended to be the central axis of the site and a parade road for the Wehrmacht.
In its northwestern prolongation the road points towards Nürnberger Burg.
This was to create a relation between the role of Nürnberg during the Third Reich, and its role during medieval times.
The road reached from the Congress Hall to the Märzfeld, the construction work started in 1935 and was finished in 1939 (it has never been used as a parade road, as due to the beginning of World War II, the last rally was held in 1938).
The pavement was made of granite pavers in black and gray with edges of exactly 1.2 m (4 ft).
A representative entrance portal and two pylons were planned at the northwestern end of the Great Road. Near the entrance area of the Deutsch Stadion a grandstand with a hall of pillars was planned for the government leaders and generals who were to take the salute on Wehrmacht formations which were to march in direction of the parade ground Märzfeld.
Albert Speer
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| Albert Speer |
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| Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer |
Speer joined the Nazi Party in 1931.
His architectural skills made him increasingly prominent within the Party and he became a member of Hitler's inner circle.
Hitler instructed him to design and construct a number of structures, including the Reich Chancellery and the Zeppelinfeld stadium in Nuremberg where Party rallies were held.
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| Paul Ludwig Troost |
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| Zeppelinhaupttribüne - Nürnberg |
Paul Ludwig Troost (17 August 1878 – 21 January 1934),[1] born in Elberfeld, was a German architect. An extremely tall, spare-looking, reserved Westphalian with a close-shaven head, Troost belonged to a school of architects, Peter Behrens and Walter Gropius who, even before 1914, reacted sharply against the highly ornamental Jugendstil and advocated a restrained, lean architectural approach, almost devoid of ornament. Troost graduated from designing steamship décor before World War I, and the fittings for showy transatlantic liners like the Europa, to a style that combined Spartan traditionalism with elements of modernity.
Hitler appointed Speer as head of the 'Chief Office for Construction'.
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| Zeppelinfeldeingang - Nürnberg |
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| Zeppelinhaupttribüne - Nürnberg |
The tribune was influenced by the Pergamon Altar in Anatolia, but was magnified to an enormous scale.
Speer insisted that as many events as possible be held at night, both to give greater prominence to his lighting effects and to hide the individual Nazis, many of whom were overweight.
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| Lichtdom - The Cathedral of Light Zeppelinfeld - Nürnberg |
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| Lichtdom - The Cathedral of Light Zeppelinfeld - Nürnberg |
This created the effect of a "cathedral of light" or, as it was called by British Ambassador Sir Neville Henderson, a "cathedral of ice".
Speer described this as his most beautiful work.
The cathedral of light [litchdome] was a main aesthetic feature of the Nuremberg Rallies that consisted of 130 anti-aircraft searchlights, at intervals of forty feet, aimed skyward to create a series of vertical bars surrounding the audience. The effect was a brilliant one, both from within the design and on the outside. The cathedral of light was documented in the Nazi Propaganda film 'Festliches Nürnberg', released in 1937.
Nürnberg was to be the site of many more official Nazi buildings, most of which were never built; for example, the German Stadium would have accommodated 400,000 spectators, while an even larger rally ground would have held half a million people.
While planning these structures, Speer invented the concept of "ruin value": that major buildings should be constructed in such a way that they would leave aesthetically pleasing ruins for thousands of years into the future.
Such ruins would be a testament to the greatness of the Third Reich, just as ancient Greek or Roman ruins were symbols of the greatness of those civilizations.
Hitler enthusiastically embraced this concept, and ordered that all the Reich's important buildings be constructed in accord with it.
Zeppelinfeld
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| Zeppelinfeldeingang - Nürnberg |
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| Zeppelinhaupttribüne - Nürnberg |
It consists of a large grandstand (Zeppelinhaupttribüne) with a width of 360 meters (400 yards) and a smaller stand.
It was one of Albert Speer's first works for the Party, and was based upon the Pergamon Altar.
The name "Zeppelinfeld" or "Zeppelinwiese" refers to the fact that in August 1909 Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin landed with one of his airships (LZ6) in this location.
Deutsches Stadion
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| Deutsches Stadion - Nürnberg |
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| Deutsches Stadion - Nürnberg |
It was to get the shape of a horseshoe; planned dimensions: length: 800 m, width: 450 m, height: 100 m, building area 350,000 m².
The laying of the foundation stone was on 9 July 1937.
It was to be finished for the party congress in 1945.
In 1938, the construction began with the excavation.
It was stopped in 1939.
Märzfeld
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| Märzfeld - Nürnberg |
It was located at the southern end of the "Große Straße" (Great road).
