Tuesday, October 28, 2008
This Day in the History of Evil
On this day in 1922, the Italian Fascist Blackshirts began a march on Rome. Two days later a new government was formed under the leadership of Benito Mussolini.
A black day in Italian history.
Labels: WWII pre history; European Theater
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
This Day in the History of Evil
On this day in 1934 (one year into the Hitler dictatorship) Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler was given the duty to administer the concentration camp system which would become one of the infamous hallmarks of the 12 year NAZI regime.
Labels: WWII pre history; European Theater
Friday, March 07, 2008
This Day in the History of Missed Opportunities
On this day in 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to march into the Rhineland, breaching thereby both the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact. The French Army in the area outnumbered the German troops nearly 10 to 1 but were paralyzed by weak leadership in Paris and did nothing. Britain and Italy, bound by the Locarno agreement also did nothing. Had they kicked the Germans back out with appropriate casualties, that would have been the political end of Hitler and 50 million would not have died in WWII.
They were probably thinking that war is not the answer. I think it depends on the question.
Labels: WWII pre history; European Theater
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
This Day in the History of Bad Things Happening at the Polls
On this day in 1933, in German parliamentary elections, the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, the NSDAP, better known to us as the Nazis, won 43.9% of the vote, enabling it to join with the non-socialist Nationalists to gain a slender majority in the Reichstag. It was the youth vote that made all the difference.
In May of that year, Hitler, who was already Chancellor before the March elections, issued a decree banning all political parties but the Nazis and that, as they say, was that for German elections, for 12 years.
Labels: WWII pre history; European Theater