Its dimensions were 955 x 610 meters (1,061 x 677 yards) or bigger than 80 football fields.
The name of the huge deployment area was supposed to recall the recovery of military sovereignty of the German Reich in March 1935.
As in English, the German name of the month "März" derives from the Roman Warrior God Mars.
The name Märzfeld thus also alludes to the Campus Martius, in Rome.)
The construction, never completed, began in 1938 with plans calling for 24 granite towers each at 125 feet in height.
Only eleven were ever completed.
Tribunes for about 160,000 people were planned around the field.
On the central grandstand a group of colossal statures was planned: a goddess of victory and warriors.
Reichsparteitag Films
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| 'Der Sieg des Glaubens' "Victory of Faith" |
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| 'Der Sieg des Glaubens' "Victory of Faith" © Copyright Peter Crawford 2013 |
The most famous films were made by Leni Riefenstahl for the rallies between 1933 and 1935.
Relating to the theme of the rally, she called her first film 'Der Sieg des Glaubens' ("Victory of Faith").
This movie was taken out of circulation after the Röhm-Putsch.
The rally of 1934 became the setting for the award-winning 'Triumph des Willens' (Triumph of the Will).
Several generals in the Wehrmacht protested over the minimal army presence in the film: Hitler apparently proposed modifying the film to placate the generals, but Riefenstahl refused his suggestion.
Several generals in the Wehrmacht protested over the minimal army presence in the film: Hitler apparently proposed modifying the film to placate the generals, but Riefenstahl refused his suggestion.
She did agree to return to the 1935 rally and make a film exclusively about the Wehrmacht, which became 'Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht'.
The rallies for 1936 and 1937 were covered in 'Festliches Nürnberg', which was shorter than the others, only 21 minutes.
'Triumph des Willens'
'Triumph des Willens' (The Triumph of the Will) is a 1935 film made by Leni Riefenstahl.
It chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, which was attended by more than 700,000 Nazi supporters.
The film contains excerpts from speeches given by various Nazi leaders at the Congress, including portions of speeches by Adolf Hitler, interspersed with footage of massed party members.
Hitler commissioned the film and served as an unofficial executive producer; his name appears in the opening titles.
The overriding theme of the film is the return of Germany as a great power, with Hitler as the 'True German Leader' who will bring glory to the nation.
'Triumph des Willens' was released in 1935 and rapidly became one of the best-known examples of propaganda in film history.
Riefenstahl's techniques, such as moving cameras, the use of long focus lenses to create a distorted perspective, aerial photography, and revolutionary approach to the use of music and cinematography, have earned 'Triumph des Willens' recognition as one of the greatest films in history.
Riefenstahl won several awards, not only in Germany but also in the United States, France, Sweden, and other countries.
The film was popular in the Third Reich and elsewhere, and has continued to influence movies, documentaries, and commercials to this day.
Frank Capra's seven-film series 'Why We Fight' is said to have been directly inspired by and America's response to 'Triumph des Willens'.
'Triumph des Willens'
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| 'Triumph des Willens' The Triumph of the Will Poster |
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| Leni Riefenstahl |
It chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, which was attended by more than 700,000 Nazi supporters.
The film contains excerpts from speeches given by various Nazi leaders at the Congress, including portions of speeches by Adolf Hitler, interspersed with footage of massed party members.
Hitler commissioned the film and served as an unofficial executive producer; his name appears in the opening titles.
The overriding theme of the film is the return of Germany as a great power, with Hitler as the 'True German Leader' who will bring glory to the nation.
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| 'Triumph des Willens' The Triumph of the Will Opening Title |
Riefenstahl's techniques, such as moving cameras, the use of long focus lenses to create a distorted perspective, aerial photography, and revolutionary approach to the use of music and cinematography, have earned 'Triumph des Willens' recognition as one of the greatest films in history.
Riefenstahl won several awards, not only in Germany but also in the United States, France, Sweden, and other countries.
The film was popular in the Third Reich and elsewhere, and has continued to influence movies, documentaries, and commercials to this day.
Frank Capra's seven-film series 'Why We Fight' is said to have been directly inspired by and America's response to 'Triumph des Willens'.
Leni Riefenstahl
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| 'Das Blaue Licht '(1932) The Blue Light Leni Riefenstahl |
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, actress and dancer, widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker.Early Life
Riefenstahl was born on 22 August 1902.
She was christened Helene Bertha Amalie.
She was born into a prosperous family.
Her father owned a successful heating and ventilation company and he wanted her to follow him into the world of business, however, her mother believed that Leni’s future was in 'show busines'.
In 1918, when she was 16, she started dance and ballet classes at the Grimm-Reiter Dance School in Berlin, where she quickly became a star pupil.
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| 'Der heilige Berg' (1926) The Holy Mountain Leni Riefenstahl |
She made a series of films for Arnold Fanck, and one of them, 'The White Hell of Pitz Palu' (1929), co-directed by G. W. Pabst, saw her fame spread to countries outside of Germany.
Riefenstahl produced and directed her own work called 'Das Blaue Licht '(1932), co-written by Carl Mayer and Béla Balázs.
This film won the Silver Medal at the Venice Film Festival.
In the film, Riefenstahl played a peasant girl who protected a glowing mountain grotto.
The film attracted the attention of Hitler, who believed she epitomized the perfect German female.
After that, she became famous as an actress, a film director, a film producer and a film reporter.
She also became world-renowned as an actress in the films 'Der heilige Berg' (The Holy Mountain) (1926), 'Der große Sprung' (The Great Leap) (1927), 'Die weiße Hölle vom Piz Palü' (The White Hell of Piz Palü) (1929), 'Stürme über dem Mont Blanc' (Storms Over Mont Blanc) (1930), 'Der weiße Rausch' (The White Noise) (1931), 'Das Blaue Licht' (The Blue Light) (1932) and 'SOS Eisberg' (1933).
Her greatest success she made with the documentary film 'Triumph des Willens' (The Triumph of the Will) named after the Reich Party Congress 1934 in Nuremberg which got the highest awards:
 |
| 'Olympia - Fest der Schönheit' Festival of Beauty Leni Riefenstahl |
 |
| 'Olympia - Fest der Schönheit' Festival of Beauty Leni Riefenstahl |
Her world-famous film about the Olympic games was equally well received.
That film included two parts, part I 'Fest der Völker' (Festival of the Nations) and part 2 'Fest der Schönheit' , (Festival of Beauty) and did also get the highest awards: the gold medal in Paris in 1937, the first price in Venice as the world's best film in 1938, the Olympic Award by the IOC in 1939, and in 1956 it had been classified as one of the world's best ten films.
Leni Riefenstahl and 'Triumph des Willens'
Around the same time she first heard Hitler speak at a Nazi rally and, by her own admission, was impressed. She later began a correspondence with him that would last for years.
Hitler, by turn, was equally impressed with 'Das Blaue Licht', and in 1933 asked her to direct a film about the annual Nürnberg Rally.
The National Socialist Party had only recently taken power amid a period of political instability (Hitler was the fourth Chancellor of Germany in less than a year) and were considered an unknown quantity by many Germans, to say nothing of the world.
In 'Mein Kampf' Hitler talks of the success of British propaganda in World War I believing people’s ignorance meant simple repetition and an appeal to feelings over reason would suffice.
Hitler chose Riefenstahl as he wanted the film as “artistically satisfying" as possible to appeal to a non-political audience, but he also believed that propaganda must admit no element of doubt.
As such, 'Triumph of the Will' may be seen as a continuation of the unambiguous World War I-style propaganda, though heightened by the film’s artistic or poetic nature.
Riefenstahl was initially reluctant, not because of any moral qualms, but because she wanted to continue making feature films.
Hitler persisted, and Riefenstahl eventually agreed to make a film at the 1933 Nürnberg Rally called 'Der Sieg des Glaubens' (Victory of Faith), however the film had numerous technical problems, including a lack of preparation (Riefenstahl reported having just a few days) and Hitler's apparent unease at being filmed.
To make matters worse, Riefenstahl had to deal with infighting by party officials, in particular Joseph Goebbels who tried to have the film released by the Propaganda Ministry.
Though 'Der Sieg des Glaubens' apparently did well at the box office, it later became a serious embarrassment after SA Leader Ernst Röhm, who had a prominent role in the film, was executed during the 'Night of the Long Knives'.
In 1934, Riefenstahl had no wish to repeat the fiasco of 'Der Sieg des Glaubens' and initially recommended fellow director Walter Ruttmann. Ruttmann's film, which would have covered the rise of the Nazi Party from 1923 to 1934 and been more overtly propagandistic (the opening text of Triumph was his), did not appeal to Hitler.
He again asked Riefenstahl, who finally relented after Hitler guaranteed his personal support, and promised to keep other Nazi organizations, specifically the Propaganda Ministry, from meddling with her film.
Production
The film follows a script similar to 'Der Sieg des Glaubens', which is evident when one sees both films side by side.
For example, the city of Nürnberg scenes - even to the shot of a cat included in the city driving sequence in both films.
Furthermore, Herbert Windt reused much of his musical score for that film in 'Triumph des Willens', which he also scored, but unlike 'Der Sieg des Glaubens', Riefenstahl shot Triumph with a large budget, extensive preparations, and vital help from high-ranking Nazis like Goebbels.
The Rally was planned not only as a spectacular mass meeting, but as a spectacular propaganda film.
Albert Speer, Hitler's personal architect, designed the set in Nürnberg, and did most of the coordination for the event.
Pits were dug in front of the speakers' platform so Riefenstahl could get the camera angles she wanted, and tracks were laid so that her cameramen could get traveling shots of the crowd.
When rough cuts weren't up to par, major party leaders and high-ranking public officials reenacted their speeches in a studio for her.
Riefenstahl also used a film crew that was extravagant by the standards of the day.
Her crew consisted of 172 people, including 10 technical staff, 36 cameramen and assistants (operating in 16 teams with 30 cameras), nine aerial photographers, 17 newsreel men, 12 newsreel crew, 17 lighting men, two photographers, 26 drivers, 37 security personnel, four labor service workers, and two office assistants.
Many of her cameramen also dressed in SA uniforms so they could blend into the crowds.
Riefenstahl had the difficult task of condensing an estimated 61 hours of film into two hours.
She labored to complete the film as fast as she could, going so far as to sleep in the editing room filled with hundreds of thousands of feet of film footage.
Themes
Triumph of the Will is sometimes seen as an example of Nazi political religion.
The primary religion in Germany before the Second World War was Christianity.
With the primary sects being Roman Catholic and Protestant, the Christian views in this movie are clearly meant to allow the movie to better connect with the intended audience.
Religion is a major theme in 'Triumph'.
The film opens with Hitler descending 'god-like' out of the skies past twin cathedral spires.
It contains many scenes of church bells ringing, and individuals in a state of near-religious fervor.
It is probably not a coincidence that the final parade of the film was held in front of the Nürnberg Frauenkirche.
In his final speech in the film, Hitler also directly compares the National Socialist Party to a holy order, and the consecration of new party flags by having Hitler touch them to the "blood banner" has obvious religious overtones.
Hitler himself is portrayed in a messianic manner, from the opening where he descends from the clouds in a plane, to his drive through Nuremberg, where even a cat stops what it is doing to watch him, to the many scenes where the camera films from below and looks up at him: Hitler, standing on his podium, will issue a command to hundreds of thousands of followers.
It was very important to Adolf Hitler that his propaganda messages carry a unified theme.
Unity is seen throughout this film, even in the camps where soldiers live.
The camp outside of Nuremberg is very uniform and clean; the tents are aligned in perfect rows, each one the same as the next.
The men there also make a point not to wear their shirts, because their shirts display their rankings and status.
Shirtless they are all equals, unified.
When they march, it is in unison and they all carry their weapons identically, one to another.
Hitler's message to the workers also includes the notion of unity:
The concept of labor will no longer be a dividing one but a uniting one, and no longer will there be anybody in Germany who will regard manual labor any less highly than any other form of labor.
'Triumph' has many scenes that blur the distinction between the Party, the German state, and the German people.
Germans in peasant farmers' costumes and other traditional clothing greet Hitler in some scenes.
The torchlight processions would remind the viewer of the medieval Karneval celebration.
The old flag of Imperial Germany is also shown several times flying alongside the Swastika, and there is a ceremony where Hitler pays his respects to soldiers who died in World War I (as well as to President Paul von Hindenburg who had died a month before the convention).
Hitler's Speeches
Among the themes presented, the desire for pride in Germany and the purification of the German people is well exemplified through the speeches and ideals of the Third Reich in 'Triumph'.
In every speech given and shown in 'Triumph', pride is one of the major focuses.
Hitler advocates to the people that they should not be satisfied with their current state and they should not be satisfied with the descent from power and greatness Germany has endured since World War I.
The German people should believe in themselves and the movement that is occurring in Germany.
Hitler promotes pride in Germany through the unification of it.
To unify Germany, Hitler believes purification would have to take place.
Hitler preaches to the people in his speeches that they should believe in their country and themselves.
The German people are better than what they have become because of the impurities in society.
Hitler wants them to believe in him and believe what he wants to do for his people, and what he is doing is for the country's and people's benefit.
In the closing speech of 'Triumph of the Will', Hitler enters the room from the back, appearing to emerge from the people.
After a one sentence introduction, he tells his faithful Nazis how the German nation has subordinated itself to the Party.
He promises that the new state that the Party has created will endure for thousands of years.
Hitler says that the youth will carry on after the old have weakened.
As the massed bands and choirs ring out the 'Horst Wessel Lied' the camera focuses on the large Swastika above Hitler and the film ends with the images of this Swastika imposed on party members marching in a columns.
His speech brought attention to the rally, and created a huge turnout in the following years.
He attracted many people in the way that he addressed the issues and his people.
He spoke to them as if it were a sermon and engaged the people.
In 1934, over a million Germans participated in the Nuremberg Rally.
Hitler's Speach to Political Leaders of the NSDAP
Nürnberg -1936
'My party comrades! Men of the National Socialist movement!
We meet here for the fourth time. How this field has changed! So has our Reich! And so, we can say with even greater pride, has our people!
We have experienced in these four years the miracle of a resurrection of a defeated and demoralized and suppressed people. Today this people stands before us once more, restored in outlook and heart.
Each time we come to this city, we can look back on a year of work, but also on a year of accomplishments. Three years ago as we met the world was in motion. There may have been some who thought the wheel of history could be rolled back. A year later, two years ago, we had just taken steps necessary to preserve the strength of the movement. A year ago the dark clouds of enemy opposition hung over Germany, foreign rejection and threatening misunderstandings. Now we are here once more and all of us, you and I and the nation, know that the time of inner turmoil is as much behind us as is the time of external threats.
As we have come together here, so too today the German people has come together. As you have marched here in columns beneath your flags, my flag bearers, the German people are behind you! I have reminded the German people in my proclamation of the wonders of the past four years. We are reminded at this festival what has become of the German people.
What a spirit seized our people! How proud and manly it has once more become. It has overcome all the powers of destruction, collapse and dishonor, and has found once again the path to honor! Today we can again be proud of our people! This miracle that has renewed our people, my fighting comrades, is not a gift from heaven given to those unworthy of it.
Never has there been a movement that struggled with more fanatic, devoted, sacrificial commitment to national resurrection than we have shown in the past eighteen years!
We have fought for our people for the souls of millions, of our workers, our farmers, our citizens! We have fought as one fights only for the most priceless gift that this world has to offer. What have we given over these years in work, in sacrifice, in devotion, in fanaticism, in contempt of death! We were successful not only because I was your leader, but rather far more because you were my followers.
We feel once more in this moment the miracle that brought us together! You heard once the voice of a man that moved your hearts, that awakened you, and you followed this voice. You followed for years without even seeing the bearer of the voice himself. You heard only the voice, and you followed.
The miracle of our coming together moves us all. Not all of you can see me, and I cannot see all of you. But I feel you, and you feel me! The belief in the greatness of our people has made us small people large, it has made us poor people rich, it has made wavering, cowardly, anxious men brave and courageous, the blind to see. It has brought us together!
You have come to this city from your small village, from your market towns, from your cities, from mines and factories, from behind the plow. You have come from your daily routine and from your labors for Germany to share this feeling: We are together, we are it and it is us, and we are now Germany!
It is splendid to know that we are gathered here as representatives of the German nation. Everyone knows: These 140,000 have but one thought and their heart, one longing, they all think the same. That is the source of our movement’s strength that has brought us through all that fate had to offer toward the goal for which we strive, and which is now in reach.
It is wonderful for me to be your Führer.
Who can be prouder of his followers than he who knows that they are moved by nothing but the purest idealism!
Who forced you to follow me? What could I offer you, what could I gave you? We together agreed on one thing: on the struggle for a great shared idea! We grew in size and strength until we were the victors.
For years I could greet you only as my fighting comrades. Today I greet you as victors. You have built a new home for our people, and have given those who dwell in that house a new spirit and new meaning. All those who may think that they can shake this state, or even bring it to collapse, should take note. They should not deceive themselves! If our old enemies and opponents should seek to attack us once more, our battle flags will fly high and they will learn respect for us!
They will have to learn that Germany is no place for them.
We had no prayer but this during our long years of struggle: Lord, give our people peace at home and abroad! Our generation has experienced so much that it is understandable why we long for peace. We want to work, to build our Reich, to build it according to our ideas and not those of the Bolshevist Jews.
We want to work for the future of the children of our people, for a future that will not only be safe for them, but easier as well. We have so much behind us that we have only one request for a gracious and good Providence: “Spare our children that which we have gone through!”
We desire nothing but peace and quiet in which to do our work. May others have the same wish, for we have not hesitated to give up our rest when it was necessary to deal with internal troublemakers. We have not aged during our struggle. We are as young as ever. What the years added our idealism subtracted.
With and behind our flags march our new youth.
We are happy and proud to see them. A new generation of leaders is maturing. What fate’s hard process of selection graciously granted us, that we want to guarantee for the future through our own tough selection.
To be a National Socialist is to be a man, it is to be a fighter, it is to be brave and courageous and sacrificial. We will be that for all eternity!
In this fourth Reich Party Rally since the seizure of power we can look calmly to the future. We are not careless and foolish. History has given us hard lessons. But we are calm and self confident. I am so when I see you. I know that there is a unique movement behind me, a wonderful organization of men and women. I see before me endless columns of the flags of our new Reich. I make this prophecy to you:
This Reich has the first days of its youth behind it. It will grow in the coming centuries, becoming strong and powerful! These flags will be borne by ever new generations of our people. Germany is healthy once more! Our people is reborn!
I greet you, my old fighting comrades, my flag bearers, my standard bearers of a new history, and I greet you and thank you for all the loyalty and faith that you have given me over the long years.
I greet you as the hope of the present and the guarantee of our future.
And I especially greet the youth who are present. Become men like those you see before you!
Fight as they have fought! Be upright and determined, fear no one and do your duty!
If you do so, the Lord God will never leave our people.
Heil Germany !'
Hitler, by turn, was equally impressed with 'Das Blaue Licht', and in 1933 asked her to direct a film about the annual Nürnberg Rally.
The National Socialist Party had only recently taken power amid a period of political instability (Hitler was the fourth Chancellor of Germany in less than a year) and were considered an unknown quantity by many Germans, to say nothing of the world.
In 'Mein Kampf' Hitler talks of the success of British propaganda in World War I believing people’s ignorance meant simple repetition and an appeal to feelings over reason would suffice.
Hitler chose Riefenstahl as he wanted the film as “artistically satisfying" as possible to appeal to a non-political audience, but he also believed that propaganda must admit no element of doubt.
As such, 'Triumph of the Will' may be seen as a continuation of the unambiguous World War I-style propaganda, though heightened by the film’s artistic or poetic nature.
Riefenstahl was initially reluctant, not because of any moral qualms, but because she wanted to continue making feature films.
Hitler persisted, and Riefenstahl eventually agreed to make a film at the 1933 Nürnberg Rally called 'Der Sieg des Glaubens' (Victory of Faith), however the film had numerous technical problems, including a lack of preparation (Riefenstahl reported having just a few days) and Hitler's apparent unease at being filmed.
To make matters worse, Riefenstahl had to deal with infighting by party officials, in particular Joseph Goebbels who tried to have the film released by the Propaganda Ministry.
Though 'Der Sieg des Glaubens' apparently did well at the box office, it later became a serious embarrassment after SA Leader Ernst Röhm, who had a prominent role in the film, was executed during the 'Night of the Long Knives'.
In 1934, Riefenstahl had no wish to repeat the fiasco of 'Der Sieg des Glaubens' and initially recommended fellow director Walter Ruttmann. Ruttmann's film, which would have covered the rise of the Nazi Party from 1923 to 1934 and been more overtly propagandistic (the opening text of Triumph was his), did not appeal to Hitler.
He again asked Riefenstahl, who finally relented after Hitler guaranteed his personal support, and promised to keep other Nazi organizations, specifically the Propaganda Ministry, from meddling with her film.
Production
For example, the city of Nürnberg scenes - even to the shot of a cat included in the city driving sequence in both films.
Furthermore, Herbert Windt reused much of his musical score for that film in 'Triumph des Willens', which he also scored, but unlike 'Der Sieg des Glaubens', Riefenstahl shot Triumph with a large budget, extensive preparations, and vital help from high-ranking Nazis like Goebbels.
The Rally was planned not only as a spectacular mass meeting, but as a spectacular propaganda film.
Albert Speer, Hitler's personal architect, designed the set in Nürnberg, and did most of the coordination for the event.
 |
| Leni Riefenstahl |
When rough cuts weren't up to par, major party leaders and high-ranking public officials reenacted their speeches in a studio for her.
Riefenstahl also used a film crew that was extravagant by the standards of the day.
Her crew consisted of 172 people, including 10 technical staff, 36 cameramen and assistants (operating in 16 teams with 30 cameras), nine aerial photographers, 17 newsreel men, 12 newsreel crew, 17 lighting men, two photographers, 26 drivers, 37 security personnel, four labor service workers, and two office assistants.
Many of her cameramen also dressed in SA uniforms so they could blend into the crowds.
Riefenstahl had the difficult task of condensing an estimated 61 hours of film into two hours.
She labored to complete the film as fast as she could, going so far as to sleep in the editing room filled with hundreds of thousands of feet of film footage.
Themes
 |
| Nürnberg Frauenkirche |
The primary religion in Germany before the Second World War was Christianity.
With the primary sects being Roman Catholic and Protestant, the Christian views in this movie are clearly meant to allow the movie to better connect with the intended audience.
Religion is a major theme in 'Triumph'.
The film opens with Hitler descending 'god-like' out of the skies past twin cathedral spires.
It contains many scenes of church bells ringing, and individuals in a state of near-religious fervor.
It is probably not a coincidence that the final parade of the film was held in front of the Nürnberg Frauenkirche.
 |
| Adolf Hitler with the Blutfahne |
Hitler himself is portrayed in a messianic manner, from the opening where he descends from the clouds in a plane, to his drive through Nuremberg, where even a cat stops what it is doing to watch him, to the many scenes where the camera films from below and looks up at him: Hitler, standing on his podium, will issue a command to hundreds of thousands of followers.
It was very important to Adolf Hitler that his propaganda messages carry a unified theme.
Unity is seen throughout this film, even in the camps where soldiers live.
 |
| Nürnberg Reichsparteitag |
 |
| Nürnberg Reichsparteitag |
The men there also make a point not to wear their shirts, because their shirts display their rankings and status.
Shirtless they are all equals, unified.
When they march, it is in unison and they all carry their weapons identically, one to another.
Hitler's message to the workers also includes the notion of unity:
The concept of labor will no longer be a dividing one but a uniting one, and no longer will there be anybody in Germany who will regard manual labor any less highly than any other form of labor.
Adolf Hitler
'Triumph' has many scenes that blur the distinction between the Party, the German state, and the German people.
Germans in peasant farmers' costumes and other traditional clothing greet Hitler in some scenes.
The torchlight processions would remind the viewer of the medieval Karneval celebration.
The old flag of Imperial Germany is also shown several times flying alongside the Swastika, and there is a ceremony where Hitler pays his respects to soldiers who died in World War I (as well as to President Paul von Hindenburg who had died a month before the convention).
Hitler's Speeches
 |
| Adolf Hitler Speaking Nürnberg Reichsparteitag |
 |
| Adolf Hitler Speaking Nürnberg Reichsparteitag |
In every speech given and shown in 'Triumph', pride is one of the major focuses.
Hitler advocates to the people that they should not be satisfied with their current state and they should not be satisfied with the descent from power and greatness Germany has endured since World War I.
The German people should believe in themselves and the movement that is occurring in Germany.
Hitler promotes pride in Germany through the unification of it.
To unify Germany, Hitler believes purification would have to take place.
 |
| Adolf Hitler Speaking Nürnberg Reichsparteitag |
The German people are better than what they have become because of the impurities in society.
Hitler wants them to believe in him and believe what he wants to do for his people, and what he is doing is for the country's and people's benefit.
 |
| Hitler before his Final Speach Nürnberg Reichsparteitag |
In the closing speech of 'Triumph of the Will', Hitler enters the room from the back, appearing to emerge from the people.
After a one sentence introduction, he tells his faithful Nazis how the German nation has subordinated itself to the Party.
 |
| 'Triumph des Willens' Final Scene |
Hitler says that the youth will carry on after the old have weakened.
As the massed bands and choirs ring out the 'Horst Wessel Lied' the camera focuses on the large Swastika above Hitler and the film ends with the images of this Swastika imposed on party members marching in a columns.
His speech brought attention to the rally, and created a huge turnout in the following years.
He attracted many people in the way that he addressed the issues and his people.
He spoke to them as if it were a sermon and engaged the people.
In 1934, over a million Germans participated in the Nuremberg Rally.
__________________________________________
Hitler's Speach to Political Leaders of the NSDAP
Nürnberg -1936
'My party comrades! Men of the National Socialist movement!
We meet here for the fourth time. How this field has changed! So has our Reich! And so, we can say with even greater pride, has our people!
We have experienced in these four years the miracle of a resurrection of a defeated and demoralized and suppressed people. Today this people stands before us once more, restored in outlook and heart.
Each time we come to this city, we can look back on a year of work, but also on a year of accomplishments. Three years ago as we met the world was in motion. There may have been some who thought the wheel of history could be rolled back. A year later, two years ago, we had just taken steps necessary to preserve the strength of the movement. A year ago the dark clouds of enemy opposition hung over Germany, foreign rejection and threatening misunderstandings. Now we are here once more and all of us, you and I and the nation, know that the time of inner turmoil is as much behind us as is the time of external threats.
As we have come together here, so too today the German people has come together. As you have marched here in columns beneath your flags, my flag bearers, the German people are behind you! I have reminded the German people in my proclamation of the wonders of the past four years. We are reminded at this festival what has become of the German people.
What a spirit seized our people! How proud and manly it has once more become. It has overcome all the powers of destruction, collapse and dishonor, and has found once again the path to honor! Today we can again be proud of our people! This miracle that has renewed our people, my fighting comrades, is not a gift from heaven given to those unworthy of it.
Never has there been a movement that struggled with more fanatic, devoted, sacrificial commitment to national resurrection than we have shown in the past eighteen years!
We have fought for our people for the souls of millions, of our workers, our farmers, our citizens! We have fought as one fights only for the most priceless gift that this world has to offer. What have we given over these years in work, in sacrifice, in devotion, in fanaticism, in contempt of death! We were successful not only because I was your leader, but rather far more because you were my followers.
We feel once more in this moment the miracle that brought us together! You heard once the voice of a man that moved your hearts, that awakened you, and you followed this voice. You followed for years without even seeing the bearer of the voice himself. You heard only the voice, and you followed.
The miracle of our coming together moves us all. Not all of you can see me, and I cannot see all of you. But I feel you, and you feel me! The belief in the greatness of our people has made us small people large, it has made us poor people rich, it has made wavering, cowardly, anxious men brave and courageous, the blind to see. It has brought us together!
You have come to this city from your small village, from your market towns, from your cities, from mines and factories, from behind the plow. You have come from your daily routine and from your labors for Germany to share this feeling: We are together, we are it and it is us, and we are now Germany!
It is splendid to know that we are gathered here as representatives of the German nation. Everyone knows: These 140,000 have but one thought and their heart, one longing, they all think the same. That is the source of our movement’s strength that has brought us through all that fate had to offer toward the goal for which we strive, and which is now in reach.
It is wonderful for me to be your Führer.
Who can be prouder of his followers than he who knows that they are moved by nothing but the purest idealism!
Who forced you to follow me? What could I offer you, what could I gave you? We together agreed on one thing: on the struggle for a great shared idea! We grew in size and strength until we were the victors.
For years I could greet you only as my fighting comrades. Today I greet you as victors. You have built a new home for our people, and have given those who dwell in that house a new spirit and new meaning. All those who may think that they can shake this state, or even bring it to collapse, should take note. They should not deceive themselves! If our old enemies and opponents should seek to attack us once more, our battle flags will fly high and they will learn respect for us!
They will have to learn that Germany is no place for them.
We had no prayer but this during our long years of struggle: Lord, give our people peace at home and abroad! Our generation has experienced so much that it is understandable why we long for peace. We want to work, to build our Reich, to build it according to our ideas and not those of the Bolshevist Jews.
We want to work for the future of the children of our people, for a future that will not only be safe for them, but easier as well. We have so much behind us that we have only one request for a gracious and good Providence: “Spare our children that which we have gone through!”
We desire nothing but peace and quiet in which to do our work. May others have the same wish, for we have not hesitated to give up our rest when it was necessary to deal with internal troublemakers. We have not aged during our struggle. We are as young as ever. What the years added our idealism subtracted.
With and behind our flags march our new youth.
We are happy and proud to see them. A new generation of leaders is maturing. What fate’s hard process of selection graciously granted us, that we want to guarantee for the future through our own tough selection.
To be a National Socialist is to be a man, it is to be a fighter, it is to be brave and courageous and sacrificial. We will be that for all eternity!
In this fourth Reich Party Rally since the seizure of power we can look calmly to the future. We are not careless and foolish. History has given us hard lessons. But we are calm and self confident. I am so when I see you. I know that there is a unique movement behind me, a wonderful organization of men and women. I see before me endless columns of the flags of our new Reich. I make this prophecy to you:
This Reich has the first days of its youth behind it. It will grow in the coming centuries, becoming strong and powerful! These flags will be borne by ever new generations of our people. Germany is healthy once more! Our people is reborn!
I greet you, my old fighting comrades, my flag bearers, my standard bearers of a new history, and I greet you and thank you for all the loyalty and faith that you have given me over the long years.
I greet you as the hope of the present and the guarantee of our future.
And I especially greet the youth who are present. Become men like those you see before you!
Fight as they have fought! Be upright and determined, fear no one and do your duty!
If you do so, the Lord God will never leave our people.
Heil Germany !'
Adolf Hitler
this post is in course of construction
